Do I dare try any Steak place???

[disneyfreak2]

OK, I just saw some pictures of a steak from a post. All I can say is, "oh my gosh". I don't think I could eat that. I am a very picky eater and my steaks have to be be very, very, very, well done. Do I dare try the Concourse Steakhouse that we have res for?? Will they be able to get my steak done like I like? Should I try a different place? My DM is also picky, she wouldn't be able to eat it either.

Any suggestion would be helpful.

Thanks

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Any steakhouse, including those at WDW, will cook a steak any way it is ordered.

However, several years ago I was at a good steakhouse in Los Angeles and on the menu it described the degrees of doneness and what you would see. The last item was: "The chef will not accept responsibility for the taste of any steak ordered Well Done."

 

[RIDisneyFan]

We just got back, and we at the Concourse one night. I also like my steak very well done, and I was very satisfied with the way they cooked it.

 

[Candicno]

"The chef will not accept responsibility for the taste of any steak ordered Well Done."

That is a very common comment on menus at the higher end (read--restaurants with trained chefs). I have seen it a lot. Some chefs will not cook meat that way, and will suggest you eat something else that can be prepared correctly well done, like chicken, pork tenderloin, etc. I think that has upset customers (customer is always right, correct? even if the have a taste that goes against classical training), so they just put that comment in there to avoid problems.

The problem they have is that some people will order a well done steak and then complain about it being tough. Some people will send it back, and this costs the restaurant money. There is ALMOST NOTHING a chef can do to make a well done steak more tender.

While good, WDW steaks are not top quality. If you cook a steak that has a limited amount of fat (a cheaper steak) it is going to be tough when well done. If thats something you can accept, go for it. I don't know what you are used to. If you like well done steaks, I would make sure you get the best CUT of meat you can for tenderness. Don't even think of getting a strip steak or you won't be pleased, it will be like shoe leather IMHO. Go for the filet.

If you encounter a problem, ask to talk to the manager or the chef. Let them know you preferences, and tell them you are aware that the steak MAY BE tough, and that you understand this. Have them recommend the most tender cut of meat on the menu, and pray for good luck!!

 

[Tigger_Magic]

Most steak places at WDW know all too well how to prepare a steak "well done." Some have even mastered the fine art of turning it into a charcoal briquet! You should not worry. Well done is very much alive and well at WDW!!

 

[disneyfreak2]

Thanks to everyone! I feel better now. I do like my steak very well done; although I don't eat a whole lot so a few bites of "tough" steak will be just fine with me. I would rather have my steak burned and crispy than red.

Again, thanks for all the help!!

 

[NJBlackBerry]

While good, WDW steaks are not top quality.

I respectfully disagree; both Yachtsman and Shula's serve top quality steaks and we've been very pleased there on several occasions. Even the filet at Citrico's three weeks ago was superb and cooked to perfection (medium well - not charcoal).

 

[ladysoleil]

NJBlackBerry :I respectfully disagree; both Yachtsman and Shula's serve top quality steaks and we've been very pleased there on several occasions. Even the filet at Citrico's three weeks ago was superb and cooked to perfection (medium well - not charcoal).

There's steak and then there's steak though. I'd certainly hope the steaks at Yachtsman and Shula's were better quality than the ones at the Concourse, as that's the point of a high end steakhouse, and Shula's is known for their quality. I hear nothing but raves about the NY location. A place like Shula's or Yachtsman or Morton's is going to serve a far, far better cut than a mid-priced restaurant.

I'd guess the "average" WDW steak isn't the highest quality but is still quite acceptable. You're not getting Kobe for $25 at Concourse.

Even Citrico's is a signature, correct? I'd hope they'd also be serving better meats than a regular table service.

That said, my filet at Le Cellier was just fine and cooked as I asked, really darn rare. I'd be pretty happy if you waved a lighter at it to warm it a couple of degrees and dropped it on my plate, but DH gets a bit squicked watching me eat what he considers "raw meat" so I go at least medium rare.

To the OP: I can't imagine anyone would really have a problem cooking a steak ordered well done, so I wouldn't worry about ordering it that way if you really like it. As long as you're happy eating it, right?

 

[Uncleromulus]

You might find that if you order it well done, with a thick cut (like a filet) they may very well offer to "butterfly" it. Some spots will go ahead and tell you that's what they will do.
The problem (if that's the correct term) in cooking a thick cut of meat well done is that over the high heat grills, etc they use, the outside will get charred long before the inside is "well done". Well done should not mean "burnt to a crisp", so alternative cooking methods are called for.

 

[Houston_Disney_Fan]

I agree with Lady Soleil. I like mine warm on both sides, but my DH feels the same way hers does ("I've seen cows hurt worse that that recover") so I order it medium rare.
Disney chefs in my experience have been very accomodating, and I doubt there would be a problem with your request.

 

[mtdevine615]

The way we cook a very thick cut if the customer doesn't want it Butterflyed is to start in on the grill to get the marks on it and then finish it off in the oven. Any decent steakhouse should be able to cook your steak the way you want it. Places that put comments on their menu about not being responsible for steaks cooked well done should be avoided. That's the first tip off that they don't know what they're doing.

 

[Candicno]

Places that put comments on their menu about not being responsible for steaks cooked well done should be avoided. That's the first tip off that they don't know what they're doing.

I beg to differ. There are quite a few "posh" places in NYC and LA that have a comment on the menu, and at MANY of them, the waiter will "suggest" (strongly!) that the person should reconsider because the chef does not prepare it in such and such way.

It's not that they don't know what they're doing, they have some of the best trained and talented chefs. It's that they know what they are doing "too well," and they have a reputation and a tad bit of snobbery that allows them to do this.

I subscribe to the "satisfy the customer always" notion, but when you have a waiting list months long to eat at your restaurant, that doesn't seem to matter much to them anyways. I guess they "don't know what they are doing" as far as customer service.

Personally, I never have a problem because I always order my steaks medium rare and my prime rib medium. If it comes out very rare, I will eat it as long as it is warm and the entire outside is cooked (bacteriology concerns there).

 

[Lulu's Mom]

I work part time at a steakhouse and I can tell you a few things... First off if you want a well done steak, order it butterflied, they cut the steak in half and then cook it, the thinner the meat the more well done it will be. Also well done steaks are thin.... many people want a well done thick steak, this is hard to impossible. When a steak is cooked to be well done, you soak all the juices and blood and color out of it, this includes water, this makes it thin. Depending on how the place cooks their steaks, either on an open flame, or on a flat grill with weights will also determine how well it gets cooked and more importantly how long. One clue to steaks is the more fat the more flavor, the less cooked the more tender. In my opinion if you like your steaks well done, which there is nothing wrong with that, I use to order mine that way until I tried it differently and realized how much better it is cooked less, just expect the steak to be pretty thin and dry.

 

[sherry8253]

I like my steak very very very well done too. My NY strip steak at the Yachtsman Steakhouse was excellent. It was not tough or dry at all and it was very very very well done.

 

[webray]

I respectfully disagree; both Yachtsman and Shula's serve top quality steaks and we've been very pleased there on several occasions. Even the filet at Citrico's three weeks ago was superb and cooked to perfection (medium well - not charcoal).

Steaks at Yachtsman are not top quality by any means, no way, no how.

Never been to Shula's so I can't comment on that.

 

[VernRDH]

We had the filet a Yachtsman and it was wonderful. The absolute best filet I ever had was at the Hawks Landing Clubhouse at the Marriott Orlando World Center. Absolutely to die for. I agree with the other posters that said they like theirs "still mooing"

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

Sounds like it would just be easier to order a meat that is easier to cook to a well done state, instead of an expensive cut of steak.