California Grill brunch questions

[1GoldenSun]

I finally got Cali Grill brunch reservations and I'm so excited! My husband and I don't often get to Disney by ourselves so this may be our only chance to experience CG brunch (don't want to take the kids--expensive and they wouldn't appreciate it) so I want to make the most of it.

I know it's subjective, but what are your favorite dishes? I'm usually a "savory" kind of person regarding breakfast foods, so I'm leaning toward the hangar steak or the Benedict, but the French Toast and pancake options sound sooooo good, too! There's not one thing on the menu I can rule out.

Are there any upcharges? For instance, do you pay extra for lobster Benedict as opposed to the standard?

It sounds like dessert comes as a plated presentation of assorted items rather than a buffet or choosing from a menu, is this correct? If so, has anyone ever been allowed to box up the dessert plate for later or is this against policy? I'd love to not have to save room for dessert.

 

[DISbot]

I can’t help with a favorite dish, but we were allowed to get multiple if we wanted. We had 3 dishes we shared between the 2 of us.

The only upcharge when we were there was the bloody mary bar.

We had our desserts boxed up no issue - the only problem was some had chocolate and we were going into a park.

Hope this helps!

 

[earfulofmagic]

For instance, do you pay extra for lobster Benedict as opposed to the standard?

Nope, no extra charge for that. I too prefer savory. I had the lobster eggs benedict and it was super disappointing -- it's very plain. The steak was good, and we really liked the chicken & waffles. And, as others said, get multiple dishes if you want, we shared those 3 entrees among the 2 of us.

 

[1GoldenSun]

It's good to know we can order more than one dish! Now I just need to narrow it down to three!

 

[pooh2001]

WOW - We have only done dinner
Breakfast looks great - can we (DH & DW) get the faux "mimosas" for kids ?
we do not drink alcohol, DH heart attack and DW diabetes
Or maybe a virgin Pina Colata ?

 

[NYCgrrl]

I finally got Cali Grill brunch reservations and I'm so excited! My husband and I don't often get to Disney by ourselves so this may be our only chance to experience CG brunch (don't want to take the kids--expensive and they wouldn't appreciate it) so I want to make the most of it.

I know it's subjective, but what are your favorite dishes? I'm usually a "savory" kind of person regarding breakfast foods, so I'm leaning toward the hangar steak or the Benedict, but the French Toast and pancake options sound sooooo good, too! There's not one thing on the menu I can rule out.

Are there any upcharges? For instance, do you pay extra for lobster Benedict as opposed to the standard?

It sounds like dessert comes as a plated presentation of assorted items rather than a buffet or choosing from a menu, is this correct? If so, has anyone ever been allowed to box up the dessert plate for later or is this against policy? I'd love to not have to save room for dessert.

We ate brunch at CG last Sunday.

I had the lamb meatball shakshuka and enjoyed it; the man had the lobster eggs Benedict and devoured it. It was the first time either of us had lobster at Disney and it was quite tender and not the least bit rubbery; probably butter poached. 12 y/o had a half order of blueberry pancakes and 1/2 order of shrimp with grits while the 9 year older had a full order of blueberry pancakes. The waiter asked if we'd like an order of breakfast meats for the table and brought a plate of bacon and sausage patties gratis. guess he knew his crowd, LOL.

I don't recall if there were any up-charges...certainly not for the lobster eggs Benedict. If you are on an eligible dining plan you've a choice of unlimited mimosas or one Bloody Mary after your welcoming mimosa.

It was a worthy meal that stayed with us until we returned to the hotel around 7:00 PM and hit the club level lounge's offerings.

ETA: yes to boxing up the desserts. I finished them at home on Wednesday. Yummy yummy. They were served on a tiered cake plate after the entrees w/ coffee and tea. Be sure to ask for a shopping bag if not offered as it's easier to carry in the box.

Be sure to stop at the baba station near the bread station. Made with Grand Marnier or whiskey as you prefer. .

 

[1GoldenSun]

@NYCgrrl, your description has me even more excited! Baba station...yes, please!

And I'm glad to hear that at least some menu items can be ordered in half-portions. The more we can try, the happier we'll be!

 

[ctipp79]

Yum is all I can say in regards to the CG Brunch. Had the Lobster Eggs Benedict which was amazing. My nephew had one of the omelette which was good as well. Our server brought out a tray of the desserts then a second tray already boxed up for us that we snacked on the following mornings. Definitely trying to get a reservation for our upcoming trip. One of the few must do’s for me.

 

[kbmartin]

It's a delicious meal! I really enjoyed the hanger steak.

 

[rentayenta]

We’ll be trying it for the first time in 3 weeks; so excited!

 

[10CJ]

Is it only offered on Sunday?

For those who have done the brunch and dinner, which do you prefer?

We want to go on our next trip and trying to decide when we should fit it in.

 

[jillt2ph]

Reading this has made me so excited. I have a reservation in September. I am going solo, so I sure hope I can ask for some half portions so I can try multiple things. I decided to spoil myself on this trip - have a dinner reservation Monday night so I can have dinner and watch Hallowishes, and then brunch the following Sunday which is my last day.

 

[NMPensFan]

We ate brunch at CG last Sunday.

I had the lamb meatball shakshuka and enjoyed it; the man had the lobster eggs Benedict and devoured it. It was the first time either of us had lobster at Disney and it was quite tender and not the least bit rubbery; probably butter poached. 12 y/o had a half order of blueberry pancakes and 1/2 order of shrimp with grits while the 9 year older had a full order of blueberry pancakes. The waiter asked if we'd like an order of breakfast meats for the table and brought a plate of bacon and sausage patties gratis. guess he knew his crowd, LOL.

I don't recall if there were any up-charges...certainly not for the lobster eggs Benedict. If you are on an eligible dining plan you've a choice of unlimited mimosas or one Bloody Mary after your welcoming mimosa.

It was a worthy meal that stayed with us until we returned to the hotel around 7:00 PM and hit the club level lounge's offerings.

ETA: yes to boxing up the desserts. I finished them at home on Wednesday. Yummy yummy. They were served on a tiered cake plate after the entrees w/ coffee and tea. Be sure to ask for a shopping bag if not offered as it's easier to carry in the box.

Be sure to stop at the baba station near the bread station. Made with Grand Marnier or whiskey as you prefer. .

Great info. What is a baba station? I have never heard of it.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Great info. What is a baba station? I have never heard of it.

Have you ever had a baba au rhum at an Italian or French pastry shop? It's a yeast based cake often made in the shape of a bell or popover with a large crown and is soaked in a rum flavoured sugar syrup. CG has a cook making them but w/ with Bourbon whiskey or Grand Marnier instead of rum. Errrrrrr I'll admit that I ate two but but it wasn't my fault. How could I chose between the 2 liquors without one feeling let down? Democracy is important

We solved the chocolate problem by eating them all at the restaurant (our plate had 4 or one for each of us). Lovely little lacquered truffles that begged to be eaten on the spot!

 

[NMPensFan]

Have you ever had a baba au rhum at an Italian or French pastry shop? It's a yeast based cake often made in the shape of a bell or popover with a large crown and is soaked in a rum flavoured sugar syrup. CG has a cook making them but w/ with Bourbon whiskey or Grand Marnier instead of rum. Errrrrrr I'll admit that I ate two but but it wasn't my fault. How could I chose between the 2 liquors without one feeling let down? Democracy is important

We solved the chocolate problem by eating them all at the restaurant (our plate had 4 or one for each of us). Lovely little lacquered truffles that begged to be eaten on the spot!

Omg. I have to try these next trip. Thankfully that’s in September

 

[JerseyJanice]

We were there in May. There was no baba station when we were there, but we had a crepes Suzette station instead. The crepes were divine, one of my favorite things there.

You can order as many entrees as you want, and they will give you boxes to take whatever leftovers you wish including the desserts.

My group was 10 people and I think that between us, we ordered almost everything on the menu. I loved my eggs Benedict with lobster, and the hanger steak—everything is delicious with chimichurri sauce.

The only entree I did not care for was the French toast. The description on the menu made it sound so good, but it was dry with a tough texture. The pancakes were incredible. We had three types—plain buttermilk, blueberry and carrot. All were delicious.

The buffet item that surprised me most was the blue cheese—it was the creamiest, most delicious blue I’ve ever had. The deviled eggs didn’t knock my socks off, but the bacon and egg salad made up for it.

The only upcharge was the Bloody Mary bar. We didn’t bother with it since the sparkling wine flowed freely. When we entered, we were told to help ourselves to a big tray of them with blueberry boba pearls. Later on, they put out some with peach boba, a fresh take on a Bellini. If you wanted plain cava (the sparkling wine served), you could have that. Or you could get a traditional Mimosa with wine and orange juice. They even gave us paper to-go cups to take a round with us.

If you are coming from a Disney resort that isn’t in the MK area, walk from the bus depot. You will be amazed at how close the Contemporary is.

 

[kastoney]

So glad to hear you are doing the CG brunch. No chance you will leave disappointed

As others have said if you can't make up your mind for entrees, then just order more than 1. I've seen many accounts of them giving you smaller portion sizes to account for multiple dishes. We had both the steak and benedict during our visit as we are generally savory people too, but I must say my daughters french toast blew them both out of the water. So I wouldn't miss out on one of the sweeter options. I've seen great accounts of the fried chicken lately too.

The only upcharges I'm aware of are the bloody mary bar and any other alcoholic drink that isn't the included mimosa.

And no issues getting dessert to go. Ours were all boxed up as we had no room!

 

[rentayenta]

@JerseyJanice Even a to-go mimosa? Three weeks from today!

 

[JerseyJanice]

@rentayenta We drank them on the walk back to the bus. It was a stormy day so we went to the resort right after we ate. All the better for preserving our leftovers.

 

[rentayenta]

@rentayenta We drank them on the walk back to the bus. It was a stormy day so we went to the resort right after we ate. All the better for preserving our leftovers.

Amazing!