Le Cellier, the Whipping Boy (shortsheeted/shortsighted?) of the Dis Dining Boards?

[lockedoutlogic]

I for one don't see anything that would qualify Le Cellier as a "whipping boy"

sure there are those that share bad experiences...and those that would tend to hate it under any circumstances....but that is life.

if anything...i would say that the comments on Le Cellier are WAY too generous.
And i really like it. but it's nothing (other than perhaps the cheese soup) something i would crawl over broken glass to get (think about that one for a moment )

It's a good spot...but i don't put it over Les Chefs De France, Coral Reef, Bistro De Paris, or several other locations on their good days...

It's steak and some fish...it's good...it's surely better than yachtsmans as far as consistency and quality. But this is one of those "disney" things...overhyping of certain locations.

I would venture that there easily 10 other locations that are hands down better, more inventive, and provide a much better overall experience than the buffet turned steakhouse.

And again...I like it. but the reviews and love of the place are often not level-headed. Like narcoosees or ANY character location.
I would implore the consumer to see Le Cellier for what it is...like many locations...and go to ones that are better than what is given credit for...artist's point, citricos, and Jiko being those that i always point too.

As far as what the dining plan has done to it...i would agree. It has destroyed most of the locations that i fell in love with. Le Cellier being big on that list. They should by all means go to the 2 pointer...because it is better when it isn't sitdown in fastforward like Crystal Palace...as the "Signatures" that are largely avoided by the dining plans are in many ways the last real "walt disney world" feeling locations left.

just my 2 pennies on that

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I just heard from my Disney TA that LeCellier in fact will be a 2TS for dinner (and remain a 1TS for lunch) beginning March 1. She said it has been confirmed by Disney.

so that solves 1/2 the problem....as lunch will be completely mobbed and dinner will be cleared out.

not that i mind that....as it might be available occasionally going forward.

I however, would doubt that it will not become a 2 credit location at all times in the future....as is Brown Derby and the only comparable 2 pointer currently on the docket.

 

[mcd2745]

ITA. My family just isn't the target demographic for LC, I guess. We don't eat steak when we go out to eat (or when we are home, either)- we prefer ethnic cuisine or 'fancy' food. Makes it nice- while everyone else is falling over themselves to get a coveted LC ADR, we are happy to hit Marrakesh or Tokyo Dining.

I am having a tough time deciding on ADRs for our November trip- we are traveling with friends who aren't adventurous eaters at all. The places that are our normal "must-dos" won't cut it with them. They would probably enjoy LC- we are going to have dinner together this week to decide on a few restaurants we can both enjoy.

And that clearly puts you in the minority - a very good thing for you.

While the simple-taste neanderthals like myself are fighting over ADRs to eat a slab of beef and some potatoes and then have to plan the rest of our day around that ADR we feel lucky to have...you can walk up to Morocco and Japan at your liesure and enjoy your meal.

 

[Sassagoula Billy]

And that clearly puts you in the minority - a very good thing for you.

While the simple-taste neanderthals like myself are fighting over ADRs to eat a slab of beef and some potatoes and then have to plan the rest of our day around that ADR we feel lucky to have...you can walk up to Morocco and Japan at your liesure and enjoy your meal.

I love it!

 

[lockedoutlogic]

ITA. My family just isn't the target demographic for LC, I guess. We don't eat steak when we go out to eat (or when we are home, either)- we prefer ethnic cuisine or 'fancy' food. Makes it nice- while everyone else is falling over themselves to get a coveted LC ADR, we are happy to hit Marrakesh or Tokyo Dining.

I am having a tough time deciding on ADRs for our November trip- we are traveling with friends who aren't adventurous eaters at all. The places that are our normal "must-dos" won't cut it with them. They would probably enjoy LC- we are going to have dinner together this week to decide on a few restaurants we can both enjoy.

Though i would tend to agree on your tastes...not really how you presented them though...

I would have to say that hibachi is not really fancy or really ethnic. we all can make steak, chicken, and shrimp with terryaki sauce on it

If you really like "ethnic" cuisine...and admittedly WDW has done a terrible job by eliminating much of it by menu streamlining in the last few years....Akerhus (not the goofy breakfast), germany (the meats, fish, and sausages....the big dogs), and Bistro De Paris are best in epcot for that...with some honorable mentions

 

[B-Ride]

This is a restaurant that consistently scores the highest of any restaurant with readers of the Unofficial Guide except for Victoria & Albert.

The last time I looked it had a 93% approval rating with respondants. The other 7% post here and call it overrated.

Not sure what overrated means in this context. You either like it or you don't. IMHO, not agreeing with the majority doesn't make it overrated.

 

[Pig Pen]

I was very disappointed in Le Cellier during our recent trip. They crammed 5 adults and a high chair onto a table built for 4. We were practically sitting on top of the poor couple next to us. I am sure they were very uncomfortable.

The service was good, soup was good, but the rest of the meal was underwhelming. I had the filet and thought it was extremely salty. Others at my table also ordered it. They didn't find it overly salty, but they weren't ecstatic with it either. My maple brulee was good, but DH got the choc mousse (literally a chocolate moose) and while it was cute, it wasn't what he expected.

We have eaten there 3 or 4 times over the years and probably won't go again.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

This is a restaurant that consistently scores the highest of any restaurant with readers of the Unofficial Guide except for Victoria & Albert.

The last time I looked it had a 93% approval rating with respondants. The other 7% post here and call it overrated.

Not sure what overrated means in this context. You either like it or you don't. IMHO, not agreeing with the majority doesn't make it overrated.

Let me explain this one then....

if it scored second highest at WDW on this or any other media outlet...then it is - by definition - overrated.

Like i said...maybe top 15...and that is somewhat generous.

 

[Cloudless Nights]

I do think it's a bit overrated, although our two meals there were good. That said, we are going again in two weeks.

And I don't think it's "the whipping boy of the Disboards". Like a previous poster said, I've seen worse things said about other restaurants--Hollywood and Vine, San Angel Inn, Coral Reef, etc. (for the record, we've never tried the first two, while Coral Reef is one of our faves). I see a lot praise for Le Cellier here and much desire to score ADRs. There is some grumbling when those lucky ones who managed to get ADRs come back and decide it doesn't live totally up to the hype (it is overrated). But I've never seen hatred for it.

 

[B-Ride]

Let me explain this one then....

if it scored second highest at WDW on this or any other media outlet...then it is - by definition - overrated.

Like i said...maybe top 15...and that is somewhat generous.

Thanks for the explanation, but I still agree with the other 93% that love Le Cellier. Also, remember that we aren't saying it is the number one restaurant at WDW, we are just saying we enjoyed our meal and will eat there again.

 

[bicker]

Not sure what overrated means in this context.

It means that the fervent fans advocate for the restaurant at a rate far in excess of the restaurant's actual quality; that that over-representation of the fervent fan's perspective distorts the overall impression of the restaurant so that a casual reader of online reviews of the restaurant will get a mistaken impression that the restaurant is substantially better than it is.

 

[B-Ride]

It means that the fervent fans advocate for the restaurant at a rate far in excess of the restaurant's actual quality; that that over-representation of the fervent fan's perspective distorts the overall impression of the restaurant so that a casual reader of online reviews of the restaurant will get a mistaken impression that the restaurant is substantially better than it is.

Sorry, I disagree in this context. This is an approval rating of the general reader, not fervent fans. Unless you are suggesting that people are taking the trouble to write in or vote multiple times which sounds too much like an Oliver Stone conspiracy theory to me.

 

[bicker]

Sorry, I disagree in this context. This is an approval rating of the general reader, not fervent fans.

That's not clear. "The general reader" is not a normalize sample. This kind of advocacy is contagious - the term used these days is "viral". The highest rated videos on YouTube are typically the ones that people ("fervent advocates") have gotten other folks to watch and rate highly - not the ones that are necessarily the highest quality.

 

[JenSop]

Put me on the side of the Le Cellier fans! We really do like it!

We've gone there many times on many trips. We have consistently gotten good food and good service. We were just there last week in fact and had a great experience!

Is it the world's BEST? Um, no. But it's pretty darn good.

Of course we could get better steak at our local Shula's, but when we went there, it cost us over $150 for the two of us!!! (And we didn't go over board when it came to what we ordered, either.)

Our meal at Le Cellier with fillet and dessert and non-alc. drink was just one TS credit each! That's why we like it! We get a decent meal at a GREAT cost in comparison to other steak houses. And we have ALWAYS had excellent CM's taking care of us there.

If people want to read too much into it and make it into some kind of imaginary shrine, well that's their problem (or not - to each his own!)

I will happily be eating there again in October during my F&W trip!

And I got my facebook alert from Allears today saying that dinner at Le Cellier will officially be 2 TS starting in March of 2011. Lunch will remain 1 TS. (You can bet those lunch ressies will be really hard to get!)

 

[NYDisGuy]

Two trips and two bad experiences. I'm done there. Both times the waiter/waitress only showed up to deliver our food, never re-filled our drinks at all. The food was soggy and we were sitting on top of strangers while we ate because they don't want to waste room with couples. San Angel Inn and Chefs De France are light years ahead of this place.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

It means that the fervent fans advocate for the restaurant at a rate far in excess of the restaurant's actual quality; that that over-representation of the fervent fan's perspective distorts the overall impression of the restaurant so that a casual reader of online reviews of the restaurant will get a mistaken impression that the restaurant is substantially better than it is.

YEAH!!!....what he/she said

 

[mcd2745]

And that clearly puts you in the minority - a very good thing for you.

While the simple-taste neanderthals like myself are fighting over ADRs to eat a slab of beef and some potatoes and then have to plan the rest of our day around that ADR we feel lucky to have...you can walk up to Morocco and Japan at your liesure and enjoy your meal.

I love it!

And I haven't even eaten there yet!

I will in less than a month, though. However, I will say that I was attracted by the menu while "researching" restaurants on Allears and picked Le Cellier as the one place I wanted to try even before I had any idea how popular it was and how hard it is to get an ADR.

My tastes can't be much simpler. I admittedly have a terrible diet (just ask my doctor). Primarily, it consists of meats and starches. So naturally, a steakhouse will be up my alley. Throw in one of my favorite desserts, creme brulee (I plan on making a creme brulee "tour" - maple, butterscoth, and & pistachio over a few days) and I'm all in!

Having said that (any "Curb You Enthusiasm" fans out there? )....I think there are a lot of people out there who want to score an ADR there for no other reason but becuase it's so difficult to get. And those are probably the people who end up least satisfied with the place. If it's not your "type" of restaurant/menu to begin with, the odds are greater you won't like it.

 

[MomofKatie]

And that clearly puts you in the minority - a very good thing for you.

While the simple-taste neanderthals like myself are fighting over ADRs to eat a slab of beef and some potatoes and then have to plan the rest of our day around that ADR we feel lucky to have...you can walk up to Morocco and Japan at your liesure and enjoy your meal.

There are lots of different restaurants for different tastes- that's all I meant. Not that anyone is better or worse because of what their tastes are. We don't take up a spot at LC- we prefer other restaurants. You aren't "neandethals" because you like steak- good for you! We happen to prefer something other than steak.

Sorry if adding my .02 wasn't appreciated... I'll go now and have some Thai Basil Chicken.

 

[mcd2745]

There are lots of different restaurants for different tastes- that's all I meant. Not that anyone is better or worse because of what their tastes are. We don't take up a spot at LC- we prefer other restaurants. You aren't "neandethals" because you like steak- good for you! We happen to prefer something other than steak.

Sorry if adding my .02 wasn't appreciated... I'll go now and have some Thai Basil Chicken.

On the contrary. I was just making the point that a majority of people have simpler tastes, so that is why a place like LC appeals to so many. It's great that you have "different" tastes. I wish I did.

 

[n2mm]

But do you think the Hollywood Brown Derby is worth 2 credits? I think it's a nice bistro, on par with Le Cellier and Chefs de France. But Signature? And I've never seen that place elbow to elbow. Granted, it's the size of the Grand Canyon in comparison...

Dunno, I've never been to HBD. I've tried, but have never been happy with the menu. Since I don't (or seldom) use the ddp now, the amount of credits don't matter to me. I've been to many of the signature locations and there are not many I return to. We do like Narcossees. I do like the soups and bread at LeCellier, so that's what I go for. I don't think they are on the same level as YSH or Narcossees (or many of the other signature locations). But also rumored is that the menu at LeCellier is suppose to change, so I'll wait and see. But as a TiW cardholder, I'll still visit LeCellier.