Yachtsman Steakhouse

Once upon a time, when it was darn near impossible to secure reservations for Le Cellier, Yachtsman was often offered up as a nearby alternative.  Located at the Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, a short boat ride or slightly longer walk from Epcot’s International Gateway, this is a prime spot to enjoy a quiet dinner with a little upscale ambiance.

I do feel I have to disclose that this meal was on Disney’s dime, as Siriann, of Story Time Travel fame, and I were comped as part of our travel agent education training. Since we were playing with house money, we indulged and ordered drinks, appetizers, steak and dessert. While we’re coming clean, I apologize for the weird crops on the food pics. I had a crazy obnoxious logo that I had to crop off since I couldn’t find the originals. 😉

Our appetizer was less than fantastic. It was a seasonal crab appetizer and doesn’t seem to appear on any online menus (and I can’t even pinpoint it on the image of the menu from the night of our meal), but it was served with summer veggies and fried in something.  I know. I’m extremely eloquent when trying to recall the dish. Anyway, it doesn’t matter to us because none of us would order it again.

Unfortunately for Clara (my food allergies at WDW go-to gal), there was not a lot she could have, and the chef wasn’t able to customize much, either.  This is the only time I’ve dined with her (or her family) that her options seemed pretty dismal.  She skipped the appetizer (probably best), and ordered the steak, as did Siri and I.

I enjoyed my steak, but my gals weren’t as pumped about theirs.  I did prefer the filet from California Grill and maybe even the filet at Le Cellier, but my entree was pretty good.  I don’t remember why Siri didn’t like hers, but Clara definitely compared hers with Golden Corral.  Ouch.

Thankfully, we had dessert on the way!  Siri and I both had our eye on the chocolate peanut cake with salted caramel gelato, so we decided to split one after the waiter advising it that it was “big” while holding his hands about a foot apart.

Yeah.  We did end up leaving about a third of the cake, though, as it was very rich and not as flavorful as we’d hoped.  The gelato, though, was gone in seconds! That stuff was FABULOUS!! Lucky for us, since she skipped the appetizer, Clara ordered TWO desserts, so there was plenty of sugar.

Despite the number of inside jokes this dinner inspired, I enjoyed my Yachtsman experience. Of course, I may have been swayed by the fantastic company and the ability to linger and chat as the restaurant emptied. Would I rush back for dinner? Eh, maybe if we were staying at the Yacht Club, but I’m a geek and really like Disney dining experiences, and Yachtsman felt like an experience we could easily get at any fine dining establishment.

Are you like me and want Disney in your face? Or do you think you’d give Yachtsman a try? Or do you already love it and think I’m cray for opting for something else? Tell us in the comments!