Not the Hardest to Please: An Aug 2011 Dining Report!-- Uptd Artist Point!

[Jonesloonybin]

Great reviews! The kids are really wanting to go to Pizza Planet next trip. I am another "less is better" sauce person. I usually try to scrap off some of the sauce.

Terri

 

[klacey1]

I'm with you on the pizza, I don't like much sauce - in fact I'm a big fan of white pizza Too bad your salads weren't that good - I was not expecting much when I tried the salad that came with the pizza here and I was impressed at how much I liked it! Must depend on who's preparing it or something.

I do love a good white pizza!

The carrot cake cookie sounds delicious. Sorry the pizza was not as good as it looked. I do not like it oversaused either.

It was really good-- just a touch too much sauce!

Was looking forward to pizza planet next trip, but not so much anymore....

Still look forward to it! It's a fun vibe and good pizza-- I just am sensitive about too much sauce!

Great reviews! The kids are really wanting to go to Pizza Planet next trip. I am another "less is better" sauce person. I usually try to scrap off some of the sauce.

Terri

Haha, I sopped it off with a napkin. Worked well! Pizza Planet is definitely fun for kids (off all ages !)

 

[klacey1]

Our next meal was at Whispering Canyon Cafe! Our favorite BBQ joint in our hometown had recently closed (without us knowing), so I was very much looking forward to this meal. Plus, I absolutely love the Wilderness Lodge!

We had to wait about ten minutes past our ADR, which was fine. We lounged in the chairs outside the restaurant until our thing buzzed.
They sat us right in the main dining room, at a four-top that was right along the lobby. I had worried that this was take away from the feel of the restaurant (i.e. we'd feel like we were eating in the lobby), but there was so much going on in the dining room that I never glanced to my right.

Our waitress was Humble Ally-- she was fine. She threw our napkins and straws on the table, and later brought Zach a large surprise, but nothing more than that. She was loud and excitable, but also efficient and brought us everything we asked for quickly (not ketchup, though!).

It was a no-brainer for both of us to get the skillet. The other meals sound really good, too, but I wanted to try a bunch of different things. We started with the salad and cornbread:

Sorry, no pic of the cornbread! It was absolutely delicious. It was a great break from the regular breads/rolls of the rest of our trip. I love my cornbread to be as unsweet as possible, with a nice hard crust and soft center. This was exactly that-- it was served warm, too. We devoured a couple of slices each, but stopped to save room for the rest of the meal.

The salad was just okay. The lettuce was crisp and fresh, but I found the dressing to be a bit on the sweet side. It was a little too tangy for me. Honestly, this was probably just a preference thing. I'm sure people who like sweet dressings would love it. I had a few bites, but told myself I'd make up for the lack of veggies with the corn on the cob.

Ally paced our meal really well. Pretty much as soon as I pushed the salad bowl away, the skillet appeared! Here's my first plate with the skillet in the background.

Here's a breakdown of the food:

Corn on the cob: This tasted very fresh! It was just sweet enough and still crunchy. The taste was enough that I didn't need to add any butter or salt. Yum!

Brisket: Definitely my least favorite thing in the skillet. We both found it thin, stringy, and fatty. Even the addition of the yummy barbecue sauce couldn't help it. However, there were so many other great things, it was fine that we didn't eat this.

Mashed potatoes: Oh my goodness. These are what mashed potatoes should be, Coral Reef! They were whipped the exact perfect amount, with tons of garlic flavor and the great textural difference of the skins. We got seconds of these!

Ribs: Zach ate all of these! They had a great smoky dry rub and fall-off-the-bone tender. I kept trying to get him to try the other meats, but he just wanted the ribs!

Chicken: I tried a few bites of this-- yummy! The skin was peppery and crispy, and the chicken itself was juicy and smoky. I would have eaten much more if I hadn't found my real love...

Pulled pork: Oh. my. goodness. This was by far the best pulled pork I have ever had in my life. I make it often in the crockpot with sauce, which is the way I have always found it in restaurants. This was just on its own, in its own juices. There was no need to add any of the barbecue sauce-- it was THAT flavorful. The ends were crispy, with the pork being tender and juicy. I finished everything in the skillet and asked for seconds!

For dessert, we both ordered the granny smith apple strudel cake. We had pretty different opinions of this. I thought it was great. When I order apple desserts, I like the apples to still have a crunch to them. Zach prefers them completely reduced and soft. These apples definitely had a crunchy bite. We both enjoyed the crumbly crust however-- kind of like a typical crumb cake. The caramel sauce it came with just fine.

The one "WCC" thing our waitress did do was bring Zach the giant refill! Here he is trying to take on the challenge of finishing it:

Overall, I give this meal a 4.5. The only things I wasn't really a fan of were the brisket and salad. Everything else was perfection! Zach gives it a 4-- he only tried a few things, and wasn't crazy about the dessert. We definitely will return our next trip!

 

[librarygeek]

I've avoided WCC for two reasons: we're not really big BBQ/homestyle food people, and also because the idea behind the restaurant kind of intimidates me. However, it's good to see your review because I think it makes the place look a bit more fun and not so bad. The giant refill is hilarious!

 

[kmedina]

We love the food at WCC too, so I am glad you enjoyed most of your meal. Since we ate there very late, we missed all of the antics. I love the pic of Zach with that drink. It looks huge, and I do not remember the glasses being that large.

 

[klacey1]

We had been at Animal Kingdom when we decided that none of the CS options really appealed. Since we had accomplished pretty much everything we wanted by 12:00 p.m. (absolutely no crowds whatsoever!), we decided to visit one of the resort food courts.
We originally were supposed to eat at Cali Grill, which I switched out for Artist Point. Zach had been pretty bummed that we were going to visit his favorite resort, so I suggested we have lunch at Contempo Cafe!
I thought the options were a bit limited, but we found things we liked. The touch screens were so easy to use-- very easy to make changes/substitutions.
I settled on a pepperoni flatbread, with a red velvet cupcake for dessert. For reference, you only choose your entree at the machines. You go to the bakery counter to select your dessert, where they let you know you can have carrots and ranch, etc. or even a bottled drink as your dessert if you don't want something sweet.

The flatbread was excellent-- the crust was super thin and crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. The cheese was freshly melted and the pepperoni spicy. My only minor complaint is that I normally like my pepperoni well-cooked and these were pretty much still raw. Minor complaint-- it was still very tasty.

The cupcake was absolutely HUGE! I did not even come close to finishing it, which was a shame because it was delicious. Red velvet is my absolute favorite cake flavor, and this was very moist. The cream cheese frosting was perfectly sweet-- and I love the addition of the Mickey face and sprinkles! Aesthetically pleasing and a nice textural difference, too!
Zach chose a plain burger and fries and added bacon. He had an oatmeal cookie for dessert.

He deemed this better than a fast food burger, but not like gourmet/sit down restaurant quality (we have two places that we hit up regularly that have the most amazing burgers). It served its purpose and was fresh and hot. The fries were the Disney standard, which we both love.

The cookie was just a basic oatmeal cookie with raisins, but it was good! It was big and tasted like it had come out of the oven.
I rated this meal a 4.5-- Zach a 4. We probably wouldn't go out of our way to eat here, but if we stay at the Contemporary or rent points at BLT, we'd happily eat here. In particular, the bakery was fantastic-- we'd have no problem using up snack credits here!

 

[kmedina]

Good thing my son did not see that cupcake. Those are his favorites.

 

[klacey1]

Chef’s de France:

We arrived for this meal about twenty minutes before our ADR and were seated immediately! We were led to a window-side table in the sun room, which provided us with a great view of the WS! It is a very pretty (if not slightly over-crowded) restaurant. I can imagine eating here at night, with the lake shimmering outside must be very romantic!

We started out with the baguette and butter. The butter was completely hard, as I’ve read in other DR’s. After softening it a bit and spreading it on the baguette-- it was alright. I enjoyed other bread better during this trip, but it was crusty and warm. No complaints.

Zach ordered the steak au poivre for his entree:

Besides one other steak (that he had yet to have!), he said this was by far the best of the vacation. It was cooked perfectly-- very tender, which was a surprise as he orders his steak medium-well. Few restaurants can get that right. While he was surprised the sauce had no actual peppercorns, he found it savory, buttery, and delicious. The green beans were nice and crunchy, and for someone who doesn’t like potatoes au gratin, he found these very good.
I had the macaroni au gratin.

Hmm, this wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I guess I thought it would be more like a baked mac and cheese, which it definitely wasn’t. It was more like pasta tossed in a bland cream sauce with cheese melted on top. I wasn’t crazy about it-- like I said, it was very bland. I wouldn’t order it again.
We both ordered the caramel apple crepe.

Zach loved it-- the apples were super soft and the caramel sauce warm and rich. The only thing he wished was slightly different was that there was an element of crunch somewhere on the plate. Everything was “soft” and a textural difference would have been nice. That aside, it was his favorite dessert of the trip. As I don’t like overly soft apples OR mushy desserts, I wasn’t really a fan. The caramel sauce was delicious, though.
We had very differing opinions on this meal-- Zach enthusiastically gave it a 5 out of 5. He loved everything and would absolutely return. I’d have to give it a 2.5 I wasn’t crazy about my entree or dessert and probably wouldn’t return unless Zach really wanted to, as there was nothing else on the menu that I’m interested in trying.

 

[habg1]

Thanks for the chefs de france review and pics. I've read some mixed reviews lately, so it's nice to see someone enjoyed their dinner there. We're eating there for the first time in a couple of weeks.

Thanks again!

 

[librarygeek]

Your review of Chefs de France is similar to mine! My DH absolutely loved it, and it was one of his favorite meals of the trip, while it was pretty low down on my list. I will go back just because he loved it so much and he rarely expresses opinion on anything. Plus the creme brulee for dessert was really excellent. But I was disappointed in my entree (the lasagna) too.

 

[klacey1]

Riverside Mill:

We had spent the day at IOA/US and had a CS credit to use for dinner. As we were pretty exhausted, the idea of going anywhere but our home resort for dinner was not appealing! We walked over around 8:00 p.m. and were surprised that it was still packed.
Zach got roast beef, corn bread, veggies, mashed potatoes, a Coke, and coffee as his “dessert”

He was pleased with both the portions and taste. He thought it was a ton of food. The gravy on the potatoes was delicious, as was the cornbread. Everything else was just dependable and good-- beef cooked well (very soft with crispy edges), vegetables tasted fresh, etc.
I got the make your own pasta with penne, alfredo sauce, and chicken: (I got orange juice for the next morning as my snack)

I unfortunately was not as pleased as Zach. The pasta was a bit too soft for my taste (and I definitely do not prefer al dente). The sauce was decent and I liked the addition of the fresh parm, but the chicken was just awful. It was chewy and tasted like all dark meat. Yuck. I picked around it and filled up on the garlic bread, which was decent.
Zach gives this meal a 4, but I have to stick it at a 2. I’d definitely return if we stayed at POR again simply for convenience’s sake, but definitely order something else.

 

[klacey1]

Sunshine Seasons:

This meal was totally not planned. Around 11:30, we arrived in Epcot from the MK and wanted somewhere different. I’ve heard it can get pretty packed, but as it was still early, I thought we’d be okay finding seats.
I loved the atmosphere of this place-- totally bustling, but full of little nooks and corners to have a calm lunch.
Zach and I both gravitated toward the Asian station, which smelled delicious.
He got the ginger beef, noodles, and white rice: (carb it up!)

Yum! He is not crazy about the taste of ginger, which this beef did not have. The noodles were not at all greasy and had a nice peppery taste. The rice was fluffy and shockingly not overdone. Overall, a home run!
His dessert was an apple caramel muffin tart (unsure of exact name), which was fine. The cake part was a bit dry, but the apples were nicely cooked.
I ordered something pretty similiar-- beef, noodles, and veggies:

I also loved this and had similar feelings on the beef and noodles. Both were great-- the sauce on the beef had just a hint of spice but definitely would not be too much for someone who isn’t crazy about spicy food. The veggies were crunchy and not greasy.
For dessert, I ordered the brownie, which you can see in the corner of the photo. It was delicious! Very fudgy and with a genuine chocolate taste, not plastic-y at all. Yum!
Overall, Zach gives this meal a 4.5 and I give it a 5. I thought it was absolutely perfect and totally different from most CS options. We’ll definitely be back!

 

[archdandy]

Great reviews so far. It's a bit disappointing that the make your own pasta station was a let down. We will be there in January and I was hoping it was good! I can't wait to read more.

 

[Liam]

Great pics! My ADR choices get more difficult with every review I read

 

[HomeSweetDisney]

Great pictures & reviews!

I was sorry to hear you had a not so great experience at WPE. I am hoping to work that in to our upcoming trip on our downtown disney day. I guess it can be hit and miss & I will just have to take my chances.

Really enjoying the reviews though! Looking forward to more

 

[librarygeek]

I love Sunshine Seasons! I also had from the Asian section - the Cashew Chicken, which was really delicious.

 

[klacey1]

Artist Point:
We arrived at AP about twenty minutes before our ADR and they took us right away. The restaurant was almost completely empty, but this was not a sign of how good it was!

I loved the atmosphere. I felt perfectly comfortable in a sundress-- I thought it was much fancier than the Yachtsman. It felt very grand, but not stodgy or uncomfortable.
This was the only meal of the trip that I ordered a cocktail-- the Lodge Fizz. It had Grey Goose Vodka, Triple Sec, Cranberry Juice, and Sprite and was very light. It wasn’t overly sweet and I liked that, but I’m not sure how well it paired with the food. I wish the waiter had suggested a wine-- I felt that would have gone better with the game.

This was only one of the problems I had with our waiter. He was very efficient-- our water glasses never sat empty, courses were properly paced, etc. His knowledge of the menu was also great-- he knew so much about all of the dishes we asked him about. However, he was just a bit strange. He kept telling us these stories that were not funny at all, but he laughed hysterically the entire time he told them. It was awkward to smile and fake laugh to humor him. Pretty uncomfortable. Then, when a couple on their honeymoon sat next to us, he told them the exact same stories, still laughing hysterically. They were better at humoring him-- perhaps because of the free drinks and amuse bouche?! Fortunately, he pretty much left us alone after the honeymooners came in-- only checking in to see how our food was and if we needed anything. He saved additional not-funny stories for them. Phew! (And I mean that totally not sarcastically!)
The waiter aside, our meal was pretty much close to perfect. The sourdough bread was interesting and different from the rolls we’d been having. Since we ordered an appetizer, though, we only each tried one piece:

That brings us to our first course. The appetizer. Oh. my. God. This is without a doubt the greatest thing either of us has ever had in a restaurant. EVER. We ordered the BLT-- pork belly with individually shaved heirloom tomatoes, balsamic, and greens. The pork was soft and salty, with a delicious crispy layer. We easily could have eaten one each-- and then ordered another for our entrees! This dish alone makes a return trip to Artist Point necessary!

Zach ordered the Grilled Certified Hand-cut Prime Black Angus Beef Tenderloin with marble potatoes, garden beans, pearl onions and green peppercorn butter as his entree. Yum! He found the veggies slightly on the sweet side, but the beef was cooked perfectly. It was tender and delicious. The peppercorn butter was so good, I stole some for both my beef and potatoes! It had a great slightly spicy kick.

I had the Char-grilled Buffalo Striploin Steak with marble potatoes, garden vegetables, and Shiraz Gastrique. My vegetables were crunchy, just the way I like. This was the first time I had buffalo and found it to be soft. I ordered it medium rare-- both because that’s the way I always order beef (figured it’d be similar enough) and because that’s the temp they recommend. The shiraz gastrique wasn’t overly sweet, and mixed well with butter I stole from Zach.

We skipped dessert as we were attending the Wishes Dessert Party later that night. None of the desserts really jumped out at me anyway, so that was fine.
Overall this meal gets a 5 from both of us. Minor issues with service and Zach’s veggies aside, this meal was close to perfect. It was without a doubt the best meal in a restaurant either of us have ever had. We’ll be returning next trip!

 

[RachelNinja]

Yum, the Artist Point stuff looks so good! Howard and I were going to initially hit Artist Point during our honeymoon, but as we go through our tentative plans, we're leaning towards having fewer ADRs just because we want more freedom. But oh man, that appetizer sounds and looks so good, I was thinking about it again for a bit!

 

[MissPrice]

Thanks for the awesome reviews. I have an ADR for Rose and Crown coming up, can't wait to try it after getting a look at those pictures. I am also excited to try Sunshine Seasons now. -Amanda

 

[kelleigh1]

Just found your reviews. There is something to be said about dragging them out.

I think I want that exact table when we go to Chefs de France! I do see what you mean about the crepes. I would want to toss some slivered almonds or chopped walnuts on top for some crunch. And the horseradish mashed sounded so promising, but they looked like instant with too much milk in them. Not appetizing at all.