DonaldDoleWhip
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2008
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Both of those statements are exaggerations, but this trip definitely showed me the two sides of Le Cellier that are so often reported on the boards. One meal was an excellent lunch, while the other was just okay and not really worth the hype that is associated with this place.
I was happy that I was able to make two Le Cellier lunch bookings on such short notice. After skipping my lunch here on the last trip, I wanted to have 2 meals in order to try some of the things I haven't tried. In addition, Le Cellier recently changed the lunch menu to feature more summer-inspired dishes, so I knew that some of the dishes were brand new.
I actually forgot to take a pic of the menu, so I took a screenshot from the WDW website instead. At least it's a lot clearer than my camera pic would've been
I think the gardens, rock work, and water outside of Le Cellier are really beautiful.
And I couldn't resist taking a pic of the adorable ducks outside (I guess before they get turned into those scrumptious duck meatballs?)
Le Cellier Entrance Podium:
Both meals included the enjoyable Le Cellier sourdough, multigrain, and pretzel bread. I don't think the pretzel bread tastes especially amazing, but it's really nice to have a variety of breads to choose from. I really like the multigrain since it has small seeds that add to the texture, but the pretzel bread is really soft and has some crunchy salt on the crust.
Bread Basket #1
The first day, I went with the prix fixe menu, which includes some popular choices but also less expensive entrees. My appetizer choice was the spicy chicken and chipotle sausage with roasted corn polenta and sweet onion jam. I've had this before and really like it - the sausage is spicy, but the polenta is really creamy and sweet. The greens add a refreshing crunch.
For an entree, I picked the steak and potato skillet with mushrooms and a salad of arugula and tomato (I got the salad without the blue cheese). It was pretty good - the salad had a unique flavor from the fennel, and the beef (which was apparently sirloin) was seasoned well and didn't have a lot of fat on it (which I like). I guess I was expecting the potatoes to be more roasted in flavor. Instead they reminded me of creamy, slightly oily breakfast potatoes. I wouldn't order this again, as it just didn't taste that special to me.
Finally, I chose the maple crème brûlée for dessert. I haven't had this in a few years, and I really liked that the maple flavor didn't make it too sweet. However, I think the custard could've been served colder, and the crust could've been slightly thicker (not burnt, but I still wanted more texture contrast). It tasted good, which is what matters most.
For what it's worth, this was the more disappointing lunch. If I had made a reservation 6 months in advance at 6 AM just to eat that food, I wouldn't have thought the food was bad, but I would've wondered why this place is so popular. In actuality, I know there are better options (for me) on the menu, and I just need to stop ordering the prix fixe menu. Whenever I do, I'm never that happy with my entree or dessert selection.
The next day, I returned for my second lunch. This time, I knew I would order exactly what I wanted instead of choosing to save money.
Bread Basket #2
My appetizer choice was the new marinated yellowfin tuna with Thai basil, chili pepper, snap peas, and ponzu dressing. I loved this starter. There wasn't an overwhelming taste of soy sauce, the snap peas added a crispy texture, and the chilis delivered a boost of spice. What really made the dish work for me were the little pieces of crunchy sea salt (barely visible on the tuna slices). Crunchy sea salt can do wonders for a dish, and I would happily order this again.
For an entree, I went with the mushroom filet mignon with white truffle butter sauce. This time, I ordered the cream cheese mashed potatoes in place of the risotto for the first time. I just can't say anything bad about this. The meat was tender and cooked to my liking (and with basically no extra fatty parts), the truffle butter added a great earthy flavor (I just love the taste of truffle), and the mashed potatoes were very creamy. I think I prefer the mushroom risotto, but I definitely wasn't unhappy with this!
My dessert was the chocolate-on-chocolate whiskey cake finished with honey-thyme anglaise and a chocolate-walnut sauce. This was just an excellent chocolate cake, with layers of light mousse and rich cake. The honey-thyme anglaise added an extremely subtle herbal note - not too much, but just enough to make it interesting for me. You wouldn't think a heavy dessert would be so enjoyable after a heavy entree, but I happily finished most of it.
The service was very good at both meals - both Jill and Darcie were really friendly and provided a lot of water refills (Darcie even recognized me from a few months ago, and she told me a hilarious story about taking a huge bite of a whole chili pepper when they were trying out that tuna dish for the first time).
In terms of food, my second lunch was more enjoyable than the first. I went there on two consecutive days and ordered different things, and my impressions of the food are vastly different. I am pretty convinced that Le Cellier is still one of the best 1-credit restaurants available, even though the menu does have some weaker choices on it. I've had my ups and downs here over the years (I've even diagnosed myself with LCBD - Le Cellier bipolar disorder
), but most of my recent meals have been ups. As such, I'll continue to come to Le Cellier, whether OOP or on the DDP. 
For my last Le Cellier pic, here are the different lunch desserts on display (excluding the chocolate moose and campfire s'more). From left to right: maple crème brûlée, chocolate whiskey cake, no-sugar-added chocolate mousse, bumbleberry cobbler, Mont Blanc semifreddo, seasonal sorbet.
I was happy that I was able to make two Le Cellier lunch bookings on such short notice. After skipping my lunch here on the last trip, I wanted to have 2 meals in order to try some of the things I haven't tried. In addition, Le Cellier recently changed the lunch menu to feature more summer-inspired dishes, so I knew that some of the dishes were brand new.
I actually forgot to take a pic of the menu, so I took a screenshot from the WDW website instead. At least it's a lot clearer than my camera pic would've been
I think the gardens, rock work, and water outside of Le Cellier are really beautiful.
And I couldn't resist taking a pic of the adorable ducks outside (I guess before they get turned into those scrumptious duck meatballs?)
Le Cellier Entrance Podium:
Both meals included the enjoyable Le Cellier sourdough, multigrain, and pretzel bread. I don't think the pretzel bread tastes especially amazing, but it's really nice to have a variety of breads to choose from. I really like the multigrain since it has small seeds that add to the texture, but the pretzel bread is really soft and has some crunchy salt on the crust.
Bread Basket #1
The first day, I went with the prix fixe menu, which includes some popular choices but also less expensive entrees. My appetizer choice was the spicy chicken and chipotle sausage with roasted corn polenta and sweet onion jam. I've had this before and really like it - the sausage is spicy, but the polenta is really creamy and sweet. The greens add a refreshing crunch.
For an entree, I picked the steak and potato skillet with mushrooms and a salad of arugula and tomato (I got the salad without the blue cheese). It was pretty good - the salad had a unique flavor from the fennel, and the beef (which was apparently sirloin) was seasoned well and didn't have a lot of fat on it (which I like). I guess I was expecting the potatoes to be more roasted in flavor. Instead they reminded me of creamy, slightly oily breakfast potatoes. I wouldn't order this again, as it just didn't taste that special to me.
Finally, I chose the maple crème brûlée for dessert. I haven't had this in a few years, and I really liked that the maple flavor didn't make it too sweet. However, I think the custard could've been served colder, and the crust could've been slightly thicker (not burnt, but I still wanted more texture contrast). It tasted good, which is what matters most.
For what it's worth, this was the more disappointing lunch. If I had made a reservation 6 months in advance at 6 AM just to eat that food, I wouldn't have thought the food was bad, but I would've wondered why this place is so popular. In actuality, I know there are better options (for me) on the menu, and I just need to stop ordering the prix fixe menu. Whenever I do, I'm never that happy with my entree or dessert selection.
The next day, I returned for my second lunch. This time, I knew I would order exactly what I wanted instead of choosing to save money.
Bread Basket #2
My appetizer choice was the new marinated yellowfin tuna with Thai basil, chili pepper, snap peas, and ponzu dressing. I loved this starter. There wasn't an overwhelming taste of soy sauce, the snap peas added a crispy texture, and the chilis delivered a boost of spice. What really made the dish work for me were the little pieces of crunchy sea salt (barely visible on the tuna slices). Crunchy sea salt can do wonders for a dish, and I would happily order this again.
For an entree, I went with the mushroom filet mignon with white truffle butter sauce. This time, I ordered the cream cheese mashed potatoes in place of the risotto for the first time. I just can't say anything bad about this. The meat was tender and cooked to my liking (and with basically no extra fatty parts), the truffle butter added a great earthy flavor (I just love the taste of truffle), and the mashed potatoes were very creamy. I think I prefer the mushroom risotto, but I definitely wasn't unhappy with this!
My dessert was the chocolate-on-chocolate whiskey cake finished with honey-thyme anglaise and a chocolate-walnut sauce. This was just an excellent chocolate cake, with layers of light mousse and rich cake. The honey-thyme anglaise added an extremely subtle herbal note - not too much, but just enough to make it interesting for me. You wouldn't think a heavy dessert would be so enjoyable after a heavy entree, but I happily finished most of it.
The service was very good at both meals - both Jill and Darcie were really friendly and provided a lot of water refills (Darcie even recognized me from a few months ago, and she told me a hilarious story about taking a huge bite of a whole chili pepper when they were trying out that tuna dish for the first time).
In terms of food, my second lunch was more enjoyable than the first. I went there on two consecutive days and ordered different things, and my impressions of the food are vastly different. I am pretty convinced that Le Cellier is still one of the best 1-credit restaurants available, even though the menu does have some weaker choices on it. I've had my ups and downs here over the years (I've even diagnosed myself with LCBD - Le Cellier bipolar disorder
), but most of my recent meals have been ups. As such, I'll continue to come to Le Cellier, whether OOP or on the DDP. For my last Le Cellier pic, here are the different lunch desserts on display (excluding the chocolate moose and campfire s'more). From left to right: maple crème brûlée, chocolate whiskey cake, no-sugar-added chocolate mousse, bumbleberry cobbler, Mont Blanc semifreddo, seasonal sorbet.
) to get a lunch ADR. Now seeing it, I will leave our plans as is and stick with dinner! I know LC has been getting some less than stellar dinner reviews but we feel that we need to try it for ourselves. The chicken sausage appetizer is one of my favorites so great to hear that that was still good!
