Great Food All Around W/ Pics, Lots of Signatures - Done: Narcoossee's!

[DonaldDoleWhip]

A few days ago we returned from our first trip to Wilderness Lodge. One of the best aspects of staying there was having easy access to Artist Point. AP is currently my favorite Disney World restaurant, and once again it was the best meal of our trip.

We started off with sourdough bread. The butter has black Cyprus sea salt:

Along with the bread, we shared the smokey portobello soup with roasted shiitakes and chive oil (that's why it's in smaller bowls). As usual, it was delicious, even to someone who doesn't like mushrooms. There was a savory bacon flavor in the soup, and the garnish on top added a crunchiness:

The next dish is the rainbow asparagus salad with slow poached organic egg, truffle chips, frisée lettuce, black truffles, and champagne vinaigrette. I loved it. The egg was perfectly cooked, with a runny yolk but solid white portion. The beautifully colored asparagus didn't taste exactly like typical green asparagus, and the truffle flavor really came through.

My appetizer was the Dungeness crab salad with cucumber mint sorbet, watermelon radish, and yuzu vinaigrette. I think this dish is a huge improvement over the crab cake that was previously on the menu, and it was perfectly light and refreshing for spring. The combination of cucumber, mint, and yuzu was very sweet and minty, but there was some black sea salt to contrast the sweetness. There was also a really nice touch of cilantro on the plate, and everything complimented the large chunks of crab.

Here is the pan-seared airline chicken breast with house-made citrus-cracked pepper pasta, wild mushrooms, root spinach, and white wine-herb nage. The chicken was perfectly spiced, with a crispy skin and moist meat. I loved the citrus-flavored pasta.

For my entree, I ordered Artist Point's signature dish: the cedar plank-roasted wild Columbia River king salmon with confit artichokes, petit zucchini, baby carrots, and bacon-egg vinaigrette. I think it's interesting that every time I come to Artist Point, the salmon dish is never exactly the same. It always changes in order to be more seasonally appropriate. This was one of the best pieces of salmon I've ever had. It tasted so fresh and really stood on its own, and the other ingredients were also great. The zucchini had a ton of flavor, which was accented by the bits of savory bacon mixed into the dish. The artichokes provided a different salty flavor, and the carrots on the side were sweet. The salmon is transferred table-side from the cedar plank to the plate, which is a nice presentation touch:

For dessert, I had to try the strawberries and cream: strawberry consommé with grand marnier, vanilla panna cotta, and buttered pound cake. The strawberry on top had a ton of flavor, as did the vanilla panna cotta (you can even see the vanilla beans in it). I was slightly disappointed that the strawberry wasn't the main flavor in the dish - everything together tasted like strawberry shortcake, which was a little too ordinary IMO (and I'm a sucker for anything with strawberry).

The peach upside-down cake with sweet and sour caramel sauce and roasted peach ice cream was more interesting. The cake was moist, and the ice cream on top provided a cold and creamy contrast. I didn't really understand the sauce. It was very, very sour, and I couldn't figure out what it was - I would guess it contained some sort of alcohol, but I'm really stumped. I can't say I liked the flavor of the sauce, but it was definitely surprising. And it looked like a painting on the dish:

Overall, the meal was fantastic. Everything was good, although I would say the desserts were the weakest part of the meal. Next time (and there will definitely be a next time), I will order either the berry mousse (which I've had before and really like) or the berry cobbler (which has changed since the last time I ordered it, and now it looks more appealing to me). Picking a winning dish would be very practically impossible. I would say it's a four-way tie between the crab, asparagus, chicken, and salmon. Again, this was one of the best meals we've had at WDW, definitely the best since our last meal at Artist Point.

Just for the sake of it, here are some other pics from Artist Point. This is the berry mousse, which we had in January and is still on the menu. It's an excellent no-sugar-added option, very light and with a lot of berry flavor:

This appetizer is no longer on the menu, but it was amazing: butternut squash risotto with crispy pork belly and cranberry vinegar. It was a perfect dish for winter, with the tart cranberry, crispy pork, and creamy risotto working wonderfully together (Artist Point has replaced this dish with spring pea risotto, which is served with pork belly, radish salad, and goat cheese crisp).

The restaurant is beautiful, IMO. I love the natural vibe, high ceilings, and views of the Wilderness Lodge courtyard. The murals on the walls are also beautiful.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

The other table service restaurants I went to during this trip were Hollywood Brown Derby, Trail's End (lunch), California Grill, Flying Fish Cafe, and Narcoossee's. I'll try to write reviews for the other locations too. While Artist Point was the best meal of the trip, all of the other meals were very good.

 

[Belle5]

I look forward to reading your other reviews. We, too, love AP! I can't wait to return! Thanks for posting your thoughts.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

After reading a review online of the new Trail's End lunch menu, I decided I had to try this place. There was one primary reason - the new s'mores dessert.

I made the trek to Fort Wilderness and was promptly seated at the nearly empty restaurant. This place is really out of the way, so I'm not surprised it was so quiet.

The restaurant has very interesting decor. It seems like it could be moved to Frontierland and fit perfectly. One thing on the wall caught my attention:

Anyway, the menu had lots of comfort food items, almost like Prime Time. Chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, pulled pork sandwiches, fried green tomatoes with sweet potato fries, etc. But I knew I was getting an indulgent dessert, so I chose the fresh berry salad with chicken. I asked for the raspberry vinaigrette on the side, and I'm glad I did because the salad was sweet enough on its own. There were candied walnuts that tasted more like candy than nut. There was a mixture of dried and fresh berries. Perhaps if I had ordered the salad with the blue cheese as intended, there would have been something else to cut the sweetness, but this salad tasted very much like dessert. Surprisingly, the dressing wasn't overly sweet, but I didn't need much of it:

Of course, I was still waiting to try the wilderness s'mores - dark chocolate mousse layered with graham crackers and topped with toasted marshmallows and chocolate sauce. Despite having seen a picture of it before, I was still surprised by this dessert. The mousse was very light, and I found myself scooping up the chocolate sauce in order to add more chocolate flavor. The marshmallow on top was absolutely delicious, but I wish there was slightly more of it. This dessert was a really interesting (and surprisingly light) take on a s'more:

I'm very happy I tried Trail's End for their lunch. I would probably go back on my next trip, as it's a relaxing escape from the parks. I think I would order some different things - the fried green tomatoes and warm sticky bun sundae sound amazing.

One of the nicest ways to get to Trail's End is taking a boat from Magic Kingdom, Contemporary, or Wilderness Lodge. I enjoy exploring the Fort Wilderness marina and beach.

 

[POOHS3]

I am looking forward to more of your reviews. Artist Point looks amazing!

We almost booked a cabin for our upcoming trip in August, but I don't think there is really a quick service option. I am excited to explore Fort Wilderness before our Hoop Dee Doo reservation.

 

[blancah76]

I've never been to AP, but omg that food looks and sounds amazing. I'll have to put it on my to do list

 

[jenjolt]

WOW, I just checked the menu out for Trails End and I think I'm going to have to eat there at some point!! It sounds fabulous!! YUMMY!!!!

Artist Point sounds amazing also! Another signature I need to get too!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Brown Derby has always been one of my favorite WDW restaurants - it's probably my favorite in-park restaurant. Not only is the food usually high quality, but also I love the old Hollywood atmosphere. From the music to the details on the walls, I really enjoy dining here.

After riding the new Star Tours and Rock n' Roller Coaster, I was able to get a walk up here for lunch. I was planning on ordering an appetizer and the Cobb salad, but I changed my mind after looking at the menu and seeing an interesting salmon dish (this was before my meal at Artist Point, so I hadn't tried AP's salmon yet).

Here are the rolls with butter and sea salt. The rolls were warm and soft on the inside:

To start, I chose the spicy sashimi-grade tuna tartare with cucumber, daikon and pepper salad, avocado wasabi sauce, and crisp lotus root chips. I wasn't expecting much from this dish, because tuna tartare, avocado, and wasabi is a rather standard combination. I really enjoyed it. The spice was stronger than I thought it would be, but not overwhelming, and the avocado flavor came in the form of a creamy sauce. The lotus root chips provided a crispiness and were a fun "vessel" to eat the tartare with, and the tuna tasted fresh. Plus, the presentation was beautiful - I love when sushi/sashimi is served on top of ice. I would order this again:

Here is my entree, the crispy Loch Duart salmon with curried yellow lentils, grilled asparagus, and raita. This dish was good, the crispy papadum on top was a nice touch. While this dish was good (and it delivered the Indian flavors I was expecting from it), I wasn't really amazed:

I order salmon practically all the time now, so I found myself slightly regretting not ordering the Cobb salad or the grouper - I've had both dishes before and enjoyed them very much. Here are pics of the Cobb salad (shown without cheese and avocado) and grouper (almond-crusted grouper with golden beets, roasted celery roots, leeks, and a lobster beurre blanc):

Finally, I decided that I would try a dessert I haven't ordered before - the caramelized granny smith cheesecake with a cabernet apple crisp and cranberry-raisin butter sauce. Again, I didn't love the dish. It was a thick and creamy cheesecake, I didn't taste a lot of apple. Even with all the garnish, I didn't get enough of the bright sourness I expect from a dish labeled "granny smith." I wish I had ordered the grapefruit cake or the fruit cobbler with crème fraîche and orange blossom honey, both of which I've enjoyed in the past.

The food was good but underwhelming. I still like Brown Derby, but I learned my lesson. Next time, I'll stick with my favorites - the tuna tartare, Cobb salad, and likely the grapefruit cake.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

California Grill is my second favorite restaurant at WDW, behind Artist Point. In fact, I'd say it's the only place where the food has been consistently good (we've had some bad nights at Artist Point, but recently AP has been outstanding). So I was excited to return here and try some new dishes on the menu. I took the boat from WL to CR, and the view of the Contemporary tower from the dock was quite beautiful at night.

After sitting down at my table, it took about 20 minutes for a server to come and take my order. I could see that the place was hectic (I arrived about 40 minutes before Wishes), but it was still aggravating. California Grill is a completely different dining experience at 9:30 than at 5:30 (when I usually dine there). In spite of that, I was happy when the sourdough bread arrived, although I preferred Artist Point's.

For my appetizer, I was planning on ordering the crispy pork belly, but I quickly noticed that it was gone from the menu. In its place was heirloom melon and prosciutto di parma salad, baby arugula, vanilla vinaigrette, and 8 year aged balsamic. I have to say, I'm glad the pork belly had been removed from the menu, because this was delicious. The vanilla and balsamic was both sweet and tangy, like the arugula that it accompanied. The juicy chunk of watermelon was delicious with the salty prosciutto - there was cantaloupe as well, but the watermelon really made the dish for me.

I was feeling like sushi, so I ordered the dragon roll for my entree. This roll had spicy and tataki tuna with shrimp tempura, bell pepper, avocado, and chili soy glaze. For $28, the roll was a large portion and beautifully presented. The flavor combinations weren't very exciting, but the dish was executed nicely. The sauce was very sweet, I guess to contrast the spiciness of the chili.

I don't think I would order the dragon roll again, simply because it tastes like a roll I could get for half the price at a restaurant 3 minutes away from my house. The spicy kazan roll packs a larger punch of flavor, and the tuna 3 ways offers some more unique flavors.

I wasn't planning on ordering dessert, but after seeing the menu I couldn't resist ordering the valrhona chocolate cake with molten center, macerated California strawberries and Grand Marnier. This was amazing. The valrhona chocolate cake has been on CG's dessert menu for years, and it's always served with a different ice cream, such as blood orange, cherry, or egg nog. The strawberry ice cream was creamy and fruity, and it accompanied the rich molten chocolate really well. Everything together tasted like a magical chocolate-covered strawberry.

I was highly impressed with my appetizer and dessert, and the sushi was good too. I still give Artist Point the slight edge for food, because while the food at CG was consistent, I thought AP was more inventive. In addition, I would take AP's peaceful atmosphere over CG's chaos. I definitely think California Grill is worth it for the food, and I can't wait to return.

 

[kollerbear]

Wow! Your food pics are awesome! You got me really hungry! I can't wait to plan a trip and try HBD, AP, and CG!!!

 

[jakenjess]

Beautiful pictures! I have to say I agree with you on the timing at CG. Our last trip we had a 5:30 ADR and it was very nice without the commotion surrounding Wishes. We had a table next to the windows and was able to watch the sun set and the Magic Kingdom light up as the sun went down.

I definitely need to try AP -- I love the WL and the food looks amazing! Thanks for sharing!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

During this short trip, Flying Fish was the restaurant that I was most looking forward to. Not because we love it, but because we haven't loved it. I am a huge seafood person, but I've never been wowed here. In spite of that, we decided to give it one more try.

FF has a really nice location on the Boardwalk. It's great watching the entertainment or simply sitting by the water. The decor is really whimsical and sets the stage for an exciting meal.

I was hoping that the soup of the day would be BLT soup, and to my delight, it was. The BLT soup had crispy Florida rock shrimp, applewood bacon, Epcot Land Pavilion Bibb lettuce, and Tiny Santa Sweet tomatoes with chive crème fraîche and mushard-chive oil. BLT soup is something I've never tried before, but I thought it was okay. The soup itself tasted like thick gravy, with the mustard-chive oil not making a big impression. The shrimp and bacon tasted good, but the lettuce didn't really hold up against the soup base or the protein. While it's cool that the lettuce comes from Epcot, I don't think this soup was the best way to showcase it. I did enjoy dipping the brown bread in this soup (unfortunately I forgot to take a pic of the bread).

We also tried two other appetizers. The mozzarella di bufala was served with yellow beefsteak, "Ugli Ripe" and Tiny Santa Sweet tomatoes, balsamic glaze, exotic peppercorns, petite basil, and Sicilian olio verde. This was beautiful and tasted very good. The mozzarella was soft and creamy, most of the tomato had a lot of flavor, and the peppercorns and sea salt really added to the flavor. This was a well executed plate of tomato and mozzarella.

The standout appetizer had to be the yellowfin tuna tartare and crispy tempura tuna-vegetable sushi roll. It was a really delicious take on a tuna roll, with the crunch from the roll going well with the soft tartare. I think this sushi was better than California Grill's.

For our entrees, we both went with the signature potato-wrapped red snapper, served with leek fondue, veal glace, and a red wine and cassis butter reduction. Interestingly, I've seen an almost identical dish on the menu at a restaurant in NYC and Las Vegas called Le Cirque (with sea bass instead of snapper). I thought this dish was really good - the crispy potato and creamy leeks tasted great with the snapper, which tasted fresh and was quite good on its own. The sauce was very strong and meaty but I enjoyed it. My mom didn't like the dish as much, as the sauce and leeks together were too sweet. I liked it a lot, but next time I would get a lighter dish.

We thought Flying Fish was very good, with the tuna appetizer being the best part. I think we were expecting a bit more creativity (the soup was creative, but the overall flavor of the dish was more like gravy than BLT). Still, we decided to order dessert.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

The dessert menu looked really great, with a lot of creative and delicious-sounding dishes on the menu. Impressed by the menu, we decided to try 7 desserts (2 trios, and the strawberry cheesecake).

This is the trio of concession sweets. I thought it was a really amusing dish, both in terms of presentation and thematic appropriateness at the Boardwalk.

The popcorn mousse tasted like a light, fluffy bowl of buttered popcorn, and it was delicious with the sweet caramel on top.

The cherry-limeade popsicle was so refreshing and tangy. It tasted like summer to me, and it was the perfect mini dessert.

I didn't love the peanut butter-chocolate whoopie pie (I don't like peanut butter), but it was cute and had strong flavors (and an interesting crunch from peanuts that surrounded the creamy filling). The pound cake fries were also cute - they were topped with a berry sauce that looked like dark ketchup.

The trio of sinful chocolate indulgences was also great.

The white chocolate almond crème brûlée was creamy and went well with the crunchy biscotti.

The flourless chocolate torta and raspberries was definitely sinful and rich.

The real winner was the chocolate bread pudding. The warm chocolate and cold vanilla blended marvelously together, with the cherry providing a small burst of tartness. This was one of the best bites of the whole trip, and it should be its own dessert.

Compared to the trios, the no-sugar-added strawberry cheesecake wound up rather neglected. It was good (better than Brown Derby's cheesecake) and the banana anglaise sauce was wonderful, but it couldn't compete with some of the smaller trio dishes.

Overall, we were highly impressed by the desserts, with the chocolate bread pudding being the highlight of the meal (along with the tuna, and for me the snapper). This meal at Flying Fish was much better than any of our past meals. The desserts were whimsical and fun but still high quality, and the rest of the meal tasted very good as well. I can't say Flying Fish is now in my top 3 (those are still Artist Point, California Grill, and Jiko), but I definitely feel comfortable putting it in my top 5.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Loving your reviews, Donald!

Your pictures and descriptions of the food are great to see. Thanks for sharing.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Great photos!

 

[princessallegra]

Great reviews and pics!!!

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

Wow, after seeing your pictures I think we will try the Flying Fish on our next trip

 

[undertheseas]

Wonderful reviews and photos, thanks for sharing!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

We definitely enjoyed our last stay at Wilderness Lodge. I don't think it's the best hotel for us - one of the main aspects we love about deluxe resorts is their proximity to the parks. We love that feeling of being next door to Epcot, or seeing the Castle right across the lagoon. Nevertheless, WL is a peaceful escape from the parks while still being extremely child-friendly, and it's full of beautiful sights.

Roaring Fork has a really nice collection of snacks. It has the same soft-serve machine as Gasparilla's at GF, and the bakery has some more unique choices.

Magic Cookie Bar - I enjoyed the taste of this. It was sweet, crunchy, soft, nutty, and chocolatey. It was also rich, so I couldn't finish it.

Carrot Cake Cupcake - The carrot cake was moist and tasted great with the cream cheese frosting. I also liked the little crunchy pieces on top. This was my favorite of the cupcakes I tried.

S'mores Cupcake - The cake itself tasted like graham cracker, there were some chocolate pieces in it, and the frosting was very light like meringue. I didn't love this, but it was more interesting than chocolate or vanilla!

I also went to Contempo Cafe at Contemporary, because I had to try their Florida Strawberry cupcake. This was lighter than the typical Disney cupcake, and I liked the strawberry filling.

In the parks, Sunshine Seasons has to be one of my favorite quick service eateries, so I stopped there a few times. It has some lighter, healthier, and more interesting options than the standard burgers and chicken strips.

Here's the ginger Mongolian beef with broccoli and stir fry vegetables. This was tasty for what it was. The beef was quite sweet to me, so I was happy that the side dishes were more plain.

Oak-grilled sustainable fish (mahi mahi) niçoise style with olive tapenade and pine nuts. This was excellent for counter service. The fish was warm and had a nice flavor from the grill, and the sides were delicious. Soft potato, crunchy pine nuts, salty olive and capers, sweet tomato - I've gotten this twice and enjoyed it both times.

This was a short trip, so I only have one review left - Narcoossee's. I hope you've enjoyed the reviews up to now!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

The last signature meal of our trip was at Narcoossee's. Out of the 7 signature restaurants at resorts, this seems to be the one that is most called out for not being up to signature standards. I disagree with that claim. There are some lesser choices on the menu, but I've found that to be an issue at most of the signatures. Our most recent meal here was really good overall.

The bread at Narcoossee's is very flaky and crunchy. Like most of the signatures, it was served with butter with colorful sea salt.

For my starter, I chose the Caribbean grilled and chilled shrimp with citrus cocktail sauce and jicama slaw. I liked this dish because the Caribbean flavors were really nice with the shrimp and crunchy jicama. The citrus cocktail sauce was especially delicious - I wish there had been a bit more of it.

Here's the beet salad with frisée, goat cheese, candied pecans, and orange-honey vinaigrette. It was a good salad. Beet and goat cheese is always tasty together.

For my entree, I chose the crab-crusted flounder with crushed fingerling potatoes, haricots verts, and meyer lemon sauce. This is a really good dish. The mild, flaky fish was excellent with the crunchy crab on top. Meyer lemon has a tendency to be overpowering, so I didn't need to use all of the sauce, but it was still a bright burst of citrus. Surprisingly, the sprouts on top were a really excellent addition. They provided an earthy contrast to the bolder lemon and crab flavors. And I loved the smooth, soft texture of the potatoes.

The brick-roasted whole young chicken with manchego potatoes, spinach, onions, and citrus-chicken jus was also great. The chicken was moist and flavorful, with the citrus jus being much less overpowering than the meyer lemon sauce. The potatoes weren't too cheesy (which is a good thing to us), and the greens were cooked well.

For dessert, we went with the chocolate mousse dome and the mango sorbet, because neither one of us are huge fans of the cheesecake. The mousse was delicious again - it's a great chocolate dessert, and the little cocoa nibs on the plate are so crunchy and good. The mango sorbet with fresh fruit is a light, fruity no-sugar-added option, and I think this was a very satisfying ending to the meal.

On this trip, I would say Narcoossee's ranked 3rd for me, behind Artist Point and California Grill, but ahead of Flying Fish and Hollywood Brown Derby. Narcoossee's and Flying Fish were very close meals, but we broke it down like this:

-Flying Fish gets a slight edge for appetizers, because of the buffalo mozzarella and tuna tartare apps. The soup there wasn't our favorite.
-Narcoossee's gets the edge for entrees. The snapper was a surprisingly heavy, rich dish, while the dishes at Narcoossee's were lighter and more balanced.
-Narcoossee's gets a slight edge for desserts. The best part at FF was the chocolate bread pudding, but besides that I would choose either Narcoossee's dessert over the other bites we had at Flying Fish. Plus, Narcoossee's has the almond crusted cheesecake that many people think is one of the best desserts at WDW.

In addition, I like the atmosphere a lot at Narcoossee's. The decor isn't crazy, but it's beautiful and reminds me of a beach house right on the water. The fireworks view is really cool:

And I think the aquatic mural at Narcoossee's is just really beautiful.

But overall, the meals during this trip were really good. Flying Fish was better than our previous meals there, while AP, CG, and Narcoossee's delivered really good food once again.

Thanks for reading my reviews - I hope the reviews and pics have been helpful!