Unusual Breakfast at Steakhouse 71 is “Culinary Genius”

 by Beth Keating and Ray Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

August 16, 2023

 

We’ve been to Steakhouse 71 at Disney World’s Contemporary Resort before. In fact, we were there just after they opened post-renovations from the former “The Wave… Of Contemporary American Flavors.” As the hot new restaurant debuting in town, we couldn’t get anywhere near dinner reservations at the time. We could, however, get early morning breakfast reservations, so we decided to give it a try. 

And we liked it. (Check out the DisneyBizJournal review here.) But despite that fact, we still hadn’t returned for breakfast since that original visit. We have hit up the Steakhouse 71 Lounge a few times for the best-burger-at-Disney-World Stack Burger, however. (See DisneyBizJournal’s take on Disney World lounges here.)  This week, we decided to give the spot another go for the early morning hours, and oddly, still didn’t really end up with “breakfast foods.”

It was in the 8:00 a.m. hour, eyes barely open, when we were seated at the table in this modern-spin-on-mid-century décor dining room. But rather than the more typical eggs, pancakes, oatmeal or fruit plate offered on the menu at Steakhouse 71 (okay, there was espresso involved… we aren’t complete savages), we opted for the Florida Eggs Benedict ($19.00).  While that sounds breakfast-y, it was actually a crab-cake-based dish.  

 

Yes, I said crab cake. For breakfast.  You know, that savory, seafood delight that one usually scarfs up for dinner?  And it was AWESOME!  What a way to start the day!

 

The entrée included two-poached eggs atop a crab cake with Hollandaise sauce, all perched on Canadian bacon and a toasted English muffin.  A scoop of breakfast potatoes added a few more carbs to fuel the day. It was, as Shawn and Gus have proclaimed on Psych, one of our all-time favorite TV shows, “a flavor seizure.”

 

The crab cakes were of ample size (always a question when it comes to crab cakes), and the crab wasn’t minced, but instead offered in plump pieces. The breading on the cakes nicely served the crab, rather than dominating it. All of that would have been enough, but combining the crab cakes with poached eggs (done perfectly), Canadian bacon, and on an English muffin turned out to be culinary genius. Yes, this is a highly recommended breakfast.

Steakhouse 71 serves breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  Then they reopen for dinner from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.   (If you don’t feel the need for dining table space, you can squeeze in a visit to the even more casual Steakhouse 71 Lounge, which stays open from noon straight through until 11:00 p.m.)

Named for the year Disney’s Contemporary Resort first opened, you enter Steakhouse 71 through a long hallway adorned with black and white photos of the construction of Walt Disney World, setting the stage for this tribute to Walt and to the park’s founding.  Many of the dishes at Steakhouse 71 are inspired by some of Walt’s (and Lillian’s) favorites, including Walt’s Prime Rib Hash ($18.00), also available for breakfast.  Seasonal pancakes ($15.00), omelets ($17.00), and a unique take on avocado toast ($13.00), served on a toasted sourdough bread with onion jam, are some of the other selections up for grabs.

 

If you are heading to the Magic Kingdom, you may discover that Steakhouse 71 is a great way to start your visit with Mickey, whether you make breakfast a sweet, or even a savory, choice. It’s just a quick monorail ride away. And don’t pass up the crab cakes when beginning your day.

 

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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are their own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right? 

 

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Welcome to Steakhouse 71 – One of Disney’s Newest Eateries

 by Beth Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

November 23, 2021

 

One of the most highly sought after dining reservations right now at Disney World in Florida is Steakhouse 71, the new eatery that moved into the former location of “The Wave… of American Flavors” at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.  The Wave closed in July before the site underwent renovations.

In fact, the buzz for this new restaurant has been so hot that after days of trying to lock in a dinner reservation, the only seats we could book turned out to be breakfast reservations nearly three weeks out. It turns out that the buzz is well deserved.

 

Opening on October 1, 2021 (the kick-off for the 50^th Anniversary of Disney World), the new casual sit-down dining location takes its name from the opening year of the Magic Kingdom (1971), with a subtle tip of the hat to the well-loved Steakhouse 55 at Disneyland in California. Its home is on the first floor of the Contemporary, one of Disney World’s original hotels.

Like many other locations around the Disney Parks, Steakhouse 71 is offering a few specialty dishes to honor the 50th Anniversary celebrations this year. One of the special offerings at Steakhouse 71 is Walt’s Prime Rib Hash ($17.00), and two of our diners opted to try what was reportedly among Walt Disney’s favorite foods.   Made with seared prime rib, fried potatoes, caramelized onions and peppers topped with a fried egg, it’s a disservice to call this “hash.” The word doesn’t come close to doing justice for this flavorful dish. The prime rib was tender, and the seasoning tied together the entire dish.

Another diner opted for the Steakhouse 71 Seasonal Pancakes ($14.00), which on this day was a set of delicious pumpkin pancakes. (The selection, as the name implies, will change with the seasons, but this choice was a worthy contender.)  

 

Served with either bacon, pork sausage, or chicken sausage, the pancakes had a decorative drizzle of icing and a set of candied pecans centered on the top.  The pancakes themselves had a hint of sweetness, and definitely did not have the stereotypical cinnamon and nutmeg laced flavor that generally permeates pumpkin anything this time of year. Rather, the pancakes were delicate and fluffy, offering just a hint of “autumn” without being overpowering.  The surprise accent to the meal was the syrup, which was a coffee infused syrup with the coffee notes on the backend to finish the syrup. Totally unexpected, and a very nice accompaniment to the pancakes’ light pumpkin flavor.

The restaurant was open and airy, despite the fact that as an interior restaurant, there are no windows to the outside world.  In undertaking the remodel, Disney made sure the new restaurant was considerably lighter in atmosphere than its dimly lit predecessor, something that had been a common complaint among previous diners in the space.  Steakhouse 71 has windows, of a sort, in the middle of the restaurant, looking into the bar area (which you are welcome to visit without needing reservations, as a first come-first served locale.) And with a very odd piece of commentary, the dining chairs were likely the most comfortable restaurant seating we recall having in a long time!

 

The entry to the restaurant, which many remember as a “tunnel” leading into the reception area, is now brighter as well, and offers a bit of a time capsule into the early beginnings of the Magic Kingdom via oversized black and white photos of the construction process.

The service was wonderful at Steakhouse 71, with many of the staff coming over to the new digs from The Wave, including our waiter for the morning, who’d been at The Wave for five years.  He was friendly and welcoming, offering helpful descriptions of the entrees, making sure we got our breakfasts in a timely manner so we could get over to the parks.

 

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Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.

 

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