The Wave... of American Flavors

Tucked in the corner of Disney’s Contemporary Resort’s lobby since 2008, The Wave… of American Flavors has, in a few short years, established a reputation for serving fresh, creative and healthy meals that are packed with flavor.

Upon approaching the reception area for the restaurant, one must first walk down an entrance ramp that is lined on the right side with lit, semicircular adornments that reach overhead giving the whimsical illusion of riding into a crashing wave’s barrel.  The cast members who greet you at the end of “the barrel” are, like most cast members around WDW, very friendly and accommodating. (Being in a wheelchair, I often have special needs or requests that have been fulfilled every time.)

Behind the wall of the reception area is a lovely bar that feels modern but very warm because of the wooden floors, chairs and bar top. Dozens of small lights dot the ceiling in the barroom which gives an outdoor, starry feel to the area. Continuing into the dining room, dimmed but sufficient lighting along with all of the brown and orange color tones in the carpet and tapestries keep the warmth throughout the entire restaurant. Tables are spaced nicely allowing for nice walking aisles. I like the look of the chairs that have three vertical wavy lines as back support. I’ve been told the chairs are comfortable so it’s neat to see the wave theme continue. Also keeping within the theme are wavy metallic pieces of artwork on the ceiling.

Now for the nitty-gritty; the food! My last visit to The Wave happened to be for lunch. For my entrée I ordered “Today’s Sustainable Fish [Striped Bass] with Edamame Stew and Cilantro Chutney.” My first impression of the dish when it arrived was “Wow! It’s so colorful!” The striped bass was served in the middle of a white plate on a bed of  lime-green edamame (soy beans) and  yellow corn with the colorful chutney topping the fish. Surrounding the food was a light moat of deliciousness that had the consistency of a consommé. The fork-tender bass had a beautiful, medium brown sear with bits of white flesh visible through its crispy striations.  The fish was so light it practically melted on my tongue. The edamame was nicely al dente and had an amazing sweet flavor which as it turns out came from the previously mentioned “moat of deliciousness.” The sweetness was so subtle that it taunted my sweet tooth far more than a stack of milk chocolate candy bars could ever do (and that’s a big statement coming from a chocoholic!).  But don’t let me calling it “sweet” give the wrong impression; this is definitely a savory dish. After lapping up the last bits, I moved on to dessert.

Luckily I was there with two other people so I was able to sample from three different desserts! The desserts we chose were under the “Sweet Temptations” part of the dessert menu. In this section, each dessert is actually a taster size of three different preparations. The “Creamy Indulgence” dessert included New York cheesecake with house-maid seasonal fruit compote, Coffee crème brûlée with chocolate biscotti and Olive oil-infused chocolate mousse. The "American Flavors” dessert included Mississippi mud pie with vanilla bean ice cream, Key lime cube with fresh citrus whipped cream and Boston cream pie. The “Freshly Made Gelato” dessert included Popcorn gelato, Rocky road chocolate gelato and Peanut butter and jelly gelato. The star of the show was the olive oil-infused chocolate truffle mousse! “Creamy indulgence” only barely describes this luscious dessert; light, fluffy, airy, pillowy…  none of these words does this dessert justice. The flavor was chocolatey without being overwhelmed by sugar. I would have traded the other eight for this one after my first bite. My next favorite also came from the “Creamy Indulgence” preparations, New York cheesecake with House-made seasonal fruit compote. The cheesecake itself was very good but the blueberry and raspberry compote tasted so refreshing and again did not taste overly sweet. "American Flavors" was my second favorite dessert threesome. Generally speaking, all of the desserts were outstanding, it just comes down to personal preferences.

 I've been to The Wave between five and seven times total now. I've been for breakfast, lunch and dinner -- though not on the same day -- and I have yet to be disappointed. Having only recently been introduced to the joys of fresh and organic foods, I was thrilled to have made the acquaintance of golden beets, edamame, pork tenderloin and the best grits I've ever had! (If you're on the fence about grits or if you've recently considered your first attempt at eating grits, this long time grit eater highly recommends making these your first.)

In fact the only negative I could see in my trips to The Wave were the cumbersome looking and uncomfortable looking cast member uniforms (white, long-sleeve, collared shirt; orange-brown colored vest; light colored khaki pants; white, waist-tied apron)! But I can hardly deduct points since I wasn't forced, or even asked, to wear the uniform.

Being my very first restaurant review, I have not decided on a permanent rating scale but for now suffice it to say that The Wave... of American Flavors receives my highest rating, 5 Remys out of 5!

(Apologies for the lack of photos. They'll be added later.)

Just Joe