Artist Point -- Dinner -- Table Service -- Wilderness Lodge
*This dining experience took place in December 2015.
Artist Point at Disney's Wilderness Lodge is an intimate signature dining location that often gets overlooked by Disney guests. Serving Pacific Northwest inspired fare in a rustic setting, Artist Point truly reflects the theming of the Wilderness Lodge Resort and then some.Dining here in the past, I've had hit or miss experiences. On my last visit back in April 2015, I dined with Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando after they had recently launched the allergy friendly menus at Disney restaurants. Both Alexis and I enjoyed the meal overall (you can read her full review on her blog), though I didn't have a huge desire to go back anytime soon. However, that changed when I heard they had a new chef at the helm of the restaurant.On this particular occasion, we dined at Artist Point in celebration of my boyfriend's birthday. Brandon is originally from the Pacific Northwest, and so, we thought this was the perfect location to celebrate his birthday dinner.
After being seated, I was presented with the updated allergy friendly dinner menu at Artist Point. The menu lists a good amount of options on it, but I did ask to speak with a chef, as there were some menu items that sounded enticing that I was hoping would be easily gluten free and dairy free. I was in luck, as I was able to order the Pacific Seafood Cioppino which sounded delicious.
While waiting for our drinks, our server brought out Deanna's Gluten Free Rolls (formerly known as GNI Brand Rolls). I was pleasantly surprised to find them well heated. Oddly, Artist Point in visits past have not heated these rolls well.
If you are a gluten free diner, you can indeed order the cheese plate gluten free. They will remove and/or place the gluten-filled accompaniments on the side to avoid cross contamination, which is a nice touch. If you're able to tolerate goat or sheep milk cheeses, Artist Point offers several on their cheese board, which makes for a great non-cow's milk option.
The Pacific Seafood Cioppino was a perfect entree for Artist Point. The black cod, which was the highlight of this dish, was cooked perfectly, as was all of the other seafood that accompanied it. The Carolina gold rice was delicious, and the pigeon peas were a unique addition to this version of cioppino. It was hands down one of the best entrees I've ever had at Artist Point, and I wouldn't hesitate to order again!
Brandon's entree was the Grilled Filet Mignon which came with crushed new potatoes, charred local eggplant, green onions, and herb vinaigrette. Listed as gluten free on the allergy friendly menu (not dairy free), he said the filet was excellent, as were the crushed potatoes. He wasn't keen on the eggplant, as the texture wasn't very appealing (and it tasted rather bland).
After our very filling meal, neither one of us really wanted dessert. I could have ordered the no sugar added berry cobbler as an option, though having had it in the past, I hadn't been very impressed with it. Brandon opted for an espresso and was treated to a birthday macaron. And, our server also brought out two flutes of champagne to help celebrate the occasion, which was a wonderful Disney magic moment.Overall, we both really enjoyed the meal at Artist Point, as well as our service. The restaurant's atmosphere made our meal quiet and cozy, which was the perfect way to celebrate Brandon's birthday. We both agreed that with the new menu we'd definitely be up for going back again for dinner.Have you been to Artist Point since their new chef arrived? What did you think of the menu offerings?
Artist Point -- Dinner -- Table Service -- Wilderness Lodge
*This dining experience took place in April 2015. 
Artist Point, located in Disney's Wilderness Lodge, is a signature dining location with Pacific Northwest inspired food and decor. It's been several years since I've been to this restaurant, and after reading Eating WDW's recent review, I was hoping to go back soon. As luck would have it, my friend Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando had also been hoping to visit Artist Point, especially after reading about the new allergy-friendly dining menus being launched at signature dining locations at Disney in April. So, when she invited me for dinner, I of course said yes! 
Disney's Wilderness Lodge is one of my favorite resorts. I adore the theming and the general look and feel of the resort. Each of the restaurants has a distinct theme to them, and Artist Point reflects the Craftsman style of the early 20th century. The decor is simple and understated, which I love given the sprawling window views of the lodge grounds. After being seated, we were given the new allergy-friendly menu for Artist Point, which includes the top 8 common allergens: gluten/wheat, dairy/milk, egg, soy, peanut, tree nut, fish and shellfish. Our server noted that we could also order items not on the special diets menu and that the chef could work to create something delicious. Because of the new menu, the chef does not come typically out, unless we requested (which we did, to ask questions).
One interesting thing to note is that our server indicated that some dishes on the regular menu were indeed gluten free or allergy friendly but not listed on the new menu, which seemed a bit strange; however, my guess is the restaurant chose to feature the most allergy-friendly dishes on their new allergy-friendly menu, rather than just gluten free dishes. I had been eyeing the Pho on the menu, which was not on the allergy-friendly menu. Pho is typically gluten free and dairy free, so I was curious as to why it wasn't listed. Alexis and I also had some questions about the no sugar added cobbler. When the chef came out, he mentioned that the Pho was gluten free & dairy free and that he could substitute rice for the rice noodles, if I wanted. I opted to get the pho with the rice noodles, since that is how it is traditionally served and how it was listed on the menu. I debated about getting the salmon but decided the pho sounded delicious (and after ordering the seafood hot pot the last time, I didn't think I would be disappointed ordering it). Alexis ordered the salmon (which looked delicious) and you can read her full review on Gluten Free in Orlando. 
First up, we were brought GNI brand rolls. I really like these rolls when they are properly heated, but on this visit (like the last time I went to Artist Point), they were not. In fact, one of my rolls was still cold in the middle. I was served extra virgin olive oil with my rolls, and I missed the version I had the last time that had turmeric in it. 
When my entree arrived, I have to say that I was fairly impressed by the giant prawns in my dish. Like the last time I visited Artist Point, they were served with the heads on, which may be unappealing to some. Pro tip: ask for an extra bowl. Between the mussels and head-on shrimp, I needed all the extra room I could get. The broth itself was very flavorful and a bit spicy. The broth was red curry based, and I loved that the dish contained fresh ginger and garlic. The seafood was cooked perfectly, and the shrimp were outrageously good. If only I could get those on a regular basis! My only complaint for this dish was the bowl in which it was held. It was a bit too fancy and oddly shaped for the rustic and messy deliciousness that is pho.
For dessert, I decided to order the berry cobbler. I had heard rave reviews of this, and I was excited to try it (though less thrilled that it was sugar free - I'm not personally a fan of sugar free substitutes). The chef said this was made using a product called "one to one" which I'd never heard of & the crust was made with Namaste.I have to be honest in that I was disappointed with this dessert. It wasn't very warm and the cobbler crust seemed almost stale to me. It was dry, crumbly, and not particularly tasty. The shining stars in this dessert were the berries (which I love regardless of what dish they are in) and the house-made sorbet that had huge chunks of fresh berries in it. It's unfortunate that my experience wasn't so great, but I've heard so many great reviews of this, that I'm hoping I just had an off day experience. I'm not sure I'd order it again. At $11, it was pretty steeply priced, and I think that I'd rather go make a trip to Port Orleans French Quarter for gluten free and food-allergy friendly beignets. I enjoyed my meal at Artist Point, though I can't say that I'd probably go there again anytime soon. There are loads of places on property, like Sanaa or Boatwright's that I enjoy more. For signature dining, I would probably choose Jiko, Hollywood Brown Derby, or California Grill over Artist Point. It's not that it was bad by any means, but my personal taste prefers those other restaurants. I also did just visit Portland, OR for a week where I had amazing Pacific Northwest fare, so my experience may have been a bit shadowed by that. I will say that if you're looking for a quiet and romantic signature dining experience, Artist Point fits the bill quite nicely. The new allergy-friendly menu is proof that the menu has a lot of offerings for those with special dietary needs. Have you been to Artist Point? Will you go now that they have new allergy-friendly menus?
Flying Fish Cafe -- Dinner -- Table Service -- Boardwalk
*This dining experience took place in September 2014. 
If you can believe it, there are actually some restaurants on Disney World property that I have never dined. Flying Fish Cafe, located at Disney's Boardwalk Resort, is one of them. I've always been interested in the seafood-filled menu, but always skipped it for more affordable locations or for Kouzzina, my favorite Boardwalk restaurant. As a signature dining location, Flying Fish Cafe has a reputation for excellent seafood options. Admittedly, it's not a restaurant that I often hear much about, other than it has expensive but delicious seafood. Recently, I attended the Florida Bloggers Conference and had a post-meal dinner with Alexis from Gluten Free in Orlando and her family. We were both curious about the new gluten free menu available at Flying Fish Cafe for dinner and wanted to check it out. Perfect excuse to finally visit this restaurant! 
Upon arrival, the restaurant confirmed that we would both need gluten free menus and said that as a dairy free person I could also talk to the chef. It would have been awesome if they also had a dairy free menu, and I hope they will consider adding those in the future. As far as the gluten free menu itself. Wow! It was huge! There were tons of choices both for appetizers and for entrees (even sides). There were no desserts listed, but the chef did go over dessert options with us in person. I was also impressed with the amount of gluten free fried items available. You simply must check out Gluten Free in Orlando's review of the Old Bay Scented Crispy Calamari and Rock Shrimp. This looked to die for! Chef Tim went over options with me, and I decided to forgo the appetizer and go with dessert base on his suggestion that he would whip up something different for me. I will say that in the future I'd probably go for the appetizer, as the ones on Flying Fish Cafe's menu looked really good. While waiting for appetizers, bread and drinks, I got a chance to look around the restaurant which is quite beautiful. I love the mobiles and art-work. It really feels refined, yet whimsical at the same time. 
I also got a chance to meet blog reader Bonnie who was there with her husband for dinner and stopped by to say "hi." I love it when readers catch up with me! It's always so nice to meet everyone in person. After dinner, I checked in with them, and they enjoyed the meal as much as our group did! Fair to say, Flying Fish Cafe was quite good.
The rolls brought out to our table were Ener-G. It's been a while since I've seen those on property. While I can't say these are my favorite rolls, they were well heated and tasted fine with the accompanying olive oil (which was very good).
For my entree, I ordered the Oak-grilled Organic Scottish Salmon served with Spanish chorizo, marble potato, carrot, tomato, and Sweety Drop Pepper “hash,” Serrano ham crisp, Catalan-style lemon and garlic aioli and an aromatic saffron-heirloom tomato caldo. The aioli was removed from my dish (darn!) but otherwise, the dish required very little modification which was great.
The picture really doesn't do this dish any justice, but suffice it to say, it was really very good. There were a lot of flavors going on - though I wouldn't say any were really that overpowering in considering how many bold flavors were present. The salmon was delicious though a bit overcooked. The vegetables were fantastic. Very well cooked and seasoned. And the broth was just delicious!
For my dessert, Chef Tim brought out a variety of fruits with Tofutti vanilla ice cream and orange blossom honey. He must have read my mind, as the fruits were all my favorites - peaches, apricots, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries. It was fantastic to top the fruit with the honey and ice cream. And it was huge! I shared some with the table because there was so much left. Very delicious and a nice variation on fresh fruit that I'm often given.Overall, I really enjoyed my first dining experience at Flying Fish Cafe. The menu is what you would expect from a signature location, and the prices do indeed reflect that. It's not a restaurant I would go to all the time, but on occasion, definitely. I'm glad I finally added this to my Disney dining restaurant list!Have you been to Flying Fish Cafe? What do you think of the new gluten free menu?