Parks? What Parks? We're Here for the FOOD!**PICS!** COMPLETE!
- Thread starter Ms. Heimlich
- Start date
honeybee30
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2006
WOW.
Those fireworks all the way around the MK are AMAZING from up there!!
That view! We've seen Wishes and the P&PP fireworks from up there, and it is so beautiful!
BTW, loved your review of V&A! The Chef's Table looks like such an amazing culinary experience. That's definitely one for the bucket list (as in before you kick it).
SunnieRN
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2005
I love disneyland!!! But I can't wait to go to WDW! You've given me so many fantastic ideas and tips! Thank you so much!!!
Ms. Heimlich
I'm a beautiful butterfly, too!
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2006
That view! We've seen Wishes and the P&PP fireworks from up there, and it is so beautiful!
BTW, loved your review of V&A! The Chef's Table looks like such an amazing culinary experience. That's definitely one for the bucket list (as in before you kick it).
I really thought the Wishes were beautiful... Now that I've seen the "special" ones, I can't even compare it!
V&A's should be on EVERYONE'S bucket list!!
You are WELCOME! Thanks for hanging in this review with me!
More to come....
Right NOW!!
Ms. Heimlich
I'm a beautiful butterfly, too!
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2006
Sorry for the delay. Back to our dinner at California Grill… IN the WINE room!
For dinner, I chose the Pacific Halibut with Farro Risotto, Hericot Vert, Yellow Wax Beans, Confit Tomatoes, and Lobster Sauce. $31
I have to say, I was still feeling a little…. Ah… tentative…. about eating. I took some cautious bites of it and sipped water to make sure nothing… ahem… “
”… was going to happen. Once I got passed it for sure…. I dug in. The texture of the fish was so good. The crispy outside was perfectly done and the fish itself was beautifully seasoned and cooked. The veggies still had their snap and the sauce was to die for!! 
(I mean, REALLY… LOBSTER sauce??! What’s NOT to LoVe?) The risotto was good, too. I really like rice, so this is not a stretch for me.
For those of you who are interested… Farrow is a type of wheat (also called emmer) that was one of the first plants to be domesticated, it isn’t grown much today and is difficult to find. It is fairly low yielding and is supposed to be a “good grain.”.
Thomas ordered the Red Snapper Fillet with Crispy Rice Galette, Roasted Squash, Zucchini, Peppers, and Coconut Curry Sauce. $31
He ordered this specifically because of the curried squash soup we had tried in India at the F&WF. He found out that he really enjoys curry… WHO KNEW? From what he remembers the fish was really good. To quote what he said: “you were really sick and I was about “fooded out” so I can’t really remember much.” He does remember that it was good and he liked it. I think he may have had some food envy over my fish though.
For dessert, we decided to get it “to go.” I didn’t want to tempt fate any further…
The items were boxed up and we were on our way… Even without the beautiful plating, the desserts were still fabulous…
I chose the California Grill Cheese Board! $17
The cheeses were:
Coulommiers, Tomme de Savoie, Ossau Iraty, Clochette, and Blue de Gex.
The Coulommiers is a cow’s milk cheese that is a member of the Brie family. It is the color of fresh churned butter and a smooth paste with a well developed rind. The menu describes it as having mushroomy flavors and a hit of sweet almonds and chives. It was paired with apple chutney.
The Tomme de Savoie is cheese that is robust with overtones of salt and a strong raw flavor. Tomme actually implies that the cheese is made from milk of more than one herd. It is an unpasteurized French cheese and has a grayish brown fuzzy inedible thick rind/crust. I found this cheese best with the almonds.
Ossau Iraty is a sheep milk cheese made in France. It is aged for at least 90 days and gets a smooth ivory color. The menu says it has a fragrance of toasted hazelnuts and the taste is sweet and buttery that only sheep’s milk can deliver. It is complimented with fig cake.
The Clochette is a raw goat milk cheese that is formed in the shape of a bell. It is produced in southwest of France. It ages for only 3 weeks. It has a white rind and a semi-firm center with a mild flavor. It is paired with the honey comb.
The Blue de Gex is a medium textured blue cheese from France. The rind is dry, rough, and is whitish yellow. The cheese is dense and creamy with a light yellow color and dark green-blue veins. The taste is sharp and somewhat bitter but not tongue numbingly so. It is paired with the Quince Paste.
Oh so good cheese selection. Thomas and I shared it and loved every bite.
Thomas chose the “Inspired by the Year of a Million Dreams” Honey Crunch Cake with Chantilly Cream, Oven-Roasted Golden Pineapple, and Crunch Candy Crumble. $10
Thomas LOVES pineapple so this again was a no-brainer for him. He really enjoyed this dessert. The cake was so light and sweet. It was airy and had a fabulous texture that the Chantilly cream gave to the dessert.. The crunchy bits on it were so good, too!
The bites I shared were great and I would order this again in a minute if it was on the menu.
The total for this evenings dining would have been $150.64.
Overall, we LOVED CG. This was our second trip here and we will almost definitely return on our next trip. It’s become a tradition to have dinner here our last night in the World. (hey, 2 times is a tradition, right???
)
For dinner, I chose the Pacific Halibut with Farro Risotto, Hericot Vert, Yellow Wax Beans, Confit Tomatoes, and Lobster Sauce. $31
I have to say, I was still feeling a little…. Ah… tentative…. about eating. I took some cautious bites of it and sipped water to make sure nothing… ahem… “
”… was going to happen. Once I got passed it for sure…. I dug in. The texture of the fish was so good. The crispy outside was perfectly done and the fish itself was beautifully seasoned and cooked. The veggies still had their snap and the sauce was to die for!! (I mean, REALLY… LOBSTER sauce??! What’s NOT to LoVe?) The risotto was good, too. I really like rice, so this is not a stretch for me. For those of you who are interested… Farrow is a type of wheat (also called emmer) that was one of the first plants to be domesticated, it isn’t grown much today and is difficult to find. It is fairly low yielding and is supposed to be a “good grain.”.
Thomas ordered the Red Snapper Fillet with Crispy Rice Galette, Roasted Squash, Zucchini, Peppers, and Coconut Curry Sauce. $31
He ordered this specifically because of the curried squash soup we had tried in India at the F&WF. He found out that he really enjoys curry… WHO KNEW? From what he remembers the fish was really good. To quote what he said: “you were really sick and I was about “fooded out” so I can’t really remember much.” He does remember that it was good and he liked it. I think he may have had some food envy over my fish though.
For dessert, we decided to get it “to go.” I didn’t want to tempt fate any further…
The items were boxed up and we were on our way… Even without the beautiful plating, the desserts were still fabulous…
I chose the California Grill Cheese Board! $17
The cheeses were:
Coulommiers, Tomme de Savoie, Ossau Iraty, Clochette, and Blue de Gex.
The Coulommiers is a cow’s milk cheese that is a member of the Brie family. It is the color of fresh churned butter and a smooth paste with a well developed rind. The menu describes it as having mushroomy flavors and a hit of sweet almonds and chives. It was paired with apple chutney.
The Tomme de Savoie is cheese that is robust with overtones of salt and a strong raw flavor. Tomme actually implies that the cheese is made from milk of more than one herd. It is an unpasteurized French cheese and has a grayish brown fuzzy inedible thick rind/crust. I found this cheese best with the almonds.
Ossau Iraty is a sheep milk cheese made in France. It is aged for at least 90 days and gets a smooth ivory color. The menu says it has a fragrance of toasted hazelnuts and the taste is sweet and buttery that only sheep’s milk can deliver. It is complimented with fig cake.
The Clochette is a raw goat milk cheese that is formed in the shape of a bell. It is produced in southwest of France. It ages for only 3 weeks. It has a white rind and a semi-firm center with a mild flavor. It is paired with the honey comb.
The Blue de Gex is a medium textured blue cheese from France. The rind is dry, rough, and is whitish yellow. The cheese is dense and creamy with a light yellow color and dark green-blue veins. The taste is sharp and somewhat bitter but not tongue numbingly so. It is paired with the Quince Paste.
Oh so good cheese selection. Thomas and I shared it and loved every bite.
Thomas chose the “Inspired by the Year of a Million Dreams” Honey Crunch Cake with Chantilly Cream, Oven-Roasted Golden Pineapple, and Crunch Candy Crumble. $10
Thomas LOVES pineapple so this again was a no-brainer for him. He really enjoyed this dessert. The cake was so light and sweet. It was airy and had a fabulous texture that the Chantilly cream gave to the dessert.. The crunchy bits on it were so good, too!
The bites I shared were great and I would order this again in a minute if it was on the menu.
The total for this evenings dining would have been $150.64.
Overall, we LOVED CG. This was our second trip here and we will almost definitely return on our next trip. It’s become a tradition to have dinner here our last night in the World. (hey, 2 times is a tradition, right???
)
oybolshoi
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
Ossau-Iraty is one of my favorite cheeses ... I think we first tried it at Jiko. It's so good ... I wish I was eating it right now.
Thanks for coming back to finish up this review ... all of it looks wonderful and you can bet I'm ordering a cheese plate at CA Grill come October!
Thanks for coming back to finish up this review ... all of it looks wonderful and you can bet I'm ordering a cheese plate at CA Grill come October!
Ms. Heimlich
I'm a beautiful butterfly, too!
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2006
Ossau-Iraty is one of my favorite cheeses ... I think we first tried it at Jiko. It's so good ... I wish I was eating it right now.
Thanks for coming back to finish up this review ... all of it looks wonderful and you can bet I'm ordering a cheese plate at CA Grill come October!
I have to say the whole cheese experience on this trip was SCRUMDIDILYumptious. This one is no exception. They were all good, but if I HAD to pick a favorite.... I just couldn't. They were all soooo good!
I hope to get the whole thing finished this week --- as I only have one more meal to go, it shouldn't be hard.
I just adore Cali Grille! This is the second review in recent days that has included some innovative new menu selections. I'm so glad you were able to enjoy it.
Innovative menu selections... YES! DH and I loved this meal and I am almost sure we will go back on our next trip out to WDW.
Hi Ms. Heimlich! Love the report so far! I had to show my DH the pics of V&A and now of CG and he agrees we have to find a way to get to these two restaurants. Not this trip, but maybe the next! Thanks for the wonderful information.
OOOHH... YOU HAVE to squeeze at least ONE of these in... Sell a kidney if you have to, but you must visit these!!!
arieljasmine
<font color=magenta>Who says these things pass you
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2004
So glad you felt well enough to enjoy the rest of your dinner, it sounds really good. That cake looks amazing.
Laur's
Laur's
Ms. Heimlich
I'm a beautiful butterfly, too!
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2006
So glad you felt well enough to enjoy the rest of your dinner, it sounds really good. That cake looks amazing.
Laur's
Oh, me too!! I would have felt awful (X2) if I hadn't recovered well enough to finish dinner... but it all worked out!
The cake was fantastic. so light and smooth. I wish I was eating it NOW!
Thanks for reading along.
Ms. Heimlich
I'm a beautiful butterfly, too!
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2006
On our final morning, we got up, packed up, and loaded everything in the rental car. For our final meal at WDW, we decided to head over to the Poly to eat at Captain Cooks.
We had 2 counter service credits still left to use and I really wanted to try Tonga Toast. Alas, no such luck. We arrived just as they were changing to their lunch menus, so no TT this trip.
According to my receipt, it was 10:34.
Anyway, I decided to get their cheese plate, a chocolate chip cookie, and a large milk. Thomas got the pepperoni flatbread, a blueberry muffin, and an orange juice.
Cheese plate.
Pepperoni Flatbread.
Blueberry muffin.
We also had one snack credit left, so I got a bagel to take on the plane home.
The cheese plate was SURPRISINGLY good. I really enjoyed it. It had grapes, walnuts, a couple slices of green apple and three different kinds of cheeses. I was stunned. I didnt expect such a good selection for a CS. Everything was fresh, crisp, and yummy!
I had suggested the flatbread to Thomas, remembering that several of my fellow dis-sers had very positive things to say about it. He reports that this flatbread was one of the best counter service meals he had on the whole trip. He said he was leery at first, but the outcome well exceeded his expectations and was very happy with his selection. He says it was crisp, warm and very tasty.
The cookie, milk, orange juice and muffin were pretty standard Disney fare. If youve had one, youve had em all.
The bagel filled a need on the way home and again was pretty standard Disney Fare.
I will try to come back with some final thoughts, observations, etc.
Thanks for reading along!!
Ms. H
We had 2 counter service credits still left to use and I really wanted to try Tonga Toast. Alas, no such luck. We arrived just as they were changing to their lunch menus, so no TT this trip.
According to my receipt, it was 10:34.Anyway, I decided to get their cheese plate, a chocolate chip cookie, and a large milk. Thomas got the pepperoni flatbread, a blueberry muffin, and an orange juice.
Cheese plate.
Pepperoni Flatbread.
Blueberry muffin.
We also had one snack credit left, so I got a bagel to take on the plane home.
The cheese plate was SURPRISINGLY good. I really enjoyed it. It had grapes, walnuts, a couple slices of green apple and three different kinds of cheeses. I was stunned. I didnt expect such a good selection for a CS. Everything was fresh, crisp, and yummy!
I had suggested the flatbread to Thomas, remembering that several of my fellow dis-sers had very positive things to say about it. He reports that this flatbread was one of the best counter service meals he had on the whole trip. He said he was leery at first, but the outcome well exceeded his expectations and was very happy with his selection. He says it was crisp, warm and very tasty.
The cookie, milk, orange juice and muffin were pretty standard Disney fare. If youve had one, youve had em all.
The bagel filled a need on the way home and again was pretty standard Disney Fare.
I will try to come back with some final thoughts, observations, etc.
Thanks for reading along!!
Ms. H
Ms. Heimlich
I'm a beautiful butterfly, too!
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2006
Really, to sum up the whole review, Re-Read our title.
The food is what we came for and we relished in it.
For now, other vacation/house/living expenses have precluded our ability to take another Disney trip in the near future, but honestly,... Im okay with that.
Since discovering the bounty of the Signature restaurants, the variety of the counter service locations and the possibilities Disney has to offer, I think I will need lots of time to gather our resources and do Disney Right again! Especially since, after reading my dining review, my DD15 has insisted that she is able to come along. So next time, we will have to have resources for 3!
Every time we have gone, weve improved our vacation. Off property, then on property, then the Dining plan, then hitting lots of Signature Restaurants. Weve had a better time each time. Thomas has become as close to a Disney Convert as I can ever hope and doesnt cringe at the thought of going back Especially if we can go during the Food & Wine Festival. Even if we cant go during the F&WF, he knows how happy it makes me, so he deals.
On the whole, this last trip added so much richness (no pun intended) to our daily lives. We discovered fine cheeses, a number of different wines we enjoy, the joy of afternoon tea, several yummy recipes, and Ive made some friends here along the way, too.
What other vacation can give that and characters, too?
Heres hoping your next trip is magical and delicious!
Ms. H
The food is what we came for and we relished in it.
For now, other vacation/house/living expenses have precluded our ability to take another Disney trip in the near future, but honestly,... Im okay with that.
Since discovering the bounty of the Signature restaurants, the variety of the counter service locations and the possibilities Disney has to offer, I think I will need lots of time to gather our resources and do Disney Right again! Especially since, after reading my dining review, my DD15 has insisted that she is able to come along. So next time, we will have to have resources for 3!
Every time we have gone, weve improved our vacation. Off property, then on property, then the Dining plan, then hitting lots of Signature Restaurants. Weve had a better time each time. Thomas has become as close to a Disney Convert as I can ever hope and doesnt cringe at the thought of going back Especially if we can go during the Food & Wine Festival. Even if we cant go during the F&WF, he knows how happy it makes me, so he deals.
On the whole, this last trip added so much richness (no pun intended) to our daily lives. We discovered fine cheeses, a number of different wines we enjoy, the joy of afternoon tea, several yummy recipes, and Ive made some friends here along the way, too.
What other vacation can give that and characters, too?
Heres hoping your next trip is magical and delicious!
Ms. H
arieljasmine
<font color=magenta>Who says these things pass you
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2004
Thank you for sharing your lovely reviews. I will enjoy being along for the ride next time you make the trip.
Laur's
Laur's
TigerKat
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2006
Thanks for the great reviews, Ms. H!
I hope some day that your F&W trip coincides with one of ours so that we can meet in the real world and share cheese!!!
ITA!!!!!!!!!
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