Wednesday 30th July 2008- Scrummy Steak
We tried and tried before our trip to get an ADR for Le Cellier with no luck for lunch or dinner on any of the days we were free! I had no idea it was so hard to get into! Me being me I decided I must be missing something and we HAD to eat there! So poor old Matt got an early morning at Epcot with nothing but a teeny weeny box of cereal to keep him going. By 11am when World Showcase opened we were both starving and practically sprinted in the thousand degree heat over to lovely Canada to line up outside Le Cellier.
The good news is we were first there and they had some spots available for early walk ins- the bad news is we had to hang around until 11.35 when they actually opened. When they did open it was with two rounds of the Canadian National Anthem- one traditional style and one translated. It would have been really cool apart from hardly any of the surrounding wait staff joined in with this one lady who was proudly and loudly chummering along. They looked kinda embarrassed and I wanted to know the anthem so I could join in and help this poor lady!
We got in there and for the whole of our meal it was practically empty! No ADRs left for lunch!? Either there were loads and loads of no shows or there was something wrong with the system! Also, we were sat on a table for two in a line of loads of two tables- we felt really squinched together with the other tables- if it stuck my elbows out they would have brushed the lady next to me. It made for a weird dining experience when your conversations are mixed up with everyone elses. And it wasnt like there wasnt loads of room in the rest of the place.
Our server came along and was really good. He explained a lot of dishes on the menu to us and told us what he recommended. We both ordered soft drinks- not very exciting so I didnt take a piccy of these. And then he brought us some bread:
We were just having lunch so I was a bit worried about filling up on bread but couldnt resist trying this stuff! We had three different baguettes: sourdough, wholegrain and pretzel bread. The sourdough was really yummy and fresh and we managed to eat all of that. We thought the wholegrain was good and nice and warm but a bit boring after a bit. We really didnt like the pretzel bread- but then again neither of us like pretzels! It was too sweet for us and we left almost all of it.
Then we got our appys
heres mine:
I knew I was getting this after all the rave reviews on the Dis- the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup. Now, I was taking a chance here because Im not the worlds biggest cheese fan and I really dont like Cheddar. But I thought there cant be so many happy munchers for no reason! And it was gorgeous! So smooth and creamy! The cheese flavour wasnt too strong and the salty bacon on top was a nice addition. I couldve eaten another bowl of this for my entrée!
For Matts appetizer, he got this:
This is the duck two ways. Its duck confit and rillettes with marinated green apples and apple gastrique. I wasnt surprised he ordered this- if theres duck on the menu, Matt orders it! Its his favourite meat and he has high standards when it comes to how it tastes! He let me have a little try and I thought it was pretty good- ducks not my favourite and I liked it! He said it was good but a bit bland for him. He didnt get the apple that went with it- said the flavours clashed more than they complemented each other.
For entrees- despite the rave reviews of the mushroom fillet- I skipped it (shock! Horror!) in favour of the New York Strip Steak (Sorry my cameras done a bit of a flash fest!):
This was a gorgeous strip with bercy butter, balsamic red onion, watercress and roasted Yukon potatoes. The steak was beautiful- I ordered it medium and it came out just that. I felt like the potatoes were a little bit undercooked- not enough to complain but enough so they werent very soft. The butter that came with it was so nice, there could have been more but Im the Queen of drowning my steaks in sauces so I probably have more of an appetite than most people for those!
Matt was a good little Diser and had the mushroom fillet:
This is a fillet steak with mushroom risotto, white truffle and herb butter sauce. He said at the time this was a tad fatty but he loved the meaty parts. He let me try some and it was every bit as good as the people on here rave about! Tender and with a delicious sauce!
We were so full after this and didnt order dessert, especially considering we had an early dinner planned that night. When we got the check we were a little shocked at the price. Admittedly, we dont tend to look at individual prices, we just order what we want, but it was a shock all the same. I dont remember the exact total but I know it was upward of a hundred dollars- we didnt feel it was worth *this* much for lunch and it put a bit of a downer on the meal. We would go back but I think wed keep a bit more of an eye on the price!
Coming up: a quick drinks interlude and then a small review of HOB!
Now it's going back on the list.
