 Hey friends today We are hanging out at Disney's contemporary resort and we are going to be dining at the California Grill This is one of the best and most expensive restaurants on Disney property and I love it here They have a new menu that I've been wanting to try because they have a new steak entree that looks phenomenal And I figured today was the perfect day So we're gonna eat some food watch the sunset and have a beautiful California Grill kind of day any who's let's go do this and Here is Disney's contemporary resort We're gonna be dining at the very top of the resort right there and it is so beautiful up there It overlooks the Magic Kingdom so you can see the castle You can see all the rides running and it's beautiful during the sunset. So hopefully we timed it right For a while there California Grill was doing a Prefixed menu for the 50th anniversary and when the 50th anniversary ended they decided to just keep the prefix and they changed out the different selections that you can get and It's eighty nine dollars for three courses and that's just the base price the steak that I want to get is a $47 upcharge and there's a whole bunch of other enhancements that you can choose from But the food here is always phenomenal and the views are even better. So I am very excited to show you guys I Love coming to the contemporary resort and just walking around it is so beautiful here like just the resort grounds themselves You've got all the Bay Lake over here. You got the marina. It's just a beautiful resort The past couple of days it's been so rainy here in Florida So it's been hard to get out in the parks without getting caught in a thunderstorm So a nice little resort day and dining at a fancy little restaurant is the perfect thing to do today Here is the check-in for the California Grill and they do have a dress code So I'm probably gonna have to take my hat off, which I don't mind. I usually take my hat off depending on what restaurant we're at To get to the California Grill you have to take a private elevator all the way to the top of the resort And that is the only way to get up there without having to climb all of the steps on the outside Which I have done before but it is not easy. It's a lot of steps On the same floor where you go to check in for the California Grill They have the ballroom of the Americas and this is a little fun fact But Richard Nixon actually made his I'm not a crook speech right here in the ballroom of the Americas Isn't that so cool? Look, I pulled up my YouTube so you guys can hear it This happened right here Funny because the first comment is fun fact the speech took place at Disney World I Am all checked in and I requested to sit next to a window so I can stare out at the Magic Kingdom and Hopefully the observation decks are open They have little decks on the outside where you can walk out and look over and it's really cool at night because you get to watch the fireworks from up there and Yeah, sometimes they close them because of the weather if the weather is bad and it's very windy They don't open them up, but I think we should be in the clear Here is a look at the new menu at California Grill like I mentioned it's $89 per person But you can add on different wine pairings one for $39 and then the deluxe one for $69 and it's three courses So you choose an appetizer an entree and a dessert and they have some amazing Appetizers my favorite is the braised beef short rib wantons and then they also have the goat cheese ravioli a lot of people like a Black truffle pizza and then for entrees the one that I was like the one I was looking to try today is the wagyu strip loin right here This is a $47 upcharge and it comes with kimchi fried rice steamed dumplings bok choy and Crispy lotus root it sounds so good But all of the other entrees are good like the oak fired filet a beef They have some fire roasted venison. They've got a pork tenderloin a lot of good stuff Oh a black sea bass even and then of course for the desserts they have so many new things to go They've got the lemon chiffon cake the citrus creme brulee California girls known for their creme brulee though like they always have a seasonal one and Yeah, we'll decide once we get up there, but I just want to give you a quick look Here we go, it's time to head up go in the elevator and then 15th floor what I mean All right, we have made it up to the restaurant and I want to give you guys a little tour It looks like the observation decks are closed for the weather, but the back one's open So I'm gonna take you guys back there, but here is the main dining area. I Also just found out that they have a bar menu So you can come up to the bar if you don't want to get the prefix that pay the $89 You can just order a la carte at the bar and they don't have a lot of the entrees a la carte But they have most of the appetizers like the wanton and the pizzas and stuff like that and you can also get the prefix at the bar if you wanted to as well Here is that amazing view look at that. You can see Cinderella castle right there You can see big Thunder mountain. You can see Tron You can even see Tiana's Bayou adventure getting worked on right there And like I said now this Observation deck. This is a much better view and it might open up later on if the weather stays good But this back one is always open you can always come out here and even on this side. It's a beautiful view, too Look at Bay Lake It gets a little windy up here, but isn't that amazing? Oh, I love it up here so much All right, we are all settled in and my waitress Moe who is Fantastic if you guys come to California girl ask for Moe She went over the menu with me and she pointed out some of the new additions to the new menu And one of them being the black truffle pizza So I'm gonna do the black truffle pizza as my appetizer And it's really hard for me to pass up on the wantons because I love them so much but she She informed me that the wagyu strip loin that I'm gonna be getting actually comes with Wontons and instead of the short rib ones you get wagyu wantons so now I'm very excited So we're gonna do the black truffle pizza We're gonna do the wagyu strip loin and then we're gonna do one of the new desserts and it looks so good all of it does Look at how amazing this view is right from your table. Isn't that great? Huh, I'm telling you I can spend hours up here just staring out and if there's a little storm one time I caught lightning kind of hitting Cinderella Castle, and I thought it was so cool and just watching the sunset I don't think we're gonna catch the sunset though. It seems it's getting Like darker later in the evening. So it's probably not gonna get dark until like 8 30 probably tonight But look at all of this look at all of Disney right here And here is Moe Me and Moe have been friends for we were just talking about like five years, right? Yeah, and it all started when I came here to California grill for brunch And we became friends and we hang out outside and we have mutual friends, and she's the best Moe is the best I Ended up receiving a muse and it is a tomato Strawberry gazpacho, and it's a shooter. You actually just shoot this down. Look at how fancy that is I'm very excited. I don't I've never had anything like this before in fact I don't even know what it is But we're gonna shoot it To be honest, I'm a little afraid because I don't know what it is I like tomatoes and I like strawberries, so it's not gonna be horrible, but here we go. Oh Very good It's actually really good. It's like a spicy It tastes like a spicy strawberry smoothie To start off they do bring out a bread service and they got a new bread service, too They it looks like they switched to a sourdough and it looks really good baked fresh and how it's very crispy and I'm gonna have a little ginger ale with my meal today But this stuff right here, this is where it's at this goes well, and they always had this But I can't wait to try it with the new bread Now it's time to get to the bread business here I'm gonna take some of this and just put it right on there like that. Oh Yeah, I can't wait to try this new bread Here we go. You gotta dive in on the bread This bread is so good I wish I can just hollow it out and put some stew in there Do you guys ever do that with like bread you hollow out the inside and you put either like a Denty more or Like gumbo inside of the bread. It is so good, but I love it is such good bread. I Definitely don't want to eat all the bread because I've got a lot of food coming out And I'm excited to try the black truffle pizza that's coming out next I mean, it's got to be something good for me to order it instead of the beef short rib wonton And here it is the black truffle pizza We've got some fresh truffle on the top right there and then the potato chips It actually looks a lot better than I thought it was it's a very tiny pizza though like a 10-inch pizza and They make the house they make the dough in house and they use like mineral water to make it nice and soft Oh, it's very crispy. I'm trying to fold it and then break off a piece. Look at that This is gonna be so interesting. I don't think I've ever eaten a pizza like this before but I am excited. I Do put potato chips on my sandwiches, so I'm gonna kind of like the crunchy like texture But here we go first bite going in on a truffle pizza Wow This is so incredible the textures are just overwhelming between the dough and The truffle and then the potato chips. I'm in love. I honestly really love this It's shocking to me because I was a little iffy with it and the truffle is not like very strong Like it's there, but it's not like truffle fries. It's not very pungent and it's a great balance great balance with Great texture phenomenal great addition Moe came over and made a celebration on my table here. It's so fun. Look at that They do this for like birthdays and anniversaries, but it's just me celebrating life eating black truffle pizza. I feel like that's enough for a celebration As much as I love this pizza, I don't think it's gonna take my top spot for the Wantons as much as I love it But the wantons are just so good and I would say it's like one in two like if I'm not getting the wantons I'll probably get this and I'm excited to try the wagyu wantons that come with my meal. I Just asked and they're gonna open up the observation decks a half an hour before the fireworks actually start We won't be here for it but if I did want to come back if you come and dine here and it's earlier in the afternoon you can bring your Receipt back and come back up and actually watch the fireworks from out there if you want to but that's when they're gonna open Those up, so we won't be able to see it today Another thing I want to point out about that truffle pizza it actually has like a honey sauce on it So it adds a little sweetness to like the Truffle taste itself, and it was really good and unexpected And here it is the main event the wagyu strip line look at this I am so impressed with the presentation. It comes on a nice little California grill board right here. Here is the wagyu wantons. Don't they look so good look at them Oh boy, and then they've got the bok choy right here. This is kimchi bok choy And then they also have the wagyu Fried rice so there's actually pieces of steak inside the fried rice, and it all just looks amazing. Wow I'm so excited to eat this. It looks incredible Because I feel like the wantons are like a appetizer. I think I'm gonna start with them first Oh, they're so delicate. Look at this. Oh, I am so excited They might have a little spice to them because the short rib ones the short rib ones do too, but here we go Look at that Holy moly It's like a big chunk of steak right inside there That's incredible So good. Holy moly The wantons definitely have a little kick to them, but it is so good The flavor is amazing and then take a look at the steak here. Look at that a little salt on there I asked for it cooked medium rare plus and it came out perfect I was gonna ask for it Pittsburgh, but I don't want to mess around with the wagyu, you know and Yeah, I think we're gonna jump right into the steak now and take this piece right on top Whenever I get a fancy steak, I think I cut things smaller like I cut the bites into smaller pieces Because I want to enjoy it longer. So here we go first first bite Wow Holy moly It like melts and dissolves right in your mouth phenomenal I'm gonna have to do like a little rotation eat half of a wanton bite a steak Dive into the rice and then repeat until it's all gone. So now we're gonna jump into the kimchi fried rice here Look at that. Oh, yeah There are so many great things I love about this meal the steak the wantons the fried rice I mean it is a hundred and thirty seven dollars though. So this is a hundred and thirty seven dollar meal And I feel like as a every you know once in a while like nice little treat for yourself or for special occasions It's definitely worth it. And if you wanted to get the wine pairing with it It'd be about a two hundred dollar meal. So it could be two hundred dollars for this all together But like I said, you got to live a little bit especially during special times. I Started off by cutting this wanton this time because I just wanted to be able to have it right in center Oh my lord, look at all that steak juice coming out of there This might be one of the most elevated meals I think I've ever had There's just something special about it. Like as you're going through it's kind of like a Wagyu sampler between the wantons the rice and the steak itself And you know sometimes when you eat something and it's got so much flavor You know, you're eating something special. That's exactly what happens when you take a bite into this out of any of it It is so good. I've already eaten all the steak like it's all gone. The wantons are gone And now I'm just finishing up my rice ain't got much. Ain't got definitely not taking any of this home Well that steak did not stand a chance and for dessert instead of going with the creme brulee I decided to go with the new Chaffin cake and it's a lemon blueberry one and look at this Doesn't it look so pretty and artful. I can't wait to try it This is new to the menu and a lot of people have said it's phenomenal So I'm sure it will be everything else has been amazing All right, here we go take a little piece from the side here make sure you get the blueberry on there excellent It's so funny because I have this hair tie that I hold my Tripod it together like I wrap a hair tie around it So it doesn't jiggle and it fell on the ground and most picked it up and was just like oh And I was like, oh, that's mine Like yeah, it's mine, but anyways here we go Amazing much too good much too good for children My meal was amazing. I loved everything the steak was one of the best steaks I ever had on Disney property and it's a little bit different than a ribeye You know I mean I do love ribeyes and this is something you can't eat a lot of like a wagyu and stuff like that But it was all good and full of flavor I wish I could have stuck around for the sunset or watching the fireworks but I'm actually gonna go meet up with some friends and We're gonna be doing something cool that I want to show you guys and talk about a little bit and now It's starting to rain a little bit like I said It's been unpredictable here in Florida like it's been raining for a couple hours and then stopped raining and stuff like that It's it's it's up and down, but now yeah, it's pouring Looks like there's a pool party in the contemporary resort parking lot. Look at that. Holy moly That's so funny because it's kind of blocked off by those parked Parking spots right there. So it is like a little pool. This just shows you how much it's been raining That's deep. I would say at least three or four inches right there I do have an umbrella with me But I didn't bring it out of the car because I'm afraid of losing it because it's a really Special umbrella and I'll actually show you but what's the point? I mean, it's a special umbrella, but I'm afraid to use it because it's so cool Here is my umbrella right here and let me take it out of the a thing The little wrapper for you and let me show you this isn't this cool I'm gonna open this up Flip it around a little bit Where's the little button there it is whoop and check that out Tiana's Bayou adventure and it's the same colors of cafe du monde in New Orleans I got this on my last trip to New Orleans. How cool is that your first look at Some Tiana's Bayou adventure merchandise very fancy. I Have a bad habit of losing umbrellas, so I'm afraid to bring this with me anywhere because I'm afraid of losing it Is there a Dalmatian home by any chance? Oh, there's one. Oh Look at you. Let me see that smile. Come on show it to me smile for me. Yes Smile look at that butt. Oh, yeah, you want to go for a walk? Come on. Let's go Hurry up Gracie. It's starting to rain. You gotta go to the bathroom I always feel bad for dogs because like during hurricanes and storms like Gracie will not go if it's like raining hard out No matter what even if I stand out here with an umbrella. Look at her. We're tailing between her legs right now Just those little raindrops. She's not happy about. There you go. Go pee pee No privacy at all in this place We have made our way over to my friend's house and we are going to get together and We're gonna do like a little podcast We're just gonna talk about, you know traveling around the world going to different cities and just hanging out and Seeing how it goes. I'll I'll be releasing more details about it Later on but I figured I'd give you guys a little sneak peek of our setup and maybe a glimpse What you could be looking forward to in the near future. I think it's gonna be fun And I'm excited. I've never done a podcast like this and I'm happy to be doing it with a Group of friends that I enjoy having conversations with It's not going to be exactly just Disney I think it's going to be focused more on doing things in cities and traveling around and stuff like that I kind of like that. It's different, you know, and We're just experimenting. We're just experimenting seeing where it goes and what happens and Yeah, I hope you enjoy it Yeah, I looked up the amenities all they have is a pool So for a second there, I thought you were gonna say the Cartoon Network hotel is a good choice Yeah, and it also leads into what I would do for like activity wise or Entertainment wise of course, I've been there and also before we continue we need to clear the air here Everyone is saying yeah Lancaster wrong Lancaster it's Lang Kister Lancaster Lancaster This is true. It's Lane kiss. It's Lancaster It's like Lancaster Lancaster Link Lane Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster Yeah, I won't say it now. I mean there's no right or wrong way of saying anything, but The you know people from Lancaster are probably like they're saying Lancaster wrong Yeah, it's kind of just I think it's it's the accent, you know, I mean like, you know a couple two tree like I say that too Like a couple two trees. Okay, so We're gonna do three counter wall say it together. Okay, ready one two, three Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster Lancaster no one Lancaster Lancaster and that is Dutch Wonderland Dutch Wonderland it is a It's a theme park but it's it's mainly a kid theme park and it's in Lancaster and It has a lot of kid rides and it has some wooden roller coasters And it's really cool because when you first walk in it's the castle facade Like it's a big castle and you have to like cross a moat to go into the castle And then it's a beautiful park and it has a whole bunch of Amish and Dutch Heritage tied to it and also Like medieval times too. So it's very strange that they have a roller coaster there called Merlin mark Dutch Wonderland It's pretty it's been it's been around for a long time. I'm not too long But it is voted. I believe by the gold ticket and awards for the best child-friendly part tons of kids rides Yeah, they have multiple other rides that are really unique they have a really cool animatronic band Like the country bear jamboree, but it's outdoors and it's really cool It's like turkey cheese in a country bear jamboree So so is this what the goofy movies? Possum park. Yeah, it's kind of like that, but not so much like The whole possum park thing. That's what that the whole entire jamboree You know the possum jamboree. I think that's what they call it. I think so or something like that correction Yeah, but they have something just like that at Dutch Wonderland and they also have wooden roller coasters And then they have one of those crazy houses, and I don't know if any of you guys have ever been on one of these Attractions, it's a house that you go in they have one at 65. It's great adventure. I knew you were there. Yeah It's a scaled-down version so you go into this room and you sit down and the ride starts and you start like rocking and You really can't understand what's happening But what's going on is you're sitting still and the whole building is rotating around you like The whole building is rotating around and you're sitting still so it messes with you so bad It's illusion it literally that you feel like you're you feel like you're going like this Like it's insane. I think it moves like this maybe but like the house itself is like spinning around and around Really messes you it's really cool though, and it's right next to the cartoon network, and it's cheap. It's affordable good food Okay, well we have mr. Linkester Lincoln this guy is a big fan of Shady Maple Buffet. Oh, yes Lancaster Linkester is very well known for like their Pennsylvania Dutch and their almas Amish buffets And Shady Maple is the largest buffet in the USA. They have a farm market They have a gift shop, which fun fact is where sister Walnut got her first ever bought it from no way If I would have known that I wouldn't went and did the dance fact is We used to play a basketball tournament every year in a linkester and We went I don't know if it was exactly from Shady Maple. I have a feeling it was but we went to one of the Amish buffets and Sister Walnut got her first bought it there, but that is not my answer. What? Wow Bored of my choice is what they're like is the basic answer I felt so I did a little bit more digging and Lancaster is very well known for whoopie pies and pretzels We are going to Hammond's old-fashioned handmade pretzels 4.8 out of five stars on Google how many reviews six Sometimes that because All family members Yeah, like seven four boy days. Have you been here before to the reviews match the amount of employees that work? Great food of the pretzels. They're a Pennsylvania Dutch style hard pretzel and they've been around the shop has been open since 1931 Wow, and the pretzel recipe is from the 1800s The pretzel recipe is from the 1800s It is the oldest continuously family operated handmade pretzel bakery in America I have a quote from one of the reviews on Google I am not sure how old the oven is but the building looks like it was actually built around it And that's the type of place. I want to buy some food from yeah Do you know what kind of oven this is because I love Dutch ovens That was so good He's set you up so good for that What? A Dutch oven? Is that like a slang or something? It's okay, you can look it up later Yeah And with that we are done here today I hope you like the little preview of what we're working on, you know, we honestly don't know what we're doing We're just kind of testing it out and having fun And I just forget I give you just a little bit of a little bit of a sample And yeah, I hope you enjoyed the video It was a fantastic day California Grove was amazing I loved all of my food It was great just being up there and looking out at the Magic Kingdom And I approve of the new menu I think it's fantastic And it's cool that you can still get the bar menu a little bit So I hope you enjoyed the video I enjoyed making it And we'll see you next time Bye