The jabead Family went to Disney World! 3/23-3/30/13 COMPLETE

[smile4stamps]

We spent many an hour in the Territory Lounge as well! Enrique was the bartender there and we liked him too! (Although his nametag said John so Hunter would call him John Henry!)

We also tried the fondue there but for us it was really thin and gritty. I love fondue and that just didn't do it for me! I'm glad it was good for you guys!

 

[debrapagliasotti]

Great start Barb!

 

[bluejasmine]

Cant wait to read more!! That fondue looks amazing!!

 

[CaliBear]

yay! Great start and love that there will some extra stories along with the food. I want to try that fondue if I ever get back to Wilderness Lodge.

 

[nfggirl5454]

Just subscribed. I've only been to Wilderness Lodge once, and we didn't stay there, just wanted to check out the Christmas tree on our way to Trail's End and the wagon ride around the campground. It's such a pretty resort though, I'd love to stay here. Your sandwiches and the fondue both look tasty!

 

[Roma]

So excited to see you getting to post in your own thread, Barb!

I really wanted to go to WCC before all the changes but now I'm not so sure. That chicken sandwich of yours did look very tasty though.

A friend just introduced me to fondue this year (I know, I know) and now I am hooked! I don't think I've ever seen fondue reviewed on these forums before so it's nice to know there is somewhere on property where you can get it .

 

[jabead]

Please, please, please feel free to share it all here.

Ha! Hopefully you will not regret making that statement, Brenda.

Also I think we've all taken an unofficial poll and decided that we don't mind a trip/dining report combo platter!

Trip/Dining Report Combo Platter it is then, Dawn! But like most combo platters, it will probably be way more than you thought you would get (or wanted) when you ordered it.

We spent many an hour in the Territory Lounge as well! Enrique was the bartender there and we liked him too! (Although his nametag said John so Hunter would call him John Henry!)

Wow, it sounds like you and Hunter got to know many a WDW bartender on a "real" name basis during your trip. Next time the two of you travel to Disney World, would you mind if I stagger along?

Great start Barb!

Thanks Debra!

Cant wait to read more!! That fondue looks amazing!!

Thanks for reading, jasmine!

yay! Great start and love that there will some extra stories along with the food. I want to try that fondue if I ever get back to Wilderness Lodge.

Extra story coming right up!

Just subscribed. I've only been to Wilderness Lodge once, and we didn't stay there, just wanted to check out the Christmas tree on our way to Trail's End and the wagon ride around the campground. It's such a pretty resort though, I'd love to stay here. Your sandwiches and the fondue both look tasty!

I hope you have the opportunity to stay there sometime! It really is a beautiful resort, especially at Christmas time.

So excited to see you getting to post in your own thread, Barb!

I really wanted to go to WCC before all the changes but now I'm not so sure. That chicken sandwich of yours did look very tasty though.

A friend just introduced me to fondue this year (I know, I know) and now I am hooked! I don't think I've ever seen fondue reviewed on these forums before so it's nice to know there is somewhere on property where you can get it .

I do enjoy writing my own dining report again, but must admit that it is far more difficult than doing the Live Thread. Here I actually have to think about what I'm saying instead of just copying what others have said.


As far as the fondue, I'm not sure but I think that Territory Lounge is the only place to get cheese fondue on WDW property currently. They used to (and possibly still do) have chocolate fondue on the dessert menu at both Kona Cafe and the Grand Floridian Cafe. Cheese and chocolate ...I don't think you could go wrong with either one!

 

[jabead]

Those of you who have read my previous Dining Reports know that I often have a background story behind my Disney dining choices. For my family, Artist Point is one of those places that comes with baggage...and not the good kind that can easily be hoisted into the overhead compartment but the bad kind that is way over the weight limit and requires you to pay an amount equal to having its own seat on the plane. So anyway, this Artist Point "background story" installment of my Dining Report could be titled either, "How I got to dine at Artist Point again!" or "How to successfully manipulate your family." I'll let you decide for yourself which of these is most appropriate.

Here is my story...

I first must confess that I had a few dining related ulterior motives for wanting to stay at Wilderness Lodge. One of these was to greatly increase my chances of getting my family to return to Artist Point. Let me explain. I have previously dined at Artist Point twice. Each time I ordered the Portobello Soup and the Salmon. Both times I loved it, not one bit was left in my bowl or plate. The first time I was accompanied by my DH. He ordered the Grilled Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes. They were not good...he didn't love it, not one bit. Fast forward 1 1/2 years to my last trip in May 2012 with my daughters. My oldest is a salmon lover, so I encouraged her to also order the salmon here. She refused, couldn't possibly order the same thing as me. Her second choice would have been the (beef) steak entree, which at that time was a NY Strip. However, her dad had warned her to stay away from the steak here. And so she ordered the Buffalo Steak...she didn't love it, not one bit. Traded entrees with her sister, who had "pooh-poohed" her father's advice and ordered the NY Strip...(yep, you know the drill by now so all together now), "SHE DIDN'T LOVE IT, NOT ONE BIT!" In her defense though, I respectfully submit to you this photo as evidence...

To me her steak looked like an old leather shoe, well-worn at the toe and heel but with maybe just a little life left in the middle. Even after trading, the girls were only marginally happier with their entrees and left with a less than stellar first impression of Artist Point. So my odds of returning to Artist Point with my family were definitely stacked against me. But once I got them to agree to doing a split stay on this trip, with the first three nights at Wilderness Lodge, I could almost taste that soup and salmon. Just needed to go one step further.


That conversation went something like this...

Me: "Our first night we will be tired, so I think we should just stay at our resort to have dinner."

Everyone else agreed.

Me: "I also think we will want something quiet and relaxing, so that eliminates Whispering Canyon."

Everyone else agreed.

Me: "And since it's our first night there, I think we should celebrate and dine at a nice Signature restaurant."

DH: With one eyebrow raised (probably from the $$$ sign alert going off in his head), "I guess so???"

Me: "Ok then, I will plan on us having our first night dinner at Artist Point."

A few seconds pass before my last two words register, then DD and DH give me nearly identical looks of dismay.

Me: "Don't worry, they have many other entrees on their menu besides beef and buffalo. Trust me, you will surely find something to your liking." (with the words "I hope" added, but only inside my head ).


Next up: Artist Point - The Actual Dinner (I promise )

 

[jabead]

Dinner at Artist Point

​

Our evening had started well, with everyone enjoying our first visit to the Territory Lounge. So everything was going according to my plan, as we were all in good spirits as we checked in at the podium for our 8:00 p.m. ADR at...

​

We were seated immediately at the table that IMHO is the best in the house...if only it was still light outside. On our last visit here, we had an early ADR (5:30) and I remember thinking that I wished we had been seated at this exact table.

Here is a picture that I took during our last visit, we were seated this time at the table in the corner by the windows.

Though the view was somewhat diminished by the darkness, it was still a nice table. Tucked away in the corner, it seemed to be more out of the way and private...which facilitates the taking of pictures.

Love the lantern lights on the tables!
(I think these might be new, but then again, last time we dined there while it was still light outside.)​

We were presented with this menu...



​

Already knowing exactly what I would be ordering here, I concentrated on the other options, in my attempt to guess what the others would choose. It was about this time that I discovered that after their successful lunch sharing at Whispering Canyon, my DH and DD had made a pact to share all of their meals during our trip in an attempt to avoid overeating and gaining weight. What??? Isn't that what a Disney World vacation is all about? OK then, whatever...Miss Benedict and Mr. Arnold. So as they began their negotiations on what to order for their "shared" entree (she wanted the Scallops, he the Pork Tenderloin), I tuned them out and concentrated on helping my DS decide what to choose. Soon our server approached our table to take our orders.

Here is how that went down...

I went first...Portobello Soup and King Salmon, of course. No surprises there.

DS next...No appetizer, Chicken entree. Again no surprise.

Then DD...Strawberry salad and then points to her dad and tells our server that they are sharing an entree (Hmmm, strawberry salad...good choice I'm thinking, as I quickly glance at the ingredients.)

And then comes the big surprise from my DH...

"I'll have the Portobello Soup and then we will share the King Salmon."

Wait, what???

Yes folks, all our bets had been placed and nearly all of them were on two items on a menu with 7 appetizers and 9 entrees. My family would not do well in Las Vegas, now would they?



Ok, let's roll the dice then and see how we did, shall we?

First our two appetizer choices...

Mixed Field Greens Salad with Local Strawberries, Sunflower Seed Granola, Shaved Manchego Cheese, and Ice Wine Vinaigrette
Her Rating 2/5
​

She said this salad was downright boring...heavy on the greens and way too light on the good stuff. And the dressing (ice wine vinaigrette) was of no help, as she referred to it as being pretty much flavorless.

Next for my beloved...

Smokey Portobello Soup with Roasted Shiitakes, Chive Oil, and Sourdough Croutons​

Now the first thing I noticed is that they again changed their serving bowl and this time it was not to our advantage.

Here let me show you...

My soup from May 2012





Our soup from March 2013
(not a good picture, but best illustrates the portion size)​

Ok, I can forgive this, I guess...just glad I hadn't offered to share with DH.

But now for that first glorious taste of...


SALT!!! ​

But not wanting to negatively influence my DH's first ever taste of this soup, I said nothing. After a few spoonfuls, he said, "I know you love this soup, but don't you think it's rather heavy on the salt?"

Note: You may recall that in my intro I mentioned that a few of my Disney food favorites had let me down on this trip. Sadly, the Artist Point Portobello Soup was the first to make my list of big disappointments.

And so, if you are keeping track, we are now 0 for 2 after the appetizers.

On a more positive note, DS was quite happy with his appetizer...

Yes, he ate the entire basket of bread, except for the slice that DH and I each had. He said it was really good bread.
{FYI, it was their house-made sourdough bread with butter topped with blackened sea salt and some kind of dipping oil, which I didn't try and remember nothing about }​

Surprisingly after 6 slices of bread, he still had plenty of room for his entree...

Slow Cooked Crispy Ranch Chicken, served with Loaded Mash Potato, Caramelized Broccolini, Honey Mustard Emulsion and Poblano Ketchup
His Rating - 4/5
​

As his rating suggests, he really liked this...with the exception of the broccolini. In his words, "Caramelized or not, broccoli is gross!"

But my hopes for salvaging this meal for the rest of us were now entirely dependent on this entree...




Cedar Plank-roasted King Salmon with Butternut Squash Puree, Baby Fennel, Rapini, and Beurre Rouge​

See Post 79 for Part II​

​

​

​

 

[jedijill]

Reserved for Artist Point Dinner...coming to your screens as soon as I've written it.

Write faster.

Jill in CO

 

[emmysmommy]

Ok, now I'm really sucked in and want to know how all the entrees worked out!!

Reserving this space _______ <<< to come back and edit my comment!!

 

[seasidespences]

Can't wait to read about your Artist Point experience...I'm on the fence about this one for our September trip!

 

[smile4stamps]

Such a Tease! Can't wait to hear all about how it went this time!

 

[BOG Obsessed]

Subscribed, you've got me hooked.
Now just patiently waiting for more posts.

First reaction, whoa that's a lot of ketchup on that table.
Mojito your DD ordered looked delish.

 

[nicole0992]

Great start and I cannot wait for more. I love dining reviews with some trip report mixed in. Best of both worlds!

I have to say it's so fun to finally read reviews where you were able to actually taste the food!!

Your chicken sandwich from WCC looks sooo good. I have to put that on the list.

 

[TigerKat]

Great start!!!

We've never stayed at WL but we did make it over there on our last trip for dinner at Artist Point. We absolutely fell in love with the Territory Lounge. Brucie, our bartender, was one of the best we've ever had the pleasure of meeting at any WDW resort and those little Drunken Doughnuts after dinner were pure heaven!

 

[jecskc]

So I am back home from Disney myself and I have been getting my TR and DR started and getting the laundry done, catching up with work, etc. I finally get some time to catch up on TR's and Dining Reviews and this ??? A CLIFFHANGER ??? Hahaha. Can't wait to read what happens. Loving your DR so far !!

I know my DH would love Artist point, but we rarely eat at signatures because the kids are so picky.

 

[jedijill]

I'm so sorry that the soup was so salty! I had it in November and it was delicious...hopefully (and sadly for you) it was just an off batch.

Jill in CO

 

[jabead]

Dinner at Artist Point - Part II

​

At the end of Part I, I presented you with a picture of this very important entree...





But I haven't yet told you what we thought of it.




Well, our unanimous rating was...



5/5 ​

The salmon was delicious as usual...we all loved it, not a bit left on our plates. In fact, DH was done with his 1/2 share rather quickly and started eyeing the salmon on my plate. Wanting to save a little room for dessert, I caved and gave him probably a 1/3 of my salmon.


But before moving on to our dessert, I need to say one more thing regarding our entree. While the salmon was perfect and deserved the rating of 5, the side dishes which accompanied the salmon this time would probably only rate a 2 or 3. I'm sorry but I just don't consider puree a bona fide side dish, unless it's for a baby. I can recall serving up many a jar of pureed squash to my three kids when they were babies...I think maybe one even liked it. Now of course, the Artist Point version was I'm sure much tastier than Gerber's. The problem here is that it paled in comparison to what was served with the salmon during my last visit to Artist Point.

Cedar Plank-roasted Columbia River Wild King Salmon served with
Contemporary Niçoise, Eggplant Caviar, Heirloom Tomatoes, Quail Egg, and Meyer Lemon Aïoli
​

Mmmm...now that was a great side dish and one that I actually ate, instead of just taking a few bites (or sips since the puree did not actually require the use of teeth).


Ok, in the words of Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that."


So let's move on now. DH said he was full and wanted to go back to our room to watch a basketball game so that left the three of us to choose our one shared dessert from this menu...

​

The only dessert which we were all three able to agree on was the cobbler. However, the deliberations did not end there. DD wanted to substitute vanilla ice cream for the black raspberry, while DS was adamant that we stick with the raspberry. So in the interest of world peace, or Disney World anyway, I attempted to propose a compromise to our server, "Could we maybe have the cobbler with two small scoops of ice cream, one black raspberry and one vanilla?" He gave me an odd look, nodded his head and walked away, only to return a minute or so later to say that we could have the cobbler with either two small scoops of vanilla or the one large scoop of raspberry that it normally comes with. Hmm...I think you are missing the point here. Ok, let me take a different approach..."Do you offer vanilla ice cream as a dessert on the Kids menu?" "Yes", he replied. "Then bring us the Cobbler dessert (as it is listed on the menu) plus the Kid's vanilla ice cream dessert."

And that is exactly what we got...




Artist Point Cobbler with Seasonal Berries and House-made Black Raspberry Ice Cream & a scoop of vanilla ice cream served separately
Our Unanimous Rating 5/5​

And in case you were wondering, that scoop of vanilla ice cream cost me $3.00 but was worth every penny since it prevented me from having to choose sides. DD of course preferred the vanilla ice cream with the cobbler, while DS raved about the black raspberry. I told them that I thought both flavors tasted equally delicious with the cobbler, but just between you and me ...the black raspberry was the winner here!


So although this meal got off to a shaky start, it ended up being solidly good.

 

[emmysmommy]

Glad to know the salmon redeemed the meal! That's a pathetic portion for the soup.... and it's still $10?? That's too bad that it was a disappointment.

But that cobbler! Awesome!

I'm with your DS, I love the bread with the butter.