Our Experience at Wilderness Lodge's Roaring Fork

   Many were surprised at our (note: Adam's) decision to stay at Wilderness Lodge on our most recent trip.  Yes, the resort is absolutely amazing…but old habits are hard to break, and denying me a stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge is pretty cruel.  But lets look on the bright side, shall we?
 

   One of the most fabulous aspects of Wilderness Lodge is Roaring Fork.  This quick service eatery is a fantastic option for families on the go.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and grab and go items are available…as well as wine and beer.  This location is also home to the resorts beverage station.
   Roaring Fork is designed very similar to most resort quick service restaurants.  This includes two ordering stations, a cooler with grab and go items,  a self serve pastry case,  and expansive beverage station.  Once you've made your selection there is a single queue, with a couple of registers.

   If there is anything wrong with Roaring Fork it does tend to be a little cramped.  The disconnected dining room adds to the feeling of claustrophobia, especially in the middle of the day when the pool is overflowing with kids…and EVERY FAMILY feels the need to refill their mugs.  This could be easily remedied by knocking down the dividing walls…thus opening up the space Mara style.

   During our short stay we had two meals at Roaring Fork.  After checking in (and a long drive from Cape Canaveral…) I needed substance stat!  I was a little worried about quick service vegetarian options…as the menu items didn't really appeal to me. (I think it was basically a margarita flatbread)  However, I did spy a good looking salad in the grab and go refrigerator!
   The Roaring Fork veggie salad is awesome!  Comprised of butter lettuce, dried cherries, roasted golden beets, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese, and cinnamon pecans, this salad had a lot going for it!  There are a couple of  Kens salad dressing options available near the utensils…and since I'm a sucker for blue cheese dressing I went for that.  By the time I finished eating (every last morsel…) I was stuffed!  This salad is a SOLID veggie option, which I also enjoyed the following day as a "second lunch" while laying by the pool. :)

   On our last morning at Wilderness Lodge we also ate at Roaring Fork, this time opting for the banana fosters mickey waffles!  I knew I needed to try these after spying them on the menu some time ago…problem was, I NEVER STAY AT THIS RESORT. Well, obviously this had to happen.

   This sweet breakfast extravaganza consists of three mini Mickey waffles, crispy and golden, slathered in caramelized banana deliciousness.  Normally I would shy away from such a sweet breakfast item, but the balance of salty and sweet it perfect, especially with the addition of butter.  This dish normally comes with bacon or sausage…but you can (and should) opt out of that.   The three waffles alone was enough food for both of us, and filled us up nicely. 

   Roaring Fork continues to be in the top tier of resort counter service restaurants.  Not only is the menu pretty extensive, but it does change from time to time.  Though we didn't try all of the veggie options here, the ones we did try were out of this world! PLUS you can also get the world famous magic cookie bars as well! And who doesn't like that?