This was probably the ADR I had been looking forward to the most: Dinner at California Grill, high atop the Contemporary, starting at 8:00 p.m. so if I had figured correctly, we could watch the 10:00 Wishes from the terrace or even from our table, if we were lucky!
We checked in at the podium on 4th floor with a very nice CM and I asked her for a window table (like everybody does, I am sure), but she said that unfortunately all the window tables had been assigned in the last half hour so we were out of luck
. She also said we would have to wait about 20 minutes for our table and were free to do so up at the bar.
I didn't let that lessen my enthusiasm, however, so we rode up on the elevator to the 15th floor, walked out into the bar and … stopped dead in our tracks once we saw the INCREDIBLE view!
I had read so much about it, and yet I found that I wasn't prepared. A couple just vacated a bar table right at the window the moment we arrived, so we jumped right in there…
… and spent our waiting time taking in this wonderful view …
… of Seven Seas Lagoon and the Grand Floridian, and also …
… of the Magic Kingdom as the sun was slowly setting.
After our wait (I think it was actually close to half an hour, but I didn't care as I was enjoying myself so much) we were led to our table – it was not right at the window, but second row from the window and I could easily see Cinderella's Castle from my seat, I almost jumped with joy! And as some additional pixie dust, there was confetti spread on our table to greet the honeymooners
.
As we had brought our beers from the bar, we decided to forgo the wine and just stick to beer and iced water for the evening.
We are both great sushi fans, so it was clear from the beginning that we would go for sushi appetizers. Now embarrassingly enough, I can't work out from the pictures who had which appetizer
. Let me just say that we shared both of them, and that they both were so incredibly delicious that I would come back to Cali Grill any day just for the sushi!
So here they are:
One of them is the Double Crunch Rainbow Roll, and the other one is the Tempura Malibu Roll. I suppose I would have to go directly to Japan to ever be able to get sushi that taste any better than these (and even there I would probably have to look around for quite a while, I don't know).
As an entrée, DH and I both decided on the same thing: the Oak-fired Filet of Beef with cheesy Yukon gold potato mash, sautéed broccolini, and teriyaki barbecue sauce. Our server strongly agreed with our choice and said we were in for "the best steak you have ever eaten". Here, unfortunately, we had to differ
… We both didn't like the filet all that much. Both our filets had been ordered medium and came out more like well done (is that what you call it? I only ever order medium so I am not sure what the right word is – in any event, these had been on the fire for much too long. This made them a bit dry, and to make matters worse, I didn't really much care for the teriyaki barbecue sauce either – so all in all, this just wasn't my kind of entrée. (DH liked the sauce very much so for him it was just the issue of the filet being overdone.)
It seems that consequently we didn't even take a picture of our entreés – I could have sworn we did but I can't find any, sorry about that!
I had been thinking about sending the filet back to the kitchen, but it was such a great evening otherwise and when the server came and expectantly asked if this was the best steak I had ever eaten, I just thought "no big deal" and said yes.
(I am sure they would have brought me a great new piece of beef, but do you know this feeling where you just can't be bothered, and everything is so nice that you don't want to complain even though you're in the right? See, then you know how I felt
. )
Now, after we had finished the entrées, I looked at my watch and suddenly started getting apprehensive: They had served our food so quickly that it was still only barely 9.30, and we so wanted to stay for the fireworks as the view would be perfect from our table!
I needn't have worried, however, as the waitress probably sensed our dilemma, she only appeared to take our order for desserts and coffees fifteen minutes later - and then by the time Jiminy Cricket's announcement was piped in, she brought each of us a glass of complimentary champagne as a honeymoon gift. Thus we were all set for the fireworks, DH set his chair next to mine so we could watch the fireworks from our table holding hands and sipping champagne
.
And we could see so well! I hope this nice couple who was seated between us and the window won't mind if I post their picture here, it is just to show how perfectly well we could see the castle even without a window seat!
And here came the fireworks:
This was easily the most romantic moment during our whole honeymoon – thank you California Grill for a wonderful evening!
It was not quite over yet, though: As soon as the lights came back on, our desserts arrived. DH had this little beauty, the Valrhona Chocolate Cake and Raspberry:
It was extremely rich so that we could not finish it (did I mention we shared pretty much everything we ordered between the two of us anyway?), but at the same time very yummy.
My own dessert is a bit of a mystery to me at the moment: I know (both from memory and what is written on the bill) that I had the "no sugar added" dessert, however I cannot really believe it is the one currently on the menu, the Chocolate Temptation. To be sure, there was chocolate in it, but it was all white chocolate … Help, does anyone happen to know what I ate?
After finishing this, and our coffee, it was time to go. Only after we had arrived back down at the Contemporary lobby did it occur to me that we never even ventured around to the other side of the restaurant, to check out the view towards Epcot!
But oh well, we will leave this for our next visit at the California Grill … which will definitely be right on our next trip!
Coming up: Breakfast at The Wave … finally some muesli for me!