~ The Man Report ~~~~~~~~~2007~~~~~~~~~~~Exit Light, Enter Night~~~~~
Our usual babysitter had an emergency so Fairy Godmothers sent over a substitute. She seemed harmless enough and spent the first 15 minutes telling us about her qualifications. Lin seemed at ease so we kissed the kids, jumped in the car, and cranked up some Guns & Roses
Welcome to the jungle, we got fun and games, we got everything you want, baby I know your name
I bang my head and hold up the Metal Sign with my right hand. Lin stares at me with gaped mouth and wide eyes. In three hours though, she wont even notice.
As all things in our lives, we have procedure for our Night Out. We head to DTD first where I drop off Pooh at
World of Disney while I head to the bar at Raglan to sip Irish whiskey, enjoy the company of the bartender, and wait. Lets face it; its what I do best.
She arrives and shows me her numerous Mickey items she purchased at which I nod numbly waiting for her to finish.
We then jump back in the car and crank up some Metallica
Exit Light, Enter Night, take my hand, off to never-never land
I take the back roads to the Contemporary Hotel and listen to Pooh the entire way;
are you SURE you know where youre going.
We pull into the guard shack out front of the Contemporary where the suspicious Disney-law enforcement official steps out and barks
State your purpose. ::cop: I proudly tell the pompous gate-keeper of our Priority Seating reservations at the California Grill. It is
THE place to dine at Disney and Im feeling a little snooty.
He checks the roster with a careful eye, then waves us in.
I pull in to the valet parking area, toss the driver a fin, then proceed to the 2nd floor where youre now required to check in.
In the old days, you simply got on the elevator and went to the top floor where the restaurant is located. You could order a cocktail, then look out the windows at the scenery or wander over to the observation deck. Those days are gone.
The only way to enter the restaurant now is to have a Priority Seating reservation and be escorted to the elevator where theyll punch in a code allowing access to the upper level.
Apparently, too much
riff-raff was making their way to the restaurant to watch the fireworks without spending large amounts of money on food & wine. That little problem has now been cured.
Personally, I think its all hogwash. They are denying us our God given right to enjoy a wonderful view of
Wishes while slurping down a $14 glass of wine. Now, Ive always gone to the Cal Grill with a reservation already in place. But what if I just wanted to stop by? What if I just wanted a quick glass of wine or scotch whilst surveying the scenery below?
Nope! The only way to visit the Cal Grill is to have a Priority Seating reservation and the access code for the elevator. Something tells me this can be circumvented. I shall have to think long and hard about how to sneak up in October without the prized Priority Seating ressie.
Ill have to keep Pooh in the dark however as shed never go along knowing we might be breaking a rule. Good grief!
I enjoy tipping people when good service is rendered. I go so far as to keep a stack of $5 bills in my car to give to the homeless people standing on the street corners. Anyone willing to do that all day needs the money more than I do. I know, I know, thats not an example of a
tip, but it shows the deep compassion imbedded in Buzzila.
The valet came right out, opened our doors, gave us directions, and did it all with a smile. He deserved a fin.
The gal that punched in the access code into the elevator on the 2nd floor was a little snippy so she got nothing even though she hesitated ever so slightly in anticipation of receiving a dead president.
The hostess who sat us was very nice and efficient so she also got a fin.
We were sat in the Wine Room with a great view south towards Epcot and MGM. It started to rain as the sun was setting which made for a spectacular view. More romantic it could not have been.
Our wine steward recommended a nice (small) bottle of Silver Oak Cabernet. He brought it out, poured me a small sample which I expertly sipped, swished, swirled then gulped down. I gave it the old Thumbs Up.
Heres a shot of us in the Cal Grill Wine Room with our small bottle of wine:
Our first course was a BBQ Pork Flatbread (fancy term for pizza) which Pooh made the comment;
this is gunna hurt tomorrow.
It was outstanding!
Next up was a Crab California Roll with soy sauce. This was for me as Pooh doesnt like sushi. It was fantastic but I was starting to get full. Lin enjoyed a nice salad during my sushi but I cant remember which one she ordered.
For the main course I ordered a Wild Sea Bass that was out of this world delicious. It melted in my mouth and was bursting with flavor.
Pooh stared at the menu for an excruciating period of time trying to decide what her main course was going to be. I looked at the menu for
two seconds and knew she would end up ordering the
Oak Fired Filet. Her need for red meat is never satisfied. I once watched her take down an entire rack of pork ribs at our local BBQ joint. It wasnt pretty.
Im sure Pooh was a half-starved hyena with a tapeworm in her former life. The woman can put a hurtin on a plate of meat like youve never seen. Of course, she DID order the Oak Fired Filet, as I knew she would, and devoured it in less than three minutes. The craziest part is she never gains any weight. Shes pretty much the same size as when I met her.
On the other hand, I nibbled delicately at my fish, tasted my wine, and conversed with the waiter to get his attention off the scene my wife was creating to my right. A three-legged cat happening upon a pack of wolves had a better chance than the Oak Fired Filet had.
We decided that we werent quite bloated enough yet so dessert was in order. I believe I had the Crème Brule as I usually do. I cant remember what Pooh had. I think I was just avoiding looking in her direction by this point.
The Cal Grill is one of my favorite places in the world. If done correctly, you can get seated by the window and enjoy the Wishes Fireworks show over MK while you dine. Weve done this many times. This time, I didnt care where we were seated. Go with the flow was my motto on this trip. We finished our fantastic meal just prior to the fireworks show and watched it from the bar where the lights were dimmed and the music from the show was piped in. As usual, it was incredible.
We left satisfied, jumped in the car, and cranked up some Prince
tonight Im going to party like its 1999
I pretend to play the keyboards on the dash board which Pooh responds by saying Please Dont Do That!
We headed towards Pleasure Island down the back roads for some good, old-fashioned
Partying. I could hardly wait. I was gunna show off some of my new
gangsta moves on the dance floor.
Next Up: We Get Jiggy
You're very good at this 
these things!!! 
The scariest thing to me is how it seems to be the same kind of reasoning Buzz might use which leads to question if I should be reading his tr anymore! 
)
His family was all watching the fireworks-while he spent the whole time playing with his Slinky that hed brought along. He was just so cute. 
