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Sorry I’m so delinquent in posting this. I also want to apologize in advance for the lack of photos. I only had my iPhone with me and the photos don’t do justice to the food we were served.
On June 19 we celebrated my husband’s birthday at Disneyland and California Adventure. I was able to get a lunch reservation at Carthay Circle so that we could celebrate in style. As you probably know, there is a dearth of really great food options in the Disney parks in California, especially when compared to the choices that are available in Florida. This made us especially anxious to try this highly touted location.
Since the restaurant had just officially opened 4 days before, I didn’t expect perfection. The only letdown was a mix-up by the CM who said she was the ‘reservation hostess’. We arrived for our 1:30 meal about 15 minutes early. We checked in and were told that we would be escorted upstairs within a few minutes.
I didn’t mind wandering around the beautiful lobby and overhearing a conversation between some Disney suits as they discussed the menu, the service and how they thought guests were enjoying the restaurant.
Anyway, as the minutes ticked away – 15 of them to be exact – I saw a couple, who had walked in without a reservation just seconds before I checked in, get taken upstairs to the dining room. Hmmm. I let it slide because it wasn’t like we were starving and who wants to start a meal with bad feelings? Ten more minutes passed – but we were really only 10 minutes past our reservation time, so we were still inclined to be patient. That is until a hostess took another couple upstairs. This couple was asking if there were any openings for lunch just as I was walking away from the desk after checking in.
What’s the point of making a reservation if you get seated after all the walk-ins? So we went up to the desk and asked if there was a reason why two couples without reservations had been seated ahead of us. That’s when I was told that the ‘reservation hostess’ would have to take care of this for me. She came back to the desk a few minutes later and we were immediately escorted to our table.
Now – on to our wonderful lunch. We did not sit in the main dining area. Our table/booth was in the Hollywood room, which is one of the private dining rooms that surround the main area. It was a lovely room and there were a couple of larger parties sharing the room with us. (Actually, the entire restaurant, including the lounge is beautiful.)
Our server, Cherie, was wonderful. She was attentive without being intrusive and was well informed about the menu offerings. Cherie told us that Carthay Circle has a water purification system on the premises and she offered us purified still or sparkling water to drink.
I had the delicious Mixed Berry Lemonade. It was amazing. Even the blackberry garnish was perfect. I could drink this concoction with every meal, every day! My husband ordered an ice tea that tasted freshly brewed.
Our meal started off with a basket of sourdough bread and a slab of butter so huge that we couldn’t have eaten it in a week. The bread was nothing special. It wasn’t even warm. Maybe they serve sourdough because it’s kind of a California thing? But seriously, I make sourdough bread at home from a New England starter that is over 250 years old and it’s so much better tasting.
We ordered the Carthay House Biscuits as a starter. They were not what I was expecting at all. They were not ‘biscuits’ at all, but were crusty balls stuffed with cheese, bacon and Jalapeno that tasted and looked fried, not baked. They were served with an apricot honey butter that tasted like honey mustard to me. I usually don’t eat fried foods but I tried one anyway and liked the flavor – but not with the honey butter. I wound up eating two of them!
We ordered the Strawberry-Lemon Organic Roasted Chicken Salad and the Angus Burger as our entrees. The salad was delicious – I ordered the dressing on the side and I’m glad I did. The salad had lots of different greens and fruits and did not need much dressing at all to be flavorful. I was hoping my husband would order a pasta dish, but he was glad that he ordered the burger. We split the salad and I had a taste of the burger and we agreed that both were very good. The burger came with French fries, but we had so many carbs already between the bread and the biscuits, that we didn’t try them so I don’t know how they tasted.
We were so full from our lunch that we didn’t even order the Birthday Boy any dessert. Cherie was a sweetheart and brought out a gift of chocolate truffles in a Carthay Circle box. Just the right amount of birthday magic!
Over all, we had a very positive experience and would like to return for dinner. We’d also like to sit outside on the patio and watch the action on Buena Vista Street while we eat. It wouldn’t be fair to compare Carthay Circle to Signature Dining at WDW, because we’ve never had lunch (only dinner) at Signature restaurants. We did notice that while the serving portions were certainly adequate, they were more restrained and smaller than the overload of food you get at WDW restaurants. We saw this as a good thing. I would also say that the ambiance and service is on a par with what we’ve had at WDW.
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Thanks for the review! Bummer the meal had a rocky start, but it sounds like it improved greatly after you were finally seated! I'm really looking forward to trying this restaurant soon!
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Thanks for the review! Bummer the meal had a rocky start, but it sounds like it improved greatly after you were finally seated! I'm really looking forward to trying this restaurant soon!
Quote:
Originally Posted by lauriep
Thanks for the review! I wonder what the problem was with being seated earlier. The meal itself, though sounds very good as does the service.
You're welcome! Other than the seating mix-up we had a perfect experience. The food - except for the bread - was delicious and our server was truly top-notch! Can't wait to try it again!
I've been to Carthay both for lunch and dinner now. At lunch my friends and I shared "tastes"---I had the "new take on liver and onions" salad and then the paparadelle pasta with chicken meatballs. The pasta for this dish is made in-house--it is delicious. The only "problem" was I was too full to finish it! I also had a bite of the "peaches in all their glory" dessert." This last Saturday I had dinner and had the seasonal soup (a corn/tomato with little pieces of chicken)--very good but spicier than I expected. I then had the bacon wrapped shrimp (and ended up taking half of it home). One friend had the simple green salad along with the same pasta dish I had at lunch. My other friend had the Gorditas followed by the chicken salad. I know she liked the salad but don't remember her saying whether it was a thumbs up or thumbs down on the gorditas. One friend ordered the chocolate ice cream dish--OMG--I would go back just for this!~ Another group of friends and I are scheduled to go this weekend so you can be sure I'm going to cut back on "food" so I can enjoy the chocolate ice cream! BTW, the bread is made by La Brea Bakery--I really liked it (better than the "biscuits" which at the first meal we ended up with two baskets of because we ordered one and Chef Sutton sent one over to the table (he knows us from our trips to the Chef's Counter at Napa Rose). Chef Sutton worked with La Brea Bakery to make a "special" recipe for Carthay. And personally, any bread with salted butter is good to me! LOL
I've been to Carthay both for lunch and dinner now. At lunch my friends and I shared "tastes"---I had the "new take on liver and onions" salad and then the paparadelle pasta with chicken meatballs. The pasta for this dish is made in-house--it is delicious. The only "problem" was I was too full to finish it! I also had a bite of the "peaches in all their glory" dessert." This last Saturday I had dinner and had the seasonal soup (a corn/tomato with little pieces of chicken)--very good but spicier than I expected. I then had the bacon wrapped shrimp (and ended up taking half of it home). One friend had the simple green salad along with the same pasta dish I had at lunch. My other friend had the Gorditas followed by the chicken salad. I know she liked the salad but don't remember her saying whether it was a thumbs up or thumbs down on the gorditas. One friend ordered the chocolate ice cream dish--OMG--I would go back just for this!~ Another group of friends and I are scheduled to go this weekend so you can be sure I'm going to cut back on "food" so I can enjoy the chocolate ice cream! BTW, the bread is made by La Brea Bakery--I really liked it (better than the "biscuits" which at the first meal we ended up with two baskets of because we ordered one and Chef Sutton sent one over to the table (he knows us from our trips to the Chef's Counter at Napa Rose). Chef Sutton worked with La Brea Bakery to make a "special" recipe for Carthay. And personally, any bread with salted butter is good to me! LOL
Thanks for sharing your experience. My sister recently had the Gorditas and said she loved them. She wasn't too wild about the biscuits either. I'm pretty much with you - I love just about any bread with butter, but I wish it had at least been warm. We are eating dinner at Cathay on Friday and I definitely plan on eating dessert this time!
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I also want to apologize in advance for the lack of photos. I only had my iPhone with me and the photos don’t do justice to the food we were served.
As you probably know, there is a dearth of really great food options in the Disney parks in California, especially when compared to the choices that are available in Florida. This made us especially anxious to try this highly touted location.
I let it slide because it wasn’t like we were starving and who wants to start a meal with bad feelings? Ten more minutes passed – but we were really only 10 minutes past our reservation time, so we were still inclined to be patient. That is until a hostess took another couple upstairs. This couple was asking if there were any openings for lunch just as I was walking away from the desk after checking in. 
So we went up to the desk and asked if there was a reason why two couples without reservations had been seated ahead of us. That’s when I was told that the ‘reservation hostess’ would have to take care of this for me. She came back to the desk a few minutes later and we were immediately escorted to our table.
She was attentive without being intrusive and was well informed about the menu offerings. Cherie told us that Carthay Circle has a water purification system on the premises and she offered us purified still or sparkling water to drink.
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