About one month before our trip I saw this new dinner promoted on various Disney World-related websites as follows:
A Dining Experience 50 Years in the Making
In 1971, Top of the World opened on the top floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, offering a unique dining experience with magical views. Over time, the location evolved into the restaurant that we know and love today – California Grill. From the spectacular views of Magic Kingdom Park and Seven Seas Lagoon to the seasonally inspired menus by world-renowned chefs, California Grill remains a favorite of our guests.
As part of “The World’s Most Magical Celebration,” California Grill will offer a limited-time three-course menu with dishes inspired by past favorites as well as new market-fresh creations. etc., etc.
This incredible limited-time three-course menu will be offered starting Oct. 3, with reservations available Sept. 23.
And I fell for it…hook, line, and sinker. Haha.
So on Sept. 23 I booked our dinner reservation for 6:10 on Tuesday, October 26, our last night at the Contemporary Resort.
On that evening we made our way down to California Grill podium on the 2nd floor to check in for reservation.
By 6:20 we had been taken upstairs in the special elevator, seated at a two-top table…
And given this fancy souvenir menu…
But let me back up just a bit. Back in 2013 California Grill went through an 8 month long remodel and in my opinion did a great job. I’ve dined there several times since the remodel and I’m always impressed by the look and ambience of this restaurant.
I love the “good vibe” that I feel from the the moment I get off the elevator and am greeted by a wall lined with storage cases full of wine…
To the time I am seated in the dining room with floor to ceiling windows looking out over the Seven Seas Lagoon and Magic Kingdom…
And speaking of the view, about 1/2 hour after we were seated we were treated to a beautiful sunset…
Now on to the food, starting with the complimentary bread basket and their signature dipping oil…
Both the bread (a delicious focaccia) and the dipping oil (olive oil with sundried tomato, herbs & spices) were quite tasty. Our only complaint was that they only gave us two pieces. But Andrew, the bread lover, of course asked for more. So anyway, their complimentary bread service received a rating of 4.
We both decided to order a cocktail (for an additional charge)…
After looking over the options we both ordered the same cocktail…
This was good. It kind of reminds me of an Amaretto Stone Sour, with the addition of spiced rum. But I still don’t think it is as good as its predecessor, the Twisted Mai Tai, that they used to have here. So our rating for the San Francisco Mai Tai was a 3.
From the Market Inspirations section (aka appetizers) of the 3 course special menu, Andrew chose the…
I was surprised by how good these were. The garlic chili oil was very unique. This ended up being the unexpected winner of this meal with a rating of 5.
My choice was not quite as stellar…
A close up…
While there were things I liked about this pizza…the crust, duck, and the combination of fig and blue cheese, there were others I could have done without. I did not enjoy the arugula and pickled shallots and there was just so much of them on this pizza. So much that it was very difficult to pick them off. I gave this a rating of 3. Andrew wouldn’t even try it so most of it was wasted.
Now on to the Chef’s Journey (aka the Main Course). I let Andrew choose first and of course he chose the entrée that I had my eye on…
This was a very small filet. He requested it to be cooked medium but it was instead served medium well with just a hint of pink. There was no sign of the roasted tomato butter (that was listed in the description) so it was rather dry and much less tender and flavorful than the filet he had the previous night at Steakhouse 71, which he rated a perfect 5. This filet was given a rating of only 3. He was disappointed because he’d previously had great luck with ordering the filets at California Grill.
So for the sake of this review, I decided to order a different entrée than Andrew…
I thought I would be getting the consolation prize when I ordered the chicken but I actually won the entrée course of this meal. The chicken was moist and had good flavor. The Madeira wine demi-glaze added a little bit of sweet, caramel flavor. The mousseline was like a whipped hollandaise sauce. Overall I gave my entrée a rating of 4. It is not often that chicken beats out a filet but it happened for us at California Grill.
And that just leaves the Sweet Creations course (aka Dessert). Andrew had won the first course and I was the winner of the second. Who would order the best dessert?
Andrew chose the special 50th anniversary dessert…
Five Magical Bites 50 Years in the Making – Honey, Lemon, Carrot, Strawberry and Chocolate
In a nod to the original Top of the World menu that included assorted pastry bites, our pastry chefs took favorite dessert flavors from five of our past and present chefs to make a dessert that is 50 years in the making. With flavors of honey, lemon, carrot, strawberry, and chocolate, the Five Magical Bites dessert represents the contribution of those chefs to our culinary heritage at California Grill.
Our favorites were the Chocolate and Carrot Cakes and the Strawberry Cheesecake. The Lemon and Honey were just okay. But overall they were given a rating of 3.
My dessert choice was the…
From the description I thought I was going to love this but I didn’t. It tasted like a deconstructed dark chocolate candy bar, with emphasis on the “dark” chocolate. And I’m not a fan of dark chocolate. The whipped panna cotta did help cut the rich, slightly bitter flavor of the dark chocolate but I was still disappointed with this dessert and gave it a rating of 3, tying with Andrew’s dessert.
So was this meal worth its $89.00 price? Perhaps if we’d made a few different choices it would have been. While the wontons were a 5 star choice, almost all of our other choices were rated a 3. And while this prix fixe meal was a fun offering (supposedly only for a “limited time“) for the 50th anniversary, I wish they would have returned to their regular menu after the 18 month long celebration. I much preferred to have the flexibility and not be forced to order and pay for a 3 course meal. Unfortunately though as of this writing (Feb. 2024) this meal is still a 3 course prix fixe meal which costs $89 plus tax & gratuity. While they’ve made some changes to the menu (none of our appetizer or dessert choices are still offered), it’s still not enough to draw me back. This makes me sad because for the most part I’ve enjoyed my meals at California Grill and loved watching the Magic Kingdom fireworks from its balcony with family and friends. So many great memories!
And speaking of the fireworks, before we had finished dessert, it was 8:00 and time to go out to the balcony to watch Enchantment…
Taste of Disney 