So what's the consensus on California Grill?

[blackthidot]

I'm not sure that is the correct photo...

This is the current filet at CG (courtesy of @blackthidot who dined at CG less than a month ago)

Regardless - it's one of the best dishes I've ever had.

That is the correct photo and yes it was the best dish I have ever had in my life. The ONLY thing that compares are my Grams Raviolis but that is another story. The tomato butter was unreal!

 

[Tiggerish]

I ALSO enjoyed my meal at the new CG. The filet w/tomato risotto is one of the best dishes I've ever had at Disney.


Or perhaps it was the wonderful company

True dat.

That sounds like the only thing I would eat off the menu so I just looked it up..

$50 for that little thing?! You guys are crazy Looks delicious but could not justify that price

We had a Tables in Wonderland card, brought the price down to $40. It was well worth that.

WDW prices it's signature restaurants comparably to fine dining in big cities. You're paying not so much for the size of the portion but the skill and experience that goes into preparing it.

And IMO, I'd rather have a reasonable portion size that allows me to enjoy an appetizer and have room for dessert.

 

[durangojim]

That sounds like the only thing I would eat off the menu so I just looked it up..

$50 for that little thing?! You guys are crazy Looks delicious but could not justify that price

That type of mentality could be applied to anything - why buy a luxury car when an economy car would do just as well, why stay in a deluxe when a value still has a bed and a shower, why go to WDW when the local fair still has rides? Just depends on a person's level of enjoyment and priorities. For you, it doesn't seem like you'd enjoy the food at some of the finer restaurants at Disney, which is completely fine. For those of us who do, paying a couple hundred dollars for a good meal and nice dining experience is worth it. To each his own. Also one of the things I like to do when I eat at a nicer or fine restaurant is put my faith in the chef and try new things that I'd probably never eat otherwise. I've enjoyed some really wonderful new tastes that way -- Foie gras foam with salted caramel? Who'd have thought that would be amazing, but we had it at Remy and it was incredible! I'd never try that if it was just up to the description.

Thanks to everyone who has posted their positive comments about California Grill, my wife and are excited to eat there in a couple months, you've helped remove our apprehension!

 

[dreamfinder]

$50 for that little thing?! You guys are crazy Looks delicious but could not justify that price

I was looking at a menu the other day that had a $1300 steak on it. A Wagyu tomahawk if I recall correctly.

Most upscale restaurants you aren't paying for the amount of food, but rather the quality of the food and skill that goes into preparing it. Sure, you can get more food in a $5 value meal at McDonalds, but the "beef" in that burger is so heavily processed and so far from tasting what beef should taste like it's not even funny. (And this is coming from someone who hasn't touched meat in almost 5 years) If you buy a tomato at the grocery store in February, that tastes nothing like a heirloom varietal picked fresh off the vine in August. Unfortunately most people and chain restaurants try to serve more food, and the same food year round, dumbing down the end product. Treating animals properly, letting them grow at their own pace take longer and costs more. So instead of being able to turn around a chicken in say 70 days, it may take double that. So now the farmer needs to cover the costs of the extra feed and time, and the good chicken now costs $4.99 a lb instead of $1.99.

 

[senor_jorge]

I'm not sure that is the correct photo...

This is the current filet at CG (courtesy of @blackthidot who dined at CG less than a month ago)

Regardless - it's one of the best dishes I've ever had.

You are making it more difficult for me to be spontaneous when we are there in December! The filet w/Teriyaki BBQ sauce used to be my standard (sauce on the side). It's going to be difficult to break away from the filet after seeing that.

 

[cfry06]

A-maz-ing! Had the spicy Kazan roll, scallops entree and my husband had the filet. It was great. View and service were top-notch also!

 

[Walt would be]

We were big fans before the refurb. Our lone visit afterward was very, very disappointing. The main dining room is crowded and noisier. The menu is smaller and less appealing, IMO. The actual food was definatly not as good as before. Service, however, was still very good and of course so is the view. it was once a foodies delight, it now a decent theme park resort restaurant.