May 13 California Grill Experience

[Chaswdw]

Our trip was 5/13 to 5/20. Our California Grill ADR was Tuesday night.
The last time we ate here was when it was called 'Top Of The World'. At that time there were many fewer tables in the restaurant, mostly adult diners, and a conversation could be carried on in a normal voice. Now tables are stuffed in so tightly that it can be difficult to get to a table without bumping some one. If your neighbors arrive with a couple of the deluxe strollers and park them next to their table you may be trapped.
Due to the ambient noise level, Gary our waiter, could not hear us unless we shouted into his ear. Conversation was abandoned. This may be due to a couple of issues, an overcrowded room, all of the glass walls/windows, and the open kitchen.
In other posts I have noted folks asking about the 'business casual' dress. In the review I did about Jiko I observed that Disneys adherence to its own stated policy is not uniform and that you can dress in just about anything short of pure beachwear and be admitted if you are a family with ADRs, and/or guests at the resort with ADRs. It is the same at the California Grill.
Lighting here is bright even after sundown.
The forgoing may be unimportant if your main reason for eating here is to see the fireworks. The restaurant may be taking advantage of this attraction to get as many as possible into the dining areas.
Gary, our waiter was cheerful and enthusiastic. He explained the menu and made some good wine selections. We tried to chat about some common experiences but had to give up due to the noise. Diners were not rushed but the waitstaff didn't neglect us either.
I had the 'ravioli' first course and the Ahi Tuna entree. They were both tasty and well presented, The tuna was rare as expected. My wife had the asparagus soup and the scallop entree. The scallops were large and not dried out. She had the Year Of A Million Dreams Cake for dessert. It was all great.
Will we go back...no! Given the cost, this restaurant is so noisy and crowded it is not worth the price. :sadwave: The Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom is less noisy even during Eeyore's parade with the children. I got my picture taken with Piglet!
Also, there are a couple of better spots for viewing the fireworks.:D

[cal5755]

I am so sorry your experience was poor. We have never done the Cali grill so we do not have any experiences to compare. We do love CP though :mickey: I hope your vacation was wonderful despite the noise level in Cali Grill.

[faline]

I was not a big fan of the changeover and still prefer the quiet, muted lighting of Top of the World. That said, we've had some wonderful dining experiences at California Grill and it is currently one of our favorite dining spots at Disney World.

[Chaswdw]

Thanx for your interest. We always approach these experiences with an open mind so we can savor the good and shrug off the not so good. Our vacation was great and was complimented by great weather though a bit toasty.:yay:
Three good places for watching fireworks are, Poly beach, Tomorrowland Noodle place (the terrace), and the train station second level at the head of main street.;)

[disneyworld55925592]

:(I had a similar experiance last trip. we had gone their a few years ago all dressed up and it was quiet and elegent we had a great dinner! our last trip we went there, their were kids running aorund the restaurant! Almost everyone was wearing jeans. Also they were smashing all their wine bottles right behind and counter near our table so every few minute stheir would be a large smash. The food was delicious but everything else made the experiance less enjoyable then we hoped. We don't plan on going back

[AHOTE]

Sorry you had that kind of experience, but there is a way to beat the noise and the added congestion that is evident on occasion at CG. It's become very popular at CG to get reservations late, 8-8:30 so you can dine & watch the fireworks from up high. Make reservations for an early dinner, 4-5:00. It's much more enjoyable. It's guiet, so good conversation can be had by all, the wait staff is fresh and unrushed and their attention to detail is unmatched. You can relax and enjoy the entire dining experience. If you wish to view the fireworks later from the observation area, show them your reciept from dinner and they allow you to go up. You can even get a drink at the bar and carry it out with you. We always have a early seating and we've yet to be disappointed. We go for the food and the view is a bonus. Do we dress for dinner, yes. It feels good to get out of the tee shirts, shorts, sandals & sneakers for a while and into collared shirts, kakhis and loafers. You may just want to give CG another chance. In fact we've found that early reservations in most onsite TS restaurants is more enjoyable.

[mrsgaribaldi]

I'm so sorry about your bad experience. We've eaten there at least 7 or 8 times and have never had the problems you mentioned. We also go for the fireworks but during off seasons so maybe that's why we didn't have your experience. It's only me and DH so we have to talk to each other;) Last time we went was Feb 2008 but we had ADR's for after the fireworks. This was the first time that we missed the fireworks but I still wanted to eat there for my birthday. Again it wasn't crowded and our waiter Walter was great:thumbsup:

[FUN]

thanks for the food report

[SurferStitch]

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your experience there.

While it is a little noisier than most restaurants, we've never had trouble carrying on a normal conversation with each other or our servers. I can't say I ever noticed them smashing wine bottles, and we've sat all over the place.

I do think it's a little bright in there...they could tone down the lights a bit.

I agree about those who don't adhere to the dress code, or go with the bare minimum of the code. DH and I always dress up when we go there, and it would be nice if others would put some effort into their attire. It just makes for a more sophisticated atmosphere.

We love the food, and even though it's not our very favorite restaurant (V&A and Narc's get those nods), we are looking forward to returning in October.

[Natazu]

I'm glad the food was good. I don't remember Top of The World being that much quieter, though. Well, anyway, Gary is retired Army so he's used to people yelling in his ear at least.

[DISNEYFIX]

What exactly is the dress code?
Thanks.

[Chaswdw]

Thanx for the advice, we'll plan ahead.
As I understand the dress policy for the selected signature restaurants, it is..No hats, beachware, tank tops,ripped clothes, flip-flops, or sandals. Yes to ..Collared shirt, dress shorts or casual pants like chinos, jeans, skirts, dresses, blouses, shoes, clogs and so on. Victoria & Albert's has it's own requirements.:geek2:

[DisneyGrrrl]

This was my May 12th review...wonder if they were just having an "off" week? I hope so!

California Grill at the Contemporary - This was a great meal, but not a great experience. DH and I went alone, had 9:30pm reservations so we could get a window seat for the fireworks (which we did) and enjoy a quiet, relaxing meal late in the evening. Apparently, the family sitting next to us with a 2 year old and 5 year old had a different plan. Our poor waitress kept apologizing to us and everyone around us. At one point, the two year old was throwing crayons at us from his table. It made for an interesting meal with lots of free wine from the waitress.

But the wonderful part of the meal was the food. We had the grilled portabella flatbread, DH had the corn chowder (amazing), I had the Serrano ham and manchego cheese wrapped roasted asparagus (interesting and good) and for the main course, DH had the veal with polenta cake and I had the pork tenderloin with goat cheese risotto and mushroom reduction. Oh. My. Gosh. Amazing. And the desserts were even better – the honey cake and the banana one…can’t think of the name of it.
So, in short, the meal was excellent. I would be back. But if I have to sit next to a family like that again, I’m leaving after the appetizer.

[RocknBev]

You have voiced DH's complaint about some of Disney's finer dining.....the lack of ambiance at times with the crowds and the uncontrollable kids. I remind him that we are at a theme park but his thoughts are if we are going to pay over $100 for dinner, we shouldn't feel like sardines in a can and have to yell at each across the table to be heard. He would rather spend his money on other things at WDW and eat at the fine restaurants in Atlanta. I on the other hand, read these fabulous reports and want to try all of these great places at WDW.

[Young@Heart]

sorry you didn't have a great time. We've never eatent there, but it's on our list to someday get to. :mickey:

[TiggeRia]

We had a similar experience when we went in February. It was very crowded and noisy the night that we went and the first thing I noticed was the way people were dressed. My whole family was dressed nicely, not over the top, but khakis and whatnot. But most people were there in cut off jeans, tank tops, flip flops...you name it, it was there. And the amount of kids...of course you expect kids to be there, it is WDW, but it was late at night and there were kids everywhere, many having meltdowns or asleep on their tables.

We had asked for a window seat, which we got, but I forgot to specify which window, so we were facing away from MK. No matter, though, we just went out on the balcony and watched the fireworks and later in the evening we were able to see part of Illuminations.

Alas, our food and service made up for everything else. Our meal was delicious and our waiter was top notch. It is now my brother's favorite place to eat, so I'm sure we will be returning there next time! Maybe I will try the earlier seating. :mickey:

[Rich Mc]

DW and I alway plan at least two visits each trip to CG. Have always had a great dinning experience. Yes it can be crowded, but no more than the number of tables they have :blush:
We live near New York City and dine there often and the crowds and noise level are similar to some of NYC's finist restaurants.
So don't let the idea of a busy restaurant with alot of folks talking and enjoying their dinner disway you from enjoying you dinner.:mickey: