The Territory Lounge at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

BradyBzLyn...Mo · August 6, 2012

From the Disney Food Blog. Looks like Territory Lounge updated their menu since we were there in November. It was good before but this looks even better!

Follow the link at the end for more photos...

Review: The Territory Lounge at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Aug 5th, 2012 by AJ.
Bars and Lounges around Walt Disney World and Disneyland are often family friendly spots to grab a table-service bite or meal with no reservations needed.
You know that one of my favorites is Crew’s Cup Lounge in the Yacht Club Resort in Walt Disney World, but another fantastic spot to nosh is Territory Lounge in Wilderness Lodge.
I am a huge fan of all things food at Wilderness Lodge. Whether you’re whoopin’ it up at Whispering Canyon Cafe (go ahead…ask for ketchup!), having a refined and relaxed meal at Artist Point, or grabbing a bite to go at Roaring Forks, it’s pretty much always good.
Atmosphere
Step into the Lounge, and you’re immediately enveloped by dark woods, leather trim, and low, lantern lighting. You’re also likely greeted and welcomed by the awesome cast members here!! A big shoutout to LouAnn!
The bar is rarely crowded, and there is comfortable seating throughout. I love the padded and backed barstools, and the round tables with plenty of room between.
Bar Area and Round Table Seating
We were there during a particularly quiet time. This is a fantastic place to beat the heat!
Check out this monstrous carved bear. He and his friends are holding up the bar!
Carved Wooden Bear Holding up the Bar
If it’s a quiet conversation that you’re after, there are some more intimate seating options along the wall.
The loveseat and fluffy pillows are a nice touch. This is definitely a spot where you could hang out for a while. And I would totally claim a spot on the couch!
Americana Decor and a Cozy Loveseat Make for an Inviting Space
Comfortable chairs – oddly positioned beneath the television – would be great for chatting, but not so much for watching the game.
Comfy Chairs and the Framed Flatscreen
I love the attention to detail in these collections of antique surveying tools and equipment located in shadowboxes along the back wall of the lounge. As an added bonus, they give off really awesome soft light.
But now for the real attraction – the amazing selection of dressed up snacks!
Eats
The Territory Lounge Menu has such an incredible selection! The chefs have done a bang up job taking classic foods and giving them a Northwest twist. It’s pub food, but with polish.
Menu - Click to Enlarge
We weren’t drinking during our visit, but if we had been there are a number of cool selections here on tap — including Moosehead! Epcot Canada fans, dost thou hear this?
Draught Beers
More Draught Beers
There were so many things on the menu that sounded fantastic, so we picked a few. Well…just about all of them.
We started with the Northwest Charcuterie Plate, which featured a little bit of everything. The menu leaves the selection open-ended, so it was exciting to see what we would get.
On the meats team, there were two kinds of sausage – Venison and Bison – plus liverwurst. While I thought the Bison Sausage was a bit gamey, I really enjoyed the Venison. Like…loved it. I rated the Liverwurst as just okay, especially beside the other options.
The cheese selection included Drunken Goat, Rogue River Blue, and Reypenaer VSOP Gouda (hubba hubba!!). While the Drunken Goat was mild and good, the Rogue River was excellent! A common addition to many Disney cheese plates, it was super creamy and very flavorful without overwhelming me with a sharp taste.
The Reypenaer VSOP Gouda, which is aged for two years, was my very favorite, though. It had a strong, rich umami flavor; and although it is a hard cheese, it simply melts in your mouth. Add to this the walnut bread, cranberry mustard, and sweet pickles, and we were hooked!
Northwest Charcuterie and Artisan Cheese Platter with Mustard and Sweet Pickles
Next up was the Sharp Cheddar Beer Fondue (what?!??!?!!), which came to our table in this adorable Staub cast-iron pot on its own little warming flame.
Accompanied by sourdough, pretzel bread, Granny Smith Apples, and dried apricots for dipping, I was pretty sure this would be a homerun.
Sharp Cheddar Beer Fondue
The Fondue was thick, creamy, and coated the dipping foods perfectly! The sharpness of the cheese was the perfect contrast to the sweet fruit and salty, spongy breads. Heavenly.
Sharp Cheddar Beer Fondue - Up Close
Even with the minor menu change (the apricots were supposed to be figs, but there’d been a problem with the supplier), every item was delicious dipped in the cheese. No, seriously. They were wow. I’m totally craving this dish right now as I write about it!
Foods to Dip in Fondue - Yes!
The apple and cheddar is such a classic combination, and was delicious. I couldn’t decide what my favorite dipper was! That’s a good problem to have.
Apple in Sharp Cheddar Beer Fondue
But how did it taste, you ask? Like a thicker version of the Cheddar Soup available at Le Cellier and the Food and Wine Festival! This is a must-eat.
Next up were the House-Made Northwest Potato Chips with a Trio of Dips. These included Truffle Aioli, Huckleberry Honey, and a Smokey Blue.
House-Made Northwest Potato Chips with Trio of Dips
Incredible! I loved the sweet/salty combo of the Huckleberry Honey and chips together, but the Truffle Aioli was my fa-vor-ite. I had so much food to eat that night, but I kept going back for more of those chips and Truffle Aioli!
And of course I had to mix up my food a little here. I happily combined the Gouda from the Charcuterie Plate with the chips for a whole new flavor.
The chips were thick, crunchy, and perfectly fried without being at all greasy.
Finally, we tried Cognac-Glazed Chicken Lollipops with Lemon Spritz and Cilantro. (Lollipops are, apparently, wings?)
Cognac-Glazed Chicken Lollipops with Lemon Spritz and Cilantro
Cutesy name aside, these were really delicious. The glaze had a terrific sweet-savory tang, and the meat was flavorful and not at all dry. The smoky note was a great compliment to the flavors, and the zing from the cognac and lemon spritz was the icing on the cake.
I didn’t miss the (curiously absent) cilantro. I hate cilantro. Those of you who love cilantro are welcome to come eat with me and have the cilantro-y bits.
Overall
If you like to explore what makes each resort so wonderfully different at Disney World, then ya gotta make a trip to Territory Lounge on your next visit! This was probably one of the best meals I ate during the entire trip.
Sure, these aren’t your standard chips and dip or wings, but would you really want it to be? After all, you can get those things at lots of places. Where else will you find Venison Sausage and VSOP Cheese in the shadow of the world’s best theme park?
With its upscale twist on barfood and cozy atmosphere, Territory Lounge remains one of our favorite places to relax and grab a (substantial) bite. The perfect afternoon or evening out in Disney World.
Have you had the pleasure of noshing at Territory Lounge? Leave us a note and tell us about it!