Le Cellier.......Don't believe the hype

[rolanddeschain]

For those of you who will not read this all the way through, know this. Le Cellier does not live up to the hype that surrounds it. With their price increases, menu changes, and the constant air of exclusivity about it, it falls short. For the same money you can enjoy wonderful aged beef and impeccible service at the Yachtsman Steakhouse. For those that want the details, read on..........


We just returned from a week at WDW and all of the fun that involves. After many attempts we were finally able to get ADR at Le Cellier. I have to say that I was really looking forward to seeing for myself whether all the hype was precisely that....hype.

We had reservations for 7:00pm and we were starting to get hungry so we decided to see if there was any way we could get in early......of course we were told they were completely booked and that we'd have to wait for our reservation.....fair enough. We returned at 6:50 and checked in. We were seated almost immediately. What struck me right off was the amount of empty tables, but I figured they would be filled soon enough. A it turns out, there were easily 6 empty tables throughout our dinner. So much for being completely booked, but I digress.......

The first thing I noticed was that their menu was different from everythig I had been reading online. I was SO looking forward to the Coffee rubbed KC strip, alas it was not on the new menu. The next thing I noticed was how they've raised their prices 6-10 dollars depending on the entree.........

Drinks were ordered, iced tea for me, diet coke for my friend and a key lime coconut martini for his wife. The appetizers arrived before her martini did..... Although she raved about her drink, i still felt they were not THAT busy to justify such a long wait for a drink.

Appetizers were the Spicy Chicken and Chipotle Sausage - with roasted corn polenta and sweet onion jam. Not bad, but not worth the 14.00 price
Entrees were: "Le Cellier" Mushroom Filet Mignon - 8 oz. Canadian AAA beef tenderloin with wild mushroom risotto finished, white truffle-butter sauce and micro chervil. $40.00
Grilled Bone-In Rib-Eye - 16-oz bone-in rib-eye with herb parmesan potato wedges and pink peppercorn sauce. $42.00
Canadian "Prime" New York Strip - 12-oz. strip steak with Gruyère-Yukon gold potato gratin, wilted spinach and vin rouge reduction. $42.00
The steaks were ok, but not the best steak I've ever had...not even the best steak I've had at Disneyworld. We all agreed on this point.

I also had the "poutine" fries-French fries with truffle salt, Canadian cheddar and red wine reduction. $8.00

The fries were VERY salty.......too salty to eat. When I told our server, she simply stated "that's the truffle salt" I understand that, but I cant eat them.
She did nothing to rectify the situation, just kept telling me they were supposed to be salty.

When all was said and done I was disappointed with Le Cellier.
The food was average, overpriced and the service was mediocre. Now this is my 7th Disney trip, I'm no stranger to Disney prices and I don't shy away from a restaurant just because of the prices. I'm MORE than willing to pay for fine dining.....this was not it.
We had dinner at the Yachtsman Steakhouse a few evenings before this. I DEFINATELY recommend dining here. Aged beef, incredible service, and it's the same prices as Le Cellier is charging now. For the money, go to Yachtsman!!!
Our server, Lizz, was wonderful. Attentive, yet not hovering. Drinks were never empty, the table was kept neat and tidy, etc. The steaks were wonderful. Perfectly done, beautifully tender and delicious. There is something to be said for dry aged beef.

I'm believing that all the hype and exclusivity of Le Cellier is just that, hype.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Wow, your experience sounds exactly the same as someone else's recent post: http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=41027673&postcount=9

I'm sorry your meal was unsatisfactory. I agree that it's never a good idea to buy into the "hype" of a place. You should judge it for yourself. I had three very good experiences with the new LC dinner - I never ordered steak, but I loved the poutine. And Yachtsman is my least favorite signature - it just seems the most ordinary, although I guess it offers generous portions of meat and potatoes. But that's the thing - everyone has a different opinion, and it's not a good idea to base expectations on what others think. Based on my experience, most Disney restaurants are quite inconsistent, and it could just be a matter of them having a good day vs. bad day. Obviously, that doesn't help, as first impressions are often enough to turn someone off forever.

 

[sukhakuli]

I wasn't hugely impressed when we went in 2007. The atmosphere was nice, but the food was literally tasteless. I enjoyed the cheddar soup, but the steak (I also got the mushroom filet) had no flavor. That could be because I had been very, very sick and my throat was still sore, but I remember liking the soup and Creme Brulee. It wasn't worth over 100 bucks for 2 people, though.

Service was great. Atmosphere was nice. I am looking forward to going back to see if my problems with the steak were just my illness. If the meal had been about half of what we'd paid for it, I would have left happy, but it was a bit of a let down.

We'll have to try the Yachtsman. One thing my family can get behind is a steak dinner! So I'm sure to be able to convince them to try it.

 

[disneygal2007]

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

While I think it is important to note if you like/dislike a restaurant, for those who may not have experienced it before, the best advice is still - Try it yourself.

We personally love LeCellier. Both with free dining and also paying OOP. I have been there 4 times and have never had bad service or a bad meal. We did have a mix-up once, but it was fixed quickly with many apologies.

I am a firm believer that if the menu catches your fancy and you can catch the ADR you want, go for it.

Sorry OP that you did not enjoy your meal or the service. I have heard the Yachtsman, Coral Reef, and a few others may be better suited for you. The best part is being able to try new restaurants.

 

[kaelarad]

had a fabulous lunch during our Christmas visit and Le Cellier is on the dinner list for our upcoming trip.

However, it is good to hear a variety of opinions.

 

[npcougar]

Don't blame them for the empty tables. Blame people abusing the reservation system by making multiple reservations and never cancel them. They have to keep those tables open because of them.

 

[Havana]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience.
We have our favorite restaurants and sometimes they disappoint. That is when we open the door to try a new place.
We have always had wonderful meals at Le Cellier. We go here two-three times a year and it is on our must do list.

 

[RMulieri]

I always thought it was over rated to begin with, It probably still is, only with a bigger price tag

 

[KigerKat]

Don't blame them for the empty tables. Blame people abusing the reservation system by making multiple reservations and never cancel them. They have to keep those tables open because of them.

But how long do the restaurants keep the tables open for? I have noticed this at every restaurant we have been to at DW - there always seem to be about 5-10 empty tables and you wonder why there is such a long wait.

I remember having lunch ADRs at Les Chefs, and having to still wait 15 minutes for our table and hearing the CMs tell walk up guests that the wait was about an hour, an see at least a dozen empty tables inside.

I think people should lose their table if they are 15 minutes late. They could call if they are delayed for some reason,, but a no call/no show should lose their table. Period.

 

[bluejasmine]

Ive never been very impressed with LC.. I kept going back b/c y family loved it. Now I do really enjoy the mushroom filet but there is no way in heck Im using 2 TS credits for it. Im not a big eater but while DH and I really enjoyed the filet last yr we walked away not full..

This yr we decided to try something new out instead of LC..

 

[sjs314]

DH and I have never been to Le Cellier and are going there for dinner this trip. DH is a steak lover, I am not for me I want to go there for the atmosphere the expierence of eating in Canada. I have read many bad reviews but also good of Le Cellier and as someone else said I think you just have to try it out yourself and see what you think. Everyones pallet is different what is too salty for one person can be devine to another.

 

[mb_uh]

I am sorry it did not live up to expectations. I think the problem with hype is that we build things up in our mind that it would almost be impossible for them to fulfill.

We had a great meal here in July- lunch, loved the filet/rissotto, soup, etc.

Honestly, it is rare to see true Fine Dining in a Theme Park so IMHO you have to factor location into expectations. It is is incredible for an in park meal- especially lunch.

Honestly- disney prices are high for TS.

 

[Ken_Breadbox]

I've read numerous reviews of LC, about 80-85% outstanding and 15-20% AWFUL. There seems to be no middle ground. One of the recurring themes in the awful reviews is the saltiness. That doesn't surprise me. Canadians eat a LOT more sodium than Americans, to the point that foods are actually reformulated before being shipped to Canada. (By contrast, Americans tend to prefer more sugar; many sugary sodas have been repeatedly offered in Canada only to be yanked due to poor sales.)

 

[bicker]

The resort restaurants have been a far superior value, at every level of restaurant, than the corresponding in-park restaurants. It makes sense: Much of WDW's profit model relies on capitalizing on a mostly-captive audience. Everything offered is going to have a location premium added on that is dependent on just how captive the audience is. The theme parks are going to have the highest location premiums applied, because it is either impracticable or too much of a nuisance to go elsewhere, in the estimation of more people, as compared to the resort restaurants.

The resort restaurants also have a location premium, as well, but less so, because the average nuisance/impracticability factor is lower. However, either way, customers are essentially paying a certain amount above and beyond what the food and service is worth, because they're paying for food, service and the convenience of the location.

Le Cellier has also been able to capitalize on the impression that it is the only source of steaks for folks dining at Epcot. Combined with the fact that so many Americans (regrettably, on several levels) consider steak to be an essential part of a celebratory meal, that adds on yet-another price premium - i.e., another thing for which patrons pay money, beyond for the food, service and convenience.

Looking at the specific things the OP complained about, most of them do come down to money, i.e., a realization that these two premiums I outlined above jack-up Le Cellier's menu prices. If you don't place as much value on those intangibles, location and the fact that there is an impression that it is the only source for steak, then you're invariably not going to see the restaurant as a good value (especially, in the latter case, you know that the impression is not necessarily true).

The fact that the restaurant was not totally filled is something I would consider a positive. I see no advantage to patrons from a totally "sold out" restaurant. Also, while making a reservation and then enjoying the great meal you anticipated is good, there is also something special about being able to walk right up to a great restaurant, out of the blue, and have a great meal. If a restaurant is paying attention to its patrons, it should price its offerings so that they can always fit in a walk-in.

The fact that something on a menu from a week or month before wasn't on the menu the night you dine at a restaurant is also a good thing. It means that the menu isn't stale; that the restaurant isn't operating on auto-pilot; that the restaurant isn't being oblivious to factors that should be driving it to change its menu. The very best restaurants change their menus nightly; that's considered a paragon of quality. While Le Cellier is nowhere that level, menu changes should still be considered a positive.

 

[bicker]

While I think it is important to note if you like/dislike a restaurant, for those who may not have experienced it before, the best advice is still - Try it yourself.

I think that's great advice for people like us, who visit WDW frequently, and therefore can view dining out there in the same way that we view dining out in our own local neighborhood.

There are a lot of folks, though, for whom the visit to WDW is a rather infrequent experience. For folks like that, a different approach is better: Try to get to know folks here in the forums, especially with regard to what they like and don't like about food. Try to find and read their impressions of restaurants that you've been to, and compare their impressions to yours. If they liked it and you liked it, that's a good sign, but if they didn't like it and you didn't like it, that's also a good sign - a good sign that their preferences and yours are similar, so their reviews of WDW restaurants you haven't been to are more likely to be good advice for you.

Don't blame them for the empty tables. Blame people abusing the reservation system by making multiple reservations and never cancel them. They have to keep those tables open because of them.

WDW restaurants don't take reservations, and so they don't hold tables for no-shows. They have daily experience with how many people tend to no-show, and fill tables with walk-ups based on their experience. While I don't condone the practice of making more ADRs than you have any intention to use, we cannot make a correlation between abusing the ADR system and empty tables.

As I alluded to earlier, a few empty tables is a good thing. A lot of empty tables means that the restaurant's offerings aren't resonating with its customer base.

 

[AirGoofy]

What struck me right off was the amount of empty tables, but I figured they would be filled soon enough. A it turns out, there were easily 6 empty tables throughout our dinner. So much for being completely booked, but I digress.......

I noticed that about the tables as well. And, what surprised me more was that when we left, the tables were still empty (we had one of the 1st dinner reservations - the only one we could get). As for the food, I had the fillet and it was a great steak. I did not care for the cheese soup, which I normally am a fan of. The pretzel bread was excellent. But, I agree that the fillet at Yachtsman's Steakhouse, Jiko, Brown Derby, are just as good if not better than Le Cellier. And, I'll even put the Prime Rib at Turf Club in that category. And, after 10 trips for us, what we try to do now is save those meals for non park days. Now, you can't get princesses in a castle unless you go to CRT, but as for a good steak dinner, I'll pick one of those in the resorts and save my park times for more Disney magic.

 

[npcougar]

WDW restaurants don't take reservations, and so they don't hold tables for no-shows. .

If you have an ADR at Le-Cellier, they will hold it open for 20 minutes past the reservation time. That is what I was told last Dec.

 

[bicker]

If you have an ADR at Le-Cellier, they will hold it open for 20 minutes past the reservation time. That is what I was told last Dec.

They will honor the ADR for 20 minutes. They do not hold a table for you. When you present yourself (whether you're on time or even up to 20 minutes late), you go into the queue for the next available table.

 

[npcougar]

They will honor the ADR for 20 minutes. They do not hold a table for you. When you present yourself (whether you're on time or even up to 20 minutes late), you go into the queue for the next available table.

So they don't have a maximum number of people allowed in the queue?