Overall Rating: 5
One of our favorite meals!
After a day of Epcot, exploration of the Boardwalk (including a tour of the BWI, and looking at a Deluxe Concierge room) followed by an afternoon nap for DD, we got ready to head over to the Contemporary, via boat from WL. This took longer than we expected because the boat stops at Fort Wilderness firstand it was very, very cold on the water that night.
We had a 6:00 pm ADR and my family would be joining us!
We arrived and walked up and inside, checked in, and were allowed to head up in the elevator even though DSis and her DH were a bit late. It was pleasant to sit in the lounge until they arrived, which was only about 5-10 minutes later. A few minutes after that our pager went off and we were sat in a round table almost behind the bar/lounge seating area. It was not the greatest table because it was right along the walkway (onto which people waiting for tables later over spilled, sitting on the groundthis was really odd, and several of them just stared at us). Anyway, it was fine, we were together and having a great time chatting about all we had done. Seems like an early ADR was the way to go, there were gobs of people waiting for tables between 7-8:30, and this was during a pretty slow period at WDW. My parents had just arrived to Florida this day as well, so we all looked forward to this meal!
Our server visited us and promptly ran off to get DD a large bottle of Evian (the big bottle, which he counted as her dining plan beveragenice!) along with a cylinder glass that DD insisted on having
if you can tell from the pictures they have funky cylinder/rectangle shaped water glasses. Well, DD wanted to have her own (she usually dislikes the plastic kids cups in most restaurants, and prefers glass glasses) and asked our server for this specific type. He must have understood children because he also brought crackers and bread immediately.
My parents had already ordered drinks at the bar, I think sis had coke, her Dh maybe iced tea, my Dh had coke, and I ordered bottled water (another large Evian bottle) as well as a glass of red wine. I told our server what I generally like in reds, he nodded and said hed bring a sample of his recommendation. He quickly returned with 2 samples, I tasted and choose one (it was great, sorry, I never even knew what it was! I forgot to ask him, or didnt pay attention).
After mentioning mustard to our server, a chef soon came out to chat with me. He was extremely nice and told me what had mustard on the menu and also that I could order absolutely anything and they would make certain to prepare it without mustard. So great! As with the other signature chefs, we took the opportunity to ask him what his favorites were this evening. This man was not the head chef, but a sous chef of some kind. He modestly shared that the chicken was his dish and how much he enjoyed it, along with the fish dishes, and he and Dh talked about the sushi (which Dh adores). He highly recommended the Spicy Kazan Roll, which Dh ordered, and the Snake in the Grass (barbeque eel and shrimp roll). Dh would have ordered the latter, but it was a surcharge, and the other sounded great too.
Spicy Kazan Roll - crab, shrimp, bay scallops, tuna and fireball sauce
Here is a quick funny story about the sushi and my stepmom. She had never tried sushi before ever! I was so surprised because they are adventurous eaters. DDad, I knew, didnt care for it, but had at least tried it
anyway, she was sort-of making icky faces, jokingly, when Dh ordered his sushi. Then when it arrived she looked over and seemed interested, and said, gee
that looks really delicious
We all encouraged her to try a bite (especially given this was pretty tame sushi) and she loved it! She had another bite and was talking about it the next day.
Dh thought this was excellent! I tried it as well and agreed. It was quite spicy, and wonderfully flavorful with the combo of the crab, shrimp, tuna and scallops. Perfectly prepared rice, and this portion was huge! You could easily order this as an entrée.
Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli - with sun-dried tomatoes, pesto, shiitake mushrooms and basil
Wowza, this was fantastic!
I absolutely love goat cheese, but was somewhat dubious about the tomato with the goat cheese
not that this isnt a tried and true pairing, but I usually just prefer goat cheese prepared other ways. Anyway, I was deciding between the fig and serano ham flatbread (which sounded great, but also filling) and this, and our server said both were great, but that this was a specialty that had been on the menu since they opened. So, I went with it! And, it was really wonderfulcreamy, tart goat cheese, soft, homemade pasta, and a very light, judicious use of the sun-dried tomatoes and pesto. I would return to CG just for this dish, it was that good. My brother-in-law had this as well, and I think he enjoyed it as much as I did!
Striped Bass with crispy rock shrimp, roasted potatoes, onions, Celeriac, "Chowder" cream, and Piquillo Rouille
The crispy rock shrimp were marvelous, bass perfectly cooked, and the rouille (a French seafood accompaniment made with roasted peppers and garlic) combined with the very light chowder cream was heavenly!
Seared Scallops with fregola pasta, bacon, almonds, cauliflower puree, wild mushrooms and cider reduction
Dh chose the scallops. Wonderful! I only had a small bite but they were great, not overdone, and the almonds and bacon were so interesting together
the puree was delish as well.
DSis and DDad had the chicken (Dad without the mustard, he cant eat it either) and I tried a bit of his, it was fabulous. The chef was right!
Romaine Salad - Buttermilk Ranch Dressing and Sourdough Croutons
I asked for this to be served with no dressing because DD strongly dislikes dressing, and it came just as ordered and looked very lovely! This was the best quality salad for kids that DD got all week. Of course, she decided she did not want it (and normally she loves plain greens!). She had filled her tummy with the tempting goldfish crackers she was served along with our bread.
Homemade Whole wheat Pizza with Provolone Cheese
I believe this was a winner kids pizza for the week! DH tried it and said it was very good, DD ate most of it.
Caramel Apple - Warm Heirloom and Granny Smith apple, golden raisin, and walnut tart with caramel ice cream, rum-caramel sauce, and apricot almond jam
Hmmm
I ordered this because I wanted something a bit lighter for dessert; however it was not only heavy, but also not very tasty. The pastry tasted of shortening, and not much else. It was heavy and densenot flaky and delicious. The filling was extremely dry and the walnuts dominated (and I really like walnuts). The ice cream was the highlight, and it was very good! Thinking back, this was not warm either?! Odd. I wanted to try their famous banana dessert, but was too darn full to consider it (and had just had that maple crème brulee at lunch). I tried a bite of my brother-in-laws and it was so yummy.
California Grill's Cheese Board
Dh ordered the cheese plate for his final treat and it was excellent. The descriptions are below. The accompaniments were impressive and lovely; whole honeycomb, raisins on the vie, candied marcona almonds, and fig cake.
Banon de Chalais - Hails from the sunny and windswept hillsides of Provence, France. This French cow's milk cheese is wrapped in fresh chestnut leaves that are briefly steeped in brandy. Still young and fresh flavored, it absorbs the delicate, subtle vegetal flavors of the leaves. The leaves turn brown when the cheese has reached its peak ripeness.
Comte - Its name is French for "county," and is named after the Franche-Comte region. The manufacture of the cheese began as early as the 12th century, when shepherds would spend the summer months in their remote huts of the Jura massif. The rind is usually a dusty-brown color, and the internal pate is a pale creamy yellow. The texture is relatively hard and flexible, and the taste is mild, slightly sweet and "nutty." Monte Enebro - Handmade in Avila, Spain, by legendary cheese maker Rafael Baez and his daughter Paloma. The Baezs make their complex goat's milk cheese from pasteurized milk and inoculate the logs with the same mold used to make Roquefort, adding to Monte Enebro's complexity and distinctive appearance. This cheese arrives creamy, lemony and slightly acidic; as it ages, the texture becomes denser and the flavor acquires a more intense, pungent finish.
Fleur de Maquis - Produced in Corsica from the milk of the Lacaune ewes. This cheese also goes by Brin d'Amour, meaning "a breath of love." During production, the smallish wheels are encrusted with rosemary, fennel seeds, juniper berries, and the occasional bird's eye chile. It strikes a wonderful balance for an herb-encrusted cheese, with the flavors and aromas of the herbs subtly enhancing the taste and quality of the paste.
Rogue River Blue - This is a seasonal cheese and is only available in the fall months. It is naturally rinded. This aging process imparts flavors from the Rogue River Valley. These naturally occurring molds impart flavors of wild ripened berries, hazelnuts and pears. For preservation, the cheese is then wrapped in grape leaves from the Applegate Appellation. The grape leaves are soaked in pear brandy and tied with raphia.
Cabrales - A renowned blue cheese from the Northern Spanish region of Asturias. It is made from blended cow's, goat's and sheep's milk. It is matured in naturally-formed caves and has a creamy texture, a complex flavor and a powerful bouquet. Cabrales is salted, wrapped in foil and matures for six months in natural limestone caverns. Complement this cheese with Fig Cake.
We had been seated around 6:15, enjoyed our leisurely meal, and then at 8 the lights were dimmed in the dining room and the fireworks began! Our server had enthusiastically told us this would happen, and let us know we could take our time outside if we wished. (It was very cold that night, in the low 30s, so most of us stayed inside). It was very fun to see the fireworks while we enjoyed our desserts!
Crisped Rice Sushi Plate
I had seen pics of this adorable dessert on the Dis boards, so urged DD to order thisit was SO cute! She carefully ate the Swedish fish first, then a few bites of the rice krispy, then she was done. It was quite a large treat actually for a small tummy! I did not try it, so cant comment on the taste, but I imagine it was a standard rice krispy treat.
Another truly impressive meal in WDW for this family! Although the atmosphere was very boisterous and noisy, even a little wild, this was fine given how many kids were around. And, one thing we loved about WDW was that we could enjoy a fabulous meal and not worry about DD making too much noise or needing to walk around the table towards the end of the meal. California Grill presented the highest standards in food and service to us that evening, and we found it to be well worth the 2 credits. It will be a repeat for us!
I am going in June to the Chef's Table so this is great I love hearing about others' experiences....keep it coming.
And I had sweetbreads...while making snarky references to "Young Frankenstein".
I think it is a little odd that several people would see them and think they were fine to serve. 
