The Steak Debate- and more great food. Food Pics!

[EpcotLove]

Just got back from a lovely trip to the world. We had free dining and so we were determined to find out who has the best steak (out of 3 great places)! We didn't go to Victoria & Alberts to try their steak, but it's a must next trip. I know it has to be amazing right? Someone let me know if it tastes just like one of these- so I know to try something even more yummy.

First we shall start off with steak from.........

Le Cellier:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/lecellier.jpg
Note: tables are not THIS close together, that was a big party beside us.

Mushroom Filet Mignon
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/lecelliersteak.jpg

My Dfi had the NY strip
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/lecelliernewyorkstrip.jpg

Both very tasty, the mushroom filet sauce was veeeeeeeeery salty. Not like that's a bad thing.... but it made me really queasy after eating this. Not sure if it was from this or something else.. but I felt BAD. :( It was good going down. Not sure about the NY strip, Dfi didn't complain though- steak is steak to him! Haha.

Jiko
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/jiko.jpg

Wine room...somehow lucky to be seated in...where it was quiet
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/jikoroom.jpg

Appetizer:
Duck liver..... supposively really good... but I don't eat duck.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/ducky.jpg

Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon ...half eaten, sorry... forgot to take a good pic beforehand.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/jiko2.jpg

Tamarind Braised Beef Short Rib
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/ribs.jpg

REALLY GOOD steak and ribs...best we've had in WDW. The oak fired filet with macaroni and cheese and red wine sauce REALLY hit the spot. SO SO good. The macaroni is white cheese so it is a great blend with the red wine. The service at Jiko was amazing and we will def be going back here with and without free dining. So worth the money.:thumbsup2

California Grill

The view from our table...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/view.jpg

Oak-fired Filet of Beef
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/caligrill2.jpg

Buffalo Strip Steak
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/caligrill.jpg

Both were fantastic. :) I am starting to think though that the signature restaurants use the same steaks..just dress them up differently? Is this true?

DESSERTS! MMMMM...

CHOCOLATE COVERED MOOSE!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/moose.jpg

Mmmm... creme brulee
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/cremebrulee.jpg

Jiko cheesecake? Something my Dfi had..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/dessertjikocheesecake.jpg

Pistachio Creme Brulee
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/crembruelee.jpg

Valrhona Chocolate and Coffee
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v87/ncvtec1313/choco.jpg


Hope you enjoyed the pictures! I think Jiko was our favorite for steak and overall. California Grill obviously is great for the view. Jiko had better decor in my opinion... and Le Cellier was great for one table service credit on the DDP. The steak was not as spectacular as some people rave. We've been to Artist Point in the past, and that's now pretty closely tied with Jiko!


....now back to the real world of fast food and bland chicken :coffee: haha

[Glendamax]

WHY OH WHY DID I LOOK AT THESE PICS?!!!!!! I'M STARVING!!!

Thanks for your review. Some day when I'm not cheaply HORDING my table service credits, I'll go to Jiko. Whenever I go to Boma, I always peek in there! :lmao:

In December, I'm eating at LeCellier with some DISers! I'm really looking forward to it!

Now I just have to get your pics out of my mind so I wont eat RIGHT NOW!!!

[Maggi May]

Wow! Thanks for the reviews and pics. We are going back to Jiko next month and trying LeCellier for the first tme next month.


I'm curious about the duck liver appetizer at Jiko. I don't think it's currently on the Jiko menu on the DIS Boards. Wonder if they're trying some new items not that there's a new chef there.

Thanks again for the posts and pix!:thumbsup2

[PatsMom]

Thanks for the pics - they made me hungry. 42 more days and I am off for our own steak debate. We have Yachtsman, Le Cellier and DH plans on the beef kebabs at Spoodles! Can hardly wait.

[jakenjess]

Those steaks all look fabulous! I've had steaks at both Le Cellier and CG and they were both wonderful. We've yet to try Jiko, but that looked excellent as well. The cheesecake looks out of this world! Thanks for the great pics!

[my3disneygirls]

Man! I really want a steak now and it's only 9:30 in the morning.

[mom2fivecs]

That creme brulee is looking good to me :thumbsup2 Thanks and looking forward to more.

[EpcotLove]

Hahaha sorry to make you all hungry.... I love taking pictures of food, I wish I could get a job doing that (if I had a nicer camera).

But yeah, the duck appetizer at Jiko was new. My Dfi really liked it!! I think the dessert he ate was newer too... I couldn't find it on the menu online.

[kelleigh1]

There's a reason I only read the dining reviews during my lunch hour.

Thanks for pointing out that the tables aren't that close together at Le Cellier. I was a bit nervous for a minute there. We'll be dining at Le Cellier for the first time in November. I'll have to try to remember to avoid the mushroom fillet if it's salty. I know I won't like that.

[Melisa1]

great pics!!! Thanks for posting them!:)

[EpcotLove]

There's a reason I only read the dining reviews during my lunch hour.

Thanks for pointing out that the tables aren't that close together at Le Cellier. I was a bit nervous for a minute there. We'll be dining at Le Cellier for the first time in November. I'll have to try to remember to avoid the mushroom fillet if it's salty. I know I won't like that.

Yeah, Disney restaurants coat their food in salt at some places.. you've got to be careful. Drink lots of water! :)

[Minniespal]

Brillant, thanks for posting.

[John's Mom]

Thanks for posting your reviews and pictures. Jiko is our favorite WDW restaurant.

[Alisha's mom Sarah]

My hubby had the Fillet at both Le Cellier and Citrico's ( couldn't get into CG). He actually liked LeCellier better but thought they were both excellent..

[EpcotLove]

My hubby had the Fillet at both Le Cellier and Citrico's ( couldn't get into CG). He actually liked LeCellier better but thought they were both excellent..

We haven't been to Citrico's, that's another place we'd like to try!

There's so many to try.....:banana:

[TwingleMum]

Great pics ELove Thanks for sharing.

[my3disneygirls]

Well I'm a lucky girl. Hubby brought home Porter House Steaks today. I have them seasoned and he's ready to grill them up. Now my steak craving will be satisfied.:cool1:

[LarryJ]

Well I'm a lucky girl. Hubby brought home Porter House Steaks today. I have them seasoned and he's ready to grill them up. Now my steak craving will be satisfied.:cool1:

Ah an actual steak lover :cool1: What you can do at home if done right is twice as good as 99.99% of the restaurants ... AnyWhere, AnyTime. :thumbsup2 Only the ones that have real Kobe beef, if there are any (yes I've had it in Sasabo Japan) can beat what you can do at home if you shop in the right place. As second best that will beat most choice/prime American beef if the American Kobe, but that is also hard to come by. IMHO WDW is not the place to eat either steak, chicken or burgers. The last one is only acceptable if you're starving and have no other option.

You're on vacation ... expand your dining experiences and experiment some and you can be pleasantly surprised.

Off soapbox :happytv:


Larry

[my3disneygirls]

Ah an actual steak lover :cool1: What you can do at home if done right is twice as good as 99.99% of the restaurants ... AnyWhere, AnyTime. :thumbsup2 Only the ones that have real Kobe beef, if there are any (yes I've had it in Sasabo Japan) can beat what you can do at home if you shop in the right place. As second best that will beat most choice/prime American beef if the American Kobe, but that is also hard to come by. IMHO WDW is not the place to eat either steak, chicken or burgers. The last one is only acceptable if you're starving and have no other option.

You're on vacation ... expand your dining experiences and experiment some and you can be pleasantly surprised.

Off soapbox :happytv:
Larry

:rotfl: We love to cook beef at home. Whenever London Broil is on sale we get two and eat for three days. I have perfected my seasoning for it and my kids love it just for the leftovers. Steakhouse salad and beef sandwiches with roasted garlic and blue cheese mayo on ciabatta.

I do want to try Jinko's fillet because it sounds good. I have a hard time picking any place in Disney for new food. There are tons of places around that serve food that you can get in Disney. I think the only place that is unique is Morocco.

I have yet to eat a burger at Disney and forget about pizza. The burgers at Disney don't look appealing to me. I am someone who loves a good burger when the craving strikes. I can get a nicer one at Ruby Tuesday's.

[EpcotLove]

Ah an actual steak lover :cool1: What you can do at home if done right is twice as good as 99.99% of the restaurants ... AnyWhere, AnyTime. :thumbsup2 Only the ones that have real Kobe beef, if there are any (yes I've had it in Sasabo Japan) can beat what you can do at home if you shop in the right place. As second best that will beat most choice/prime American beef if the American Kobe, but that is also hard to come by. IMHO WDW is not the place to eat either steak, chicken or burgers. The last one is only acceptable if you're starving and have no other option.

You're on vacation ... expand your dining experiences and experiment some and you can be pleasantly surprised.

Off soapbox :happytv:


Larry

Finally a steak expert, I was waiting for you... :rolleyes:

I myself have had better steak outside of WDW. Jimmy V's in Cary, NC is amazing... but $$$$$$$

There is a place called "An" also in Cary, NC that has AMAZING kobe beef.

We ate a lot of meals that didn't include steak..... this was just three meals out of our 12. :) But thanks for the advice...

I will agree that the burgers are terrible, and I will not eat them even if I am starving.

[dznymom1]

We ate at JIKO tonight in the wine room and I had the filet. It was superb! Everything was excellent from the first sip of Pinotage right through to dessert & coffee. Our server was probably the best I have ever had at Disney. I was also thinking that this meal rivaled Victoria and Albert's. I am just totally content after such a delightful evening :goodvibes

[EpcotLove]

We ate at JIKO tonight in the wine room and I had the filet. It was superb! Everything was excellent from the first sip of Pinotage right through to dessert & coffee. Our server was probably the best I have ever had at Disney. I was also thinking that this meal rivaled Victoria and Albert's. I am just totally content after such a delightful evening :goodvibes

Yeah, the service was unreal compared to other places. I kept telling my Dfi that they made you feel you like royalty. :) Sitting in the wine room was great too!! :cloud9:

[gregrmike1]

Thank you for the great pictures and reviews!:)

[Treacle44]

I love steak and that's some good steak there! :)

How did you ask for it to be cooked at Jiko, medium rare? It looks gorgeous.

T
x

[my3disneygirls]

I like the looks of the kids menu at Jinko. They actually have filet on the kids menu. Last year middle DD wanted to have steak for dinner. We like to make them all feel special with meal picks so we went off property to a steak house. There was no steak option for the kids.:confused3 So I spoke to the server and asked for options for DD steak wise. I picked a strip steak that was almost as much as the kids filet at Jinko and not all that great.

[EpcotLove]

I love steak and that's some good steak there! :)

How did you ask for it to be cooked at Jiko, medium rare? It looks gorgeous.

T
x

It was cooked medium. It looks redder in that picture.. idk why.

god it was so good.

[Busymom85]

Thanks for the reviews and pictures.

[Treacle44]

It was cooked medium. It looks redder in that picture.. idk why.

god it was so good.

It certainly looks good too! Thanks for replying. I soo want to eat there but just not sure if the children are too young.

[PrincessTiff]

Wonderful. Thank you for sharing!

[loveDmouse]

Thanks for your review. Pics looked good. :thumbsup2