California Grill Review from June 3 (Anniversary Dinner)

[Fishin' Mike]

I suprised the wife with a meal at the CG. She had looked at the menu a while back and was not that interested in the menu items, she is not that adventurous in the dining world.

I let her in on the meal on Sunday morning as it would affect our plans during the day. I was able to set one for 7:30 on Sunday night. It was perfect timing as we were done at 9:40, looked at the reviews in the hallway and then went out on the balcony for Wishes.

We did sit at the bar for a bit and chatted with Dennis, a great bartender.

I had the Spicy Sensation Roll and it was SUPER, she had the bacon flatbread and it was excellent as well. For our entrees she had the Filet (OFF THE HOOK GOOD) and I had the chicken w/ pasta. We had a nice bottle of sweet wine as that is our preference while eating our dinner.

We also had the Valrhona cake as a dessert and it was excellent as well. They did decorate the plate with a chocolate scroll with "Happy Anniversary" for a nice touch. We were also provided a "dessert wine" complementary of the CG as well. It was a very small, 2 glass bottle of a Raspberry wine that was POTENT, it was very good with the Chocolate cake. I would have never ordered it myself but it was suggested early on and it was PERFECT for the dessert.

Our Server was Andy and he was excellent. We were never rushed and he let us set the tone of the meal, always allowing us to enjoy the course before ordering the next. It was great service, I would highly recommend Andy to anyone dining at the CG.

Contrary to other postings, we never felt rushed, we were not on the Dining Plan and were treated well. We did see a lot of kids there but nothing out of line, the dress code is not enforced at all as there were sandals and flip flops all over, not that it bothers us in the least. We were dressed "upscale PArk" as I would call it, collared shirt and golf shorts. Everyone there (staff) complimented us on the Anniversary.

Our total was $167.21 and I left $200 as the service and staff was excellent.

I used this setting to give the wife a watch and it was perfect for the occassion. She was very suprised and even began crying. It made her feel really good when a few ladies spoke to her on the Balcony and Monorail, complimenting her on it and then asking their husbands where thier's was,,,both ladies that did that were married for longer than we were, lol.

It was great and we will be dining there again. I have even set up the couple we travel with for a dinner for his birthday next month as a gift. They would not got there on their own but they will after this dinner,,it is that good.

 

[TwingleMum]

Congrats!!! Thanks for sharing sounded like a great night.

 

[John's Mom]

Thanks for your review and congrats on your anniversary.

Do you recall the name of the dessert wine? I would love to try it.

 

[rentayenta]

Happy Anniversary! This is one of the places that I am looking forward to trying!

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Happy Anniversary. Glad that everything was perfect for your special night. We have eaten at CG many times and always loved our meals and service. We have never felt rushed either. Along with Jiko it is our favorite place to eat at WDW.

 

[tintine1]

Congrats! What a nice way to spend your evening. Thanks for the review

 

[HappyMomof4]

Me and my DH just celebrated our 17th anniversary on June 2nd at the California Grill. We had a great time too. We had the best table, right by a window, to view the Wishes fireworks at 10:00. We were on the dining plan and really felt we got our monies worth.

Just thought it was funny that we celebrate our anniversaries so close together.

 

[Magical JenK]

Sounds like a great night! How fun! We'll be there for our anniversary on September 9th! I'm very glad to hear that the bacon flatbread is still there! We had it last year & it was soooooo great!

I tried to find the recipe, but no such luck!!

 

[Minniespal]

Congrats ~ Sounds as though you had a lovely time.

Happy Anniversary.

 

[Ronald Duck]

Sounds like a great night! How fun! We'll be there for our anniversary on September 9th!

...and we will be celebrating our 38th at CG (first meal there) on AUGUST 9th.

Is CG "THE" anniversary spot for folks who are not "V and A types" (we definitely aren't)?

 

[Fishin' Mike]

I would agree with the above statement. We have eaten at several establishments like V&A and it has a time and a place but I would not really like to go there while at Disney.

I think the CG is perfect, it is very nice and upscale but not over the top.

I personally have a problem with an establishment at Disney that deters children from dining. That may not be true but I get that vibe from postings and chatting with others. I realize that V&A is upscale to fit the theme but it is a bit over the top for me.

 

[Epcotgal]

Thanks so much for your review. We love CG. Glad to hear you had such a nice anniversary. Congrats.

 

[candykisses]

Happy Anniversary!

I'm glad you had such a wonderful evening.

 

[natalielongstaff]

im celebrating my birthday here in september thanks for posting x x

 

[JPoppins]

and Great Review

The CG will be our first dining experience in WDW when we go in November on our Honeymoon. I am really looking forward to it. Thanks again!

 

[shovan]

Thanks for the review! Can't wait, we have our first visit to CG coming up in October. We will be celebrating our 32 anniversary.

On the dessert wine, was it a sparkling wine? Could that have been Rosa Regale?

 

[chaoscent]

I had my birthday dinner there 5/10. It turns out there were 3 other people celebrating their birthdays that night also. We go to CG at least 1 time each trip. It is my favorite.

 

[Goofy'slady]

So glad you had such a great night. My husband and I will be celebrating our 5th anniversary on the 15th. I'm totally looking forward to it.

Toya

 

[Abra Cat]

Count me in on wanting to know what the wine was. Was it Bonny Doon Framboise? I see it's on the CG menu.

 

[Fishin' Mike]

On the wine we had,,

I found the cork on the dinner wine, it was a Selbach Oster Zeltingen / Mosel from 2004.

I have no idea the name of the Dessert Wine, all I know is that it was in a small bottle, it was made from crushed Raspberries, was very potent but good and coated the glass. It was more thick than thin if that makes any sense. It was on the house but I will pay for this wine if I can determine the name, it was very good.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.