I have been waiting anxiously to write this review. Im not going to give any back story, Im just going to hit it.
We checked in at the podium in the Contemporary Resort about 25 minutes early for reservation to the California Grill, and were given a pager (for those of you that arent familiar with the check in process here, you go to a desk on the second floor of the Contemporary to check in. Then, someone will take you upstairs to the top floor via an elevator, where you can wait at the bar, or step outside to take in the amazing view of the Castle/Magic Kingdom.) We were told that we were more than welcome to head upstairs to the bar. No sooner than we started to walk towards the elevator, our buzzer went off, and we were greeted by an extremely pleasant girl as our elevator opened, who took us right to our seat.
For the second time on this trip, we were given, what I feel, was the best seat in the house.
Complete with celebratory mickey confetti, in light of our honeymoon (which every single person we interacted with in the restaurant congratulated us on.)
We were greeted by our waiter ( who happened to be from the Poconos, a little more than an hour from our home,) and given a few glasses of water to start. He thoroughly explained the specials and the menu, and left us to ourselves for a few minutes to decide on our course of action.
He returned with some of this:
Sourdough bread with salted butter.
This bread..this butter..I dont know why, but it does something to me. I could make an entire meal of this stuff, and I almost did. The sea salt adorning the butter gives it just the right amount of saltiness to add to the deliciousness of the soft, fresh sourdough bread. The perfect beginning.
We decided to start with some appetizers, and began with the Lamb Gyro Flat bread.
Im a huge fan of gyros, and this did not disappoint. The flat bread part was warm and crispy, and the toppings were fresh. The lamb meat was really tender.
Our next appetizer a sort of tradition for us. We both agree that the best sushi weve ever had in our entire lives comes from this restaurant, and it comes in the form of the Spicy Kazan Roll.
How can you NOT order this? If you like sushi, get this. If you dont, get it anyway and allow it to change your mind. This roll is simply out of this world, every time. The kicker is that amazing spicy sauce they have hidden under the presentation. Take a dollop of that, mix in some crunchy tempura topping, and place on top of a piece of the sushi. One bite and youll be in heaven. Yoshi, you are a genius.
For an entree, Christina kept with the sushi theme and ordered the Dragon Roll.
Our waiter informed us that she was in luck, due to the fact that tonights Dragon Rolls were being prepared with lobster, as opposed to the normal crab. Christina did not complain. She loved this! The bite I had makes me agree. Its ALMOST as delicious as the Spicy Kazan Roll. Just almost though.
I ordered the Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Polenta, Roasted Mushrooms, Zinfandel Glaze, Crispy Sage.
This dish was out of this world. The pork was cooked perfectly. Juicy and tender throughout. The polenta was sweet and creamy as described, and when coupled with the glaze, each bite was packed full of flavor. Highly recommended.
At this point, we were thoroughly stuffed, and ridiculously happy. In the midst of us discussing how perfect our meal had been, and how we cant decide if we want dessert or not, our spectacular waiter brought us this:
This was the richest, most decadent chocolate cake we have ever experienced. Totally free of charge in honor of our celebration, this thing kicked us into diabetic comas. What an amazing way to end the meal.
Honestly, I couldnt be any more pleased with our meal at the California Grill. Every year we come here, and every year it gets better and better. They really know how to treat their customers, and the food is amazing. If you havent been, make it a point to go, you wont be dissapointed.
We finished up the night with an amazing view of wishes, and a quiet evening in our hotel room.
Tomorrow brings another relatively early morning, getting to EPCOT for breakfast at the Sunshine Seasons, and lunch at Le Cellier!