Disney’s Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World offers many great dining options for guests and visitors who want to experience delicious meals and cocktails. As it sits rather close to Magic Kingdom, the resort has become a place for Disney fans to enjoy their favorites dishes at places like California Grill Lounge and Chef Mickey’s. The Wave… of American Flavors joins these popular restaurants in providing remarkable dining experiences.
The Wave… of American Flavors – The Arrival
Make your way to Disney’s Contemporary Resort to find The Wave… of American Flavors You can ride the monorail or walk from Magic Kingdom to get there. As soon as you enter the lobby, you’ll notice the stylish sign that lets you know a wonderful meal awaits your party.
Waves decorate the entire dining room, providing consistent theming throughout. Naturally, the restaurant is set up for social distancing, and just like all Walt Disney World restaurants, you’ll need to wear your mask until you’re seated.
The Wave… of American Flavors – The Menu
The menu features fresh takes on American cuisine, but with distinct flavors from other traditions to represent the diversity of American culture. While you may enjoy the Grilled Beef Tenderloin, you may just as well indulge in a bit of Indian flavor should you order the Tikka Masala. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
The Wave… of American Flavors – Entrees
On this evening, we sampled two entrees from the dinner menu. Foregoing the appetizers, we ordered the Sustainable Fish of the Day, which happened to be salmon, and the Seared Gnocchi. We haven’t been to The Wave… of American Flavors in awhile, so we were ready to dig in and enjoy.
Sustainable Fish of the Day – (Market Price)
Rice Perlou with Port Canaveral Rock Shrimp and Crab Beurre Blanc
The chefs prepared the salmon expertly and cooked it to perfection. Just look at the wonderful coloring and crisp edges. Amazingly, the salmon was tender on the inside and flaked perfectly.
The portion size matched a hungry appetite, so you’ll feel satisfied after eating. Salty, smokey notes flavored the salmon, while the rice perlou provided a bit of a kick.
The creamy crab beurre blanc sauce tied the dish together, flavoring the rice and salmon combination well.
Seared Gnocchi– $22.00
Forest Mushrooms, Sweet Potatoes, Rainbow Swiss Chard, Brown Butter-Parmesan-Sage Cream
The seared gnocchi tasted outrageously good. Again, you can taste the attention to detail the chefs took in preparing this dish. Notice the texture of the rainbow swiss chard and the seared markings on the gnocchi. The picture alone makes your mouth water.
The gnocchi felt soft, but not mushy. Additionally, they didn’t taste overly starchy.
Sweet potato chunks and mushrooms added great flavor to the mix, though they weren’t overpowering. They matched perfectly with the creamy flavor of the brown butter-Parmesan-sage cream sauce , which brought the whole dish together.
The Wave… of American Flavors – Dessert
Chocolate Flight – $11.00
Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding, Brownie Crème Brûlée, German Chocolate Cake
Starting off with the chocolate croissant bread pudding, we found the flavor to be pleasant. However, this member of our dessert trio didn’t rise to our expectations. We were hoping for something resembling a molten lava cake, but using chocolate croissant. It lacked an expected sweetness. It was more like a banana bread made with chocolate croissants.
Next, we tasted the brownie crème brûlée. Upon its arrival, we could see that the top was torched with care, not overly burnt as sometimes is the case. The flavor and consistency reminded us of cheesecake, but it paired nicely with the rich chocolate brownie beneath it. This one certainly rates as excellent on our scale.
Finally, it was time to dive into the German chocolate cake. Unfortunately, the flavors didn’t stand out as much as its two companions. Though the coconut shavings throughout added something to this dessert, the overall flavor of the cake tasted conventional and rather flat. Overall, I’d skip this and inquire about the 7 layer cake that was imported from the Top of the World Lounge.
The Wave… of American Flavors – Overall
We thought that the flavor of this meal put the quality of the cuisine of The Wave… of American Flavors back on our radar. The entrees delighted us, but the desserts didn’t excel as we hoped, except for the brownie crème brûlée. Nevertheless, the overall quality of the meal ensures that we will return to try more in the future.
Perhaps if you haven’t dined at this restaurant in awhile, you could give it another try. Or if you’re just curious, we think that these entrees will definitely satisfy your flavor cravings.