The Incredible Expanding Women - 14 days on the DxDP ~ COMPLETE!

[MrsB1228]

Mama Melrose sounds lovely. I could just eat your dinner now !! That pasta looks delicious. We have never been here, but it certainly sounds worth a visit

We'd never been there before either and were very pleasantly surprised. Everything was really, really good! I believe it's certainly worth a visit, and IMO is one of the better restaurants in HS.

Thanks for continuing to read along!

 

[MrsB1228]

I'm sorry for the lack of updates everyone, but I'm having some computer problems. My iMac is refusing to boot up for some reason and everything I've tried hasn't worked. I'm typing this on my laptop, so I could continue the report part but my pictures are all on the iMac. A DR without pictures just isn't the same. I don't know how long it will take to get it fixed or what will be involved. I just wanted to let you know what was going on as I had hoped to have my DR wrapped up by now.

 

[Mich123]

Enjoying your report! Thanks!

 

[MrsB1228]

Enjoying your report! Thanks!

Thank you, I'm glad you're reading along!

 

[MrsB1228]

I've finally got my computer back, YAY!! The hard drive failed so it had to be replaced and then I needed to load all my backups and reinstall a few things but I'm back in business. Thank goodness I do regular backups so nothing was lost!

Anyway, on with the DR!

On our last night at WDW, we had dinner reservations at Artist Point. We had never dined here before and were looking forward to another new experience.

Our ADR was for 7:45 pm and we were seated right on time. We had a lovely server who took great care of us but of course I failed to make note of her name.

The bread service arrived while we were looking over the menu.

Fresh sourdough bread, served warm with a crispy crust and soft, fluffy center. It was served with soft butter topped with black salt and olive oil.

We both selected the mushroom soup as our appetizer.

Smoky Portobella Soup: with Roasted ****akes (****akes?? Seriously?? I hate the profanity filter! ), Chive Oil and Sourdough Croutons. This dish gets a lot of rave reviews here on the Dis and Nancy and I can totally understand why, it was outstanding!! 5/5

We decided we needed to toast our last Disney dinner.

Northwestern Exposure: Ketel One Vodka, Amaretto, Kahlua and Cream with a splash of Coca-Cola. YUM!! 5/5

We both selected the same entree.

"Berkshire" Pork Tenderloin: Beecher's Flagship Reserve Cheddar-egg Custard, Baby Fennel, Black Mission Figs, Pearl Onions and Fig Reduction. OMG!! This was incredible! The pork was unbelievably tender and the whole meal had amazing flavour. We were both blown away. 5/5

Continuing the trend for this meal, we both ordered the same dessert.

Artist Point Cobbler: Seasonal Berries and House-made Black Raspberry Ice Cream. This dish also has a large fan base here. It can now add two more members to the club because Nancy and I both loved every bite of this. The ice cream was creamy and sweet and contained juicy bits of raspberry. The fruit on top of the cobbler was fresh and perfectly ripe and the cobbler itself was sweet, warm perfection. Another perfect 5/5.

The meal was extremely well-paced. We never felt rushed but we also never had to wait for the next course or for refills of water or coffee after dessert. Overall, Artist Point receives a solid, perfect 5/5 from both of us. It was a great choice for our final Disney dinner!

Up Next: I wrap up with some final thoughts and our choices for favourite Signature Restaurant, Non-Signature Restaurant, Food & Wine Selection and Adult Beverage. Stay tuned! ​

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Glad your computer is working again, you don't realise how much you use it until it breaks down!!

Your last meal sounds like a perfect ending, great food and service I have really enjoyed your dining report and want to say thank you for letting me join in

 

[disney meema]

I've been reading along .... Great dining report : )

 

[smile4stamps]

Just caught up on your last 2 reviews. Several times this last trip my husband asked me how come we haven't been back to Mama Melroses... I guess I need to rectify that this next trip.


Artist Point is a restaurant that has menu items we should love but we also leave feeling Meh... It hasn't made it back into our line-up the last few trips and I doubt it will the next one either. I do love the Mushroom soup though!!

 

[MrsB1228]

Glad your computer is working again, you don't realise how much you use it until it breaks down!!

Your last meal sounds like a perfect ending, great food and service I have really enjoyed your dining report and want to say thank you for letting me join in

I'm glad you enjoyed my DR Samantha, and thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Knowing people are reading and finding the reviews helpful encourages me to keep going.

I've been reading along .... Great dining report : )

Thanks so much!

Just caught up on your last 2 reviews. Several times this last trip my husband asked me how come we haven't been back to Mama Melroses... I guess I need to rectify that this next trip.


Artist Point is a restaurant that has menu items we should love but we also leave feeling Meh... It hasn't made it back into our line-up the last few trips and I doubt it will the next one either. I do love the Mushroom soup though!!

Mama Melrose was a pleasant surprise. Both DS and I really enjoyed it.

I was honestly surprised that Artist Point was as good as it was. I have read mixed reviews for it but our experience was incredible. Everything was sooo good and that mushroom soup is seriously addictive.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Love the Artist Point review! I'm always happy to hear about someone else enjoying it, as sometimes the mixed reviews make me wonder why I like it so much. Interestingly, a recent visit to Seattle has helped me appreciate AP's menu even more, as I recognize a few more of the Pacific Northwest influences (such as Beecher's Cheese in your pork dish - their cheeses are great!).

 

[MrsB1228]

Love the Artist Point review! I'm always happy to hear about someone else enjoying it, as sometimes the mixed reviews make me wonder why I like it so much. Interestingly, a recent visit to Seattle has helped me appreciate AP's menu even more, as I recognize a few more of the Pacific Northwest influences (such as Beecher's Cheese in your pork dish - their cheeses are great!).

Great to see you back on the boards DDW, have you finished your studies for the summer?

Truthfully, I was a little leery of AP since the reviews can be so mixed but we were very happy we kept the ADR. Every component of the meal was spot-on and we had a lovely experience. It's definitely on our "must-do" list for the future!

 

[MrsB1228]

I thought I'd wrap up this DR with a posting of our vacation dining favourites, along with some honourable mentions. I'll also briefly touch on the experiences that were disappointing, but I don't like to dwell on the negative.

We tried all the Signature restaurants except for one (sorry Narcoossee's, we'll visit you another time!) so I'll start with our choice for top spot among the ones we tried. To recap, we dined at:

Le Cellier
Hollywood Brown Derby
Jiko
Citrico's (twice)
California Grill
Yachtsman Steak House
Flying Fish
Artist Point

Our pick for top spot goes to:

ARTIST POINT!

We were both surprised that this would rank as our favourite experience, especially after the many wonderful Signature experiences we had, but this meal was simply perfection from start to finish. Service was also wonderful and that has an impact, either positive or negative, on the overall enjoyment of your meal. Everything at AP deserved a 5/5 rating.

Tied for second place is:

CITRICO'S

And ...

JIKO

Both of these experiences were top notch, we both LOVED the salad at Jiko and our first visit to Citrico's was truly magical due to the special little touches they included for DS's birthday.

I also have to acknowledge the incredible "Land" salad at Yachtsman Steakhouse. It was hands-down our favourite salad of the trip!

Our biggest disappointment in the Signature category was California Grill. I was pretty bummed about this because CG was the one Signature I was really, really looking forward to. The view from the restaurant can't be beat, but sadly the food and service were lacking on the night of our visit. I wouldn't cross it off my list completely, as any restaurant can have a bad night, but I'm not in a rush to return.

I'm going to split this post into two parts so I don't go over the allowed number of images. Part two is next.​

 

[MrsB1228]

Our choice for favourite non-Signature restaurant goes to:

VIA NAPOLI!

This restaurant is a return favourite and it has never let us down. Our meal here was absolutely wonderful from start to finish and service was fantastic as well. This is definitely a must-do for us!

Coming in a very close second:

RAGLAN ROAD SUNDAY BRUNCH

With the exception of the overcooked egg, everything about this experience, from the food to the service, was perfection.

Our biggest disappointment in the non-Signature category was without a doubt, Restaurant Marrakesh.

... 'Nuff said.

Our top picks from our Food and Wine selections are:

Ribeye and Shrimp Tacos and Sangria from Mexico. YUM!

Apple Strudel with Wether's Original Caramel and Vanilla Sauce from Germany.

Shakin' Jamaican Coffee: Made with Kāhlua, Vanilla and Caramel from the American Adventure Coffee Cart. I hope they serve it again this year!!

Well, that's it for this dining review. Thanks so much to everyone who stuck with me during the many delays. It's because of you that I kept going and got it finished.

For those of you who are planning your next WDW trip, I hope you have a magical time and maybe I'll see you there! ​

 

[SPOERLX3]

Our choice for favourite non-Signature restaurant goes to:

Apple Strudel with Wether's Original Caramel and Vanilla Sauce from Germany.

For those of you who are planning your next WDW trip, I hope you have a magical time and maybe I'll see you there! ​

oh how I hope this is still at the food and wine festival this year!!

 

[englishrose47]

Great ending !! Raglan Road is my favorite, eat there just about every trip and have never been disappointed with either the food or the service. The wonderful way they treated our 8 Developmentally disabled last Fall, puts them way up there on a pedestal.

 

[MrsB1228]

oh how I hope this is still at eht food and wine festival this year!!

I hope so too! I think it's been included the last few years so hopefully it will be offered again this year!

Thanks for reading!

Great ending !! Raglan Road is my favorite, eat there just about every trip and have never been disappointed with either the food or the service. The wonderful way they treated our 8 Developmentally disabled last Fall, puts them way up there on a pedestal.

We love Raglan Road too, and DH and I are planning to visit twice on our upcoming trip. We always have our arrival night dinner at RR, it's become a tradition; and I have to include Sunday Brunch now too. We can't wait!

Thanks for reading along and for taking the time to comment!

 

[disney meema]

Wow what a fabulous review and vacation you both had!! Loved all your pictures and great reviews as well as your descriptions of each restaurant. I personally was so happy to see Artist Point as your top signature meal since we are staying at WL and this will be our arrival day meal : ) We do have Narcoossee's on our Nov trip ADR so I'll let you know what we think. I did have California grill yet years ago I had a not so fabulous meal and after reading a dozen or more reviews with ok reviews I cancelled our reservations. Incredible review all around so thank you for letting us follow along and enjoy your dining experiences

 

[smile4stamps]

Thank so much for sharing your reviews! I love Via Napoli as well! Our Signature choices differ quite a bit though! CA GRill is our Fav but that is heavily influenced by our friendship with Chef Eddie

 

[jenjersnap]

I mostly lurk the Dining Reviews but I wanted to let you know I read every entry and enjoyed your report very much. We usually do DxDDP so those are always particularly interesting to me! Really need to make a spot for Artist Point, it is the only signature I have never eaten at, I believe. CG has always been hit or miss for us but the overall experience keeps reeling me back in!

 

[JenniferMA1]

Hi, I'm new to these boards, and I'm still learning how to navigate. Specifically I'm looking for reviews of the Wishes dessert party, and if there is a wishes dining. I've tried searching, but it only comes up with whole threads...is there a better way? Or should I start a new thread? I don't want to break any rules