– By Darlin Diva
If you’re looking for a fantastic dinner in the Epcot area, are willing to part with two table service credits (if on the Disney Dining Plan), and anyone in your party is a steak-lover, you can’t go wrong with Yachtsman Steakhouse. Forget Le Cellier, cruise right on out Epcot’s back door (the International Gateway) and over to the Yacht Club Resort – there’s an amazing dining experience waiting for you!
While we saw plenty of children in the restaurant on our most recent visit, this place is really suited for a grownup night out or a romantic dinner for two. Service? Top notch! The host or hostess will be happy to show you around. Of particular interest is the chilled meat storage room into which you can 
both see the hanging beef as well as watch the butcher at work. The dining room is cozy and the atmosphere inviting.
Yachtsman specializes in excellent steaks, but don’t let that keep you away if you prefer other choices – the menu is outstanding, with a wide variety of dishes certain to please every member of your dining party. My husband and I love a broad selection and Yachtsman delivers! Once we’d had our tour and were seated at a table for two, our server welcomed us and made some recommendations. We ordered a bottle of wine and perused the menu while enjoying the bread, butter, and roasted garlic – a combination that we loved and thought was both delicious and unique. We came for steaks, but couldn’t help but notice the amazing array of offerings ranging from scallops and tuna to duck and lamb. The vegetarian entrée was a fabulous-sounding butternut squash waffle.
Normally, we order an artisanal cheese platter to share, because we are a couple of cheese lovers, but not at Yachtsman. Normally, we order two different entrees so we can taste a variety of flavors by sharing, but not at Yachtsman. My husband and I ordered the exact same meal and every bite was perfect!
We both started with the Lobster Bisque. There were nine appetizers to choose from (including an incredible charcuterie selection) and we both knew we had to have that bisque. Described as “Maine Lobster, Crème Fraîche, Preserved Lemon, Fine Herbes”, we thought, since the weekend of our visit (for the Princess Half Marathon) was unseasonably cool, the warm, hearty, slightly rich dish would be quite 
welcome. And it WAS! So very smooth and creamy with plenty of lobster flavor, this was an amazing way to kick off the meal!
For our entrees, we ordered the 8-oz Black Angus filet mignon, which is served with mashed potatoes and a red wine sauce. When ordering steak at Walt Disney World, here’s my best tip: Different parts of the country define the different steak cooking guidelines differently. I prefer medium to medium rare, my husband likes medium. Instead of choosing those as the answer to “How would you like your steak?”, we say, “Medium – if that means a warm pink center.” So we described our preferences to our server because we didn’t want to send a steak back or be unhappy with our meal in a restaurant we considered somewhat of a splurge.
Our steaks arrived perfectly cooked. Seared and dark on the outside, warm and pink on the inside. The wine sauce, the potatoes, and the steaks disappeared in short order. There was very little talking while we tucked those delicious steaks away! Our server, who was attentive without hovering, offered us the dessert menu and I thought, “Hey! One peek won’t hurt, right!?!” Probably, I shouldn’t have peeked!
So full already, we couldn’t help but try a dessert that combined peanuts and chocolate. Chocolate Peanut Cake comes with “Pretzels, Salted Caramel Gelato, Liquid Ganache” and, even though we couldn’t do it justice, was incredible! We chatted over coffees (mine Irish) and were completely and totally happy with our dinner. Yachtsman Steakhouse was an excellent choice for us and, as the hostess at the check-in stand 
predicted, will become a new vacation tradition. Our children are now 19 and 24 and we cannot wait to take them to Yachtsman next time we all go to Walt Disney World together.
Are you a fan of Yachtsman Steakhouse? What do you like most about it?
