We Smelled It ... It Had To Be Eaten! Christmas Eve Food Porn posts #1170 & #1171!!

[Lanie]

Hi Brenda, another lurker here

Just wanted to tell you that your reviews are ALWAYS worth the wait! Even if I do get impatient sometimes.

Take care of yourself and I hope your hubby is taking good care of you!

 

[TPCShauna]

I hope you are feeling better soon. We are happy to wait for your wonderful reviews and just want you to feel good!

 

[HPHammer]

Bendy, first of all -- you've got lots of people sending you good thoughts, so get well soon!

Secondly...I am right there with you on the foie gras. When D. and I were at the World in July, we were fortunate to get a Chef's Table ressie at V & A's and one of my very favorite things that evening was an outrageously good foie gras on a Georgia peach tart.

Like so many other things we ate that night, the combination kind of made you go, 'Huh?' until you tried it...Out of this world!

I guess we timed our visit just right...

 

[tlynk]

I'm starting to plan the dining part of my trip for January and I came across your reviews. Thank you for taking the time to post them- they are extremely helpful! I hope you are feeling better soon!

 

[Me&3]

I hope you are feeling better . Can't wait to read more .

 

[tinklynn]

I know I have a reputation around here for .... uh .... taking a long time to finish up my reviews.

Uhh..being that I'm sort of a newbie here I have a tiny little question: You finish reviews?? J/K!!

On a more serious note...I have a 23 year old friend who is suffering from IC so I know how much agony she has been through. She's d
oing rolfing right now and says it helps some. (Untwists the nerves, I guess) jAs for the sciatica, I had that, and the best thing about that is the butt massages where they stretch that nerve. It feels heavenly to get the tightness and pressure taken off that nerve!

I am sending you all my prayers, positive thoughts. and best wishes. (I can even do chicken soup if you want, and let's not discount floor picnics-with wine pairings, of course! ) If there's anything you need just PM me.

Even though I only know you from here, I have a hard time picturing you losing your sense of humor. I'm pretty sure you'll miss us all too much to stay away long!

Think positive and get better soon!

Lynn

 

[nts4wdw]

Feel better, friend!

 

[jenn&nelsonrego]

Oh mannnnn...... <insert whining noises here>...

Does anyone know where I left off before I went on vacation on 10/24?

Ugh! Never Mind! I will find it!

 

[ChelleinNC]

Sorry you're going through all of that on the up side, at least they know what's wrong and can treat it

CG still sounds good, even if it wasn't as stellar in the past. Looking forward to the next review

 

[winkers]

Brenda........all I can say is OUCH!!!

I hope you get feeling better!!

 

[allshookup]

Brenda I said I would shut the %$** up but I just have to send good wishes your way! You have a right to complain, you have a lot of ailments to deal with at such a young age & my DH's mother had Chron's disease so I know how painful that can be. Take care & do some more reviews when you feel up to it...we'll wait!

 

[jenn&nelsonrego]

Oh mannnnn...... <insert whining noises here>...

Does anyone know where I left off before I went on vacation on 10/24?

Ugh! Never Mind! I will find it!

Found it! Page 28... only took me three hours... but hey ~ if I don't have three hours to spend on a food porn fix what do I have three hours for?


Brenda! So sorry that you feel so crappy! Sending you some good wishes and hoping that you begin feeling better real soon!

We will all be around... waiting patiently!

 

[Tink rules]

Bendy comes clean ...

I know I have a reputation around here for .... uh .... taking a long time to finish up my reviews. It's true ... I probably do take too long but I always want to try to post something that's enjoyable and entertaining to read.

So I want to let you dear food lovers know what's going on right now that may slow me down for a bit.

Before leaving for WDW I was dealing with urological problems which were finally diagnosed about two weeks ago as Intersitial Cystistis. Translation: chronic bladder inflammation that feels like a constant UTI. I've started some medication for it and it seems to be working so hopefully that will be somewhat under control soon.

Yesterday I finally went to the doctor for the problem I've been having with my leg ... turns out it's sciatica. At least I know now why it's so darn painful. I'm going to be starting physical therapy next week to see if that does any good and in the meantime I've got some blissful pain killers.

The good news is that I have almost finished my review of Boma and I hope to get that posted tonight.

I'm not looking for sympathy - gawd knows it could be a heck of a lot worse - but I have to admit that I have been feeling more geriatric than middle-aged lately. I just wanted you guys to know that I'm not trying to string out the food love or keep you waiting on purpose ... and I'm trying to find my sense of humor which has been MIA for the last week or so.

Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks for putting up with me. I will do the best I can to stick with an update schedule of at least once a week.

Bendy (the not very bendy anymore)

We will wait until the real Bendy returns...

What???? A bendy TR not taking a full year of glorious foodiness???? Come on... we expect it to last that long!!!

Did they give you the little pills that make you pee orange???

Feel better my friend and remember not to take your drugs and alcohol together... we'd like to keep you around for a while...

 

[Donald is #1]

Jason bravely ordered Little Bunny Foo Foo, also known as the Seared Loin of Rabbit with Carmelized Fennel, Truffled Panisse, and Herb Game Sauce, for his second appetizer.

First off, great review!

But, now the song is running through my head!

"Little bunny Foo Foo hopping through the forest...."

 

[BriarRosie]

Thursday, October 9th - Dinner at CA Grill: Stormy Weather and an Utter Lack of Foie Gras.

Oh don't get me worked up again about that foie gras.

There are about ten four-topper tables in the wine room, which helps keep the noise level to a minimum; there is also a dedicated group of servers who just work the wine room which is nice because the service tends to be a bit more personal and attentive ... most of the time.

Our first priority upon being seated was to order a bottle of pellegrino and a couple of glasses of wine. I had a glass of Bonterra Vineyards Viognier. I had asked our waiter for something similar to a pinot grigio and that's what he suggested - it was good but still a little too heavy, too much like a chardonnay, for my taste. Jason ordered a La Crema Winery Pinot Noir which he thought was quite good.

We almost ordered that Pinot Noir when we went, but my friend suggested a different one. It was still really good.

It was about this time that I think I got us into trouble with our server. He reappeared to take our order and happened to ask if we had any questions. My response, was, "Yeah, I have a question: Where's the foie gras?"

I can't say that we were surprised by the missing foie gras appetizer; the DIS-foodie grapeline had alerted me to a potential dearth of foie gras at WDW in October but no one could verify if this was a short-term removal or a permanent state of sad culinary affairs. Our server had a deer-in-the-headlights look for just a moment and then he composed himself and replied, "We just removed that from our menu at the end of September."

"Why?"

Me-OW! Wow you're feisty! That poor server didn't know what hit him.

He looked slightly annoyed by my follow up question but then he decided to level with me, probably in the hopes that I would stop bothering him about items he couldn't provide me with in the first place. "Well, I don't know this for sure, but I got the distinct impression that it was a political decision made by our executive dining management. None of our signature restaurants, not even Victoria and Albert's, are offering it any longer."

Jay and I rolled our eyes at each other and then my mouth opened and I heard myself saying, "Well, that's just stupid. I can't believe that your executive chefs, especially someone like Scott Hunnel over at Victoria and Albert's, would allow themselves to be dictated to in that fashion."

He shrugged; after all what else could he say? And then he suggested that we try the Little Bunny Foo Foo appetizer that had been created to replace their Over-Stuffed Duck Liver appetizer.

I totally agree with the waiter's off the cuff remark. I know the chefs can't be happy about the decision, but I don't think they have any clout or veto power over something of that nature.

Now, I'm not going to hold you guys hostage while I spend pages ranting about our inability to order foie gras at WDW any longer, but I am going to say this: I respect everyone's right to eat or not eat whatever they choose as long as it doesn't impinge on my right to do the same. To single out the foie gras industry for animal cruelty while overlooking the mistreatment and indignity suffered by animals in the industrialized food industry as a whole is hypocritical in the extreme. Disney's restuarant menus were already suffering from a noticeable homogenization trend before this most recent incident and I think this move serves as notice that it's just going to continue. Jay and I were extremely disappointed and while we're in the minority, I'm sure we weren't the only patrons to feel this way.

Preaching to the choir, girlie. I shared my thoughts with the designated PR cast member du jour who called me in response to my email about the lack of foie gras. I made sure to mention that Chicago had a ban and repealed it 6 months or so ago. I also gave my opinion that if Disney was doing this for political correctness, they'd have to ban all animal products and force us to become vegan. Drat, I was going to talk about all of this (eventually) in my own food report.

My rant is now over (I'm still waiting to hear back from WDW ... I'm sure they think I'm a duck-liver-eating freak of the first order for even writing to them about this) so let us enjoy some pictures of the circling storms from our wine room vantage point. Cass, these pics are for you my friend!

Apparently they didn't think I was enough of a freak to avoid contacting me.

First up, we decided to have an order of nigiri sushi. Nigiri is my all-time favorite form of sushi - it's just pressed rice and fish. Most people liven it up with pickled ginger, wasabi, or soy sauce, but I'm boring and I eat it plain. When it's made right it's wonderfully light and flavorful and I could stuff myself silly with nigiri all night long.

Salmon, tuna, and hamachi ... yum!

Wasabi wad, pickley ginger, and soy sauce

The sushi was wonderful and fresh and delicate; we seriously considered a second order but then we remembered that we had more appetizers coming and exercised some culinary restraint ... for a change.

Very nice! Our table shared a couple of beautiful sushi maki (rolls) that would probably make your Crohn's Monster rear its ugly head. But I think Jason would have been .

My second appetizer was a tried and true choice: the Sonoma Goat Cheese Ravioli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Pesto, Shiitake Mushrooms, and Basil.

Goat cheese in a tomato bath ...

You will notice that my ravioli appears somewhat nekkid and vulnerable because I requested it sans 'shrooms; what I noticed was that the pesto sauce seemed a bit thin and a wee bit greasy. The goat cheese ravioli was as good as I remembered it being - soft and creamy and tart - but the sauce left a lot to be desired.

I had this dish, too. But I don't know why I let my server suggest getting two of them when I said I didn't want to get an entree. It was too rich for me to finish if I wanted any dessert. (I was no fool. I didn't finish it.) I thought the sauce was thin, but I thought it was meant to be that way. I was trying not to drip any of on my "shelf".

Jason bravely ordered Little Bunny Foo Foo, also known as the Seared Loin of Rabbit with Carmelized Fennel, Truffled Panisse, and Herb Game Sauce, for his second appetizer.

Run Rabbit, Run!

In the spirit of trying something new, I did take a taste of this and I didn't care for it - too gamey. Jay, on the other hand, disagreed with me and said that it could have been a lot gamier. He really liked this choice and thought it was very tasty. Panisse, by the way, is a kind of gravy as far as I can tell. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

I have a photo of this, too! My friend ordered it, and I guess he seemed to enjoy it.

Before we knew it, dinner was making an appearance. Again, I ordered something that I'd tried before and which has always been one of my favorite dishes at CA Grill: Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Polenta, Button Mushrooms, and Zinfandel Glaze.

Lots of pork ... and lots of empty plate, too

Once again I ordered this sans 'shrooms, but it just wasn't as good as the last time we dined here. The pork was cooked well, maybe a bit too well because some pieces were a tad on the chewy side. And the polenta, which is really the reason that I order this dish at all, was gritty and nowhere near as creamy a delight as it was the last time I ordered it. What a letdown; yes indeedy, enough of a letdown for me to have already decided that on our next WDW visit we would skip CA Grill in favor of something else like Jiko or Flying Fish.

Wow, I narrowly escaped on that one. If I was in the mood for an entree, that would have been my pick. I must say the polenta looks kinda icky, too.

For his entree Jason ordered the Roasted Lamb Tenderloin with Eggplant "two ways", Rosemary Potatoes, Confit Garlic, and Current Tomatoes.

Jason had a lot of lamb, lot of lamb, lot of lamb ...

Jason said this wasn't baaaaaaaad.

That's supposed to be funny ... it's him pretending to be a baby sheep.

In all seriousness Jay was very pleased with his choice - he thought it was cooked very well so that the meat was tender and juicy and he really liked the eggplant. For those of you in the reading audience who enjoy lamb he highly recommends this dish!

That looks much more appealing than your dish.

When the dessert menu showed up I was really disappointed - nothing sounded very good to me so I defaulted to the cheese plate with a glass of port. Jason ordered a cappuccino and CA Grill's original dessert: Butterscotch Creme Brulee with a Duo of Banana Cakes and Carmelized Bananas.

When it doubt, go for the chocolate! You'd never guess that I would do that, right?

Cappuccino and Fonseca 20-Year Port

California Grill makes a tasty cappuccino and I would have ordered one myself if I'd been having dessert for dessert instead of cheese. But I can't complain because I loves me some tawny port with a plate of cheesie goodness. This port was deep amber in color and tasted of spice with a little bit of fruitiness - it was very smooth and very tasty!

Mmmm, cheese five ways!

The cheese accessories included some crostini, raisins, a mystery item that may be almonds, a fig cake, and honey. From left to right the cheeses we enjoyed were as follows (information taken directly from CA Grill menu):

St. Marcellin - A soft cow's milk cheese with a runny interior and strong flavor originating from the former Dauphine region of France. As this cheese matures the flavor becomes more pronounced yet still remains mild, slighty acidic, and salty with some nutty flourishes.

Chaource - A small town in the Champagne region of France, Chaource has produced this unpasteurized cow's milk cheese since the early 14th century. While this cheese is reminiscent of some of the most decadent triple cremes, it is in fact only a double creme (no! really?). When aged, Chaource becomes very creamy - almost liquid - and is similar to Camembert. It smells slightly of mushrooms with a rich, fruity flavor.

Crottin - A goat's milk cheese made in the heart of France in the verdant Loire Valley. When the Crottin is young, it is slightly moist and has a tangy goat's milk flavor. As it ages, this perfect little cheese takes on a harder texture and a stronger, gamier flavor that is equally delicious.

Casciotto D'Urbina - Shepherds in Urbino, Italy, make this mixed sheep and cow's milk cheese. The origins of this cheese are ancient and noble, having such famous admirers as Pope Clement XIV and Michealangelo. The cheese has a yellowish-straw color and a mild buttery flavor.

Bleu d'Auvergne - A French blue cheese named for its place of origin in the Auvergne region of south-central France, this is made from cow's milk. It has a strong and pungent taste but to a lesser extent than other blue cheeses; it's less salted, with a creamier and more buttery taste and a more moist texture.

I enjoyed all of these, except for the Bleu cheese ... no surprises there, right?

No unctuous commentary in there? I love the cheese menus at California Grill mostly because of the descriptions! I took the menu we had, 5 different cheeses, just so I had a keepsake of the flowery verbage.

As for Jay's dessert, take a look:

The original dessert, or so we've been told ...

The butterscotch creme brulee was like warm butterscotch schnapps and Jay said the chocolate covered banana cakes were really yummy. He was quite happy with his dessert, especially because he didn't have to share with me ... I'm not a big fan of naners.

Still...it's not chocolate.

One other thing happened that night that we thought was a total riot. As we were on our way out of the hotel to catch a taxi back to the resort (it was pouring rain by this time) we stopped at the restaurant's check-in desk to ask for a copy of the menu.

As the very nice lady handed me a menu she said, "Don't you want to go back upstairs to watch the fireworks?"

To which Jay and I shook our heads. "We don't think the fireworks are really all that good from the observation deck."

She looked stunned for a moment and then cackled like a loon. "Well, I sure don't hear that very often!"

We're freaks, what can I say? Besides, we were fat with food and standing in the rain to watch fireworks did not sound like a fun way to end the evening.

I did go outside to watch the fireworks, but you wouldn't get me out there if there's any rain involved. You're still a freak, though.

The truth is that I think CA Grill has become a little boring and there are other signature restaurants that we both like more, such as Jiko, Citricos, and Flying Fish. I would never tell anyone not to dine here because the food is quite good, but I think that Jay and I need a break from CA Grill so that we can come back and be delighted by it again.

I enjoyed everything I ate, but I can totally understand how the consistency of quality can be an issue.

Thanks for reading! Next up .... breakfast at Boma and a scare that adds more gray to my hair and another furrow to my brow!

Ooh, a Brenda adventure! I am looking forward to it.

 

[BriarRosie]

Egad, I hope you start feeling better soon! At least now I don't feel so bad about my own lags on my nosh report.

 

[angelmav]

Just got caught back up and had to check in to say, You Rocked that Red Dress Girl! Hope your feeling better soon Brenda!

 

[njprincess]

So when are we going to get to the Saratoga Springs Parking Lot Smackdown? I'm waiting with bated breath

 

[MA pigletfan]

i have to agree with you about the Cali grill..it was good, but not great. We have only dined their once, but with so many other stellar restaurants I think we will hold off on going back for awhile ourselves. Great review though, as always..THOUROUGH'!

 

[Mocharilla]

Hey. I know I'm late to join in, but I'm still here! That's what matters, right?

I'm all caught up.

I gotta say: Wow, the liquor at Raglan Road.

Don't worry, I followed the rules, and licked the computer monitor!

Can't wait for more!