Overview:
The Wave is the new offering at the Comtemporary Hotel located in the area that used to be the arcade. When considering a theme for this restaurant, Disney decided to go with a New world effect using modern menus, decor, and ethics. Ethics you say? Yes, the majority of the food and drink served in the restaurant are 100% organic. Additionally as a converse to the California Grill located on the top floor (which serves mostly north american, north asian, and european foods/drinks) they decided to make the Wave a 'south of the equator' themed experience. This review encompasses a dinner service.
Decor:
Upon entering the restaurant, we were immediately taken with the warm amber lighting in contrast to the deep blue decor. Think the blue sky and water against a beach at sunset and you get the idea. You enter through a steel/aluminum series of wave (rip curl) arches lit from within by white and blue led lighting, while the walls are the warm amber. Upon arriving at the entry area, you see that there are two dark blue semi-circle niches in the right hand wall which are used as a seating area for the bar, as well as waiting patrons. Directly behind the wall behind the matre de's desk is the bar itself featuring a small and cozy drinking environment.
Heading into the dining area itself, provided us with a sea of tables and booths set off at various locations by curtain draped pillars and dividing walls. The amber and blue motif carries us into the main area with amber metal waves covering the ceiling back lit by amber and yellow neon. Different modern style chandeliers light the various areas providing a very nice warm eating environment. You will not find any pictures on the wall or anything that is not architectural in design as they went for a simple but cozy/warm feel. The tables, chairs, plates, wine glasses, and silverware are all very high class but simple in design.
Menu:
While like most Disney eating establishments, you are only offered a small number of options for entree's. But each of them had a signature style and feel to them and offered a wine pairing for each dish. Additionally they did offer a "renewable" fish of the day entree that I was very close to ordering. Most of the dishes (both entrees and appetizers) had unique flair to them (special sauces, marinated, garnishes). But there were more approachable entrees like the chicken pot pie for those who wanted a simpler faire.
The one surprise here was that when I was waiting for our table, I had noticed the bar menu selection of appetizers which was different that those on the normal menu. While I felt that some of those were obviously snack food options for the bar area, there were some that would be well welcome to the dining patron as well. Upon asking our waiter if these selections were available at the table, he assured us it would be no problem to order any of those selections.
Prices varries from $6.95 to $12.95 for appetizers and $14.95 to $28.99 for the entrees. Dessert was a fixed price at $7.95. All meals included their hearth baked bread with organic butter topped with sea salt garnish, which was a very nice bread offering and the butter was to die for.
Wine:
What can I say, the wine selection here is unique. All of the offerings are from southern equator wineries and other than the sparkling wines, every bottle has a screw cap. They feature selections from Brazil, Chile, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. What makes this wine list amazing is the selections of new fresh wineries from around the world, some of which are only bottling in America for the Wave.
When we asked a few questions about the wine list, the bar manager came over and talked with us about many of the options and even suggested a few possibilities. Eventually they offered us samples of two of the wines before choosing. Since we were both having the Chimichuri flank steak for dinner, both offerings were reds. The first was the suggested wine pairing for the entree - the Marquis Phillips "Sarah's Blend" 2006 from South East Australia. A very nice syyrah grape with a smooth overall texture and nice high notes along the back of the palate with a bit of bite. The other wine they suggested was a Spy Valley Pinot Noir 2006 from Malborough New Zealand. This wines even finish and blackberry notes led us to choose it for our selection. It was an excellent choice.
About 60% of the wines were available by the glass, and most of the prices were a bit on the pricey side 7-18$ per glass and 30-70$ per bottle but that is not overly surprising due to the small wineries being dealt with.
Appetizers:
We chose the Potato/Lentil Soup with Brie Grilled Cheese side sandwhich and from the bar menu the Edamame with Sea Salt and Chili. The soup was the soup of the day and provided a creamy, hearty, and very tasty dish. The Brie Grilled Cheese was made for dipping into the soup and was a nice easy compliment to it.
The Edamame was not available on the normal menu, but should have been. It was a nicely sweet/hot thai chili sause with sea salt crystals. Inexpensive and delicious.
Entree:
Both my fiance and I had the Chimichuri Flank steak for our entre. It arrived sliced and done to perfection. The overall presentation was good with the steak resting on a bed of thin sliced carrots and red peppers. The Chimichuri was drizzled over the top and around the edge of the plate. Topping the steak was a dollup of guacamole. The steak itself was tender and juicy spite it being a flank cut. It was prepared exactly to the medium well that I like it, and was an excellent offering.
Dessert:
Dessert is done a bit differently from other Disney restaurants. Following the example of mini-deserts that are cropping up all over the fern-bar world, The wave decided to offer twelve different desserts falling into four categories. But you can mix and match any three desserts to your choosing. We sampled the raspberry cheesecake, fresh blueberries and gelato, lemon cornbread, chocolate mousse, and Chocolate passion fruit truffle. The servings were enough to get a good taste of each creation. Each dessert was executed well and provided a fine end to a great meal. Out of those we tried, the Cheesecake and the fresh blueberries were the standouts in my mind.
Staff:
This was the true gem of our visit. From the moment we walked up to the matre de station, we were greeted with a friendly smile. Our waiter was superb, as we watched him go from table to table he treated each group as if they were really special. We struck a chord with him and eventually made a friend as he told us about the restaurant. When we were choosing between the wines, he brought the bar manager over to talk with us about them. And at the end of our three hour meal, when we asked about a recipe for the edamame, he even brought out the head chef and both of them sat at our table and talked with us for a bit. The staff could not get higher marks in my mind. That's what turned a good meal into a fabulous experience.
Final Note:
If you like good wine, an excellent setting, great staff, and wonderfully inspired foods, you will like the Wave. Each aspect of the experience was above par and combined to make an enjoyable evening. And if you go - Ask for Jimmy V for your waitstaff. You won't be sorry.
The Wave is the new offering at the Comtemporary Hotel located in the area that used to be the arcade. When considering a theme for this restaurant, Disney decided to go with a New world effect using modern menus, decor, and ethics. Ethics you say? Yes, the majority of the food and drink served in the restaurant are 100% organic. Additionally as a converse to the California Grill located on the top floor (which serves mostly north american, north asian, and european foods/drinks) they decided to make the Wave a 'south of the equator' themed experience. This review encompasses a dinner service.
Decor:
Upon entering the restaurant, we were immediately taken with the warm amber lighting in contrast to the deep blue decor. Think the blue sky and water against a beach at sunset and you get the idea. You enter through a steel/aluminum series of wave (rip curl) arches lit from within by white and blue led lighting, while the walls are the warm amber. Upon arriving at the entry area, you see that there are two dark blue semi-circle niches in the right hand wall which are used as a seating area for the bar, as well as waiting patrons. Directly behind the wall behind the matre de's desk is the bar itself featuring a small and cozy drinking environment.
Heading into the dining area itself, provided us with a sea of tables and booths set off at various locations by curtain draped pillars and dividing walls. The amber and blue motif carries us into the main area with amber metal waves covering the ceiling back lit by amber and yellow neon. Different modern style chandeliers light the various areas providing a very nice warm eating environment. You will not find any pictures on the wall or anything that is not architectural in design as they went for a simple but cozy/warm feel. The tables, chairs, plates, wine glasses, and silverware are all very high class but simple in design.
Menu:
While like most Disney eating establishments, you are only offered a small number of options for entree's. But each of them had a signature style and feel to them and offered a wine pairing for each dish. Additionally they did offer a "renewable" fish of the day entree that I was very close to ordering. Most of the dishes (both entrees and appetizers) had unique flair to them (special sauces, marinated, garnishes). But there were more approachable entrees like the chicken pot pie for those who wanted a simpler faire.
The one surprise here was that when I was waiting for our table, I had noticed the bar menu selection of appetizers which was different that those on the normal menu. While I felt that some of those were obviously snack food options for the bar area, there were some that would be well welcome to the dining patron as well. Upon asking our waiter if these selections were available at the table, he assured us it would be no problem to order any of those selections.
Prices varries from $6.95 to $12.95 for appetizers and $14.95 to $28.99 for the entrees. Dessert was a fixed price at $7.95. All meals included their hearth baked bread with organic butter topped with sea salt garnish, which was a very nice bread offering and the butter was to die for.
Wine:
What can I say, the wine selection here is unique. All of the offerings are from southern equator wineries and other than the sparkling wines, every bottle has a screw cap. They feature selections from Brazil, Chile, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. What makes this wine list amazing is the selections of new fresh wineries from around the world, some of which are only bottling in America for the Wave.
When we asked a few questions about the wine list, the bar manager came over and talked with us about many of the options and even suggested a few possibilities. Eventually they offered us samples of two of the wines before choosing. Since we were both having the Chimichuri flank steak for dinner, both offerings were reds. The first was the suggested wine pairing for the entree - the Marquis Phillips "Sarah's Blend" 2006 from South East Australia. A very nice syyrah grape with a smooth overall texture and nice high notes along the back of the palate with a bit of bite. The other wine they suggested was a Spy Valley Pinot Noir 2006 from Malborough New Zealand. This wines even finish and blackberry notes led us to choose it for our selection. It was an excellent choice.
About 60% of the wines were available by the glass, and most of the prices were a bit on the pricey side 7-18$ per glass and 30-70$ per bottle but that is not overly surprising due to the small wineries being dealt with.
Appetizers:
We chose the Potato/Lentil Soup with Brie Grilled Cheese side sandwhich and from the bar menu the Edamame with Sea Salt and Chili. The soup was the soup of the day and provided a creamy, hearty, and very tasty dish. The Brie Grilled Cheese was made for dipping into the soup and was a nice easy compliment to it.
The Edamame was not available on the normal menu, but should have been. It was a nicely sweet/hot thai chili sause with sea salt crystals. Inexpensive and delicious.
Entree:
Both my fiance and I had the Chimichuri Flank steak for our entre. It arrived sliced and done to perfection. The overall presentation was good with the steak resting on a bed of thin sliced carrots and red peppers. The Chimichuri was drizzled over the top and around the edge of the plate. Topping the steak was a dollup of guacamole. The steak itself was tender and juicy spite it being a flank cut. It was prepared exactly to the medium well that I like it, and was an excellent offering.
Dessert:
Dessert is done a bit differently from other Disney restaurants. Following the example of mini-deserts that are cropping up all over the fern-bar world, The wave decided to offer twelve different desserts falling into four categories. But you can mix and match any three desserts to your choosing. We sampled the raspberry cheesecake, fresh blueberries and gelato, lemon cornbread, chocolate mousse, and Chocolate passion fruit truffle. The servings were enough to get a good taste of each creation. Each dessert was executed well and provided a fine end to a great meal. Out of those we tried, the Cheesecake and the fresh blueberries were the standouts in my mind.
Staff:
This was the true gem of our visit. From the moment we walked up to the matre de station, we were greeted with a friendly smile. Our waiter was superb, as we watched him go from table to table he treated each group as if they were really special. We struck a chord with him and eventually made a friend as he told us about the restaurant. When we were choosing between the wines, he brought the bar manager over to talk with us about them. And at the end of our three hour meal, when we asked about a recipe for the edamame, he even brought out the head chef and both of them sat at our table and talked with us for a bit. The staff could not get higher marks in my mind. That's what turned a good meal into a fabulous experience.
Final Note:
If you like good wine, an excellent setting, great staff, and wonderfully inspired foods, you will like the Wave. Each aspect of the experience was above par and combined to make an enjoyable evening. And if you go - Ask for Jimmy V for your waitstaff. You won't be sorry.