July 2007 - Artist Point

[Guest]

We both love the whole woodsy rustic ambience of the wonderful Wilderness Lodge - just walking through the impressive lobby is a treat in itself. We definitely intend to stay here one day.

The dining room at Artist Point has a rather low key atmosphere. I don’t think it’s the most romantic signature restaurant though, mostly as it’s so very bright - I wish they’d dim the lights a bit more - and the high vaulted ceilings do make the dining room appear a bit cavernous.
That said, it’s a very comfortable and relaxing space with plenty of room between the tables, so that you can have a private conversation (a bit of a rarity these days in the WDW eateries as more and more tables are squished into every available space)
It’s quite hard to describe the ambience really, as it has a touch of elegance and yet still maintains that rustic mood that prevails at this resort. We really warmed to it this time.





Our last visit to Artist Point in 2005 was not particularly successful, (my salmon was delicious, but Paul’s veggie dish was pretty awful - as was our server!) but we love an excuse to visit Wilderness Lodge and we’ve wanted to give the restaurant another go for a while now.
We were further tempted back by favourable reports and tempting photos from our fellow foodie fans - Dibbers, Bob and Dawn, Sue and Clare

There were plenty of dishes that immediately took my interest when we glanced at the menu, but Paul wasn’t too sure if he actually fancied the look of the current veggie entrée – Potato and Chive Potstickers with Spinach, Edamame and Soy vinaigrette.
I wasn’t too wild about the description of the dish myself to be honest, and I was a touch nervous. Although I was convinced the service would be a million times better than our last visit – it had to be! - I was getting worried that we’d have a repeat disappointment regarding the veggie food.

We still so wanted to eat here though, so when we checked in I asked the girls on the podium what they thought of the veggie dish.
Had they tasted it? Was it popular? Did customers enjoy it?

Neither girls had been working at Artist Point for very long at all – one of them just a few days - so weren’t yet particularly familiar with the dish, but they quickly offered to summon the Chef.
Just what we wanted to hear!
I really appreciated that the girls were honest about their understanding – or lack thereof - about the veggie dish as I hate it when you ask advice and people without knowledge just try to blag it. If you don’t know the answer that’s fine – just don’t lie to me!
Anyway these two girls were really sweet, honest and helpful. I wish I could remember their names – I do recall that one of them was from Northern Ireland though.

We waited to one side of the podium so as not to get in the way of our fellow diners who were checking in, and within a few minutes Chef Barry appeared.
He talked Paul through the ingredients used in the veggie dish and explained how it was cooked.
Although the dish would still not be my preference, I must confess Barry did make the food sound quite tempting……. And just for a change there was no dreaded tofu in sight!

After learning a bit more about Paul’s food preferences Barry was convinced that he’d enjoy the Potsticker entree.
He added that if, by some fluke it did turn out that Paul wasn’t keen, then he could just send it back and they would make up an alternative using the vegetarian side dishes on the menu. No problem!

We talked some more about where else we’d dined recently, and we all exchanged views and opinions of some of our favourite WDW restaurants.
We really warmed to Barry; he was a very personable young man and seemed to really care about his guests.
It was now around 7.15pm, and I was aware the kitchen would have been very busy, so we appreciated the time he spent with us.
Now he had hungry customers to feed and we had pre-dinner cocktails to drink, so he headed off back to the kitchen while we went next door to the cosy Territory Lounge for a Cosmopolitan.

Our restaurant choices are pretty much shaped by the vegetarian dishes on offer at WDW. Paul really loves his food (as long as it doesn’t have a face ) and very much equates eating with relaxation – so you can understand that after his previous experience at Artist Point in 2005 I was a bit nervous about returning. As we chatted in the bar I could see that Paul was totally reassured and happy after our conversation with Chef Barry, and I began to look forward to our dinner at Artist Point more than ever now.

Just as we finished our drinks, our pager went off and our table was ready.

When we were seated our server handed us our menus - but told us not to choose straight away as Chef Barry had prepared a complementary vegetarian appetiser for us.
What a lovely surprise!
We both thoroughly enjoyed this dish of fresh corn, asparagus and mushrooms in a rich velvety, truffle butter sauce.





We ordered our usual San Pellegrino and our server Gary brought us a basket of Sourdough bread and some creamy butter.
Note the fresh sage in the background – each table had a little terracotta pot of fresh herbs as a decoration rather than flowers. A nice little rustic touch I thought!





The wine list had grown immensely since we were last here, and as we are not overly familiar with the wines from the Pacific North West we were happy to accept Gary’s advice when he offered.
I think the whole relaxed, rustic mood of Wilderness Lodge had quite affected our senses as we were suddenly both fancying a deep, rich characterful red.
I must say we were impressed with Gary’s recommendation of a wine from Oregon - Rock Block, Seven Hills Syrah.
It went down exceedingly well. It was very smooth, satisfying and chock full of rich, dark red fruit and spice.
Admittedly the wine was probably more suited to January than July but as I say, at this point in time we were in a rustic frame of mind.

In order to remind ourselves it was actually summer time we both chose a light salad starter.
You’ve probably noticed that a salad with blue cheese and nuts is almost always a winner with us. And this delicious appetizer was no exception!

Mixed Green Salad with Roasted Beets, Hazelnut Gremolata, Echo Mountain Blue Cheese, Blackberry Vinaigrette




Time for the veggie entrée - I hope he likes it…….
Crispy pillows of light dough, filled with a smooth potato and chive stuffing contrasted well with the intense flavour of the spinach leaves and fresh edamame beans. The warm soy vinaigrette and deep-fried lotus root dusted with hot chilli spices gave the dish a distinct Asian flair.
Paul really enjoyed his dinner and confirmed it was a definite hit when he said he’d choose it again!

Potato Chive Pot Stickers with Edamame, Spinach and Soy Vinaigrette







My main course was a hit too!
Everything was cooked absolutely perfectly!The halibut was the real star of the show. The flesh was nicely caramelized on the outside and was beautifully moist and tender within. It was an excellent piece of fish and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite.
The waxy potatoes and fresh asparagus were perfect accompaniments.
Oh, and the delicate tasting Rose Beurre Blanc sauce was made using infused rose petals apparently. (I have to say it smelled a lot better than the rose petal perfume I used to make when I was little )

Pan-seared Halibut with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Asparagus and Rose Buerre Blanc







As usual, no room for dessert and when we got home we really wished we’d sampled the cheese plate – but that’s a recurring theme isn’t it?

Our first visit to Artist Point in 2005 may not have been the best, but I’m delighted to report that this time we both enjoyed everything about our meal.
The service, food, wine and location were all exceptional.
The whole evening turned out to be a real pleasure and we are both looking forward to a return visit very soon!

[Sue]

Wow what a fantastic report and great pics Su - I LOVE that restaurant as you know! Might just HAVE to sneak it into next year's plans now.

I like the decor and high ceilings, as you say much less cramped in there than many other WDW restaurants.

Glad to see the pre-prandial Cosmo still making it into the reports too

[Guest]

Thanks Sue - and thanks for helping to tempt us back there with your favorable report I was right to trust your tastebuds, bud

We have already booked again so I might get to try that yummy-looking pork chop you had next time!

[Sue]

Originally Posted by mcsue

Thanks Sue - and thanks for helping to tempt us back there with your favorable report I was right to trust your tastebuds, bud

We have already booked again so I might get to try that yummy-looking pork chop you had next time!

See more...

It's not on the current menu Su - there is A pork chop dish, but checking my report, I had a "smoked" one that was a Christmas special I think

I think the wine flight there is good value too - wish they offered it at all the Signature restaurants! The glasses could be a tad larger though

[Guest]

Originally Posted by Sue

The glasses could be a tad larger though

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Story of my life Sue

Seriously though I loved the wine we had that night, it was delicious.

Shame about the pork chop - I'll have to go for the scallops then I think...

[Maz]

We are eating there next Friday so this is a timely report, thanks.

[TinkTatoo]

Another first class report Su and plenty of lovely food pictures to tantalize my taste buds

[Clare]

Sue fantastic, my mouth is watering! I'm so glad you returned, and it was so much better for you than last time

We were all really impressed with Artist Point in May, it was the best meal we'd ever had. We came away feeling genuinely valued as customers, the Manager came to every table to welcome everyone and also Chef Barry was a delight when talking to me about my gluten free choices.

A big thumbs up for Artist Point

[KarenG]

What a fantastic review! It looks like you had a fantastic time- it's hard sometimes to persuade yourself to go back somewhere when you've had a disappointment there isn't it? So glad you had such a lovely meal

[Bob_and_Dawn]

Thanks for the great report Sue... I have so missed you!


Think this will be on our next list of places to visit as it's been a while since we have eaten there.


LOL at the Rose Petal perfume, I remember it well.

Dawn