For those who are vegetarian, vegan or like to eat plant-based from time to time, there are so many more options than there used to be when eating out. Disney Parks Blog gave some new options for those looking for plant-based dining at California Grill at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
What's Happening:
- California Grill is located at Disney's Contemporary Resort and offers a beautiful view on the 15th floor of the Magic Kingdom and Seven Seas Lagoon. A perfect spot to view the fireworks.
- Starting May 26th, there will be even more plant-based dishes to enjoy.
- Chef de Cuisine Daniel Sicilia, Chef Matthew Birch, and their entire culinary team have brought delicious flavor to these new options.
- Using fresh ingredients, they have created a menu that is a culinary experience that you will want to try.
New Menu:
- These new offerings begin strong with some delicious appetizers to kick off your dining experience on the right foot. The Florida Peach and Raspberry Salad highlight some of Florida’s fresh, bright, and flavorful ingredients by featuring grilled and fresh peaches, raspberry variations, steel-cut oat granola tart, red onion, and a whipped raspberry vinaigrette.
- The house-made Vegetable Dumplings are made with a Doenjang miso-cola onion sauce, radish, crispy garlic-chili oil, and pickled lotus root. Its sauces and accompaniments touch on various parts of the palette, like sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami, and embrace inspirations from both Asian culture and Californian cuisine. Chef Assistant Huong Lee, fondly known as Mother by the team, even helped Chef Daniel make this dish a reality by perfecting this crystal dumpling dough.
- Now onto the entrées. First, we have the House-made Bucatini Cacio e Pepe, a fresh take on spring flavors with sunflower, allium, crispy sunchokes, charred green onions, toasted onions, and a sunflower seed-ramp pistou along with delicious house-made bucatini topped with a luxurious cashew cream sauce – wow!
- The other new plant-based entrée is the Peas and Carrots Risotto with heirloom carrots, English peas, green garlic, confit onion, and sweet carrot foam. This elevated take on a classic dish enhances fresh flavors and ingredients in different and creative ways by the chefs, particularly Chef Matthew Birch who crafted the dish to look like everything is sprouting up from the ground. What a way to grow the menu.
- For a sweet finish, the Peanut and Banana Torte is a twist on the classic PB&J. It combines shortbread, peanut ganache, miso-caramel, nut crumbles, and caramelized bananas. I don’t know about you, but this dish sounds, and looks, incredible.
- A spin on the “Banana Fritters” that were featured at the restaurant back in 2013, the Lavender Sugar Donuts is a special 50th Anniversary item that is now home on the plant-based menu, featuring some updated fresh ingredients in season. It has a coconut frozen dessert, blueberry gin jam, and pistachio crumble. And not to mention the presentation is beautiful!
- Not only does California Grill have this exciting plant-based menu, it also has new seasonal dishes, two of which include the Florida Rock Shrimp Salad and the EARidescent Crème Brûlée. The Florida Rock Shrimp Salad has a history with California Grill, paying homage to former Chef de Cuisine Brian Piasecki’s signature salad for the restaurant. This updated version has similar flavors while lightening it up and adding texture with hearts of palm, petite lettuce, yuzu, avocado, jicama, and crisp rice crackers topped with a ginger vinaigrette.
- Seasonal items are not plant-based.
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