A Tipsy Tenth Dining Adventure - Completed 9/28

What a bummer of a California grill review! I have such a a hard time ordering scallops, I feel like when 90% of the time when i have a meal that the portion looks ridiculously small its because i ordered scallops. I love them, but i feel as if the standard serving is 6, and unless they are a large size its never enough!

It does look like you have fun at the pass holder event so thats always good!
 
It would be nice if Signatures would be consistent! The kids and I were going to try CG's lounge before a final night in MK. I know, kids in a lounge...gasp! :rolleyes1 We're planning on getting there at opening and trying some apps and sushi with fun kid drinks for them and lovely adult drink(s) for me. I hope the portions aren't as small as your fish, otherwise I'll have to spend a fortune to fill 'em up.
 
Clearly “nice” means something a little different to each of us.
Love these pictures!
Anyone who has read my reports before knows I cannot resist anything with prosciutto or arugula on it so when we saw the Pear Artisan Formed Pizza with not only Olli Prosciutto and Arugula but also Red Wine-poached Asian Pear, Red Onion Jam, Fontina, Asiago, Parmesan, Meyer Lemon, and Fresh-cracked Pepper we knew we had to have it.
Too bad about the pizza as the ingredients sound like they would have worked well together if they hadn't have been drowned in garlic.
When your actual food only takes up 10% of the plate I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the kitchen may want to rethink the portion size. Seriously, there were about 5 bites of fish here. Jason’s steak cost $5 more than ours and it must have been ten times as much food. Beyond the size, the fish had a nice flavor but was unevenly cooked. The butter-poached onions were a nice touch and I liked the gnocchi, but this $48 plate only had 6 of the little buggars on it! This was not even enough for me, let alone for me to share with Casey, so we asked for more bread to help fill ourselves up.
This is beyond ridiculous!!! I showed this picture to Bill and he said "so that's what was left after they finished their meal??" I would be so mad if they served me that plate for $48 USD ($62 CDN).
"Happy" to not be on the tea cups???
yes, just like I would be!
Like father, Like daughter
Great picture!
And energy gone! We didn’t make it back to our room until 1230 am and someone was more than a little bit tired.
What a fun night!
 


Overall we were a little disappointed with our dinner. I’m so used to raving about everything California Grill but between the garlicky pizza and the smallest fish ever served we left a little disappointed. We did at least save $38.85 on our car insurance.
That's really disappointing, I always enjoy your Cali Grill reviews.

Yes! After 4+ hours of rain is a good time for a photo.
 
Such a bummer about California Grill. I had that same fish dish and thought the portions were small too but it didn’t bother me as much since I was using the dining plan. The waiter should have said something when you said you were going to share! Yuck on that pizza being over flavored. Glad your husband at least had a good meal!
 

Clearly “nice” means something a little different to each of us.
Crazy nice... I guess.

I’m a sucker for a good sourdough bread and while I would have preferred butter, the olive oil was a nice touch
Gwen almost melted down that they didn't have butter out when were there there. I tried to explain the olive oil thing, and both Morgan and Gwen thought I was crazy. Oye


Sadly this looked and sounded much better than it tasted. The actual pears and prosciutto (from Virginia woot woot) were delicious but this had so much garlic and asiago on it their strong flavors just overpowered everything else.
It does look good. Bummer that it wasn't as good as it looked.

And up close for the meat is best raw and straight off the cow crowd.
Perfect!

eyond the size, the fish had a nice flavor but was unevenly cooked. The butter-poached onions were a nice touch and I liked the gnocchi, but this $48 plate only had 6 of the little buggars on it! This was not even enough for me, let alone for me to share with Casey, so we asked for more bread to help fill ourselves up.
That is crazy.. Maybe they plated it wrong?!? !

It was raining pretty hard so we were considering skipping it, but someone (who shall remain nameless) was not happy about that.
DId Casey know about other kids being there, or just that she wanted to go to the park. I mean either is acceptable.

And our server even brought her a birthday cake to brighten the mood.
Sugar always seems to do the trick!

I didn’t take a lot of notes or pictures, but stole some from the others, so please do enjoy.
I feel like I didn't take a lot of pictures either. The rain didn't help that either.


"Happy" to not be on the tea cups???
Ha! Best place to be! And you got a lot done before we got there. Kind of mad I didn't drag them all out sooner.

You will never guess which 2 know where the camera is :confused3
ha


Like father, Like daughter
This picture just cracks me up each time. there little heads barely over the guns. And so serious

IMG_6904.gif

Energy I will never have!
Seriously!!!!

We didn’t make it back to our room until 1230 am and someone was more than a little bit tired.
Once we split up, it was like Morgan hit the off button. She melted down almost immediately.
 


Jiko good, need to go. Embarrassed to say we haven’t been since our first trip together in 2001. Cali Grill, sad portions, will go to Jiko instead.
I find that 20 years between restaurant visits is just the right amount of time :earboy2: You should definitely go though. So good and I think the only signature that has never disappointed us.

Entitled much? Just go get fries someplace else, ya lunatic.
I know right??? I'm like if your child will not eat a waffle fry that's on you lady, not the cast member

Chad just taught Asher to say “Your mom goes to college,” from Napoleon Dynamite and I could kill him.
:rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2: I have a feeling if Casey was a boy a lot more of this would be going down in our household too

What a bummer of a California grill review! I have such a a hard time ordering scallops, I feel like when 90% of the time when i have a meal that the portion looks ridiculously small its because i ordered scallops. I love them, but i feel as if the standard serving is 6, and unless they are a large size its never enough!
Yeah, scallops are always small and sometimes Disney only gives you 4. I love the little suckers though so when I order then I usually make sure to get a side or something too. Now this fish was another story. The fish weighs like 20 pounds so one would think they could have thrown a few more ounces on the plate.

It would be nice if Signatures would be consistent! The kids and I were going to try CG's lounge before a final night in MK. I know, kids in a lounge...gasp! :rolleyes1 We're planning on getting there at opening and trying some apps and sushi with fun kid drinks for them and lovely adult drink(s) for me. I hope the portions aren't as small as your fish, otherwise I'll have to spend a fortune to fill 'em up.
Kids in the lounge is great in my book. Of course this is coming from the person who condemned it pre-kid and now just thinks its no different than a restaurant :P

Though I will say I do think CG's sizes are on the small side comparatively. The flatbreads are decently sized, as is the sushi, but the sushi costs twice as much as we'd pay at home. The other apps can be hit and miss. The ravioli I'm pretty sure is only 2.

Too bad about the pizza as the ingredients sound like they would have worked well together if they hadn't have been drowned in garlic.
They should have worked and I found it funny that garlic wasn't even one of the ingredients. And I love garlic but this was WAY too much!

This is beyond ridiculous!!! I showed this picture to Bill and he said "so that's what was left after they finished their meal??" I would be so mad if they served me that plate for $48 USD ($62 CDN).
First love that you converted the dollars :D But seriously this was not even an appetizer sized portion

What a fun night!
So much fun. And hope you have even more on your trip! Can't wait to hear all about it

OK that fish "entree" is ridiculous, especially for the price tag! Looks a fun (though rainy) night at MK! :)
Entree. Amuse Bouche. Ya know same :P

That's really disappointing, I always enjoy your Cali Grill reviews.
It was, but hopefully just a fluke

Such a bummer about California Grill. I had that same fish dish and thought the portions were small too but it didn’t bother me as much since I was using the dining plan. The waiter should have said something when you said you were going to share! Yuck on that pizza being over flavored. Glad your husband at least had a good meal!
Well at least now I have confirmation that I'm not crazy (well I am crazy) but that the size of the dish wasn't just me. I'm sure the dining plan helped. That and not having to "share" it.

Gwen almost melted down that they didn't have butter out when were there there. I tried to explain the olive oil thing, and both Morgan and Gwen thought I was crazy. Oye
Oye indeed! Casey loves butter and olive oil equally so she was content either way.

That is crazy.. Maybe they plated it wrong?!? !
Best I could figure that by me saying we were going to split it, they did split it, but only sent half :confused3 But since @Dis_Yoda had the same experience I'm just gonna go with someone somewhere though this was acceptable.

DId Casey know about other kids being there, or just that she wanted to go to the park. I mean either is acceptable.
Oh no, this is totally because of the girls. And now that I think about it, it really was just your fault :P

Ha! Best place to be! And you got a lot done before we got there. Kind of mad I didn't drag them all out sooner.
I think you missed most of the really hard rain so that may have been the better decision.

Once we split up, it was like Morgan hit the off button. She melted down almost immediately.
Poor thing. They were all so tired. Heck I was tired. I had a meltdown (aka a big glass of wine) when we got back to the room too.
 
After a fun filled day in MK we chilled in the room for a while before heading to California Grill for dinner at one of our favorite spots. As we waited for our uber we stopped for some “nice” family pictures.





Clearly “nice” means something a little different to each of us.

:bitelip: Nice pictures!


When your actual food only takes up 10% of the plate I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the kitchen may want to rethink the portion size. Seriously, there were about 5 bites of fish here

That's a crazy small portion, especially for the price. It's like they knew it too and just decided to fill the rest of the plate with that fancy sauce.


The rain let up a bit and despite still getting soaked, we headed to the party and had a great time. The rains kept crowds away so most everything was a walk-on and more importantly we spent the evening with @StarWarsMomofGirls! and @chunkymonkey and even had a drive by from @LindseyJo22 . I didn’t take a lot of notes or pictures, but stole some from the others, so please do enjoy.

That looks like such a fun night! You're so lucky to have been there for it. I have yet to be there for an APH or DVC event :sad2:
 
Sorry to hear California Grill didn't leave up to the expectations.

That was your entire entree?! What on earth. If I were the server, I don't think I'd even be able to serve that to someone with a straight face.

The VIPassholder event looked like a lot of rainy fun!
 
Joining in the fun with your dining report. Love it so far. So sad you had a not so great experience at Cali Grill. It is on our list of must do for our January trip. Looking forward to the rest of your reviews!
 
That's a crazy small portion, especially for the price. It's like they knew it too and just decided to fill the rest of the plate with that fancy sauce.
Clearly that is $48 worth of fancy sauce, right :confused3

That looks like such a fun night! You're so lucky to have been there for it. I have yet to be there for an APH or DVC event :sad2:
Don't you remember you were there too??? When I signed us up it automatically added you because you had an AP and were connected to my account :earboy2:

That meal was split in the kitchen and they forgot to bring the second plate. The only other feasible explanation would be a punishment for splitting it.
You may be exactly right! Now I'm kicking myself for not saying something.

That was your entire entree?! What on earth. If I were the server, I don't think I'd even be able to serve that to someone with a straight face.
No not my entree, mine and Casey's entree. Clearly enough for two people :D

The VIPassholder event looked like a lot of rainy fun!
It so was. Despite the rain we had a blast.

Joining in the fun with your dining report. Love it so far. So sad you had a not so great experience at Cali Grill. It is on our list of must do for our January trip. Looking forward to the rest of your reviews!
Welcome!!!! We are headed back to the world next month and I'm sure we will be at CG again too. Hopefully it will redeem itself and at least serve full portions of food.
 
A D-Luxe Lunch

Happy 4th of July!!! Hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday (even you Canadians and Irish)!

After our long and late night it was well after ten before Casey even got up. Thankfully we didn’t have any park plans until that evening so we ended up heading to Disney Springs for the day.

By the time we got there Casey and I were starving (which makes no sense since our dinner the night before had been so “huge”) so we decided to find some filling provisions pronto.

We ended up at D-Luxe Burger which we’d been to once before. Ordering was quick and easy and we ended up chatting with a lovely CM who was from our neck of the woods while we waited for our food.

We were smart enough to NOT share food this time around so Casey got the kids cheeseburger and fries.

She gave this a big thumbs up.

I got the Bacon and Blue Burger with blue cheese, bacon, onion jam, lettuce and tomato.

I was a bit disappointed that medium was the lowest temperature they will cook a burger (my mantra is the bloodier the better) but the paddy was juicy and delicious. The blue cheese went great with the onion jam, which added some nice sweetness. It was however missing a little bit of moisture so I ended up adding some ketchup. Blasphemy with blue cheese but it made it perfect.

Speaking of perfect, D-Luxe fresh-cut fries how do I love thee.

I love thee naked in all your gloriousness. I love thee just the right amount of salt. I love thee perfect boardwalk flavor. I love thee amazing dipping choices.

But I love thee dipped in garlic ranch the most!

To wash all this deliciousness down Jason and I both got the Funky Buddha Floridian Hefeweizen.

This hit the proverbial spot!

For his lunch Jason went with a special they were running - the Caribbean Burger -with chayote slaw, Scotch Bonnet Pepper Aioli, fried plantain, lettuce, and tomato.

He was in love.


Or at least lust.
He loved the burger, but was disappointed that the scotch bonnet aioli was not more spicy or prominent. He also said these was so much going on, the flavors all kind of got muddled. The fried plantain was awesome though. He ended up taking it off the burger so he could really enjoy it. He was happy but said he’d stick to a “regular” burger next time.

Overall we were very happy with our meal. D-Luxe has great burgers and fries and is the perfect spot for lunch. And what do you know our entire meal didn’t cost much more than my paltry entrée the night before (still bitter).

After lunch we walked around the Springs a bit


And we eventually succumbed to Casey’s desire to shop.

She was overwhelmed with all the snack options.

And contemplated this gargantuan head for a while.

But ultimately decided upon a dress and these shoes.

You will be shocked to know that despite me encouraging her to get a bigger size she declared these fit perfectly. By the time she put them on back at the hotel, you guessed it, she complained they were too small. #MotherKnowsBest

Jason even got in on the modeling action.

Cause what grown man doesn’t want a Disney letterman jacket :confused3

We eventually got back to the hotel and in our traditional form Jason napped while I took Casey to the pool. I ended up talking to a couple for a while and it turns out he works for my same Agency just in a different location. It was funny that we knew a lot of the same people, just had never met.


Up next a wild night...
 
Overall we were very happy with our meal. D-Luxe has great burgers and fries and is the perfect spot for lunch.
Yep, this is on my list. I got through Polite Pig and Blaze Pizza, so Deluxe Burger is next. I'm thinking about taking Matt and Tim there in August...I'm glad your meal was good and everyone enjoyed it.

You will be shocked to know that despite me encouraging her to get a bigger size she declared these fit perfectly. By the time she put them on back at the hotel, you guessed it, she complained they were too small. #MotherKnowsBest
Umm, DUH! We ALWAYS know best!!!!!

Cause what grown man doesn’t want a Disney letterman jacket :confused3
Jason rocked that jacket. Now, he needs that Mickey Tommy!!!!!
 
Mom always knows best. My 18 year old is starting to figure it out finally! We love D Luxe burger too and now I’m craving it.
 
Phew - a restaurant capable of putting out an acceptable amount of food! Sounds like a great meal - I've never been to D-Luxe, and likely won't for a while as I don't make it to DS very often, but I am intrigued because I do love me a good burger.

And about mothers knowing best? Yeah... hopefully Casey will beat me to my understanding of this concept... in my 30s :headache:
 
Oh no, this is totally because of the girls. And now that I think about it, it really was just your fault :P
Ha! Sorry about that...

Poor thing. They were all so tired. Heck I was tired. I had a meltdown (aka a big glass of wine) when we got back to the room too.
Nice! After that walk back, you deserved it.

I was a bit disappointed that medium was the lowest temperature they will cook a burger (my mantra is the bloodier the better)
I remember Andy mentioning that. As we have the same mantra! And ironic that we ended up doing the same thing today, just opposite. We swam first and then went to DS for dinner.

the Caribbean Burger -with chayote slaw, Scotch Bonnet Pepper Aioli, fried plantain, lettuce, and tomato.
Andy did not give that an a burger option when we were there!!! (I had taken the girls across the way to get Blaze Pizza to eat)
That looks amazing!


But ultimately decided upon a dress and these shoes.
The shoes!!!!! Cute.

#MotherKnowsBest
yes, yes we do!!! ;)
 
I have that same argument with my girls, they are always trying to buy shoes that are too small.

Glad you all enjoyed D-Luxe burgers, sad that it was more satisfying than Cali Grill.
 

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