Our day was done at KSC. We needed to return to WDW because everyone has ADRs to eat this night. DW survived the day without a relapse. She wasnt feeling 100% but we took it easy all day and stayed out of the sun as much as possible. We wanted to get back to our rooms early enough to allow everyone to lay down and rest a bit before going to eat. As previously mentioned, DW and I will eat at Artist Point there at WL, DS and DDiL are eating at Planet Hollywood at DTD and DD and DDfi are eating at House of Blues at DTD. As you have seen, we have had several times during our trip that we went our separate ways for a short period of time. I dont care how close of a family/friends you are on a trip, eventually someone will get on someone elses nerves. By PLANNING a few of these alone times, it helps to break up the group time and allow a bit of a breather from each other. At least it works for us anyway.
The two young couples left for the bus stop when they were ready to take them to DTD. Both said their meals were very good and they enjoyed themselves. DW and I had an ADR at 8:30. Artist Point is WLs signature dining restaurant. The menu is mainly Pacific Northwest seafood, steaks and game. Their menu is seasonal so the following pics of the menu may be different depending on when you are there
Here again, the food porn gods were not with me. None of the pics I took were even remotely usable. However, I dont know if it was because our CM waiter Ricardo saw me taking pics, he took a fancy to DW or my shark-bite fame had spread far and wide but we had excellent service and an excellent meal.
DW wasnt about to tempt fate with her migraine so she did not order an adult beverage. Instead, she had their Pellegrino mineral water. We all know how the Florida water tastes sometimes so this was the logical choice. I had a Red Hook dark beer. For appetizers, DW had the seasonal salad that included shaved Asian pears, sunflower seed granola, smoked blue cheese with an ice wine vinaigrette. I had the roasted oysters with Dungeness crab ceviche. It sounds a bit high-falutin but let me tell you, I wanted to pick that dish up and slurp what little remained!
A bit of background on DW and I and our eating habits-we try almost anything once and twice if we like it! Im not the typical Southern male that eats only meat and potatoes. Growing up, my mother made my sister and I take at least one bite of anything she prepared. Mind you, she didnt fix fancy meals. The try one bite command was usually on something like broccoli or mustard greens but if we didnt like it fine, but at least we tried it. I have carried that over into my adult life and I usually order whatever I cannot pronounce from the menu in order to try something new. I rarely find anything I absolutely cannot stand. DW likes to cook and she will try any recipe, no matter how complicated. She has the kind of palate that can taste a dish and tell you just about everything that is in it. We will eat something at a restaurant and she can go back home and prepare the same dish and it will taste just as good and quite often, better! It always amazes me how she does that. A prime example was the butternut squash soup at Victoria & Alberts. When we got home, she searched the internet for recipes until she found one that she thought was close to V&As. It wasnt exactly right and she thought this spice or that would make it better but by the time she finished, I wouldve slapped my mama if she had tried to take that soup away from me while I was eating it! Her culinary expertise is the main reason why I weigh as much as I do. Come to think of it, its her fault I would not have been able to ride Manta at SeaWorld due to my girth!
Back to the meal at AP. For our entrée, DW had the Copper River Salmon. She loves salmon and this was roasted on a cedar plank and covered with a French contemporary style sauce that included eggplant caviar, tomatoes, quail egg and lemon aioli. I was feeling a bit adventurous and had the roasted buffalo tenderloin with corn/sausage mash, gold potato smear and a blackberry pinot noir reduction sauce. Holey moley people! That buffalo would melt in your mouth it was so tender and DWs salmon was a perfect blend of fish and sauce. As with most Disney restaurants, the portions are quite ample but we could not stop now. It was on to the desserts!
We usually share a dessert so I told DW to pick. She could not decide between the AP cobbler of seasonal berries topped with a house-made raspberry ice cream or the Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee with a chocolate-hazelnut biscotto. She asked CM Ricardo what he would suggest and he said either would be fine. DW told him to surprise her and he did. He brought her both of them! The cobbler was really good but I have yet to find any cobbler that beats DWs blueberry cobbler she makes at home. On the other hand, the crème brulee was to die for! I like crème brulee but I dont love it. I LOVED this crème brulee!!! It had just the right amount of sticky crust on top and the filling wasnt runny or over cooked like some are. The biscuit was not overpowering so much that it took away from the taste of the crème brulee. It had just the right amount of chocolate-hazelnut to offset the vanilla bean. Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm. We also got the Imperial Earl Grey tea that is steeped at the table in a small press pot. It really hit the spot after all the food we consumed. What a meal and less we forget, we received a 20% TIW discount because AP is a participating restaurant. Talk about a fantastic way to end a day.
We waddled our way back to the room just before 10:00pm. DS/DDiL and DD/DDfi all arrived within 10 minutes and we each rehashed our meals. DS and DDiL would be using DME tomorrow to return to north Alabama so we said our goodbyes tonight. They will sleep in while we get up to make our way to Universals Island of Adventure and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
I get migraines too, terrible ones, and I know how they can ruin your day. Or week. UGHHH...I hope she felt better the next day!
So I suggested that they each do what they want today. They can take the bus to DTD to Disney Quest plus DDiL wanted to get some gifts for her family. They all wanted to visit the pool more as well so it looks like weve decided. See folks, I can wing it; I can go with the flow; I can wait until the last minute to decide things! Well
it was everyone else but I was still involved!
), they still have a fair amount of activity and plenty to do and see. As of this date, there is a lot of construction going on. They are building a permanent display to house the space Shuttle Atlantis. I definitely will return when this exhibit is complete. I realize that KSC is not everyones cup of tea. It is more of an informational tour than entertainment so I will try to keep the lecture to a minimum.
Glad your wife was feeling a bit better. I know those migraines can take a few days to feel "normal" again.
