Rick N Roxy!

Whispering Canyon Cafe

The Whispering Canyon Cafe is at the Wilderness Lodge resort.  I think that I’d like to stay at this resort the next time we visit Disney.  It’s very rustic and brings back pleasant memories of time spent in the forests of Upper Michigan…

I had been anticipating our visit to the Whispering Canyon Cafe because of what I had heard about their gluten-free corn bread and the popular Canyon Skillet meal.  It was everything (and more) that I had heard….an excellent meal!

We had taken the boat from Port Orleans to Downtown Disney, and then a bus to the Wilderness Lodge – total travel time approximately 1 hour.  Fortunately, we left plenty of time for travel and arrived before our reservation time of 7:00 p.m.  We were seated at 6:50 p.m.  The restaurant is very rustic with a log cabin feel to it.  We lucked out and were seated at a table for 2 right next to the fireplace.  It had been raining all day, so it was very nice to sit next to a roaring fire, even if it was early September in Florida.

Our Chef was Eddie and he gave me a list of the items from their menu that were gluten-free.  Other than the Canyon Skillet, they included the Whiskey Maple-glazed Trout, Grilled Rib-Eye Steak, Smoked Pork Loin, or Beef Short Ribs.  Only the two remaining items on the menu could not accommodate a celiac, and they were the Meatloaf and the Chicken Vegetable Penne Pasta.

Canyon Skillet

The Canyon Skillet (all-you-care-to-enjoy) consists of: Smoked Pork Ribs, Pulled Pork, Oven-Roasted Chicken, Beef Brisket, Mashed Potatoes, Cowboy Beans, and Corn-on-the-Cob.  It comes with a Mixed Greens Salad with Apple Viniagrette and Fresh-Baked Cornbread.  Coleslaw was also an offering, but that was not considered to be gluten-free.  I could have also ordered an appetizer of Herb Seafood Cakes, but I opted not to try them as there was so much other food to eat.  I kind of regret that now, as I’ve always wanted to try seafood cakes, and they just don’t offer that type of thing, gluten-free, at the restaurants that I frequent back home.

Eddie warned us, “don’t fill up on the salad and corn bread”, and I’m glad I listened to him.  I saved most of my cornbread (brought a baggie) and brought it back to the resort for breakfast the following morning.  I ate enough of the salad to know that it was indeed tasty with the Apple Viniagrette dressing.

Gluten-Free Corn Bread

Of the Canyon Skillet, the chicken was my absolute favorite.  It was expertly seasoned and prepared well.  My second favorite was the pulled pork.  Can you tell that I’m a meat lover?  The Canyon Skillet is perfect for a hearty eater.  The ribs were very good, as were the mashed potatoes and corn-on-the-cob.  About the only thing I didn’t care for were the Cowboy Beans, but that was just a personal preference, nothing to do with how they were prepared.

Edy's Ice Cream

It was the best meal that I’d had in a very long time….I just wish we could return to the Whispering Canyon Cafe every month or so!  It’s probably for the best that I didn’t get to try the Herb Seafood Cakes…. to quote my father-in-law, “What if I like it?  What then?”  It’s not as if we can return regularly for an excellent meal.  This restaurant will definitely be on my list when we return to Disney World.

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