Walt Disney World May 2012 Trip Report Pt 6

After Universe of Energy, we headed back toward World Showcase and left Epcot. Sarah had to start getting ready for dinner, and while she did this, I wandered around the Beach Club Villas, capturing some photos.

We were dining at Yachtsman Steakhouse for dinner, and since the restaurant was right at our resort, we did exactly what we should have done the previous night: we dressed up for the occasion. I wore a seersucker suit and Sarah wore a beautiful white dress (if you want to know more about it, ask her; I know it was white and I know it was a dress).

As was the case with Narcoossee’s, I’ll do a full review of Yachtsman Steakhouse at a future date (so many articles to write, so little time!), but as soon as we walked into the restaurant, I was impressed. This is not just because the place is built of masculine woods and has a nice steakhouse look to it, but because there was a butcher in a glass tank cutting up meats right inside the entrance! This sight would put a smile even on Ron Swanson’s face. It was really awesome–about the only thing that could have been better is if there was livestock in the tank with him and he “demonstrated” the whole process. (Before all you vegan hipsters get upset, I’m just kidding about the last part.)

As soon as we walked in, it also became abundantly clear that we were way overdressed as compared to other patrons. We should have dressed up for Narcoossee’s and normally for Yachtsman Steakhouse. Oh well.

Our waiter for the evening was Ricardo, and he was flat out awesome. He was really fun, yet formal and knowledgeable. How he managed to strike this balance was beyond me, but he’s basically the perfect Disney server. A bit of whimsy combined with knowledge and appropriate demeanor for a nicer restaurant. They should send him out to Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disney California Adventure to train those servers!

On a scale of “Vegan to Velociraptor” in terms of carnivorousness, I’m approximately “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” which is actually off the chart, as it’s a step beyond Velociraptor. I love meat, and view vegetables as unnecessary filler that gives in the way of meat. Except potatoes, but Sarah keeps telling me those aren’t vegetables. Riiiiiiiiiight.

This was significant as Yachtsman Steakhouse brings the A-game for carnivores. Sarah had a combination of Lobster and (I think) Filet Mignon, and I had the 24 oz Porterhouse. Sarah reported that her lobster was better than the lobster she had at Narcoossee’s (truly impressive since usually the lobster on a combo lobster/filet plate is inferior to that of a dedicated lobster dish), and the meat that both of us ordered was leaps and bounds ahead of what we had at Narcoossee’s.

My Porterhouse was amazing. Flavorful, perfectly marbled, and with the perfect amount of seasoning. If Yachtsman Steakhouse sold post cards, I would have bought one, because that was a steak to write home about. (Too corny? Sorry.) At $46 it was pricey, but not out of line compared to other steak on property, especially for the size. I wouldn’t recommend visiting Yachtsman Steakhouse with an eye towards “dining on a dime,” but the Porterhouse was definitely large enough for two people to split.

 

Appetizers and desserts were equally impressive, and that meal at Yachtsman Steakhouse cemented the restaurant as one of our top Walt Disney World restaurants. Since Bistro de Paris is presently being dumbed down for the stroller crowd, I’m going to tentatively place Yachtsman Steakhouse at #2 overall. We’ll certainly be back in the very near future, as there are several cuts of meat on the menu that are just begging to be tried. It’ll be difficult to avoid the temptress that is the Porterhouse, but I think I’ll manage.

About the only thing that disappointed us about Yachtsman Steakhouse was the decor of the dining rooms, which looked somewhat dated. Ambiance is an important part of the Disney Dining experience, so hopefully this decor is freshened up during the restaurant’s current refurbishment.

After dinner, we wandered around getting some sunset portraits on the beach. The sunset was a dud as far as colors go, but it worked out for portraits. On multiple occasions, other guests offered to take photos of us. The photos you see here of both of us are by those kind strangers (after I dialed in the appropriate settings on the camera). Nice work, guys!

Sarah went back up to the room while I wandered around down by the Villas trying to capture some photos of the blue hour sky that was starting to color the sky. I didn’t spend too much time doing this, as I had to change clothes, too, so that we could head back out to the parks for Illuminations.

Little did I realize that our “relaxing” day was just getting started. We still had THREE parks to hit that night!

To read/view earlier installments in this Walt Disney World trip report, please visit the index.

Did you enjoy this Walt Disney World trip report installment? If so, please share the post on Facebook with a “Like” or “Share” through the buttons at the top of the post, on Twitter by clicking the “Tweet” button, or by sharing it through the random assortment of buttons below! As always, please leave your thoughts about this post in the comments!