Uncleromulus
Plain grey will be fine
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2001
From time to time on the boards there will be a "best steak" thread. Le Cellier, Yachtsman and Shula's are mentioned most often, although several other restaurants (Flying Fish comes immediately to mind) also have a good steak. But for variety of menu, quality steak, nice atmosphere and excellent service, Shulas is now # 1 in my book.
We dined there twice last week--once on reservations we made in advance, and then once on a walk-in basis. At the end of our week we had decided we liked it so much we wanted to go back!! The second time we sat at the bar--where you can get a FULL meal and have excellent service from Shula's fine bartenders! What I'll do is detail what we had both evenings w/o actually splitting things up into two seperate reviews.
For starters if you drive to the Dolphin (as we did) Shula's will validate your valet parking pass so there is no charge to park except for the tip. Inside, you will find a rather dark, well appointed wood paneled dining area with pictures of football players, etc on the walls. The pictures are not overwhelming and you don't get the feeling you are in a sports bar or anything of that nature. To our delight, Frank Sinatra music (early Reprise years these evenings) was playing. Also inside, you may find two different Shula's--the quiet romantic Shula's where you can talk and hear the music, and then there is the "convention" Shulas' where you will find tables of 10-15-20 guests loudly having a good time. We had "one of each" during our meals. Convention nite was loud and Mrs U couldn't hear her beloved Sinatra music, but we had a good time anyway and the groups were obviously doing the same!
At Shulas' you have two servers waiting on you and they start with a presentation of the various cuts of meat. This is a good thing because the size of the steaks is huge and you can see what you are getting into before you actually order it. Warm sourdough bread follows and ,of course drinks. They have an extensive wine list and a large selection of wines by the glass.
For an appetizer each nite we had the same thing--barbequed shrimp stuffed with basil. THese were large shrimp and could be shared as an appetizer. They were absolutely delicious. We next ordered the tomato and mozzerella chopped salad. This is very similar in taste to the standard Caprese salad you'll find in Italian restaurants, but here the cheese and tomatos are chopped into bite size pieces. Again,the salad could be shared by two, and again, absolutely delicious!! Oh--we had the salad each nite!!
The first night for my entree I had the 12 oz filet. and it was served perfectly medium as ordered. Truly melt in your mouth good and I really didn't need a knife to cut it. Mrs U had a "special" that evening--a petite 6 oz filet that was paired with a small lobster tail and a portion of lobster shell that was stuffed with a crabmeat mixture This was NOT their standard surf and turf but it was just the right size for Mrs Uncleromulus. It also came with asparagus spears that had been drizzled with balsamic vinegar. GOOD!!!
Second nite entrees (our bar nite) were equally good--I had the 16 oz NY Strip and Mrs U got the standard surf and turf. This was a larger steak than the previous nites special and also included a full size lobster tail. We also decided to split a "side"--the lobster mashed potatoes. Good, but we couldn't do it justice as we were already getting full and dessert was to follow. The potatoes are easily shared by two--I can't imagine one person eating all that along with the meal.
Dessert was a special treat--Chocolate Souffle for two. We ordered it back when we placed our original dinner order (as it takes time to prepare) and the servers (and the bartenders!) were more than happy to split the portions as it was being served. Excellet, especially as souffles aren't easy to find on dessert menus any more.
Full?? Oh yes. But we had to have a dessert wine (MrS U) and a port (for me) along with some coffee. Shula's has an extensive after dinner drink menu and I believe there almost a dozen ports listed (Dows 30 year was my choice).
Some asides: Shula's steaks are "wet aged" 30+ days according to our servers. I can't recall having any better steak anywhere. Shula's is clearly better than Ruths Chris. Service was extremely friendly from the servers and the bartenders--they all know the menu from top to bottom and are anxious to please.The manager came around several times to see how things were going, which dosen't happen as often as it should in other Disney Signature restaurants. The pace of service was perfect--we do not like to be rushed or have all the food come out at once, but that was not a problem at Shula's. Everything was served with a decent interval between courses and considering that the restaurant was quite full both nights, that is an accomplishment.
There were several children in the restaurant each nite, but far fewer than in most Disney spots. Dress ran the spectrum--true business casual (slacks and collared shirt) all the way down to cargo shorts and t-shirts. I saw no men with jackets and only a few women wore a dress. For those interested, I wore tan slacks and a collared sport shirt. Mrs U had on slacks and a blouse.
So will we be going back? Most definately--next trip in September!!
We dined there twice last week--once on reservations we made in advance, and then once on a walk-in basis. At the end of our week we had decided we liked it so much we wanted to go back!! The second time we sat at the bar--where you can get a FULL meal and have excellent service from Shula's fine bartenders! What I'll do is detail what we had both evenings w/o actually splitting things up into two seperate reviews.
For starters if you drive to the Dolphin (as we did) Shula's will validate your valet parking pass so there is no charge to park except for the tip. Inside, you will find a rather dark, well appointed wood paneled dining area with pictures of football players, etc on the walls. The pictures are not overwhelming and you don't get the feeling you are in a sports bar or anything of that nature. To our delight, Frank Sinatra music (early Reprise years these evenings) was playing. Also inside, you may find two different Shula's--the quiet romantic Shula's where you can talk and hear the music, and then there is the "convention" Shulas' where you will find tables of 10-15-20 guests loudly having a good time. We had "one of each" during our meals. Convention nite was loud and Mrs U couldn't hear her beloved Sinatra music, but we had a good time anyway and the groups were obviously doing the same!
At Shulas' you have two servers waiting on you and they start with a presentation of the various cuts of meat. This is a good thing because the size of the steaks is huge and you can see what you are getting into before you actually order it. Warm sourdough bread follows and ,of course drinks. They have an extensive wine list and a large selection of wines by the glass.
For an appetizer each nite we had the same thing--barbequed shrimp stuffed with basil. THese were large shrimp and could be shared as an appetizer. They were absolutely delicious. We next ordered the tomato and mozzerella chopped salad. This is very similar in taste to the standard Caprese salad you'll find in Italian restaurants, but here the cheese and tomatos are chopped into bite size pieces. Again,the salad could be shared by two, and again, absolutely delicious!! Oh--we had the salad each nite!!
The first night for my entree I had the 12 oz filet. and it was served perfectly medium as ordered. Truly melt in your mouth good and I really didn't need a knife to cut it. Mrs U had a "special" that evening--a petite 6 oz filet that was paired with a small lobster tail and a portion of lobster shell that was stuffed with a crabmeat mixture This was NOT their standard surf and turf but it was just the right size for Mrs Uncleromulus. It also came with asparagus spears that had been drizzled with balsamic vinegar. GOOD!!!
Second nite entrees (our bar nite) were equally good--I had the 16 oz NY Strip and Mrs U got the standard surf and turf. This was a larger steak than the previous nites special and also included a full size lobster tail. We also decided to split a "side"--the lobster mashed potatoes. Good, but we couldn't do it justice as we were already getting full and dessert was to follow. The potatoes are easily shared by two--I can't imagine one person eating all that along with the meal.
Dessert was a special treat--Chocolate Souffle for two. We ordered it back when we placed our original dinner order (as it takes time to prepare) and the servers (and the bartenders!) were more than happy to split the portions as it was being served. Excellet, especially as souffles aren't easy to find on dessert menus any more.
Full?? Oh yes. But we had to have a dessert wine (MrS U) and a port (for me) along with some coffee. Shula's has an extensive after dinner drink menu and I believe there almost a dozen ports listed (Dows 30 year was my choice).
Some asides: Shula's steaks are "wet aged" 30+ days according to our servers. I can't recall having any better steak anywhere. Shula's is clearly better than Ruths Chris. Service was extremely friendly from the servers and the bartenders--they all know the menu from top to bottom and are anxious to please.The manager came around several times to see how things were going, which dosen't happen as often as it should in other Disney Signature restaurants. The pace of service was perfect--we do not like to be rushed or have all the food come out at once, but that was not a problem at Shula's. Everything was served with a decent interval between courses and considering that the restaurant was quite full both nights, that is an accomplishment.
There were several children in the restaurant each nite, but far fewer than in most Disney spots. Dress ran the spectrum--true business casual (slacks and collared shirt) all the way down to cargo shorts and t-shirts. I saw no men with jackets and only a few women wore a dress. For those interested, I wore tan slacks and a collared sport shirt. Mrs U had on slacks and a blouse.
So will we be going back? Most definately--next trip in September!!