First a Little Pomp & Circumstance,then a Whole Lot of Disney Dining! COMPLETE

[BlovesC]

LOVE the story (and those cat pictures ), what a great way to start your night with a little dose of Disney magic. Your updates are entertaining, this is definitely one of my favorite dining reviews yet. Between you and DDW updating at the same time, I can't pull myself away from the board!

 

[emmysmommy]

I loved your story!!! Disney really does a great job making a positive experience for their guests!! Glad that you didn't have to arrive at dinner looking like cat #1!!

 

[jabead]

Dinner at Artist Point - Part III (The Finale)​

Okay, so first of all I am happy to tell you that for the very first time on this trip there was no sharing involved during the dessert course of our meal. Yep, we actually each ordered our own dessert this time.

Now for the bad news. I forgot to take a picture of the dessert menu.

But I am fairly certain that it looked like this:

Artist Point Cobbler - Seasonal Berries and House-made Black Raspberry Ice Cream 11.00

Warm Chocolate Cake - Warm Valrhona Chocolate with Grand Marnier Chantilly and Berry Seltzer 11.00

“Strawberry Mural” Strawberry Cheesecake - with House-made Sorbet, and Valrhona Chocolate Almond Semifreddo 11.00

Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée - with Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti 10.00

Local Orange Blossom Lace Cannoli - with Mountain Berry Mousse, White Chocolate Anglaise, Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam, and Micro Basil 10.00




Let's start now with our lowest rated dessert, shall we?

Warm Chocolate Cake - Warm Valrhona Chocolate with Grand Marnier Chantilly and Berry Seltzer
​

This was ordered by DD2. I think her low score was the result of it being compared to the similar dessert which we shared at bluezoo. Unfortunately this dessert fell quite short in the comparison, as she gave the bluezoo lava cake her highest rating, a magical "Tinkerbell".





As for me, I realized that I had not yet had one of my favorite desserts on this trip, Creme Brulee. You may recall that I had planned to try the PB & J creme brulee at Flying Fish, but sadly that was not meant to be.

So therefore I ordered this...

Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée with Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti
​

Now to be perfectly honest, I thought this was "Good" but in comparison to others that I have had, it seemed pretty average. However, in the interest of full disclosure, Belle5 stated in her review that this was the favorite of the several desserts her group of 9 ordered at Artist Point. So if you are a fan of creme brulee, I guess my advice to you would be to give this one a try and decide for yourself if it's a good, but average "Wendy" or a magical "Tinkerbell".




And that just leaves our highest rated dessert, which was ordered by DD1...

Artist Point Cobbler . . . Seasonal Berries and House-made Black Raspberry Ice Cream
(I think maybe she substituted the Raspberry for Vanilla Ice Cream)

Not only did she really enjoy eating this dessert, but the fact that it was served with her favorite Disney character, Tinkerbell, attached to it (in honor of her graduation) pushed her rating of it from a "Peter Pan" up to a "Tinkerbell".



And so our overall rating of this meal was sadly only a:

Good


Now of course, my rating of our meal at Artist Point was a solid "Very Good" and I most definitely wish to return for dinner. Although I'm sure that my DH and DD2 are in no hurry to return, I still have a little hope that DD1 would accompany me to Artist Point. She really enjoyed both "my" mushroom soup and her cobbler, so if she could just find an entree to her liking then she might like Artist Point as much as I do. But even if I am unable to convince her to give Artist Point another try, I might consider returning for a solo dinner while the rest of my family can dine at the other Wilderness Lodge restaurant.

Then, while my beverages are served in goblets, theirs might be served in giant glass jars.

While I will have no need to ask for ketchup, their request might be met this way.

A Creative Use for those extra bottles of ketchup
(As you can see, DS was quite impressed. )



And while my napkin will remain in my lap, theirs might just end up on their heads.

Now don't get me wrong, I have had some very fun meals at Whispering Canyon. But that was the past, now my heart belongs to Artist Point.

I might though consider joining my family at Whispering Canyon for dessert, if they still serve this...

​

NEXT UP: Lunch #1 at Tutto Gusto

 

[jabead]

Yes, so please hurry with your review!

Sorry about the delay, but now that you've finally seen our desserts...what do you think? Anything sound good?

Your salmon looks delicious
I really enjoyed the salmon when we visited AP but the old side dish it came with was a little too salty, the new "nice" side dish that yours came with looks lovely
It's a shame that that your DDs didn't enjoy their steaks as much
I hope that dessert made up for their disappointment

I'm not really sure, but I think that that little plastic Tinkerbell might have done the trick.

 

[emmysmommy]

Glad to see a Tinkerbell - even if it is only for dessert! The presssure was on with the fruit cobbler since it was served with a glowy Tink .. it would have just seemed so wrong to give it a Hook or a Smee!

Even if your DD1 doesn't find an entree to her liking perhaps she can do what I have done and order the soup, perhaps order a salad and have dessert and of course a great glass of wine or cocktail! (Wouldn't work for anyone on the DDP.)


Sidenote: I particularly liked the very last photo of your DS - so adorable - reminds me of my little blonde boys when they were little.

I always love your background stories.

 

[jabead]

That's such a nice story! Those little vans seem to be used during busy times - I took one once from MK to Yacht Club. How perfect that the timing prevented you from becoming soaked and miserable (like that poor cat )

That was great! The rain in FL amazes me. In NY when it rained it seemed to be a steady rain lasting all day. In GA it's a steady rain lasting for an hour or two (sometimes with lighting and/or tornadoes). In FL it's like someone just turned on a faucet. The deluge is incredible. We left MK once due to rain and there was literally a river flowing down when we were climbing up to the monorail! Yuk! Glad you got to CG dry!!

LOVE the story (and those cat pictures ), what a great way to start your night with a little dose of Disney magic. Your updates are entertaining, this is definitely one of my favorite dining reviews yet. Between you and DDW updating at the same time, I can't pull myself away from the board!

I loved your story!!! Disney really does a great job making a positive experience for their guests!! Glad that you didn't have to arrive at dinner looking like cat #1!!

I'm so glad you all enjoyed my story and pictures! I've finally posted Part III of my Artist Point review...I hope it was worth the wait.

Oh, and a special thank you to BlovesC for your kind comments. It's really an honor for me to have my reviews mentioned in the same sentence as DonaldDoleWhip's. He has really set the bar quite high around here.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Well, I'm happy to see that the berry cobbler earned a Tinker Bell. I wouldn't have chosen the crème brûlée or chocolate cake, but the reviews of them don't surprise me (they look fine, just not very interesting). If the dessert menu remains the same, I'll be torn between the cobbler, the strawberry mural, and the orange blossom lace cannoli with berry mousse filling.

Whispering Canyon looks like it could be fun, but the food quality scares me away. I guess if your whole family wanted to go there, you should probably join them at WCC - otherwise, who knows what kind of antics you'd miss!

 

[SweetSpot]

I wonder if you can get the mushroom soup at the bar. I know I will never convince my family to go to Artist Point and I would love to try the soup.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

I'm so glad you all enjoyed my story and pictures! I've finally posted Part III of my Artist Point review...I hope it was worth the wait.

Oh, and a special thank you to BlovesC for your kind comments. It's really an honor for me to have my reviews mentioned in the same sentence as DonaldDoleWhip's. He has really set the bar quite high around here.

It was definitely worth the wait - it's great that AP's cobbler ended the meal on a high note for DD1. And the WCC pics are all so entertaining.

I know the second comment wasn't directed at me, but thanks so much! I've definitely learned from you (and others), so if we all learn from each other, we'll collectively raise the bar for dining reviews. I think it's working - there are a bunch of great reports around here (not only because they describe the food well, but also because they're fun to read ).

 

[jabead]

I wonder if you can get the mushroom soup at the bar. I know I will never convince my family to go to Artist Point and I would love to try the soup.

Hmm...that's a good question, but I have no idea what the answer is??? How about you, Donald?

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Hmm...that's a good question, but I have no idea what the answer is??? How about you, Donald?

I don't know if you can order full meals from Artist Point at the Territory Lounge, but I've heard of people being able to order the mushroom soup there. It's definitely worth a try

 

[jabead]

Glad to see a Tinkerbell - even if it is only for dessert! The presssure was on with the fruit cobbler since it was served with a glowy Tink .. it would have just seemed so wrong to give it a Hook or a Smee!

Even if your DD1 doesn't find an entree to her liking perhaps she can do what I have done and order the soup, perhaps order a salad and have dessert and of course a great glass of wine or cocktail! (Wouldn't work for anyone on the DDP.)


Sidenote: I particularly liked the very last photo of your DS - so adorable - reminds me of my little blonde boys when they were little.

I always love your background stories.

I'm thinking that DD1 would have really liked the salmon, so I'm hoping that my work for her if she decides to give AP another try. But your idea might work as well.

In regard to my DS, when he was little he was quite popular with the Disney princesses. I remember one time when we had breakfast at the castle, he left covered with lipstick. Now that he is 16, I bet he wouldn't mind getting some of that "princess attention".

 

[jabead]

Well, I'm happy to see that the berry cobbler earned a Tinker Bell. I wouldn't have chosen the crème brûlée or chocolate cake, but the reviews of them don't surprise me (they look fine, just not very interesting). If the dessert menu remains the same, I'll be torn between the cobbler, the strawberry mural, and the orange blossom lace cannoli with berry mousse filling.

Hmm...does this mean you are planning a visit to Artist Point during your upcoming trip?

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Hmm...does this mean you are planning a visit to Artist Point during your upcoming trip?

Of course - we haven't been there since March (and I haven't had the cobbler since last August!)

 

[jmm476]

I love the AP berry cobbler as well! I booked WCC for our December trip and I'm already wondering if I shouldn't switch to AP. It will be DD's first trip and she's turning 1. I'm not sure how she'll behave at the sit down meals so I'm planning noisy places.

Still dreaming about that king salmon though...

 

[Linda67]

Oops, I am late in catching up with the grand finale to your AP dinner but I have been far too busy spending every waking second watching the Olympics

I've said it before and I will say it again, your reviews are awesome and I LOVE the old family photos you add in, just so cool

 

[jabead]

I love the AP berry cobbler as well! I booked WCC for our December trip and I'm already wondering if I shouldn't switch to AP. It will be DD's first trip and she's turning 1. I'm not sure how she'll behave at the sit down meals so I'm planning noisy places.

Still dreaming about that king salmon though...

That's really a tough decision to make, as I know from experience that dining with very young children can be rather unpredictable. I can tell you though that both times I've dined at AP (once near restaurant closing time and this time at opening) it was very quiet and peaceful (more so than any other Signature restaurant at which I have dined). This quiet and peacefulness could bring on sleep for your DD if your meal were scheduled during her "usual" nap time. On the hand, I doubt that with all the noise and entertaining activities at Whispering Canyon, there would be any napping going on.

Anyway, whichever way you go, I hope you have a wonderful dinner at Wilderness Lodge. It has such a beautiful lobby, especially in December.

 

[jabead]

Oops, I am late in catching up with the grand finale to your AP dinner but I have been far too busy spending every waking second watching the Olympics

I've said it before and I will say it again, your reviews are awesome and I LOVE the old family photos you add in, just so cool

Thank you so much for the kind words, Linda!

And thinking about you and the Olympics, reminded me that I wanted to tell you/show you something. Last night I went to my niece's 30th birthday party and instead of birthday cake we had cheesecakes from "That's So Sweet". She said that last week they were featuring 5 pks. of mini-cheesecakes with an Olympics theme.

Blackberries, red raspberry, kiwi, pineapple, and blueberry - representing the 5 Olympic rings


So I'm hoping to get in there this week to see these in person and also confirm that their shop will be closed on Labor Day. Even if they are though, I can still pick us up some cheesecakes on that Saturday before and meet you anywhere you'd like...from the gazebo located alongside Route 66 at Lexington to our family farm (located 2 1/2 miles from Route 66). With the drought conditions we have experienced this summer, harvest will begin early this year (in a couple of weeks) so if you and your DH have any desire to visit a Illinois grain farm (we got rid of all the animals recently, except for the family dog and a few cats ) and ride in a combine then that can easily be arranged. I realize that you are probably very limited on time though, so the quick stop along the road would be fine too. I would just be happy to meet you in person for a mini-Dis/cheesecake meet, so doesn't matter to me where or for how long.

 

[SweetSpot]

I don't know if you can order full meals from Artist Point at the Territory Lounge, but I've heard of people being able to order the mushroom soup there. It's definitely worth a try

I go to F&W every year for a few days alone because I have such a picky family. I will definitely make it over to the Territory Lounge and give it a shot.

I asked at the bar last year when I took my DD to Whispering Canyon and was told by the bartender they don't serve food but if they weren't busy maybe someone would allow me to have soup. She didn't seem very promising. Good to know you've heard of someone doing it. I've been dying to try this soup for so long.

 

[Roma]

Oh goodness I'm so disappointed to see the chocolate indulgence has possibly disappeared off the AP menu. I was desperately hoping it would still be there for our November trip, but it looks like that may not be the case .

I'm going to say that 2 out of 3 good courses should motivate your DD1 to return with you. Although neither of them can complain too too much since they didn't listen to dad .