January Dining Review and Pictures - Update 12/8 Sunshine and Liberty Tree

[Flossbolna]

Being a good DISer I decided to get one of those famous drinks from France after my meal. Last year I had the Grey Goose Slushie, this time I decided to go for the Grand Marnier one:

I love the plastic glass they are served in, very stylish!! It was a very nice drink, but not as orangey as I had expected. I think I preferred the other one, but then I am a fan of lemons. Perhaps I need to verify my preference on my next trip....

 

[brookelizabeth]

While we were sitting there, a number of people came in to order milk shakes to go. I never knew that this would have been an option! Actually it was very nice to escape the very crowded park!

In case you ever wanted to know how to make on of those, here is a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_j7Ea5vE6E

What a great tip! We still weren't feeling the best for our ADR here, and there would have been NO way I could do a Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshake (and even forgot this was an option at the time), but on the YouTube video! I'll be treating myself to one of those in the near future I think...

And that's a SMALLER meal? It looks so so good. I think this place has trumped Sunshine Seasons for my "hope to dine at" list for September! Raisins and nuts in the cous-cous sounds wonderful.

 

[wilma-bride]

Just found these reviews Magdalene - I didn't realise you'd been back but was very pleased to see some more incredible reviews from you. I have only tried the lemon slushie at Epcot but plan to try both on our next trip, for much the same reason as you - I need to be certain which I prefer

Looking forward to more

 

[Flossbolna]

What a great tip! We still weren't feeling the best for our ADR here, and there would have been NO way I could do a Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshake (and even forgot this was an option at the time), but on the YouTube video! I'll be treating myself to one of those in the near future I think...

And that's a SMALLER meal? It looks so so good. I think this place has trumped Sunshine Seasons for my "hope to dine at" list for September! Raisins and nuts in the cous-cous sounds wonderful.

I hope you will post a picture report on your milk shake adventures on your pre-trippie!

Well, getting a smaller meal was my intention, Tangierine Cafe was not really cooperating... Actually, it was less meat than the combination platter, so I guess it was a bit smaller. But it was a very decent lunch portion! Tangierine is a very good option and it has outside tables. I really love Sunshine Seasons, but you are sitting inside the pavillion in artificial light and it feels a bit like a cafeteria. Here you can enjoy the beautiful pavillion. But then you don't have so many different options...

Just found these reviews Magdalene - I didn't realise you'd been back but was very pleased to see some more incredible reviews from you. I have only tried the lemon slushie at Epcot but plan to try both on our next trip, for much the same reason as you - I need to be certain which I prefer

Looking forward to more

Hi Joh, welcome to the 2009 reviews and thanks for the nice comment! A 2010 trip is already in the planning, so those will be around some time next spring!!

I actually got a lot of comments from people (including CMs) on my great looking drink when I continued touring Epcot with it. I guess the bright orange color made it so obvious...

 

[Flossbolna]

We had an ADR for 5:30 pm, that's opening time. Our plan was to watch the sunset from the restaurant and then see how long we would be there to decide wether we would just get an after dinner drink and take it to the viewing balcony or actually walk over to the MK to see Wishes at 8pm from there. My preference was seeing the fireworks from the park. After having seen them from CG twice before, I just think it is a much better experience if you are standing on Main Street.

I was really excited to get to see CG in daylight. I am a big fan of ehagerty's food pictures and she has this wonderful thread with pictures of CG: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1331459 If you haven't seen them yet, get yourself over there quickly: her pictures are a thousand times better than what you will get to see here!! She always wrote about how lovely it is to be there before it is dark.

For CG you actually check in at a desk on the floor below the grand concourse level of the Contemporary and then you get taken with a special elevator to the 14th floor. We checked in at around 5:20 and for the first time ever I had the courage to ask for a special server! In 2008 we had this wonderful server called Gary and we really would have loved to have him again. Unfortunately he was not working that day... But once I had started special requests, I was smart enough to come up with a different special request and asked for a window table!!

Once we arrived at CG it was wonderful bright and airy in there.

I liked the feeling of the room much better than at dark with artificial light. Unfortunately the sun is on the side where the MK is, so this side had blinds to keep the sun out. You could still see through them if you were close, but you did not have a great panoramic view. We were told that it would be a short wait until they would start seating people. I think they started seating us at 5:35pm and we were the third table or so to be seated. And we got a wonderful window table!!

C and I decided to start in style with a drink. Last year I was a bit surprised that there was no menu listing any speciality drinks. Here in Germany a bar that serves cocktails always has a menu. Last year I got an apple martini because that was the first drink that came up in my mind. This year I had read menus at bars here in Germany and tried to remember the standards. So I had set my mind on ordering a gimlet which I had liked here in Germany. Well, it was one of those things that where you expect something specific, but get something very different. Like ordering pizza in Italy, Germany and the USA can actually get you very different dishes that only have a vague similarity. My gimlet in Germany was a shaken drink with real lemon juice (and I got it that way at different bars), at California Grill it was the ingredients just poured over a glass full of ice cubes. And instead of lemon juice it was lime syrup. Unfortunately because of the many ice cubes you could not really stir it to mix it, so I ended up drinking the gin first and the sweet lime syrup afterwards because I had not realized that it was not mixed yet... AS you can tell: this was not the best start to the meal, but I did not let that get my mood down. It is not that I was served a bad drink, but I was expecting something very different and would probably not have ordered what I got would I have known that beforehand...

C on the other hand stuck with what I had before and was very happy! She had this lovely apple martini:

We were served the wonderful CG sourdough bread with butter. The bread was warm and that slight sour taste to it. I think the CG bread is the best dinner bread I have been served at WDW! And I am always amazed how many wonderful breads are available there. It seems like every place tries to offer something special.

We shared some sushi as our appetizer. I am pretty confident that we got the Tempura "Malibu" Roll - grouper, snapper, cobia, hamachi, tuna tartare, and spicy sesame sauce, which is listed on the allears menu. However, our receipt says big bang roll. It was eight pieces of the roll. Unfortunately we had already eaten one each before I remembered my picture taking duties! So you only get close ups:

This was wonderful! It was a normal maki roll, but filled with different types of fish and then it was battered lightly in tempura and fried. Every individual piece was then covered with tuna tartar. It was so delicious! The pieces were rather large, so sharing this roll between the two of us was just the right amount for an appetizer that would not kill our appetite!

While we were eating the sushi, the blinds came up and we had the most wonderful view of the sunset and the MK! Just before the sun went down, one of the chefs actually made an announcement that the restaurant was proud to present the California Grill sunset.

C and I chose the same entree, the famous pork loin (Grilled Pork Tenderloin - Served with goat cheese polenta, button mushrooms, and Zinfandel glaze):

I had had this dish in 2008 and fell in love with it. And it did not disappoint the second time round! The pork loin was served medium. Last year I was very scared about ordering it medium. I was taught that pork always has to be fully cooked before you can eat it. However, I thought that WDW would not let the servers recommend ordering the pork medium if you are very likely to die from it. I am aware that any uncooked food has the potential of being bad for you, but I eat sushi and I like my steak to be medium rare. So I gathered I would try it. And the pork was great last time and again this year. Pork tenderloin is really very soft meat and it can dry out easily. But eating it medium it was still very moist! The pork is marinated in mustard and comes with this wonderful zinfandel sauce. The polenta also has a destinctive goat cheese taste without being overpowering. All in all this is an extremely well composed dish!

And C loved it, too! We really should have ordered one to share between the two of us, neither of us was able to finish everything on our plate.

And we were seriously considering not ordering desert... But we did not want to miss out and got "The Original" - The California Grill's legendary butterscotch creme brulee with a duo of banana cakes and caramelized bananas:

It was a very good crème brulee. It came with two tiny loafs of cake. We had difficulty finishing the crème and therefore asked for the cakes to be packed up. We got a lovely little box for them. C had them as an afternoon snack two days later and said that they were very nice, but I did not try them.

We finished dinner around 7:10pm. It felt faster than the last two times we ate there. I wonder wether they try to turn tables quicker before Wishes? But we did not feel rushed or anything like that, it just did not seem to be that super relaxed and slow meal that I remembered from 2008. I was fine with that since I wanted to get back to the MK anyway for Wishes. And that's exactly what I did! C opted to go back to the Poly and watched Wishes from there and had an easy evening. While I enjoyed the evening EMH and rushed around the MK enjoying the big rides without any lines. I even could have gotten my own boat on Splash Mountain, but waited a short time for some more people to arrive as I did not want to be on that ride on my own!!

California Grill is still after the third visit a wonderful restaurant. Our server was very professional and the food was wonderful. For me the location is the big draw which makes it stand out over the other signature restaurants. Even if you don't see Wishes from there (and I think Wishes is much better if viewed from Main Street!) the view is still wonderful. I think I don't even need the MK view, I just love being someplace that has a great view of something! And that's the reason why I enjoyed being there during daylight so much! Besides that, during our first hour in the restaurant it was still rather quiet. Once every table is occupied, it just is a rather noisy environment. But until 6:30pm it was actually even peaceful!

 

[nodnol]

Hi Magdalene, I think California Grill is an absolute must for our trip!! Thank you for all the reviews, they help a lot with the planning!

 

[Flossbolna]

Hi Magdalene, I think California Grill is an absolute must for our trip!! Thank you for all the reviews, they help a lot with the planning!

Hi nodnol, good to see you posting!

 

[Dizneydaz]

I finally caught up! More great reviews. We've had the fruit plate from Flametree and it's really very good. A nice break from some of the standard park fare.

The Grand Marnier slushie looks very refreshing. I'm not much of a drinker at WDW but I'm thinking I may have to try that one or the Grey Goose. I've been reading about them for years.

Your review of CG make me wish we were going this year. But I'm pretty sure we've decided to skip it this time and try a new Signature Restaurant. But you're right about the view. 2 years ago I planned our dinner based on sunset. We arrived about 20 mins. before and it was a wonderful view. I acutally like the view of Wishes better from Narcoossee's than CG.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Great review of CG! That sushi looked amazing. HUGE pieces! I always get such a kick out of eating those big pieces of sushi and wonder if people watch me attempt to open my mouth that big!

I really hope to eat here in December on a date night with Joe!

 

[annichan]

This is our lovely milk shake (my half of it):

Hey Flossbolna,

I have finally almost caught up with your reviews and I enjoyed them tremendously! I don't even know where to start commenting - so many great reviews - so I will focus solely on the most difficult item of food I have ever read about. Yes, that abovementioned PB&J milkshake. Yeurgh. I must say that I am utterly unably to wrap my mind around the concept of a PB & J milkshake. Way too "ethnic" for this little chicken!

So what do you reckon, should I try it next time? (The things we do in the name of research and inter-continental friendship and understanding )

Okay, now I'm off to read the rest of your reviews, so don't ask me to write another one of mine tonight

 

[natalielongstaff]

Great review of the Cg, ive pasted this over to uk trip planning as someone is planning an anniversary meal

 

[dd50]

Yeah, don't think I could do a PB&J milkshake either.

 

[PixieDustandEeyore]

just read all your reviews they are great!

 

[Disneyof3]

Thanks for the reviews

I can never tell with the pictures, can you wear park clothes to Kona for dinner or would it be best to get somewhat dressed up? I noticed some people had jeans on in your pictures and in others I have noticed dresses then shorts? I know it is not a signature restaurant but by the pictures of the inside of the restaurant, it is a little dressed up and fancy? Thanks again for the great reviews

 

[Flossbolna]

Dear readers, I need to appologizes for the long delay in posting. I just realized that it is over a month since I updated this. But I have the next reviews all written up!!

I finally caught up! More great reviews. We've had the fruit plate from Flametree and it's really very good. A nice break from some of the standard park fare.

The Grand Marnier slushie looks very refreshing. I'm not much of a drinker at WDW but I'm thinking I may have to try that one or the Grey Goose. I've been reading about them for years.

Your review of CG make me wish we were going this year. But I'm pretty sure we've decided to skip it this time and try a new Signature Restaurant. But you're right about the view. 2 years ago I planned our dinner based on sunset. We arrived about 20 mins. before and it was a wonderful view. I acutally like the view of Wishes better from Narcoossee's than CG.

Thanks for reading! We actually might try Narcoossee's on our next trip. I am just not sure wether we want to time it for Wishes or wether we want to go for an early dinner...

Great review of CG! That sushi looked amazing. HUGE pieces! I always get such a kick out of eating those big pieces of sushi and wonder if people watch me attempt to open my mouth that big!

I really hope to eat here in December on a date night with Joe!

That would be a wonderful date night at CG! I know what you mean about big sushi pieces, I used to wonder wether they were not supposed to be eaten in parts, like take one bite from then and then the next. But this only leads to them falling absolutely appart...

Hey Flossbolna,

I have finally almost caught up with your reviews and I enjoyed them tremendously! I don't even know where to start commenting - so many great reviews - so I will focus solely on the most difficult item of food I have ever read about. Yes, that abovementioned PB&J milkshake. Yeurgh. I must say that I am utterly unably to wrap my mind around the concept of a PB & J milkshake. Way too "ethnic" for this little chicken!

So what do you reckon, should I try it next time? (The things we do in the name of research and inter-continental friendship and understanding )

Okay, now I'm off to read the rest of your reviews, so don't ask me to write another one of mine tonight

The PBJ is definitely a bit of an acquired taste! Do you like peanut butter?? I would suggest to start out from there. I think it is easier to get used to eat, if yoou put it on toast, somehow if it is warm it tastes more familiar. Once you are ok with peanut butter, you should try it with some jam. I really like it with strawberry. I think the "original" is with American grape jelly which is a very sweet thing, no need to use that. You might also want to try peanut butter with some chocolate spread. Then it tastes like a snickers bar and you would already know that taste. If you are ok with penut butter and jam, then the milk shake will be no problem for you!!! I was surprised how much I liked it when I ordered it for the first time.

Great review of the Cg, ive pasted this over to uk trip planning as someone is planning an anniversary meal

I am always happy to have more readers!!

Yeah, don't think I could do a PB&J milkshake either.

It is really not that exotic!

just read all your reviews they are great!

Welcome and thanks for reading!

Thanks for the reviews

I can never tell with the pictures, can you wear park clothes to Kona for dinner or would it be best to get somewhat dressed up? I noticed some people had jeans on in your pictures and in others I have noticed dresses then shorts? I know it is not a signature restaurant but by the pictures of the inside of the restaurant, it is a little dressed up and fancy? Thanks again for the great reviews

Park clothes for Kona are absolutely fine. I did not think that people were dressy in there. There was a fair share of T-shirts and shorts. People just looked like at the parks, you will see people there with dresses as well I think. Hope this helps!

 

[Flossbolna]

This was the day we slept in – I had been at the MK evening EMH unti 12 am, so I really needed the sleep and C likes to sleep anyway.

We had had a reservation for 1900 Park Fayre but C really was not keen at all on that and we cancelled it when we arrived at the Poly. We decided to see wether they would have room at Kona for us because we really liked breakfast there the first morning. We had to wait for a bit, but were seated after a few minutes. This gave me time to take a few pictures:

We ended up at the table next to the one where we had been on our first morning. And we had the same server, who actually remembered us. This time we had learned our lesson and shared one dish: the pineapple macadamia nut pancakes with an additional side order of bacon:

This is my half after I had eaten a few bites of the first half pancake. The side order of bacon was actually quite generous, it was more than what you got with the pancake itself.

We really enjoyed our meal this time, too. So of course I would like to return here. Would I actually travel to the Poly to eat breakfast at Kona? I don't think so. I normally prefer to spend early mornings in the parks and if I want to have a relaxing morning, I rather would want to eat at the resort I stay at. So unless it is a value or moderate resort with no sit down breakfast, I would rather eat at my hotel than travel all the way to Kona on Disney transportation.

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

I am enjoying your reviews! That fruit plate at Flame Tree looked very refreshing, I am going to have to write that down in my passporter for our next trip.

Can't wait to read more.

 

[Flossbolna]

I am enjoying your reviews! That fruit plate at Flame Tree looked very refreshing, I am going to have to write that down in my passporter for our next trip.

Can't wait to read more.

It was very refreshing, but to be honest, it would not be enough for a real lunch for me. But if you just want something light, it was great!

 

[Flossbolna]

After our lovely breakfast at Kona, we went to DTD to do some shopping. Going there in the morning was really great, it was pretty quiet and when it started to become crowded we were on our way out. I had planned to eat at either WPE or Earl of Sandwich and we checked both places out while shopping. We really liked the look of WPE, so this is where we went.

C got the butternut squash soup, which she liked a lot:

It was actually very different from the soup at Boma, but I can't tell you that much about it...

She also got a side order of mashed potatoes as this is her favourite food. She declared those the best mashed potatoes ever. The side order was huge!

I had the chicken caesar salad. I am a great fan of caesar salad, but you rarely get them in Germany. So whenever I am in the USA, I have to get one. I thought this would be a good place to satisfy my craving and it was a very delicious salad:

You could tell that it was not any bland cheap dressing, but it was made specially for WPE. It just did not taste like fast food, but real good food.

I am a bit sorry that we did not try any of the more exotic choices on the menu and really had difficulty choosing something. I think I need to return to WPE to try something else next time!!

 

[dd50]

Don't think that you can go wrong with either WPE or Earl of Sandwich. Both have great food.