We were invited this weekend to sample the brunch menu at STK in Disney Springs. The brunch concept isn't new in this location - that debuted about a year ago - but the menu turnover since then has been almost complete, so there is a lot to consider trying!
It's a brunch, so we sampled the mango sorbet and sparking rosé ($13) and the cucumber stiletto ($16) listed under the "liquid brunch" category. The rosé was all right, but not aligned with my personal taste buds. The cucumber stiletto, by contrast, was amazingly tailored for me. Hints of mint, cucumber, and St. Germaine, and a base of a Ketel One Citroen make for a great - and potent - brunch combination.
For food, we started with the cinnamon monkey bread ($6), which were soft bread knots meant to pull apart. There was cinnamon, all right, and a layer of baked sugar at the bottom, but it's the cream cheese icing that really makes this a can't-miss. Also, it was filling by itself.
The lemon-ricotta pancakes ($14) was essentially a dessert, and served surprisingly crispy. By outward appearances you'd think these were just pancakes, but each bite reminded you that mixed berries melded with the lemon curd, and you were surprised afresh.
I had tremendous bites of flavor with the crab cakes benedict ($25). The poached eggs were perfect, and the side asparagus salad is a bite by bite complement to be envied (just don't try for the salad alone; it lacks something by itself). The béarnaise sauce was a little much mustard for me, and while the flavor was there, it was also one of the more expensive dishes on the brunch menu.
If it's value you want, then one item in particular on the lunch menu (served at the same time) will be your clarion call: the $10 hamburger plate uses high quality meat - it's essentially a steakburger - at a price point cheaper than other burgers in Disney Springs (that surprised me) and clearly cheaper than any burger plate inside the parks, while also being a world of difference in quality and freshness. We'll be back just for that. But probably also that money bread!
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Kevin Yee
Author of "Walt Disney World Hidden History" and other independent Disney books.
See http://bit.ly/kevinyee for more information.
