Artist Point reopened today at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge with Story Book Dining with Snow White returning. The menu has undergone a few changes, so we stopped by to try it out and say hello to friends from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” again!
Interior
Artist Point is located on the first floor of Disney’s Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World.
When seated, Guests are centered around this serving dish designed to hold the various plates from which food is served, a wonderful thematic touch.
The interior follows the resort’s turn-of-the-century National Park lodge theming, with rustic architecture and plenty of wood, even a few faux tree limbs are part of the interior decor.
Characters
Guests have the opportunity to take pictures of a few friends from the classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” during their meal.
The characters we spotted were Snow White, Dopey, Grumpy, and the Evil Queen. All four characters wander around the restaurant, remaining distanced from Guests due to COVID-19 safety protocols. This is a particularly notable change for the Evil Queen, who used to remain stationery near her book.
Appetizers
Every great meal begins with a delicious opener, and we had three to choose from, plus one kids option.
Wild Mushroom Bisque
Crispy mushroom
This one’s a thick and hearty soup that we thoroughly enjoyed, we highly recommend it.
Wicked Shrimp Cocktail
Bloody Mary Vinaigrette, Seaweed Salad, and Spiced House-made Seasoning
The shrimp were a little bit fishy, but the crisp greens made this a decent choice.
Hunter’s Pie
Turkey and Chicken, Black Truffle, Cranberry Preserve, and Crispy Sauerkraut
The truffle and cranberry flavors remain prominent even among the delicious meatball that takes the center stage in this appetizer. We loved this one, all the way down to the crispy crust on the outside.
Kids’ Appetizer: From the Garden
Create-Your-Own Honey-Butter with Fruits, Vegetables, and Cheese
Young or old, this is a great choice for anyone to create your own honey butter. It’s fun to “plant” the vegetables in the provided pot, and you get apples, string cheese, carrots, snap peas, and cucumber slices in the pot along with chocolate crumbs and a “shovel”. Ranch is also provided in the other jar.
Entrées
The main course makes or breaks the meal, and there’s plenty of choices at Artist Point to cater for different tastes. But there’s also plenty of difference between the excellent and not-so-good here, so choose carefully!
Cottage Beef Stroganoff
Tender Beef, Preserved Vegetables, Spätzle, Mushrooms, and Aged Cow’s Milk Cheese
The spätzle was a good consistency, not too doughy, and the meat was not in short supply. It was slight salty, but a hearty, filling dish overall that we would gladly eat again. Our only complaint was that the vegetables on top were plain.
A Stroll through Nature
Asparagus, Leeks, Arugula, Gnocchi, Sage, and Parmesan
Vegetarian options don’t often stand up well against meat entrees, but this one does. Loaded with cheese, this Gnocchi heavy entree was our second favorite dish of the five we tried. The asparagus was perfect, not too hard, not too soft. Possibly the best gnocchi dish at the Vacation Kingdom of the World, and that says a lot because there are quite a few. We know it’s not the best value of the entrees, but it’s so good that you may forget that.
Brother’s Grimm Herb Chicken
Cauliflower Purée, Roasted Vegetables, and Chicken Jus
The chicken is nothing out of the ordinary, but it’s well made, offering tender and juicy bites. But where this dish really shines is the accompaniments, with the Brussels Sprouts bursting with flavor. The potatoes and apples are enjoyable as well, rounding out the dish nicely.
Sorceress Spell of “Tricken” Chicken
Herb-crushed Potatoes, Snap Peas, and Vegetable Jus (Plant-based)
The chicken itself was delicious and well cooked, and we particularly enjoyed the seasoning. However, the menu advertises snap peas and herb-crushed potatoes but cauliflower, carrots, and wilted greens were the sides. Not a huge deal, they were still fine. The jus was a little gelatinous, but tasted decent.
Royal Prime Rib Roast
Horseradish-Mashed Potato, Carrots, and Jus
The quality of the prime rib was just OK, it was pretty bland and a little tough. The horseradish mashed potatoes were our favorite part of the meal, offering enough of a spicy kick to satisfy. The popover was good, flaky on the outside, doughy on the inside. The hay-smoked carrots, on the other hand, were the most vile thing we’ve possibly ever had on Disney property. They were hard, possibly under-cooked, and had the smell of a horrible body odor. They taste just like their putrid smell.
Magic Mirror’s Slow-braised Pork Shank
Horseradish-Mashed Potato, Wilted Greens, and Jus
Unfortunately, the shank was slightly under-seasoned and a little dry. But the real star here is the mashed potatoes and jus below, which were absolutely excellent. They come with a strong horseradish flavor in each bite, which may be off-putting for some, but it was enjoyed by everyone here.
Desserts
Of course, we can’t forget about the best part of the meal—sweet time! We tried all four of the available desserts to see how well they turned out.
Miner’s Treasures
Cookies ‘n Cream Panna Cotta and Chocolate Gems
The Panna cotta itself had good consistency, but we didn’t get detect much cookie in the “cookies and cream” flavor, more of a plain vanilla. However, a chocolate coin underneath the Panna cotta added a nice crunch, which is needed for softer desserts. Those Dopey hats are edible and made of white chocolate, but they’re not as sweet as the chocolate coins beneath the Panna cotta and came across as grainy.
“Poison Apple”
Dark Chocolate-Apple Mousse and Sour Center
Despite being advertised as having a sour core, we didn’t get much in the way of “sour” here. It’s simply dark chocolate mousse with a fruity inside. The interior core tasted more like raspberry, which paired well with the chocolate. This was enjoyable even though it didn’t fit the description, and certainly makes for a pretty presentation.
Fairy Tale Gooseberry Tart
Meringue and Gooseberry
This might be the crowd-pleasing choice for all. The tart crust was very soft, not like the crispy tart that came with the Hunter’s Pie appetizer. But that fits better for this sort of dish. The filling inside certainly matches, with a distinct gooseberry flavor that isn’t. overly sweet. The meringue on had a nice crispy shell while the inside was pillowy, making this a fine way to cap off your meal.
The Hunter’s Gift to the Queen
This is merely a trio of decadent chocolate truffles, with dark chocolate and fruit flavors. They’re delicious of course, but nothing particularly mind-blowing to write home about.
Cocktails
Artist Point offers a few special alcoholic cocktails themed to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs during the dinner service.
Enchanted Apple
Skyy Infusions Citrus Vodka, DeKuyper Pucker Sour Apple, and White Cranberry Juice
An interesting take on the cosmopolitan, but the taste was perhaps too artificial for some. The sour apple overpowered the other, so be advised if you were ordering this for any cranberry or citrus flavor.
Alchemy
Tanqueray Gin, St~Germain Elderflower Liqueur, and Watermelon
The elderflower liquor and gin are the prominent flavors but both are extremely subtle. The elderflower lingers, however.
The Smoking Mirror
Johnnie Walker Black, Wildberry, Lime, and Rosemary Smoke
This drink came out smoking, which was neat, but it lasted so short of a period that none of us got a picture of it. This was the most unique of the three drinks we ordered, not only in presentation, but it had a smoky flavor as well. It was also the strongest of the drinks we had by far thanks to the Johnnie Walker Black scotch. I would order this again.
The Antidote
Bacardí Superior Rum, Hickory Smoke, Lime Juice and Ginger Beer
We personally weren’t fans of this, the smoke was really intense to the point I felt like it tasted like gasoline. The alcohol was there but hidden under the intensity of the smoke.
Evil to the Core
Patrón Silver Tequila, Blackberry Brandy, Habanero and Orange Juice
This tastes (and looks) very similar to many offerings of this style you can find all around Walt Disney World. It’s syrup-heavy and sweeter than expected, with a massive pile of blackberry seeds sitting at the bottom. We wouldn’t have this again.
A Brew of Peaches
Jim Beam Black Extra-aged Bourbon, Peach, Raspberry and Brûlée Demerara Sugar
The bourbon is extremely evident, and the raspberries are an aftertaste. This drink is slightly sweet due to the peach and raspberry intensifying the sweetness of the bourbon, but we enjoyed it in the end.
Overall, while the quality of some food has taken a slight decline at Artist Point, we still find this to be a solid choice. Characters and the experience are mostly the same as before, except remaining distanced for the time being. It may not be the finest restaurant at Walt Disney World from a culinary perspective, but you certainly won’t be disappointed either. And it remains one of the more beautiful restaurants in the Vacation Kingdom of the World; we’re very glad to see it back.
Let us know in the comments what your thoughts are about Artist Point and whether you’re looking forward to dining here again!
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The post REVIEW: Story Book Dining in Artist Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Returns with Delicious Entreés and Delectable Desserts appeared first on WDW News Today.