Cancel at Le Cellier? Or: where to get a great steak at WDW

[pilferk]

Grilled asparagus was good, but would have been better without the balsamic glaze.

All told, dinner for four including 4 glasses of wine and a round of coffee/espresso came to $236. Very reasonable for this class of restaurant, I think. Only disappointments were that they didn't take Disney gift cards, which I should have checked in advance, and that my wife froze, even in her fleece jacket.

FYI (for next time): They'll do the asparagus without the glaze, if you ask them to.

Sorry...I should have warned you about their over the top air conditioning. I actually bring a light jacket/windbreaker when we go. I know it's a steakhouse...but I'm not sure they need to keep it roughly the temperature of a meat locker.

 

[geko29]

FYI (for next time): They'll do the asparagus without the glaze, if you ask them to.

Yeah, I never even thought of it. Don't think it was specified on the menu, but no worries. It was pretty good anyway, just would have been better on its own.

Sorry...I should have warned you about their over the top air conditioning. I actually bring a light jacket/windbreaker when we go. I know it's a steakhouse...but I'm not sure they need to keep it roughly the temperature of a meat locker.

Oh don't worry, it certainly didn't take away from our enjoyment in any appreciable manner.

 

[Micca]

Geko thanks for the follow-up report!

 

[sephorachick]

So I've always wanted to try Le Cellier, and have never thought of it until we were onsite, at which point of course they've been booked. So this time, about 3 months out, I checked, and the only reasonable time I could find (we prefer to eat around 5-5:30) was a 4:15 on Thursday, so I booked it.

Then I read this thread and started to second guess myself. Based on that, I'm considering cancelling and doing something like San Angel Inn or Restaurant Marrakesh (love Biergarten, but we're going to Oktoberfest 5 weeks after Disney) when we're in Epcot, and trying to find some solid beef elsewhere.

Compounding this is the fact that I'm from Chicago, and hence am a bit jaded when it comes to steaks. For reference, my favorite prior cuts have been:

1. Machinma (top rung of Waygu/Kobe) Tomahawk at Chicago Chop House (insanely expensive, but life-altering)
2. Bone-in Ribeye at Del Frisco's Double Eagle in Vegas
3. Delmonico at Pete Miller's in Schaumburg (Chicago suburb, this location unfortunately gone now)
4. Bone-in NY Strip at Gallagher's in Vegas
5. Espresso-rubbed Tomahawk at Rosebud in Chicago

I've got no compunction about dropping $300+ on dinner for four, and appreciate that the kid's menu at LC includes a steak--rather than just the standard chicken fingers and pasta--so I don't have to order a $40-50 entree for my 5yo. But I would be sorely disappointed if I could make a better steak at home. So what do I do?

Le Cellier is hands down my fave steak anywhere in the world followed by Brown Derby amazing quality I have pictures on my blog if you want to see?

 

[3pletprincesses]

I will have to agree that Yatchman is veery good. It's one of our must every trip but that being said so is Le Cellier. I"m not a foood expect but love my filet and although the filet at Le Cellier is not the best in the world, it's certainly not a bad one either.

 

[geko29]

Just as a followup, we hit Le Cellier for lunch today, as I still wanted to try it. I had the NY strip, 5yo boy had the kid's steak, wife and father-in-law both had the burger. Notes:

The actual piece of meat was standard mid-priced steakhouse quality (Outback, Lonestar, etc), rescued by decent (albeit slightly over-) seasoning and absolutely perfect preparation--medium rare was nicely charred on the outside 1/16", and solid red (but warm) all the way through. Wife and FIL both agree that the burgers they got yesterday from Back Bay (pool bar at the Wyndham Grand hotel) were better than LC's. Cheese soup was good, if a bit salty, and the Unibroue flight was great.

Kid's menu was among the best I've seen at WDW--minimal processed crap that I can recall, several great choices. Along with the steak (also prepared a perfect medium), he had celery and carrot sticks, and a fruit salad that was simply a bowl of fresh cut fruit (canteloupe/honeydew/pineapple/grapes), as opposed to the canned pears/peaches/cherries I was dreading given the "fruit salad" label.

I wasn't upset about the $104 it cost us for lunch, but would have been VERY disappointed if we'd gone for dinner and spent $250+. However, this is tempered by the fact that the $94 dinner we had at San Angel Inn just 5 hours later was markedly superior (my son WOULD NOT STOP eating those chips!), and I'm glad we switched it up.

 

[cdtommie]

Disclaimer, I am no steak expert and steak would be the last thing I would be looking for eat on vacation at WDW but I was told by a very esteemed head chef at a very highly regarded WDW restaurant to go to the Bull & Bear at the Waldorf Astoria.