Surf and Turf Disney Style ..30 days of food on land and at sea! 06/16 WPE

[dvc4life]

I so wanna try WPE for lunch when we are there in January. Everything you have ever shown here in your reports looks absolutely delicious! We have eaten breakfast there quite a few times but never lunch or dinner. I hope we can fit it in on our short weekend trip!

 

[bearbear]

Can't wait to read more. We are going in Feb. without the kids and they don't know yet. We know they are going to be mad. We got the dining plan and we are looking forward to heading to the world like kids. We haven't been there alone since the kids. I'm staying tuned in.

 

[cbg1027]

Mmmm I almost ordered that Chicken Pennette dish at WPE last time. But my grandmother and I ended up splitting the Pesto Chicken Salad Pocket! I had seen it on your DR's so much and it did not disappoint. So thanks for recommending it!

We drove home right after our meal at WPE, so we got pizzas to take with us!

 

[HowieHowie]

YES, we will be at WDW from Aug 17 - 24, then we head off to the Dream again for another back to back cruise, returning on September 2. We will drive to the Florida Keys August 11 - 17 and then stay at OKW. Where are you going to stay? Tom and I would love to meet up with you guys ..... you aren't going on a cruise this time, are you?

We were debating about going on the Dream again, but we wanted to save the points and try to go Christmas week. So far we are booked at BCV and OKW, but at the 7 month mark we are going to try for BWV and Kidani. I've never been to the Florida Keys, you will have to tell me all about it. I know Aug. is a long way off, but we are looking forward to getting together. Say "hi" to Tom".

 

[dizneeat]

I'll have to remember that WPE do serve food other then pizzas on a future visit! Your food looks yummy and I have to agree with the cheesecake...it is very good

Yes, you definitely need to "branch out" on WPE food! The pasta dishes are really good, so are the sandwiches and the chicken fingers are soooooo good!
I am not a huge cheesecake fan, but I really LOVED the cheesecake. Very creamy and not too "cheesy" at all.

Those chicken strips look great, I may have to try them on a return trip. The pasta also looked good.Bob would love that.

I told Bob today that we were going to Denny's after my mammogram retake on Tuesday. They certainly do have a good breakfast. Maybe I can find a KK store on that end of town also. That would be a really great breakfast!

I really enjoyed the chicken strips. They were not dry at all!

Denny's breakfast was really good - that's why we love having a car so much. We can venture offsite and try some other "American" food!

The cheesecake looks very much like the creme brule. I might have to give that a try next month.

It is a very close second to the Creme Brulee. I cannot wait to hear what you think about it.

Everything at WPE looks wonderful as always

We loved the Cheesecake there and I can't wait to get back in there

As always, we really enjoyed it! That's some really good cheesecake, isn't it?

 

[dizneeat]

No creme brulee at WPE??!!

But that cheesecake does look yummy!

Rosie and I were both shocked that they were out of Creme Brulee, but the cheesecake was a close second!

I so wanna try WPE for lunch when we are there in January. Everything you have ever shown here in your reports looks absolutely delicious! We have eaten breakfast there quite a few times but never lunch or dinner. I hope we can fit it in on our short weekend trip!

It is worth it to try and include it, but if you can't ..... see it as another reason to go back soon!
We love breakfast there too. Their breakfast pizza is to die for!

Can't wait to read more. We are going in Feb. without the kids and they don't know yet. We know they are going to be mad. We got the dining plan and we are looking forward to heading to the world like kids. We haven't been there alone since the kids. I'm staying tuned in.

We never experienced it with kids (apart from the few times we met some friends with kids there), but you are going to love the parks and restaurants without kids too!

Mmmm I almost ordered that Chicken Pennette dish at WPE last time. But my grandmother and I ended up splitting the Pesto Chicken Salad Pocket! I had seen it on your DR's so much and it did not disappoint. So thanks for recommending it!

We drove home right after our meal at WPE, so we got pizzas to take with us!

That Pesto Chicken Salad Pocket is a huge favourite of ours! We need to have it at least once per visit, preferably more often!

You are a girl after my heart, getting pizzas to go with you! We picked up some sandwiches to eat at the airport on our last day too!

We were debating about going on the Dream again, but we wanted to save the points and try to go Christmas week. So far we are booked at BCV and OKW, but at the 7 month mark we are going to try for BWV and Kidani. I've never been to the Florida Keys, you will have to tell me all about it. I know Aug. is a long way off, but we are looking forward to getting together. Say "hi" to Tom".

Can't wait to meet you again either! We had so much fun on the DREAM last time.
Like you we are waiting for our 7 month mark too - we are weighing our options and will see what we can snatch.
I booked OKW via the UK British Travel agency again - nice deal. So we will see what we can get for the second part.
We love the Florida Keys! Last time we went in 2009 and it was wonderful. Key West is beautiful and to drive over all those bridges is just awesome!
I guess we will have tons of photos for you to look at!

 

[dizneeat]

Before I post another review, just a reminder that today is a day that calls for a celebration!


Happy Birthday, Mickey!

 

[dizneeat]

Day 7, August 19

California Grill

We had a dinner reservation at the California Grill for that night. So with enough time to spare we made our way over to the Contemporary Resort.

About 20 minutes early we signed in on the second floor and asked if our favourite server Ron was working that day. Yes, he was and would we like to be seated at one of his tables? YES, sure.
We were told that we might encounter a longer wait than usual (they were running 20 minutes behind) but we did not mind.

A little while later we were taken up to the restaurant and once there we asked one of the hosts if we could go outside on the viewing platform. No problem, so we headed to the doors. And that was as far as we got, then our buzzer started beeping and lighting up and we walked right back and that same host took us to our table.

Since we didn't have to wait at all we were not sure if Ron would really be our server, but he was!
And it didn't take long for him to make his way over. We chatted for a few minutes and then he told us that he was going to get us some water and we should have a look at the menu, he would be back soon to answer any questions we might have.

A few minutes later he came back with

two glasses of complimentary Prosecco and filled our glasses with ice-water. Needless to say he sprinkled our table with lots of Mickey confetti and castle confetti too!

Tom and I wanted to order some wine with our meals and once we had told them what we thought about, he recommended something else. He soon was back with four glasses and two bottles of wine for us to taste. And he was SO right, we went with his recommendation

and both ordered the a glass of the Mer Soleil.

We started our meal off with something we always love at the California Grill, one of their flatbreads.

It didn't take long for the Spiced Lamb with Dates, Roasted Olives, Sylvetta Arugula, Cucumber Yogurt, and Manchego Cheese Flatbread, to be brought to our table. The flatbread was crisp and there was a lot of nicely spiced lamb on it. The sweet dates went so well with it and the cucumber yogurt enhanced the flavour even more. We finished it all!

Next Ron brought us

a basket full of the California Grill's sourdough bread.

There is always some butter sprinkled with sea salt that goes along with it. And while we were enjoying the warm bread with the butter Ron brought out something else.

A small plate full of their honey which they serve with their cheese plate. Boy, did that honey go well with the salty butter on the warm bread!

We took our time enjoying an Ron didn't rush us and when the manager came by to ask how we were doing and if everything was okay, we were even introduced to him as "Ron's chocolate people".

After a while our main courses were brought to the table.
I had ordered the

Cast Iron-seared Veal Tenderloin with Marble Potatoes, California Blue Lake Beans, and Morel-Vegetable Vinaigrette. Let me tell you that the tenderloin was cooked to a perfect medium. The Vinaigrette gave the veggies and potatoes a wonderful flavour and the vegetables that still had a little crunch in them were a perfect thing to go with the tender meat. I was kind of full before I started eating, but it was too good to send some of it back.

Tom had chosen fish for his entree.

The Florida Yellowtail Snapper, served over Dungeness Crab risotto, Brentwood Corn, Snap Peas and Sauce Choron was his favourite.
I got to try it and the snapper was really nice and cooked just right, still moist and the risotto was so good, lots of crab meat to be found in it. Tom cleaned the plate, so I guess that says it all.

We both were not sure about dessert, but Ron "insisted" we ordered some.

And before we received our desserts, Ron brought us some more complimentary treats, two glasses of dessert wine.

Tom got a glass of the Royal Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos, from Hungary and I got

a glass of the Mission Hill Riesling Icewine Reserve. Now, I am not a huge fan of sweet wines, but they really went perfectly well with our desserts.

Tom had ordered the

Summer Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler, served with Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream. Again, I needed to try and the sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb, paired with the vanilla ice cream that melted into it made this a dessert well worth remembering. Very good!

I did the boring thing and after a quick look at the menu ordered

the Valrhona Chocolate Cake, Warm Chocolate Cake with Molten Center, Macerated California Strawberries and Strawberry Ice cream. This one VERY often wins, when it comes to dessert. The chocolate cake is liquid in the middle, full of dark chocolate taste and paired with strawberries in any form it is just devine.

We sat for some more time until we had finished our wine and settled the bill and said our good byes and told Ron we'd be back in 2 weeks time after our cruises.

We paid cash for the meal using our TiW card.

What we saved using the FREE Disney Dining Plan:
Total number of credits - 16 TS, 16 CS and 16 snacks
TS: Le Cellier: 124 $ (4 TS credits remain)
CS: Wolfgang Puck's Express: 45,50 $ (4 CS credits remain)
Snacks: Beach Club : 24 $ (9 credits remain)

Total saved: 655,80 $

Next up - Tangerine Cafe

 

[mamaboogie]

Wow Karin! You and Tom really get the royal treatment at CG!

Lovely food!

Can't wait to hear about Tangierine Cafe.....

 

[dvc4life]

Karin - that looks like such a heavenly meal for you both. I don't know which looks better?

Wish I could have had either one for supper tonight instead of pizza!

 

[jenseib]

I was a few updates behind...and guess what I want from those pictures....the pancake puffs. YUM. I love pancakes. We no longer have a Dennys in our area. They used to have a free dinner on your b-day (I assume they still do) and I would always go. They have the best hotfudge cake ever....In fact when I was pregnant for Michael that was my one craving

 

[cbg1027]

Wow, Ron treats you really well! I love the flatbreads at CG. That lamb one sounds particularly good!
I had a snapper dish similar to Tom's on my last visit. The Fish was the same, but it had a fig risotto. I wish I knew how they get that crunchy crust on the outside of the fish.

Boring with dessert? Hardly! The Valrhona cake is always the best dessert. You can never go wrong with it!

 

[cbg1027]

Wow, Ron treats you really well! I love the flatbreads at CG. That lamb one sounds particularly good!
I had a snapper dish similar to Tom's on my last visit. The Fish was the same, but it had a fig risotto. I wish I knew how they get that crunchy crust on the outside of the fish.

Boring with dessert? Hardly! The Valrhona cake is always the best dessert. You can never go wrong with it!

 

[Princess Mags]

Coming out of lurkdom to tell you that I am loving your reviews...soooo jealous that you get to spend almost a month in the Disney universe, especially since I have no trip for this year, but I am enjoying living vicariously through your reviews and getting lots of great ideas for next year

Oh and I am also a WPE lover... I have been known to eat there more than once a day while I'm on vacation

 

[TigerKat]

Karin, I'm so excited to be going back to CG in Feb. I think we'll ask for Ron!

 

[onelilspark]

I'm joining in! I just love your food reports!

 

[Linda67]

Good Morning 'Ron's Chocolate People'

Great review of CG, I loved the look of the Red Snapper; I would have really enjoyed this dish I'm sure

As always Karin your reviews are wonderful

 

[tinacaplan]

Sounds like a great night at California Grill. I am seriously considering having Max go to the Neverland Club at the Poly one night so Mark and I can sneak over to the CR for dinner there. Your veal, in particular, looks delicious.

 

[TanzUnited99]

Wow at being treated like royalty at California Grill - sounds like you had ana amazing time!!

Ooh having honey with the bread and butter seems like a great idea.

I love that chocolate Valrhona cake and have to agree in it being divine

 

[dizneeat]

Wow Karin! You and Tom really get the royal treatment at CG!

Lovely food!

Can't wait to hear about Tangierine Cafe.....

Being Ron's guest is just awesome! He really knows how to make you feel special.

Karin - that looks like such a heavenly meal for you both. I don't know which looks better?

Wish I could have had either one for supper tonight instead of pizza!

It was a wonderful dinner and perfect service!

I LIKE Pizza!

I was a few updates behind...and guess what I want from those pictures....the pancake puffs. YUM. I love pancakes. We no longer have a Dennys in our area. They used to have a free dinner on your b-day (I assume they still do) and I would always go. They have the best hotfudge cake ever....In fact when I was pregnant for Michael that was my one craving

Jen, those pancake puffs were really good! We were happy we tried them!
I am usually too stuffed to have dessert at Denny's but thinking about what you said about the hotfudge cake I might have to make room for some next time.

Wow, Ron treats you really well! I love the flatbreads at CG. That lamb one sounds particularly good!
I had a snapper dish similar to Tom's on my last visit. The Fish was the same, but it had a fig risotto. I wish I knew how they get that crunchy crust on the outside of the fish.

Boring with dessert? Hardly! The Valrhona cake is always the best dessert. You can never go wrong with it!

Abby, next time you dine at the CG, ask for him! Even if you have to wait, the service is so worth it.
That Valrhona cake is my absolute all time favourite. It is VERY hard for me to choose something else.