Disclaimer: while this was a meal we paid for and not a hosted dining experience, we did receive some of our items complimentary thanks to Hilton Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria. Those items are noted where applicable. All opinions are our own.
We recently had the pleasure of staying at the Hilton Bonnet Creek (make sure to check out our resort review too), and one of the best things about staying at this hotel is you have access to also enjoy their sister property Waldorf Astoria Orlando. As you would expect, there are some high-end dining experiences here, and the list includes one of the finest steakhouses: Bull & Bear. We knew this meal would be a fancy splurge, but little did we know it would end up being one of the most memorable dinners we’ve ever had. Read on for all of the delicious details…
The Location
The Waldorf Astoria is located in the Bonnet Creek, a resort area that sits within Walt Disney World property. The luxury hotel is right next door to Hilton Bonnet Creek and the resorts share some of the available amenities. If you are not staying at the resort and just visiting for dinner, you can park at the resort for a discounted rate of $7 (with a restaurant validation). Another option would be to use the Bonnet Creek bus system from a Disney park or Disney Springs. The Bull & Bear is located on the same level as the main lobby with views looking out to the pool area.
The lobby of the Waldorf Astoria.
A menu posted outside the restaurant (click to enlarge).
The Ambiance
Bull & Bear is inspired by the original Bull & Bear in New York City. With a classic club-like feel you will find dark woods, rich fabrics, and fine fixtures. The restaurant is quiet and dimly lit which makes for a great date night (but please excuse some of our low light photography!). Even though this restaurant is upscale it feels welcoming and does also have somewhat of a relaxed vibe being at a resort. We appreciated the attention to details from luxe table linens to custom charger plates, all the decor touches felt very special.
A view of our dining room.
The Service
Knowing that the Bull & Bear has received the AAA Four Diamond Award and TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence Award, as well as the Florida Trend Golden Spoon we expected some excellent service. But we experienced service like never before. We met our head server Chris and soon found out we actually had a team of four people (wow!) seamlessly tending to our needs. Chris was super knowledgable and the perfect guide for our first time experience. He suggested perfect wine pairings and made smart suggestions such as splitting a soup to save room for other items. He seemed truly focused on our needs to have the best dining experience. We learned a lot during our meal to include education on wine glasses, insight into food preparation, and more.
We also had many visits from managers as well to ensure we were enjoying ourselves. We think the superb service is part of the reason why a meal at Bull & Bear is so special. Also be aware that because it is an experience you will be there for awhile. This also means there can be only so many tables sat in a night. It is highly recommended to make a reservation, we know the night we were there, the restaurant was completely booked.
We thought it was cool that the menu is on an iPad. (It did make it easy to read in the dark setting!)
The Food
Okay now let’s get into the really good stuff: the amazing food. We decided to sample a few different things from the menu and had quite the tasting adventure. Here is everything we tried….
Drink: The Bull, The Bear and The Mule
St Augustine Vodka, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Barenjager Honey, Homemade Ginger Syrup
This signature cocktail had a nice refreshing classic taste. It came with crushed ice and seemed a generous size. It was a great way to start the meal.
Bread Service
One of the members of our service team brought over a lovely assortment of bread. The one that was our fave was a pull apart brioche roll. (We even ordered a second one to go perfectly with our soup course.)
Amuse-Bouche: Shrimp
This fancy term simply means: compliments of the chef. It is a tiny starter to give you a taste of what’s to come. The night we were there was a great little bite of shrimp.
A signature Bull & Bear cocktail.
Make sure to choose the one of the left!
Mmm carb heaven.
These were tiny but packed a mighty taste!
Starter: Maine Lobster Bisque $24.00
butter poached lobster medallion, dry sherry
This starter was perfect to share and the presentation was memorable. The soup bowls arrived with a small pansy flower, our server then poured the soup. We both agree it was one of the best lobster bisques we have had, with a rich consistency and the right amount of seafood.
Our experience included so much cool presentation of dishes.
Entrée: Bull and Bear "Fried Chicken" $45.00 (compliments of Hilton Bonnet Creek)
yukon golden mash potato, gravy
We were told we HAD to try the famous fried chicken. At first we thought what an odd dish at a high-dining establishment, but soon discovered this dish was one of our favorites. A lot of time is put into this meal with the chicken being re-skinned before breading, and a rich duck fat gravy that takes 48 hours to make. The food is brought out on a tray and hand cut by a server before plating. The meat was juicy and flavorful with a great crunch, the potatoes were creamy perfection, and that gravy was OMG good.
Entrée: Maple & Bourbon Smoked Faroe Island Salmon $40.00
sweet corn and bacon purée, pan roasted mai take and chanterelle mushrooms, sea beans, lemon herb beurre blanc
This dish was brought out on a large plate then the rich beurre blanc is poured around the edges. While this dish was good, it actually ended up being our least favorite compared to others. It was a great quality piece of fish but we found it to not have as much flavor as we were expecting based on the description. The accompaniments and sauce were amazing though. We still enjoyed, but it seems everything else may have been so good that it unfortunately overshadowed this item for us.
This salmon comes in a sea of delicious beurre blanc sauce.
Beef Short Rib $50.00
Prime slow braised on the bone, syrah wine braised
We knew being a steak house we wanted to order a piece of red meat. While we initially thought a steak, we really wanted to try this instead. The short rib is cooked so long to create a fall off the bone, melt in your mouth consistency. The sauce is thick, flavorful, and so delicious. Definitely a highlight item.
Creamed Corn $12.00 (compliments of the Bull & Bear)
Our server Chris also really wanted us to try his favorite side dish. This creamed corn was creamy and super flavorful. It was unlike any typical creamed corn we had in the past. We aren’t sure of what exact flavors were added in, but we loved it. A perfect addition to the short rib.
This wine based sauce was out of this world!
Wine Pairings (Compliments of Bull & Bear)
Bull & Bear has an extensive wine list to peruse. Our server Chris brought over a few samples with each course that he wanted us to try to enhance the entrees. Each wine was a perfect pair for the dish. Here is what we sampled:
With the fried chicken we tried a Syrah/Shiraz from Saint-Joseph, Rhone, France:
Jean-Louis Chave Selection Saint-Joseph Offerus 2016
With the salmon we tried a Pinot Gris/Grigio from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy:
Azienda Agricola Gradis Ciutta Collio Pinot Grigio 2015
And with the short rib came a Pinot Noir from Yamhill-Carlton District, Willamette Valley, Oregon:
Gran Moraine Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir 2017
It really seems that with the guide of your server you can’t go wrong with anything off the wine list.
Dessert: Waldorf Beignets $14.00
chocolate sauce, madagascar vanilla custard (and we think a caramel sauce too?)
We love beignets and these were awesome. They came out hot and fluffy (and seriously there were so many!). To top it off were lovely dipping sauces. You need to order these beignets!
Dessert: Bull & Bear Cheesecake $14.00 (complimentary from the Bull & Bear)
strawberry and white chocolate cheesecake, strawberry marshmallow, strawberry roll-ups
When we were deciding on one dessert Andrew had mentioned he liked cheesecake. Well to our surprise Chris brought one of those out too. This was nice and creamy with great little accompaniments to include little pink marshmallows and pureed strawberry roll ups.
Final Thoughts
All we can really say overall is “wow!”. Dining at the Bull & Bear was quite the memorable experience. We enjoyed having a long leisurely meal in a romantic and upscale atmosphere. We even were able to see some of the fireworks in the distance right from our table. The service was impeccable and we enjoyed learning so much while we were there. The food was absolutely amazing. So many things had robust flavor profiles and quality, from scratch ingredients. We also found the portions great (we ended up boxing up things to go home as well.) Obviously this is a high-end dining experience and with that comes a bigger price tag. But we always like to think of things in terms of value. The value of what you pay at Bull & Bear is absolutely warranted. This is a special experience perfect for a splurge on a special occasion, or a highlight of a trip. If you are looking for a top notch dining option in Orlando, the Bull & Bear is a must try! Thanks again to the team for providing a great meal and memory.
Us enjoying our lovely meal.
Our view of the Epcot Forever fireworks.
