We were in Downtown Disney. DH started asking what the plan for lunch was...
There was no ADR for lunch. There was an ADR at 5:30 pm at the California Grill. We had a buffet breakfast. And it was about 1:00.
I was prepared for this. Infact, I hoped for it.
I asked, "What are you in the mood for? Remember we have a big dinner coming tonight."
DH answered, "I'm feeling salad-y."
I was hoping for this. We were right in the vacinity of Wolfgang Puck Express on the Marketplace side. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal here two years ago. We headed over there. I was interested to see the renovation.
WPE counts as a counter service credit, which didn't apply with the DxDDP. On the DxDDP, it simply counts as one entitlement, just like a one credit TS restaurant. It's one of the nicer QS restaurants though, in that, you order, are given your drink cups to use at the self-serve beverage station, any prepackaged dessert you order, and a number tent to place on your table so a server can bring you your food when it is ready.
I ordered the same thing that I ordered two years ago. The Spinach Salad, which isn't shown on the 6/09 version of the menu here on the Dis, but IS shown on the allears menu of 3/09?
Now here's a tip about WPE, especially if you are a salad eater. The menu on the board makes the salads appear to be really plain and boring. Literally, the menu on the board said: Spinach Salad. But there was a second menu down low that had the actual descriptions of the food items, and that's where you would read that the spinach salad is fresh organic baby spinach with Granny Smith apples, radicchoi, Gorgonzola cheese, caramelized pecans and Sherry vinaigrette. DH had ordered this salad in it's appetizer form at WPC, back in 2007, when appetizers were still included in the
DDP. So he ordered the same thing.
We ordered creme brulee for dessert.
DS ordered the pepperoni pizza from the kid's menu. This included a fountain drink, which DH used for iced tea. DS is a water-only boy. He got a brownie for dessert, which was a prepackaged one with visible chocolate chips.
I got iced tea for my drink. DH got bottled water for his, which we took with us for sipping while shopping.
If you are an iced tea drinker, and you enjoy brewed iced tea, not the Nestea fountain type, then you MUST get the iced tea at the WP restaurants. The BEST one is mango flavored tea. It is an unsweetened mango, so it isn't syrup-y like some bottled flavored teas. This is just wonderfully refreshing brewed tea. There is also regular unsweetened and sweetened, again, brewed iced tea.
The interior of WPE is now HUGE compared to what it was before. With the serious heat index, every seat in the house was taken. This made for a loud environment. We headed to the patio, where only one other family was braving the heat. The patio is a very comfortable environment. Ceiling fans speed overhead. There is total shade. It's quiet because it faces a pathway with little foot traffic. The little birds were not aggressive as some others around WDW. They provided some good laughs and entertainment thorough our meal actually. Here's I am enjoying the peace of the patio:
Despite the crowd, our food arrived quickly. DS was drooling over his pizza:
Which was very tasty, hot and ooey goeey with melted cheese and just enough pepperoni for flavor with making the top of the pizza super greasy.
And the salads looked just as good as I remembered:
The salads were fresh and wonderful all over again. A perfectly light lunch that was still satisfying. I can tell you that they looked so good, one woman was staring at us as she exited through the patio area. I caught her and so she had to comment on how wonderful our salads looked, what did we order? She would have to go back and get one of those, they had just ordered the pizza.
And dessert:
I am not a creme brulee expert. If it tastes good, then it's good, KWIM? This was good. The crispy top didn't have a hint of burn (one of them had a couple burnt spots last year) and the underneath was creamy and firm all at the same time. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
We didn't eat the brownie. Ever. DS was full with pizza and didn't want it right away. The poor thing got smashed in my little bag, looked so unappetizing after it's travels that we tossed it. Ah well.
Because our experience was so similar to two years ago, and because I strive to be thorough and as informative as possible, I will include the pictures from two years ago. I read a lot about how certain restaurants have lost quality over time, and I don't doubt the truth there, but WPE so obviously didn't. I can show two more menu items using last years pics.
Here is the same spinach salad two years ago:
Here's the BBQ chicken salad:
Here's the creme brulee (you can SEE how one has a part that is somewhat burnt):
Kid's linguini with tomato sauce:
.
The bill:
2 Spinach Salad $21.90
1 Kid Pepperoni 6.95 (includes a drink)
2 Creme Brulee 9.90
1 Brownie 2.95
1 Ice Tea 2.65
1 Btl Water 2.75
Total $50.16 (with tax)
Entitlements Used: 3
I highly recommend WPE. You just can't beat this quick service restaurant. It has so much going for it, great food with service, free refills on fountain drinks, excellent brewed iced tea, housemade dessert (creme brulee only), real plates and silverware (not plastic), and a lovely patio with comfy chairs. The variety on the menu would allow for the light lunch DH and I enjoyed, or something heavier and more filling. We ate at all three WP restaurants two years ago, and our experience this year confirms that it's still a good choice, especially for DDP and QSDP. For DxDDP, it is still a good deal. It's nice to have a faster meal than a typical TS restaurant, and it is especially nice to have a meal with no tip at the end. Because my family spends so much time in the DTD area, we will probably eat here year after year.