Artist's Palate 
(Photos below)

This terrific little counter service eatery is located in Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, Disney's newest resort and a part of the Disney Vacation Club. At opening, SSR only had this restaurant, though as of January 2006 an announcement has been made that the Turf Club, a bar near Artist's Palate in SSR, will become a table service restaurant in the near future (it already serves snacks such as sandwiches). But enough about "other" restaurants--let's take a closer look at Artist's Palate!!

This is definitely an "upscale" counter service establishment. A display kitchen, not unlike the setup at Sunshine Seasons in The Land pavilion at Epcot, makes all three meals, including many really yummy items!! Breakfast includes all the usual suspects, including eggs, waffles, breakfast flatbread, and related dishes, while lunch and dinner features sandwiches, wraps, and my favorite--flatbread pizzas. Most of the food here is made to order, so you receive a pager to alert you when it's ready to pick up. The food quality is surprising--you're likely to be pleased by the good taste. 

This is something of a "hybrid" establishment, as the eatery and gift shop are rolled into one, with a single bank of cash registers ringing both food items from the restaurant as well as gift items and necessaries from the store. To purchase food from the kitchen, you place your order at the food counter, where you're assigned a pager and given a order ticket. The order ticket is used by the cashier to ring up your bill, then the receipt is stapled to the cash register tape. When you're paged, the food counter attendant verifies that you've paid for your order by checking the receipt and order slip. It's a lot easier than it sounds--trust me!!!

This venue also sells and services the refillable mugs. At $11.99 each, this is an incredible bargain if you like to have access to plenty of fluids. Artist's Palate honors the Disney Dining Experience card, both for food items as well as the refillable mugs, so be sure to show your card each time you eat here if you have one. 

The atmosphere here is lively and tasteful. True to its name, Artist's Palate has lots of artwork on display, and as a special treat for youngsters (and others!!), there are tabletop easels in the dining area with blank paper and crayons--available for anyone to use, and very handy to have around for when that "one little spark of inspiration" washes across you!! Indeed, I was inspired here myself--I drew a stunning, albeit a very "interpretive"--portrait of Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner (I had just returned from Disney-MGM Studios, having visited Walt Disney: One Man's Dream, which features a newly-revised finale movie). Hmmm....better not quit my day job to become an artist--YET!! A nice touch is the "Artist of the Day", where someone's drawings are selected for posting on a large floor easel by the entrance.

Outside view of Artist's Palate--the pool is directly opposite this facade

Part of the foodservice area with ceiling light detail shown

Ceiling in the dining area--notice the paintings mounted high above the doors and windows

In the dining area with a view through the door leading toward the check-in area. A corner of the gift shop area  is also visible to the left of the doorway

A "scan" of the display card for Artist's Palate in the rooms of SSR