Ember & Elm at Dollywood’s HeartSong Resort — Restaurant in Pigeon Forge

Dinner: October 16, 2023 We requested our previous breakfast server, Amanda, and the front desk was able to make that happen for us (thank you to Jacki!). We started with the BBQ ribs, and they were unexpectedly outstanding. All of the food we have had at this restaurant has been superb, well-seasoned, cooked properly, and delicious; however, these ribs were unbelievable. We were expecting small rib pieces with a barbecue sauce as this is an appetizer dish. What we received were three very meaty full ribs, seasoned well, battered in a light and crispy coating, fried, and tossed with a sweet and spicy sauce served over house made potato chips. These were first-rate and easily would have made for a great entrée. Had we known how generous this item was going to be, we would have ordered a different appetizer, and I would have selected this as my main course. These are a must-try item. The rainbow trout was cooked well, served with a brown butter and lemon sauce with capers for a salty and acidic bite. I am not a fish person, but even I thoroughly enjoyed trying this item. The fried chicken advertises itself as pickle-brined, and it was indeed. I am no stranger to a picked brined chicken thigh, but this had a very assertive pickle flavor. As someone who is not a huge fan of strong pickle flavors I would likely not order this again, however the description was clear about the brining process and my choice was made knowing that it may be (and was) quite pickle forward. The accompanying mashed potatoes were among the best restaurant mash I have ever had, really creamy and well-seasoned. This was a third excellent meal at Ember and Elm, we can't wait to return come December.

Breakfast: October 15, 2023 Excellent breakfast with a continental(ish) buffet option with a drink for $19 or a la carte menu items with varied price points. The continental breakfast features assorted fruits; fresh pastries; housemade jams, jellies, butters, and cream cheeses; meats and cheeses; cereals; grits; oatmeal; and biscuits and gravy. Your choice of coffee, tea, or soft drink is included. All items were fresh and delicious. The biscuits and gravy were phenomenal with a good spiciness from the sausage and the black pepper. Definitely recommend this as an option if you have a hearty appetite or as a great start to a full day at Dollywood.

We had the bacon, onion, and cheese quiche with grit cake, and it was filling and delicious. The individual components of the quiche were cooked well with the sautéed onions as a star. The crust was buttery but not greasy. The grit cake was flavorful throughout and made me think of a country version of arancini. It's very tasty. The serving was enough for leftovers that were good cold for dinner that evening while staying at the hotel. Highly recommend.

Our server, Amanda, was personable and warm. She was attentive to our table and was knowledgeable about the items on the menu. We enjoyed her service so much that we were looking forward to requesting her at our next breakfast here at Ember and Elm. Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long for a repeat performance as she was working dinner service on October 16, 2023; our next experience at the restaurant.

Dinner: October 13, 2023 This restaurant is phenomenal. The service is excellent (Blakelyn is wonderful), the food is exceptional (the agave carrots are worth the price of admission), and the decor is like a warm hug. We have been to Song and Hearth at Dreammore, and it was not a great experience; this is a plated meal as opposed to a buffet and stomps everything we ate at...

At my trip at Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, I stayed at Dollywood’s HeartSong and resort and I dined and Ember and Elm for breakfast a total of 4 times. The first time was pretty good. I got the cinnamon bread french toast casserole(pictured) I think it was called but they took it off the menu. It was pretty good but I only ate half and I didn’t feel good the rest of the day. No complaints about the service. The second time I got the buttermilk pancakes (pictured). These were not it. Pancakes definitely weren’t buttermilk and had absolutely no flavor. For 14 dollars, I expect better. The blueberry compote it came with was decent but couldn’t make up for the pancakes. Again, no complaints about the service. The third time we went I decided to order from the kids menu because I don’t have the biggest appetite and even though it says 9 and under and I am no where close to the age of 9, my kind server still let me order from there. I got the cheesy scrambled eggs and they were alright, nothing special. The sausage it came with was pretty good but wasn’t outstanding or anything. Server was really nice and I wish I had her for the fourth time but I sadly didn’t. The fourth and last time I went was not a good experience. I ordered from the kids menu again but this time they just gave me a kids menu which I thought was weird but whatever. I ended up getting the Belgian waffle. But then, the table next to us starts ordering and some of them order muffins which then our server (they have the same server as us), starts complaining and saying that she has to go to the songbird market(the market they have in the hotel), and get the muffins and pastries from there and then the table starts asking if they can get them warmed up and she starts complaining again. So now we’re waiting for our server to get back from the market so we can get our food. Our server comes back and finally gets us our food and the Belgian waffle was decent but again nothing special. During our trip we also noticed how some YouTubers advertised the buffet they had but all the times we went they didn’t have it. But after we get home from our trip, we see that Ember and Elm changed their menu and added the breakfast buffet literally the day we leave, and this wasn’t the start of a new month or anything this was a couple of days after the first day of July and I was actually looking forward to the “HeartSong Breakfast Table” AKA the buffet. So Ember and Elm, if you could take the “Danish,Biscuit, or Muffin” option off your menu or at least keep some muffins in the actual restaurant to avoid this situation, that would be appreciated. I get that this is a convenient breakfast if you stay in the hotel, but you should just order something from the Songbird Market instead or take the extra time to drive to a nicer breakfast place like Pancake Pantry or Crockett’s...

Ok, so we went for Christmas dinner. Not many places were open in town, so we said, "Let's try it out." Resort is very nice and clean. The ambiance in the restaurant was nice and so was the staff. They had a fixed holiday Christmas dinner menu, which was not specified online. Appetizer, meal , and dessert was $75.00 per person. We started with a wedge salad and butternut squash soup, both were good, so we had high hopes for the main dishes. We ordered a Salmon filet with golden saffron rice ( the plate looked very presentable) and a Prime rib with carrots and asparagus (which also looked very intieacing). But sad to say, both meals tasted like pure salt. My rice was pure salt. I dont think the chef even tasted it before serving the dish. Even the salmon tasted super salty. The prime rib was so salted my wife had to send it back. It was impossible to eat. My wife had to wait another 10 minutes for a different dish and which at that point my food was now still salty and cold. At this point, for $75.00 a dish, the food should really be taste tested before being served. I could just picture Gordan Ramsey tasting this dish before going out on his show and tossing the plate and the cook. We would have liked to have a better experience, being that it was Christmas. I dont know if this is their typical food quality, but I would not recommend this restaurant. A four person meal with two drinks and gratuity was $436.00 for salty food, leaving a salty feeling in my wallet also with my hard earned money. It's a shame that so much work goes into a restaurant but to succeed food needs to be tested. At the point that a dish goes back with a complaint the G.M should of altleast follow up and see what was wrong and...