We ate there last Sunday and thought it was one of the best meals of our trip. For reference, we also had dinners at Citricos, Il Mulino, la Hacienda de San Angel, Jiko and Fulton's on this visit.
We made this reservation last minute after the snowstorm in the Northeast canceled our flight home. With an extra 2 days in Disney World, we wanted something easy and nearby. Since we were staying at Port Orleans, we chose Boatwrights. Now we think that we've been remiss in not utilizing this great restaurant more.
We checked in about 15 minutes early and were seated shortly before our actual ADR time. Our server, Melissa, was attentive and courteous throughout the meal without hovering or being too present. Both I and my partner had three courses, which is not something we do often. I started with the French onion soup -- not something I usually order, but I thought it was delicious. He had the gumbo. He thought it was a little too much like a stew and not chunky enough. He did think it had a good flavor, though. He says that although he probably wouldn't order it again, he doesn't regret his decision to try it.
For my entrée, I had the beef tenderloin medallions with red wine demi-glace, asparagus, crawfish beignet, and mac-and-cheese. I thought this was an excellent dish, and something that anybody missing the filet with mac and cheese previously offered at Jiko should try. True, the quality of beef is probably not the same at Boatwrights as it is at Jiko, but it was still cooked exactly to my specification of medium and its accompaniments complemented it very well.
My partner had the pork chop with cheese grits and onion rings for his main course. The pork chop was surprisingly well cooked. Pork can dry out easily, but that wasn't the case here. When it arrived at the table, he saw that it was smothered in barbecue sauce and figured that the sauce was going to be masking a dry chop, but the pork was moist and the tangy barbecue sauce only enhanced it. The cheese grits and onion rings were also outstanding.
We asked Melissa if we could take our desserts to go. She and the kitchen were happy to oblige, even though I wanted the butterscotch crème brûlée and they had no appropriate "to go" vessel to replace the ramekin in which the dish would normally be served. My crème brûlée may not have been pretty, but it was quite good. My partner ordered the pecan pie, which he enjoyed thoroughly, even though it was a tad over-sweet.
All in all, we had an excellent Southern-style meal and will not hesitate to return to Boatwrights for dinner.
It will make the evening so much more relaxed. Just go back to the resort, eat, and take a nice walk.
