dining log stardate 2023.01.23 to 2023.02.01

[justinslot]

Brown Derby time.

 

[justinslot]

Bread! Which was fine, but better paired with the salted butter.

 

[justinslot]

Crab louie. This I liked a lot.


What it looks like under the bread. Crab mushed with avocado.



Chopped up olive bits. I love chopped up olive bits!

 

[justinslot]

The famous cobb salad, with chicken. Good but not an exceptional cobb salad experience.

 

[justinslot]

At Brown Derby some single diners get tiny tables, others get booths that are divided into two tables. I was glad I was in the latter.

 

[justinslot]

Bananas foster! Sadly not set on fire in front of you, which seems like a missed opportunity for social media buzz.

 

[auntfrannie]

I always start my Disney vacation dinners with a martini, too! You've been to some good places for your meals!

 

[justinslot]

Brown Derby bill. I liked the vibe eating here, felt like sort of a midpoint between casual and fine dining. Never felt rushed.

 

[justinslot]

Got a gimlet at Shula's around five. That bar is big but it fills up fast, either go early or go late for the bar there.

 

[justinslot]

The legendary Shula's burger...legendary because it does not exist on the menu. Yes, this is from the kid's menu! You will not know it exists from the adult menu, and for some reason Shula's does not have a bar menu (where you will find the burger at Morton's and Ruth's Chris and the like.) I do not know if there is any guaranteed way to order it at the bar, my sense is they are technically not supposed to serve adults this but if you mention it and the bartenders like you they'll let you order it. It's good, just like all fancy steakhouse burgers.

 

[justinslot]

The fact that the burger only costs nine bucks despite being a decent size is probably why it is officially discouraged.

 

[justinslot]

Yachtsman Steakhouse bread. It comes with a whole roasted garlic clove? This is my first time encountering garlic as a bread spread. I love garlic, but for some reason I didn't quite like it like this.

 

[justinslot]

The Yachtsman wedge salad. Good but once you eat the candied bacon and the egg you're not left with a lot, much of the lettuce was from that tasteless in the center of a lettuce head.

 

[justinslot]

This 8 ounce Australian wagyu filet did not disappoint. Cut like the proverbial butter. The fries were just okay, seemed to be a somewhat high percentage of strangely cut and/or overdone fries.

 

[justinslot]

The Yachtsman bill. Apparently when you order the wagyu you are supposed to be taken on a little tour of the kitchen where you will watch the chef cut and weigh your filet. My server told me about this but then forgot to take me back. To make up for this (he was more upset about it than I was) he took my vodka and cranberry and my diet Coke off the bill, and I think he gave me extra Caymus for the same reason. I would rather have free stuff than a kitchen tour.

 

[justinslot]

You know, despite being only really impressed with the steak I quite enjoyed my dinner at Yachtsman. The service was great, I was checked on frequently without feeling overly checked on, if that makes any sense. Special requests (like getting blue cheese with my steak) were honored easily. Had a booth to myself in a corner.

 

[justinslot]

This entry is from Friday, when I switched from the Grand Floridian to the Swan. Really wish the Swolphin was back on the Disney bus lines, having to schlep to the TTC to wait in an unsheltered parking lot for a bus is not at the level of the Disney Resort Experience the Swolphin is supposed to be.

On my way to the TTC I stopped by Steakhouse 71.



The Stack burger. This came out extremely quickly which makes me think they've just got them sitting back there, which would explain why the pork belly they put on it was dry and bland. Pork belly's gotta be fresh, just use bacon if you're not going to do it when you're making it. Waffle fries were fine.



My impression, just going by star ratings, is that Steakhouse 71 is not especially beloved by the Disney dining public, and I was similarly not not very whelmed. The ambience resembles your standard restaurant at a Hilton Garden Inn. But it appears difficult to secure a non-breakfast reservation there so somebody seems to like it.

 

[justinslot]

(Sensible internal voice) No we are not stopping at Beaches and Cream pn the way to Epcot, we're eating at Takumi Tei! You'll ruin your appetite.

(Whiny child internal voice) but but TATER TOTS

Friends, I leave it up to you to decide which voice won.

 

[justinslot]

Not a sweets guy but I do enjoy the occasional orange soda float.

 

[justinslot]

Tots were good, would return for a full junk food meal.