Mother & Daughters Dining Report: California Grill

[auntfrannie]

My sisters and I took my Mother to Disney World to celebrate her 80th birthday. What a blast! We stayed at the Polynesian Club Level. I love the Polynesian but I wasn’t overwhelmed by club level. It was nice for a quick breakfast every morning but I honestly kind of missed getting the egg croissant at the Main Street Bakery. However, because of an AP discount at Poly Club I was able to save a little money from my original plans for Contemporary Theme Park View.

We arrived Saturday night but stayed at an Embassy Suites before checking into Disney on Sunday. Sunday’s plans started with lunch at T-Rex. My mother and I ate here a few years ago when it first opened and their salads were outstanding so we thought we would give it another try.

I went with the Saber Tooth Salad:
Romaine and mixed greens, with fresh pears, Gorgonzola cheese, pistachio, dried apricots, and apple chips with a white balsamic vinaigrette with grilled chicken $17.99

T-Rex Saber Tooth Salad by webster63, on Flickr

My younger sister went with the Omnivore salad:
Iceberg, romaine and baby greens with goat cheese, Ocean Spray Craisins, strawberries, red onion and caramelized pecans. Tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing with Grilled Chicken $15.99

T-Rex Omnivore Salad by webster63, on Flickr

My mom decided to try the Pterodactyl salad:
Roasted chicken, mixed greens, celery, tomatoes, Bleu cheese crumbles, chopped egg and bacon. Tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing $16.99

T-Rex Pterodactyl Salad by webster63, on Flickr

Finally, my older sister went in a completely different direction and got the Tribal Tacos:
Your choice of tempura fried or blackened grilled tender Mahi Mahi wrapped in corn tortillas and topped with red cabbage, fresh cilantro, pico de gallo and our T-REX avocado cream sauce $17.99

T-Rex Fish Tacos by webster63, on Flickr

Everyone enjoyed their meals and were too full to even think about desserts!

 

[MickeyNicki]

Great looking salads!

We were not impressed with the CL at the Poly either...love the Poly just wasnt wowed by the CL

 

[jabead]

Yay...you've started your Dining Report! Count me in!

 

[auntfrannie]

Great looking salads!

We were not impressed with the CL at the Poly either...love the Poly just wasnt wowed by the CL

I'm glad it wasn't just me! I kept thinking I must be missing something.

Yay...you've started your Dining Report! Count me in!

Barb, thanks again for posting my somewhat live updates. I would have sent more but the quality on the pictures using my camera didn't come out very well.

 

[auntfrannie]

Dinner took us to the Flying Fish Café. This is one my favorites! I’ve always had good food and good service. My sisters had never been here before. The food was outstanding but what really made the evening memorable was the service. Rogerio really made a fuss over my mother. My sisters and I all ordered a cocktail and when Rogerio saw that my mom didn’t order anything to drink, he brought her a glass of champagne.

We started by splitting two entrees between the four of us.
The vegetarian sushi roll:
Silken Tofu, Avocado, heirloom radish, young carrot roll, cucumber-seaweed salad and piquant mango and Asian Chile creama $12.00

Jonas Lump Crab Cake:
Savory Vegetable Slaw, Roasted Red Pepper Coulis, and Ancho Chile Rémoulade $16.00

Flying Fish veg sushi roll & crab cake by webster63, on Flickr

I apologize for the photo! I didn’t think to take the picture until after we split them. So what you see here is a quarter of the crab cake and one piece of sushi. It was just the right amount for us to share without overdoing it!

My mom and I both opted for the Chef’s Special Thunder:
Brioche and Herb-crusted Port Canaveral Day Boat Flounder with triple sweet local Zellwood corn pudding, pan-roasted lobster & Maitake mushrooms with a truffle, chive & Vermont butter sauce. $33.00

Flying Fish Flounder by webster63, on Flickr

My older sister went with the salmon:
Oak-grilled Faroe Island Salmon - fennel, radishes and smoked trumpet mushrooms, with a tomatillo, green chili, pumpkinseed and cilantro sauce $37

Flying Fish Salmon by webster63, on Flickr

Younger sister the yellowfin tuna:
Ginger and Teriyaki Char-Crusted Yellowfin Tuna - bok choy, Asian mushrooms, carrots, snap and snow peas, with a lightly curried carrot-coconut lemongrass infusion $38

Flying Fish Yellowfin Tuna by webster63, on Flickr

We also ordered two sides to share:
Grilled Asparagus:

Flying Fish Asparagus by webster63, on Flickr

Wilted Spinach:

Flying Fish Spinach by webster63, on Flickr

I have never been disappointed at FF! Although always outstanding for me, Rogerio's extra attention to my mom made it really special. He finished the evening by bringing her a creme brulee and four spoons! We had a great time!

 

[jmm476]

Love the FF review!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

The salads at TRex look very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Ro Z]

So glad you and your family had such a great time. I have to agree about CL. We have stayed at Poly, YC, WL (2). We do not spend enough time at the resorts I guess to justify it. We love Trex too but we stay far away from salads. Love the nachos!

 

[auntfrannie]

Love the FF review!

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

FF never disappoints! The only thing I've not cared for is the risotto but I'm not a fan of any risotto!

The salads at TRex look very interesting. Thanks for sharing!

Yes, they had some nice combinations that you don't see elsewhere.

So glad you and your family had such a great time. I have to agree about CL. We have stayed at Poly, YC, WL (2). We do not spend enough time at the resorts I guess to justify it. We love Trex too but we stay far away from salads. Love the nachos!

Some day I'll have to try something other than their salads. I'm sure that once they had the salad dressing they're no longer healthy! But I'll keep telling myself they are!

 

[auntfrannie]

Monday was lunch at The Plaza restaurant on Main Street. I always enjoy taking a break in the parks to have a table service lunch once in a while. The Plaza is the perfect place for a table service that isn’t too heavy.

I always feel for the CMs that have to deal with pushy people. When I went to check-in, the CM had a line that was kind of going off to the side. She was checking in one person and there was another couple in front of me standing on the side. There was also a woman standing directly in front of her podium. After the CM finished with the first person she turned to check in the woman standing in front of the podium. The man in front of me demanded to know why she was taken before him and the CM had to explain that she had been standing there before he walked up to the line. Geesh! It was one person! He got all huffy about having to wait 3 minutes?

Once I checked in we were seated within 5 minutes. If you’ve never been to The Plaza, it’s a small restaurant with a main dining room and a solarium. We were seated in the main room next to the kitchen; so not the greatest location but it didn’t bother our meal at all.

I decided to try something different and went with the vegetable sandwich:
Fresh mozzarella, hummus, basil pesto, cucumber, roasted red pepper, tomato, and lettuce on a freshly baked foccaccia $10.99

Plaza Veggie Sandwich by webster63, on Flickr

My younger sister got the Turkey sandwich without the bacon:
Smoked turkey, bacon, lettuce, vine ripened tomato and mayonnaise on toasted multi-grain bread $11.49

Plaza Turkey Sandwich by webster63, on Flickr

We decided to split the sandwiches since we wanted to try both. The veggie sandwich looks like it's bursting with fresh flavors but nothing really stood out. I think it needed some cilantro to add a touch of zing. The turkey sandwich doesn't look like anything special but it was really good. The bread was outstanding and the turkey was very fresh!

My older sister got the Strawberry Chicken Salad without the cheese:
Fresh garden greens, grilled chicken breast, fresh strawberries, gorgonzola cheese, tossed in a white zinfandel vinaigrette dressing $14.99

Plaza Chicken Strawberry Salad by webster63, on Flickr

I’ve had this before and it is really refreshing.

My mom got the grilled reuben:
Thinly sliced corned beef on grilled marble rye with sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and Thousand Island dressing $10.99

Plaza Reuben sandwich by webster63, on Flickr

The service was good and relatively quick. The server did bring a cupcake with a candle for my mother. It was a basic cupcake but was chilled from being in the refrigerator. Cold buttercream icing is never good; it needs to be at room temperature to really enjoy the creaminess. It was a nice gesture from the CM, though.

Overall, we enjoyed our quick lunch and made our way out to the hub to catch the next Move It Shake It parade.

 

[happy2012]

The veggie sandwich looks delish!!!

 

[butiflfeet]

The salad at The Plaza looks really yummy! I'll have to remember to try that next time.

 

[auntfrannie]

The veggie sandwich looks delish!!!

It wasn't bad but it looked better than it tasted.

The salad at The Plaza looks really yummy! I'll have to remember to try that next time.

The salad is very good. I had that last time (with a side of fries, just so my system didn't get too used to eatlng healthy)!

 

[auntfrannie]

Monday was my mother’s birthday and we had an ADR to celebrate at the California Grill. I love the food there and we had a great view of the castle. Service was a bit off though. The server wasn’t as friendly or attentive as what you would expect from a signature restaurant.

Before I get into the review, I would like to know if anyone else has a problem getting served in the lounge? Every time I go to wait for our pager to go off, we wait in the lounge with the intent of having a cocktail before dinner. Only once in all the years I’ve been to CA Grill has anyone actually stopped by to take an order. It’s just so frustrating.

Anyway, on to the food. I Three of us started with the roasted cauliflower soup. Very rich and creamy but probably a little too filling! It didn’t photograph well; white soup in a white bowl. But it was good.
Roasted Cauliflower Soup:
Petite heirloom florettes, pumpernickel croutons, smoked olive oil

CA Grill Roasted Cauliflower Soup by webster63, on Flickr

We also shared the Spicy Kazan Roll. I love this! I originally thought of just ordering this for my entrée but I knew my sisters would enjoy it, too.
Spicy Kazan Roll:
crab, shrimp, bay scallops, tuna and fireball sauce $22

CA Grill Spicy Kazan Roll by webster63, on Flickr

As many times as I’ve been to the CA Grill, I never tried the pork tenderloin. It gets rave reviews so I gave it a shot! OMG! Just so delicious. Why can’t I cook like this at home? I loved the goat cheese polenta. A few years back several of the signature restaurants had polenta as a side. Now most restaurants are going with risotto where they used to have polenta. I do not like risotto so the polenta was a welcome change. I loved this dish and wished I had skipped the soup so I could finish it all. My mom also had this and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin - with Goat Cheese Polenta, Roasted Mushrooms, Zinfandel Glaze, and Sage $37

CA Grill Pork Tenderloin by webster63, on Flickr

My younger sister got the surf & turf sushi. She liked it but was too full from the soup and spicy kazan and had it boxed to take back with her. This is one part where the service was odd. The server boxed it and brought it back and set it on the floor. I’ve never seen any restaurant put the take-out containers on the floor. There was room on the table for the box so we’re still puzzled as to why she would put it on the floor.

Surf & Turf Roll:
Shrimp, spicy tuna, seared beef tenderloin, mushrooms, garlic herb mayonnnaise

CA Grill Surf & Turf Sushi by webster63, on Flickr

My older sister got the swordfish and really enjoyed it.
Atlantic Swordfish:
Cauliflower puree, chili garlic butter, carnival cauliflower, lime gastrique

CA Grill Swordfish by webster63, on Flickr

There was absolutely no room for dessert. Aside from the Mickey confetti on the table, the server made no mention of my mom’s birthday at all. I’m glad she really enjoyed her dinner and attention she got from Rogerio at the Flying Fish because he more than made up for Kelly at CA Grill!