French Fry Diary 278: Whispering Canyon Café, Lunch 2011

The Bride and I had had a wonderful breakfast at the Whispering Canyon Café just a few hours before, but we previously had lunch reservations with Dom and Cindy and the kids for lunch, so here we were, back again. We were even joined by The Bride's second cousin who lives in the Orlando area.

I love this place, and not just for the bottomless milkshakes. It's interactive with the waitstaff and there's always a show of some kind, watch out though, you may be part of it. Ask for ketchup, ask for straws, and you'll see that's just the tip of the interactive iceberg here at the Café.

For the most part however it was a quiet lunch this day, as in not much interaction with the staff, but we all had a nice chat getting to know each other better. A rather tense moment was had for all in the dining room when news of an earthquake in Washington DC hit. You might remember as this happened in August, and the quake was felt as far north as New York. We had to call home to make sure everything was all right in New Jersey, all was okay though. It was a scary moment however, almost like 9/11, as everyone in the dining room was silent and on their cellphone, either calling loved ones or checking the news.

For lunch I got the Angus Chuck bacon cheeseburger sans bacon and cheese (I still had the bad taste of the bacon cheeseburger from Captain Cook's on my mind), fries of course, and the wonderful all-you-care-to-enjoy milkshakes (I had two). The burger was very good, and the fries were the Disney standard, natural cuts, good when hot.

It was a rather somber meal because of the earthquake, but good times just the same with friends and family.

French Fry Diary 276: Whispering Canyon Café, Breakfast

Circumstances collided and we ended up hitting the Whispering Canyon Café for both breakfast and lunch one day of our vacation. Not a problem though, we like the place. We've been twice before on our two previous trips to Walt Disney World.

For breakfast they had a very tempting, very fattening raisin bread French toast with cinnamon icing, I had to have that. The Bride ordered some potatoes, and promised I could have some. I also ordered a Coke, as I'm not a coffee drinker and orange juice just doesn't wake me up. Check the photo to see what they brought. Even being almost all ice, it was still almost as much as a two-liter bottle of Coca-Cola.

The French toast was to die for, even before the syrup, and fantastic when you get a raisin. It's not as good as say French toast made with raisin challah bread, or the Pop Shop's cinnamon roll French toast, or even the French toast my big sister used to make me on Saturday mornings for breakfast while watching cartoons, but it's damn good. The potatoes were roasted red potatoes, cut into wedges, and were gigantic -

Sorry, I had to stop writing on my iPhone notepad, someone other than The Bride needed the ketchup. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, ask for ketchup while you're here at Whispering Canyon.

As I was saying, before I got interrupted, the potato wedges are so gigantic that you have to cut them up to eat them. They are soft and hot on the inside like baked potatoes and have a nice seared outside. The maple syrup also adds a nice flavor as well. Aces on the potatoes. I can't wait for lunch.

French Fry Diary 273: Roaring Fork, Wilderness Lodge

From the Disney Dream, we continued our vacation in Walt Disney World, with a stay at the Wilderness Lodge. We had been there twice before to have dinner at the Whispering Canyon Café. I was so blown away by the gigantic lobby of this hotel that I decided, if we could, someday it would be fantastic to stay there, and especially get a room on the lobby. We did it this time. It might cost a bit more, but it was more than worth it, I have a new favorite hotel at Disney.

The Roaring Fork is the quick service 'restaurant' at the Wilderness Lodge, as opposed to the main restaurant, the Whispering Canyon Cafe. I've heard it's more of a breakfast place but I hit it for lunch one day of my stay, and I got, what else, French fries.

At first glance they appeared to be the same natural cuts available most everywhere in the Disney properties, but these were a little different. Fries of course sometimes depend more on who's cooking than how they're cooked. This might be the case with these.

These natural cuts are just a bit more golden brown and crispier than the Disney standard, and, for me at least, a little yummier. However the cost if the place without the Disney Dining Plan is pretty extravagant, especially for a counter service. So, worth it for 'free,' but not if you have to pay for them. You're better off at the other two restaurants at Wilderness Lodge - the aforementioned Whispering Canyon Café or Artist Point.

French Fry Diary 160: Whispering Canyon Café 2010

On our last trip to Walt Disney World, our dinner at the Whispering Canyon Café was one of the highlights. In the gorgeous lobby of the Wilderness Lodge, this restaurant is not just good food, it's an interactive experience disguised as an old west hillbilly homey eatin' joint. Reminiscent of the now-defunct Adventurers Club (come on, Disney, bring it back!), this is about fun and atmosphere more than the food, but the food is great too.

The favorite fried food is just as good as it was last time, as was the show. The fries were regular cuts, hot and especially tasty with the barbeque sauce that comes with the ribs. The Bride got the sweet potato fries which were very crispy, and not bad, and that's saying a lot considering I'm really not a SPF guy.

One small disappointment this trip was that they changed up the shakes. Last time we had had these 'all you care to drink' shakes that came in a staggering variety of flavors. There were traditional like chocolate and the like, but also stuff like bubble gum and mint and butterscotch. By the end of the meal we had almost tried every type. Now they only have the primary flavors - brown, white and pink. Still damn good either way.

All in all, horse races, the Hokey-Pokey, straw throwing, and especially server attitude - this was a fun dinner and night. And don't forget to ask for ketchup!

French Fry Diary 52: Whispering Canyon Café, Wilderness Lodge, WDW

Atmosphere atmosphere atmosphere, with a touch of Disney magic thrown in for good measure – that’s what the Whispering Canyon Café is all about. Nestled in the majestic Wilderness Lodge resort in Walt Disney World, this restaurant is a wonderful western frontier themed experience for the whole family.

Our waitress was Goldie, alias Allison from Naperville IL, and our entertainment for the evening. A six-year Disney veteran, she was a delight in character and out. From throwing straws and napkins at us to explaining the menu to keeping the endless supply of milkshakes in various flavors coming, she was great and made the evening nothing but fun.

All that said, the food was great. The steak was the best I’ve had in quite some time. There was sweet corn on the cob and sweet corn bread as well. What’s that? Did I forget about the favorite fried food? Nope, not a chance. The natural regular cut French fries were hot and delicious. Nothing special really, but made extra special by the magical atmosphere.

Helping in the fries department was the bbq sauce that came with the ribs. It was reminiscent of the fantastic bbq sauce you used to be able to find at the now defunct Rib-It restaurant chain. It was the best I’ve had in a while and excellent for fry dipping. Now any regular readers of this blog know I’m not a ketchup guy, but – whether you want it or not, you must ask for ketchup here. Trust me.

This evening at the Whispering Canyon Café was great, the kind of dining experience Disney is known for. Fun fun fun. This place is definitely on the agenda for our next visit to Walt Disney World. Highly recommended.