irunnoft
I'm What Willis Was Talkin' 'Bout!!!!
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2008
- Messages
- 703
Ok, so on June 15th, our first full day in WDW, we ate lunch at Le Cellier. I had the mushroom filet with mushroom risotto and it was very good. I also ordered the grilled asparagus at the waiter's suggestion and it was awful. The chocolate whiskey cake was also nothing memorable. It had a texture similar to a partially thawed Pepperidge Farm cake.
Today, I wanted to try Le Cellier again to see how their sandwiches stacked up. I ordered the shaved prime rib sandwich. I had an idea of what I hoped this sandwich would be. I had hoped it would have been made of rare or medium rare prime rib sliced thinly and piled high on a ciabatta. What I got was totally not what I expected. The amount of beef in the sandwich was small, in my opinion, for $14.99. Also, the beef had been sauteed along with the onions and had the consistency of a Steak-ums sandwich. This sandwich was unfortunately swimming in grease. I now know why they chose to put it on a toasted ciabatta because the tough outer crust of the bun was the only thing holding the sandwich together as the inner bread was soaked with grease. I had to continually wipe my mouth after each bite because I could feel the grease all over it. The sandwich was served with a large order of steak fries (thankfully not the kind that have found their way into every counter service restaurant). The fries were good, but they couldn't make up for the sandwich. I can't get past the correlation to it being like a greasy Steak-ums sandwich.
My wife ordered the salmon BLT and she really liked it. I can't comment on that because I didn't taste it.
For dessert, I ordered the maple creme brulee and it was good. Again, nothing that made me turn a cartwheel. It was good, though. The big surprise for me was the smore. My wife ordered that for dessert and I thought she was making a huge mistake but it turns out that this is, in my opinion, the best dessert on the menu. It was REALLY good. It was presented with a colored sprinkle covered marshmellow on a stick, a swath of colorful green and red sugarlike syrup. It really didn't have any flavor according to my wife, but the smore was like an ice cream cookie sandwich, only made with the classic smore ingredients. It was a rather large portion for a single dessert, but it was fantastic! In much the same way as a Kona cone makes an impression when it is brought to the table, so does this dessert. However, unlike the Kona cone being more about appearance and less about the actual dessert itself, this dessert is very satisfying. Lots of fun to have delivered if you're a grown up (but also delicious!)!!!
So, my recommendation for Le Cellier, especially for lunch, is to skip the sandwiches altogether. I would only consider ordering the filet from the lunch menu. I don't know about the NY Strip steak. It looked OK from the one I saw delivered to the table next to us, but I think the filet is the one dish this restaurant is known for and the one thing it does well.
At one time I thought this restaurant was the be all end all, but it really isn't all it's cracked up to be. I think Le Cellier is rather living off it's reputation now. The fact that the ADRs are so difficult to get help perpetuate this hype about a restaurant that really doesn't deserve it's reputation. Although I didn't try the steak burger, I have no doubts that it would've been unremarkable. If I want a GREAT burger, I'd go back to a place that I never intended to eat - Planet Hollywood. Yes, I said Planet Hollywood. As it stands right now, that's the best burger I've had here in WDW to date. . . but that's a different review.
Bottom line, if you didn't get an ADR at Le Cellier, don't sweat it. There are several places to dine that are just as good, if not better. In my opinion, Teppan Edo blows this restaurant out of the water. The mushroom filet is good, but if you stray too far off the traditional favorites on the menu, you're going to be disappointed.
Today, I wanted to try Le Cellier again to see how their sandwiches stacked up. I ordered the shaved prime rib sandwich. I had an idea of what I hoped this sandwich would be. I had hoped it would have been made of rare or medium rare prime rib sliced thinly and piled high on a ciabatta. What I got was totally not what I expected. The amount of beef in the sandwich was small, in my opinion, for $14.99. Also, the beef had been sauteed along with the onions and had the consistency of a Steak-ums sandwich. This sandwich was unfortunately swimming in grease. I now know why they chose to put it on a toasted ciabatta because the tough outer crust of the bun was the only thing holding the sandwich together as the inner bread was soaked with grease. I had to continually wipe my mouth after each bite because I could feel the grease all over it. The sandwich was served with a large order of steak fries (thankfully not the kind that have found their way into every counter service restaurant). The fries were good, but they couldn't make up for the sandwich. I can't get past the correlation to it being like a greasy Steak-ums sandwich.
My wife ordered the salmon BLT and she really liked it. I can't comment on that because I didn't taste it.
For dessert, I ordered the maple creme brulee and it was good. Again, nothing that made me turn a cartwheel. It was good, though. The big surprise for me was the smore. My wife ordered that for dessert and I thought she was making a huge mistake but it turns out that this is, in my opinion, the best dessert on the menu. It was REALLY good. It was presented with a colored sprinkle covered marshmellow on a stick, a swath of colorful green and red sugarlike syrup. It really didn't have any flavor according to my wife, but the smore was like an ice cream cookie sandwich, only made with the classic smore ingredients. It was a rather large portion for a single dessert, but it was fantastic! In much the same way as a Kona cone makes an impression when it is brought to the table, so does this dessert. However, unlike the Kona cone being more about appearance and less about the actual dessert itself, this dessert is very satisfying. Lots of fun to have delivered if you're a grown up (but also delicious!)!!!
So, my recommendation for Le Cellier, especially for lunch, is to skip the sandwiches altogether. I would only consider ordering the filet from the lunch menu. I don't know about the NY Strip steak. It looked OK from the one I saw delivered to the table next to us, but I think the filet is the one dish this restaurant is known for and the one thing it does well.
At one time I thought this restaurant was the be all end all, but it really isn't all it's cracked up to be. I think Le Cellier is rather living off it's reputation now. The fact that the ADRs are so difficult to get help perpetuate this hype about a restaurant that really doesn't deserve it's reputation. Although I didn't try the steak burger, I have no doubts that it would've been unremarkable. If I want a GREAT burger, I'd go back to a place that I never intended to eat - Planet Hollywood. Yes, I said Planet Hollywood. As it stands right now, that's the best burger I've had here in WDW to date. . . but that's a different review.
Bottom line, if you didn't get an ADR at Le Cellier, don't sweat it. There are several places to dine that are just as good, if not better. In my opinion, Teppan Edo blows this restaurant out of the water. The mushroom filet is good, but if you stray too far off the traditional favorites on the menu, you're going to be disappointed.
