We arrived at the Beach Club by way of Magical Express, and took in our surroundings a bit before heading to our lunch reservation in Epcot. We have always stayed at Boardwalk in the past, but wanted to branch out (albeit slightly) this time around - for experience sake, if nothing else. Now that we've done it, I can honestly say I much prefer the Boardwalk! But the Beach Club was still a fantastic location and had a nice ambiance, which adds to just about anything!
With that bit of background information out of the way, I will get on to the good stuff - food!
Isn't Canada simply charming? There was little doubt that we would be eating at Le Cellier during this trip. Neither of us had ever been, and we wanted to try something new (do you sense a theme? The entire holiday was centered on trying things we have never done in Disney before!). Now that Le Cellier is Signature for dinnertime dining, we opted to really start the vacation off with a bang and go to a steak house for our arrival day lunch. Luckily, we were quite famished by the time bags were hoisted to our room, and airplane clothing was changed to park attire.
After our pupils focused on the dim surroundings of the cavernous space, we found the restaurant to be absolutely lovely. It seems to be one of the best themed restaurants in Disney, quite simply because it really has the feel of a steak house to it - almost identical to the Nashville Ruth's Cris, in fact (That's where our home is, in case you were wondering at that random tidbit of information).
My Mad Hatter was simply dying of thirst, and decided to quench it by ordering a Strawberry Smoothie.
We looked over the menu, and as both of us were very hungry (but neither could make up our mind) we decided to try a few different things and share. I think I'm correct in assuming that most couples who love food do the exact same! After talking with the chef about my gluten issues, we settled on our selections. Please allow me to apologize in advance for any blurry photos in this particular instance - it was very dark and my camera failed to cooperate!
For appetizers, Jeremy went with the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup, not only because everyone surrounding our table had ordered it, but also because he had heard me talk about how much everyone on the DisBoards raves about it! Understandably, this was accompanied by a Pretzel Bread Stick.
I chose to go with the Tomato Stack. The waitress highly recommended it, and I figured with all the food to come, this would be a nice intro to the meal. And it was - fantastic! The vinaigrette and and copious amounts of Blue Cheese made it heavenly.
After we had greedily gobbled up this start to our feast (with the Mad Hatter sopping up every remaining drop of the soup with his bread), our entree orders were placed.
There really wasn't much debate over which menu items to select. It was understood that one of us would be ordering the Le Cellier Mushroom Filet. Can you guess who that gorgeous steak was placed in front of? Jeremy - that's correct. Since you seem to be so good at guessing games, perhaps you could tell me Why a Raven is Like a Writing Desk?
He also ordered the Baked Mac and Cheese, and gobbled it up, as well. Sadly, this was something I couldn't partake of!
Even before our arrival, I had wanted to get the Salmon. After pouring over reviews of Le Cellier, this seemed to be an undervalued item that gets overlooked. With my goal of trying new things, I figured it seemed a good option. Let me also say that when we went, this dish was presented as a sandwich and served with Fries and Cole Slaw, as you can see from the photo. Looking over current menus, it seems this may have changed. Nonetheless, the Salmon is still DIVINE. And I didn't even eat it in sandwich form, so I feel I can safely say this is a good pick! The odd photo you see consists of the Salmon Filet and a gluten free bun. I really enjoy the gluten free products at Disney, and this was no exception. The fries - of course - were excellent, but it was the sauce that really stole the show. Doesn't sauce always make anything THAT MUCH BETTER?
It was with very full stomachs that we bravely conquered the dessert menu. Le Cellier didn't have that many gluten free options for me, but then again, I wasn't in the mood to eat too much, knowing that the World Showcase awaited me, and with that came Karamell Kuche!!
Jeremy ordered the Maple Creme Brulee, namely because it was their signature dessert item. He's a fan of anything that resembles pudding, and of course Creme Brulee is something he orders at times. He liked the Maple flavor, but I'm not sure he could say he LOVED it.
I was stuck with the Seasonal Sorbet, but this turned out to be amazing! I know the picture is no indication at all, but it was infused with Champagne and was absolutely delicious, refreshing, and just right.
In all, everything was absolutely delightful and we will certainly be back. I don't think it will warrant a Signature visit for us, although I can see why some people would want to. The dinner menu is different during the evening hours, and much more specialized with gourmet options and a wider variety of appetizers, entrees and sides.
If you like, stick around for a sticky sweet review of some of Karamell Kuche's caramel treats!
