Le Cellier- Why all the hype?

[materbuddy]

My DW and I just got back from the world. We went to Le Cellier for our anniversary dinner on 10/25. The atmosphere was nice. I think the food is over rated. I had the salt crusted prime rib- there was more fat than meat on it. I felt like I was eating the prime rib at a bad wedding reception. The bread was the best part of the meal, followed by dessert. The maple creme brulee was wonderful. The chocolate "moose" was ok- DW likes the chocolate mousse at Norway better.

 

[wvdisneyfamily]

I personally don't like the steak you had. I've never had it there, but I generally steer clear of that cut altogether. Most people go for the Le Cellier fillet and maple creme. I go for the coffee rubbed Kansas strip and chocolate mousse. I've never had the Norway mousse. I probably won't because when I'm in Norway, I'm going for the pretzel. :slurp:

 

[RonAnnArbor]

The big deal is that it is one of the few places INSIDE the parks that you can get big slabs of meat as your primary meal...

Those of us who are low carb high protein dieters appreciate having at least one place you can do this inside the parks....

It's consistently rated one of the favorites in Epcot, so apparently people are enjoying their meat....sorry yours wasn't up to par. I've had the prime rib there before and found it to be quite good.

 

[wm49rs]

My DW and I just got back from the world. We went to Le Cellier for our anniversary dinner on 10/25. The atmosphere was nice. I think the food is over rated. I had the salt crusted prime rib- there was more fat than meat on it. I felt like I was eating the prime rib at a bad wedding reception. The bread was the best part of the meal, followed by dessert. The maple creme brulee was wonderful. The chocolate "moose" was ok- DW likes the choclate moose at Norway better.

I will say that's perhaps one of the few cuts of meat I've always questioned at Le Cellier. Since Prime Rib is a cut of meat with a higher fat content than others, why the need to encrust it in salt (especially in those areas where fat is already prevalent? The fat serves the same purpose a salt "crust" would, which is to prevent the meat from overcooking. But that's just my $.02....

And as for desert, I think someone mention the maple syrup crème brûlée. That really is their signature desert, imo, and I've never had a bad offering. Mousse on the other hand, can have it's good and bad days.

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your meal, but I would give it another go on your next trip- just making sure to try some of the other items on the menu.

 

[Phonedave]

I have found it to be the same as to OP. Decent, but not up to all of the hype. And while it may have low carb offerings, they are also high fat, and judging by taste, high sodium. But then when I am on vacation I really don't pay attention to that.

=dave

 

[Monty]

It's hard to get into because it's a very small venue with a reasonably good menu. It's also the only steakhouse inside a park.

I really enjoy the atmosphere and get treated like visiting royalty whenever I'm there [I advertise my Canadian-ness constantly :lol:]. I find the food to be quite good, not excellent, but certainly a value for money. I'll be interested to see what the menu is like at dinner once it goes "Signature".

 

[plaz10]

It's a great steak place with good bread, good desserts and yes its in the parks. I personally think the steak is one of the best i've ever had (ordered the filet mignon) and I think the hype adds to it...The "I got a reservation for THE le cellier" that plus a gorgeous pavilion IN the parks w/really good food. I think its all of those things together that make this place such a hot spot.

 

[mickey2008.1]

We agree with the OP. Its way over rated. The prime rib their is not very good, but the kansas strip is decent. We thought it was just way too crowdwed and very loud with no views. Its not worth all the phone time it takes to get an ADR. Itwas an over priced steak house with sub cut meats.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I think a large portion of the hype is just that: hype. It's a really difficult reservation to get so it creates a bit of exclusivity before a guest ever gets there. I've only ever had the filet so I can only speak for that steak. It's good but not better than anything I can get at other steak places at home. The pretzel bread is amazing. The only reason I can think of why they don't do a walk-up kiosk for the pretzel bread is that they know they'd create a mob scene. Lol! The desserts. I don't like the texture of creme brûlée so there really isn't anything there to knock my socks off. Overall, it's a nice eatery with embiance (unless you get stuck at a table where your neighbors are practically at the same table as you...can be a little odd). The food is good. Compared to other parks & other eateries, it's one of the better places to have a table service meal. But I really do feel that a large portion of the hype you hear is due to how difficult it is to get a reservation there. It creates hype which creates more demand which creates hype. It's like a circle effect.

All that said, my brother had snagged an ADR recently for our upcoming trip. After weighing everything we have reserved and much discussion we decided we'd rather keep what we already had. LeCellier is good but not good enough to make us want to forgo other dining experiences. We're making a deliberate effort to not be influenced by the hype.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We're making a deliberate effort to not be influenced by the hype.

That's a big part of why we didn't book - that and DH is leary of any place billing itself as a steakhouse that doesn't list the weight of each cut of meat. In any event, before our 180 mark...2 co-workers approached me to recommend Le Cellier...ranting and raving. But we also live in TX, so when asked to compare it to steak houses here - it suddenly sounded like more hype than anything. So, were skipping it. OP also noted the prime rib- I have seen so many reviews from people bashing the prime rib...several where even the waitstaff has told people they know it's bad and they're contemplating a new supplier.

 

[lilclerk]

The pretzel bread is amazing. The only reason I can think of why they don't do a walk-up kiosk for the pretzel bread is that they know they'd create a mob scene.

Oh goodness, if they had a kiosk for the pretzel bread and cheddar cheese soup, I wouldn't eat anything else in WDW :lol:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Oh goodness, if they had a kiosk for the pretzel bread and cheddar cheese soup, I wouldn't eat anything else in WDW :lol:

Yep. Me, too. I'd be standing in the line pigging out on my 1st order just waiting to make it back to the front for another order. They'd have to roll my big butt out of Epcot. I'd be wanting to camp out in line so when they open the next day.... :lol:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

That's a big part of why we didn't book - that and DH is leary of any place billing itself as a steakhouse that doesn't list the weight of each cut of meat. In any event, before our 180 mark...2 co-workers approached me to recommend Le Cellier...ranting and raving. But we also live in TX, so when asked to compare it to steak houses here - it suddenly sounded like more hype than anything. So, were skipping it. OP also noted the prime rib- I have seen so many reviews from people bashing the prime rib...several where even the waitstaff has told people they know it's bad and they're contemplating a new supplier.

That's one thing I love about living in Texas. The steaks. They're plentiful and it's not at all difficult to find really great steak. :slurp: And the Mexican food. Not at all hard to find good Mexican. Gosh, over by our Target there's a stretch of Hwy. 69 access road that has 2 side by side and they're building a third right in front of the Target. :lol:

You're in Houston, right? I need to get some recommendations for some really great Italian over there. We were in town last night to go to Ikea so we ended up at Red Robin nearby. I'd have rather fought the traffic to find some good Italian but I was overruled by the driver. :lol:

 

[EvilQueen-T]

i almost never order prime rib out anywhere as i've had the same experience the original poster complained. i like the filet and the coffee rubbed strip at le cellier but, yes you can probably get an equal steak at texas roadhouse. i think the secret to this place is the atmosphere, the single credit on the dining plan, the lack of other steak houses inside the parks, and the heavenly cheese soup.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

That's one thing I love about living in Texas. The steaks. They're plentiful and it's not at all difficult to find really great steak. :slurp: And the Mexican food. Not at all hard to find good Mexican. Gosh, over by our Target there's a stretch of Hwy. 69 access road that has 2 side by side and they're building a third right in front of the Target. :lol:

You're in Houston, right? I need to get some recommendations for some really great Italian over there. We were in town last night to go to Ikea so we ended up at Red Robin nearby. I'd have rather fought the traffic to find some good Italian but I was overruled by the driver. :lol:

Yeah- we're pretty blessed with excellent steaks and Mexican food. Hence why we really have 0 desire to have either when we go to WDW.

Yup- we are in Houston. I'm very picky about Italian food as I grew up in NJ not too far from NYC. My fave place for Italian is Romano's over on West Gray (not the chain :lol. http://romanoshouston.com/ Appearance wise- The place isn't much more than a glorified semi upscale pizza joint- but it's all about the food (the 3 pg menu is on the Web site)! If you go to the "about us" tab- you can read up on the owners. One of them is almost always there and if it didn't say they were originally from Italy- I would have thought they were born and raised in Queens. They are best known for their pizza, but the other menu items are great as well. I sometimes would sneak out of work while expecting with my girls and indulge in sausage & peppers, eggplant parm, and calzone. :slurp: It's not the most convenient location to the highways, but it's easy enough to get there. I'd take it over Red Robin any day, but I too am often overruled by the driver- since we no longer live close by.

 

[scbb11Sketch]

Le Cellier is one of my favorite restaurants in Disney for the reason given above. Big steaks. Their filets are great coupled with the bread and a nice beer. The atmosphere is nice and I really don't find the prices to be that bad.

 

[Crush Dude!]

My DW and I just got back from the world. We went to Le Cellier for our anniversary dinner on 10/25. The atmosphere was nice. I think the food is over rated. I had the salt crusted prime rib- there was more fat than meat on it. I felt like I was eating the prime rib at a bad wedding reception. The bread was the best part of the meal, followed by dessert. The maple creme brulee was wonderful. The chocolate "moose" was ok- DW likes the choclate moose at Norway better.

2009 We were very disappointed, we got the strip steak!!

So we booked for August just for the Filet

Now it is a must do :sohappy:

AMAZING cheese soup with AMAZING Pretzel bread :slurp:
AMAZING Filet with AMAZING Cheese Potatos:slurp:
AMAZING Deserts:slurp:

After 21 days of Free Dining this was THE BEST :sohappy:

 

[sweetpee_1993]

2009 We were very disappointed, we got the strip steak!!

So we booked for August just for the Filet

Now it is a must do :sohappy:

AMAZING cheese soup with AMAZING Pretzel bread :slurp:
AMAZING Filet with AMAZING Cheese Potatos:slurp:
AMAZING Deserts:slurp:

After 21 days of Free Dining this was THE BEST :sohappy:

You know those cream cheese potatos are super simple to make. If you do a Disney night at home it's a great thing to bring back those fabulous memories.

 

[v_misses_epcot]

Man I miss Texas, Maryland has bad Mexican food. I wish they'd hire me. I'd cook them up some decent Mexican food. My grandmother only thought me the best. HA!

As far as LC, Ice Wine Martini and bread is the only reason I really go. :slurp:

 

[DABIGCHEEZ]

Simple answer to why the hype is ...It is on WDW property.

Everyone knows everyhing at WDW is the best, right? They have Dole Whips, Zebra Domes, Cheesy Soup, the best sandwiches, Burgers, and even Ceasar Salads anywhere, I mean nothing is every hyped up at WDW!! :lookaroun