Taste of Disney

 

I had eaten at the Wave for the first time ever earlier in this trip.  I was pleased with my dinner (especially the service), so I decided to give breakfast a try.  I checked in a few minutes early for my 9:45 a.m. breakfast reservation.  I was told there would be a short wait and was given a pager.  So I sat down in the nearly empty (and very blue) waiting area and waited…and waited some more.  A few other dining parties came and went while I remained, still waiting for my pager to go off.  Finally after waiting for about 20 minutes, I approached the check in desk to inquire as to how much longer the wait would be.  After doing some investigation they discovered that they had entered the incorrect pager number for my reservation.  They promised to have my table ready in a few minutes, but while I waited they offered me a complimentary mimosa.  Free mimosa??  Don’t mind if I do!

This mimosa was personally delivered to me in the waiting area (aka the blue room) by the manager.  She apologized profusely and soon returned to escort me to my table herself.

Upon being seated, I noticed that the restaurant was pretty much empty…

 

Hmm…why did I have to wait at all for a table??  But after a few sips of my delicious (and free) cocktail, my slightly peeved mood was long forgotten.

One more thing regarding the decor at the Wave and then I’ll move on to the food.  I hadn’t noticed the wavy ceiling fixtures and lighting when I had dinner here earlier in my trip…

 

It was both odd and cool looking.  I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not.  

 

Anyway, after looking over their breakfast menu…

 

…my server encouraged me to take a look at the buffet offerings before making my decision, which is exactly what I did.  Here is some of what I found in the Cold Section of the buffet, starting with the fresh fruit…

 

 

Next were the breads and pastries, starting with croissants, both plain and multi-grain…

 

And assorted bagels, bread, and english muffins…

 

There were also cold cuts and cheeses…

 

As well as smoked salmon and the usual toppings…

 

Then I turned my attention and my camera to the Hot Section of the buffet, starting with the breakfast meats of bacon and sausage links…

 

 

And this cheesy hash brown potato casserole looked pretty tasty…

 

Next up are the egg selections, like scrambled eggs…

 

Eggs Benedict with Key Lime Hollandaise…

 

And mini-frittatas…

 

Also making an appearance on their buffet were biscuits and sausage gravy…

 

Or perhaps you prefer grits, these had Tillamook cheddar cheese and bacon…

 

Then came the really good stuff, like the Wave’s signature sweet potato pancakes…

 

Pumpkin bread pudding…

 

And of course, Mickey waffles!!

 

So what did I choose?  Mama jabead didn’t raise no fool…I chose the buffet of course!

And here are some photos of my first plate from the buffet…

 

 

Starting at the 12 o’clock position on my plate was the fresh fruit.  I chose all of the fruit options which were offered (watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, and strawberries) except I skipped the honey dew melon and all were perfectly ripe and tasty.  I’m not really sure why I bothered with the croissant, other than there was a jam that looked good (I think it was peach, or apricot…I don’t really remember, lol) and I needed something to put it on.  The croissant was fine…flaky, fresh, tasted like a croissant.     The bacon was the usual Disney bacon, nothing special.  I took both a mini-frittata and some scrambled eggs and both were fine.  I would have preferred a made-to-order omelet for my eggs but that wasn’t offered here.  Oh well, there was plenty of other food to eat…like potatoes!  The cheesy hash brown casserole was as tasty as it looked and the star of my first plate.  I’ve heard about how good the cheesy hash brown casserole is at Chef Mickey’s breakfast buffet (also located at the Contemporary).  I’ve also seen photos and they look very similar.  So now I’m wondering if they are same.  As of this writing, I’m planning to visit Chef Mickey’s for breakfast during my October trip so I might be able to answer that question in my next dining report.

Now for my second plate, with all of the “good stuff”…

 

 

First, a second helping of the potatoes.   Then I really enjoyed the sweet potato pancakes and and the even sweeter pumpkin bread pudding.  And the Mickey waffle topped with butter and maple syrup completed the perfect breakfast dessert trifecta!  

So overall this was a good breakfast buffet, highlighted by the potatoes, sweet potato pancakes, and the pumpkin bread pudding.  If I were staying at the Contemporary, having breakfast at the Wave would be a no-brainer.  Otherwise, it’s not a must do every trip, go out of my way kind of breakfast for me.  But I will, no doubt, return again sometime.