klacey1
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2008
We select one signature meal each trip, and this vacation it was Yachtsman. This was kind of a do-over meal for us, as we had eaten here the last night of our trip in 2009 and I was too sad about our trip ending to really enjoy it! However, Zach had loved his steak and dessert, and I was obsessed with those onion rolls, so we decided we had to give Yachtsman another chance.
We checked in at 5:45 for our 6:00 p.m. reservation, with a specific request: NO view of Stormalong Bay! I know a lot of people love this pool, but eating a fancy meal while people splash around is not exactly the atmosphere we we wanted. The restaurant was practically empty, so they had no problem seating us in about five minutes, at a table in the second room, along the wall on the opposite side of the pool. We were the only people in our section for most of the meal, and it was quiet and romantic.
Our server greeted us pretty quickly and explained that if we did not like the side listed with an entree item, we were only allowed to sub in green beans, mashed potatoes, or a twice baked potato. This seemed...incorrect. I’m pretty positive I’ve read reviews of people subbing in sides from the sides menu, or really any side they wanted. This was really the first instance of being kind of wary of our server. She was just kind of...odd. Robotic, really. Everything she said sounded scripted and rehearsed. It was strange and not particularly welcoming. I don’t think she smiled once. Service was also incredibly slow. This was a two hour meal-- crazy when we only had two courses! We didn’t get the onion rolls until fifteen minutes after we ordered our entrees (and saw other tables getting them, so it’s not like they were still baking or anything).
I also had a problem when I asked if I could order the filet, but sub in the hanger steak sides. I said of course I would pay the price of the filet ($48), and not the hanger steak ($38). I realize we were on free dining and I wouldn’t really be “paying,” but it would be affect the tip price. The waitress’s response? “That’ll be a six dollar charge.” What?? I’m subbing in a more expensive steak, will be paying the price of the more expensive steak, AND be charged $6 for what reason?? I questioned her on this, and she simply said it was the chef’s rule (um, really?). I really wanted the sides the hanger steak came with and wasn’t in the mood to argue, so I just said fine.
After that little incident, I decided I definitely needed some alcohol, so I ordered the Glowtini:
Yum! I love drinking martinis with steak and this was perfect. Not sweet, and not too strong.
Here’s my $54 filet meal:
After glowing reviews, I just had to pay OOP for the truffle mac and cheese too:
Um, wow. This meal was just incredible. The steak was perfectly cooked (medium rare)-- melt in your mouth and seasoned perfectly. I only had a bite or two of the greens, but they were fresh and a touch vinegar-y. I wasn’t a huge fan of the herb butter, and honestly, the steak didn’t need it. The truffle fries were THE BOMB. They were salty and delicious on their own, or dipped in the aoli. I like my truffle fries to be kind of limp, but not soggy, and these were perfection.
The truffle mac and cheese was also amazing. Clearly, I love truffles/truffle oil! This side was gooey and cheesy, the pasta perfectly al dente. The tobacco onions provided the perfect texture contrast. I could have had just this for my meal and would have been perfectly content. And thankfully, Zach does not like truffle oil OR mac and cheese, so I had this amazing dish (and the fries) all to myself!
Zach had the New York strip with green beans and the peppercorn sauce on the side:
Sorry the photo is so blurry! This was clearly a much more reasonable meal than mine, ehem. He also loved this food. He actually took some of the salted butter from the bread and topped his steak with it, which he said was the perfect compliment. The peppercorn brandy sauce just tasted a little too alcohol to him, so he barely used it. The green beans, while boring, were cooked exactly the way he likes (buttery with a bit of a crunch). A home run.
I did not get pictures of our desserts, but I had the trio of gelato. The chocolate was my favorite-- nice and creamy. I only managed a few bites, however, as I was stuffed from my dinner. Zach had the chocolate pretzel/peanut dish, which he thought was really good. It was incredibly rich, however, and he only had a few bites, too.
The waitress dropped off the check with the desserts, and I gave my KTTW over. When she came back, she said she charged the OOP costs to our room. Um, thanks for asking? It wasn’t a huge deal, but we had planned on paying the OOP costs and tip in cash. I don’t know why she didn’t ask first.
For food, we’d give Yachtsman a 9. Atmosphere would clock in around a 6, and service a 2. I really wanted to love the entire experience of this meal, but it just didn’t happen. Zach and I agreed that with the amazing steak we can get around here (both in restaurants and made by Zach!), we won’t be returning, at least not for awhile.
We checked in at 5:45 for our 6:00 p.m. reservation, with a specific request: NO view of Stormalong Bay! I know a lot of people love this pool, but eating a fancy meal while people splash around is not exactly the atmosphere we we wanted. The restaurant was practically empty, so they had no problem seating us in about five minutes, at a table in the second room, along the wall on the opposite side of the pool. We were the only people in our section for most of the meal, and it was quiet and romantic.
Our server greeted us pretty quickly and explained that if we did not like the side listed with an entree item, we were only allowed to sub in green beans, mashed potatoes, or a twice baked potato. This seemed...incorrect. I’m pretty positive I’ve read reviews of people subbing in sides from the sides menu, or really any side they wanted. This was really the first instance of being kind of wary of our server. She was just kind of...odd. Robotic, really. Everything she said sounded scripted and rehearsed. It was strange and not particularly welcoming. I don’t think she smiled once. Service was also incredibly slow. This was a two hour meal-- crazy when we only had two courses! We didn’t get the onion rolls until fifteen minutes after we ordered our entrees (and saw other tables getting them, so it’s not like they were still baking or anything).
I also had a problem when I asked if I could order the filet, but sub in the hanger steak sides. I said of course I would pay the price of the filet ($48), and not the hanger steak ($38). I realize we were on free dining and I wouldn’t really be “paying,” but it would be affect the tip price. The waitress’s response? “That’ll be a six dollar charge.” What?? I’m subbing in a more expensive steak, will be paying the price of the more expensive steak, AND be charged $6 for what reason?? I questioned her on this, and she simply said it was the chef’s rule (um, really?). I really wanted the sides the hanger steak came with and wasn’t in the mood to argue, so I just said fine.
After that little incident, I decided I definitely needed some alcohol, so I ordered the Glowtini:
Yum! I love drinking martinis with steak and this was perfect. Not sweet, and not too strong.
Here’s my $54 filet meal:
After glowing reviews, I just had to pay OOP for the truffle mac and cheese too:
Um, wow. This meal was just incredible. The steak was perfectly cooked (medium rare)-- melt in your mouth and seasoned perfectly. I only had a bite or two of the greens, but they were fresh and a touch vinegar-y. I wasn’t a huge fan of the herb butter, and honestly, the steak didn’t need it. The truffle fries were THE BOMB. They were salty and delicious on their own, or dipped in the aoli. I like my truffle fries to be kind of limp, but not soggy, and these were perfection.
The truffle mac and cheese was also amazing. Clearly, I love truffles/truffle oil! This side was gooey and cheesy, the pasta perfectly al dente. The tobacco onions provided the perfect texture contrast. I could have had just this for my meal and would have been perfectly content. And thankfully, Zach does not like truffle oil OR mac and cheese, so I had this amazing dish (and the fries) all to myself!
Zach had the New York strip with green beans and the peppercorn sauce on the side:
Sorry the photo is so blurry! This was clearly a much more reasonable meal than mine, ehem. He also loved this food. He actually took some of the salted butter from the bread and topped his steak with it, which he said was the perfect compliment. The peppercorn brandy sauce just tasted a little too alcohol to him, so he barely used it. The green beans, while boring, were cooked exactly the way he likes (buttery with a bit of a crunch). A home run.
I did not get pictures of our desserts, but I had the trio of gelato. The chocolate was my favorite-- nice and creamy. I only managed a few bites, however, as I was stuffed from my dinner. Zach had the chocolate pretzel/peanut dish, which he thought was really good. It was incredibly rich, however, and he only had a few bites, too.
The waitress dropped off the check with the desserts, and I gave my KTTW over. When she came back, she said she charged the OOP costs to our room. Um, thanks for asking? It wasn’t a huge deal, but we had planned on paying the OOP costs and tip in cash. I don’t know why she didn’t ask first.
For food, we’d give Yachtsman a 9. Atmosphere would clock in around a 6, and service a 2. I really wanted to love the entire experience of this meal, but it just didn’t happen. Zach and I agreed that with the amazing steak we can get around here (both in restaurants and made by Zach!), we won’t be returning, at least not for awhile.
x
The pulled pork nachos sound AMAZING! I have never tried the Poly's CS, but this would be reason to go!!!
