Disney's iconic California Grill reopens Monday

[HostDave]

Disney's California Grill, a long cool drink replete with swank, sizzle and sass, reopens Monday.

The restaurant atop Disney's Contemporary Resort hotel was closed for a seven-month makeover that included a menu overhaul, a new kitchen and updated decor.

"We will be finessing up until the first guest walks in, this is our passion. We're ready and excited to show off our new menu and our new look," says executive chef Brian Piasecki, who has kept the focus on fresh seasonal creations.

One new offering is an omakase service featuring 12 to 14 courses of top-notch seafood with no menu, simply chef's choice.

A few fan favorites from the old menu still are available, but presentations and recipes have been updated. Pork and goat cheese polenta, for example, is now "pork two ways." The wood-grilled tenderloin will be served with lacquered pork belly with a side of country applesauce.

Since it opened in 1995, the view from the California Grill has been unmatched in a theme-park setting. The expansive windows look out on to Walt Disney World's Seven Seas Lagoon, the Magic Kingdom theme park and the nighttime fireworks over Cinderella Castle.

But before sunset, the new dining room on the resort's 15th floor is noticeably more luminescent than before. New floor-to-ceiling windows allow in more natural light, creating a pleasant shimmering effect. New white countertops in the lounge and along the expansive open kitchen enhance the clean lines and overall brightness of the room.

It's not easy to take your eyes off the windows but do look down. The graphic print carpet was inspired by iconic Disney designer Mary Blair. Her vibrant style is a colorful signature of several classic Disney animated films including "The Three Caballeros," "Cinderella" and "Peter Pan." Blair also created the giant mosaic wall in the Contemporary Resort.

The new decor with pops of yellow and orange includes a mix of stand-alone tables and chairs as well as long banquettes that link a string of seating areas. The overhead lights in the mid-century modern dining room seem to have been plucked from George Jetson's last garage sale in Orbit City.

"They are very Sputnik," says Piasecki of the retro linear, architectural fixtures.

In a nod to the now-popular communal dining trend, the California Grill also has added two solid teak tables. Each seats 10 guests, and the tables are so big they had to lifted into the space by a crane.

The look is stunning, but it is Piasecki's seasonally-inspired menu and general manager Michael Scheifler's team of 20 sommeliers that still will be the main draw. When the high-end dining room first opened almost 20 years ago, it quickly garnered rave reviews from food critics and industry watchers.

When guests enter the California Grill, they immediately will see a wall of wine — 1,600 bottles — displayed in a state-of-the-art temperature controlled cabinet.

The wine list will include about 250 selections, with California vintners leading the way. There will be 80 wines by the glass, up from 50 choices on the previous wine menu. The bar also will offer 10 varieties of sake and eight craft beers and numerous signature cocktails.

During a recent preview the new kitchen was a beehive of energy as the culinary team practiced all of the menu items,

Piasecki went over the artfully plated dishes such as baked local prawns with charred lemons and blistered tomatoes, wild Columbia River salmon with Zellwood sweet corn pudding and pan-seared halibut with a velvety with parsnip "silk."

House-made charcuterie will be served on olive boards. And the kitchen has new custom, flat-top grills just for cooking fish. Sushi, a California Grill signature element since opening day, commands even more attention with an expanded prep area and a glass case to showcase seafood.

Pastry chef Jeff Barnes brings more playful elements to the menu with his creative desserts.

"Everyone has a lava cake," says Piasecki. "We wanted to reinvent the classic robust flavor so Jeff created a dense chocolate pudding cake made with a 70 percent dark chocolate from Belgium."

The sundae sampler platter is an imaginative trio with a mini version of a Coke float, flanked by two twists on the sundae theme: a berry-basil icy treat with a glittery strawberry "disco ball" on the side and a caramel corn sundae. Each is about three bites with presentations that break new ground in the mini dessert category.

"The energy level here is unbelievable. We are ready to raise the curtain on the new California Grill," says Piasecki.