Kissimmee, Florida: Rising out of the shadows of the Everglades swampland at the Gaylord Palms is the resort’s dining masterpiece, Old Hickory Steakhouse, where Executive Chef Guy Reinbolt’s menu defines cuisine par excellence even to the most sophisticated palate.

“We have what I consider is the best beef in North America,” says the veteran chef from Alsace, France, referring to the Midwestern grain fed, naturally aged certified Black Angus beef. “Our best cut is the strip loin dry aged for 30 days.” Nothing further need be said, I have decided on my entrée.

You can tell by his fervor that Chef Reinbolt always serves the best. “It doesn’t matter how you cook it, how well you cook it, how well you season it, if you don’t have the primary ingredients to begin with it’s kind of useless, “ he says. “We definitely focus on quality.”

The steakhouse also features cowboy bone-in rib steaks, center cut filets, bone-in Kansas City strip and the revered 24-ounce Porterhouse steaks served with bearnaise, au poivre, bordelaise or diable, your

choice. Between 1,200 and 1,500 pounds of beef,(excluding wild meat, is served weekly.

There’s even a list of “Meat Temperatures” on the menu just in case you would like to try something new. Order Black & Blue (Pittsburgh) for charred outside and cold center and Rare (English) for cool red meat. If you’re not in the mood try Medium for a pink center, but you can have a warm red center with Medium Rare, Medium-Well looks light pink and Well Done will, of course, be fully cooked.

The wine list is as striking as the restaurant’s wine wall. Here it’s “the more the merrier” with some 200 international wineries represented. Certified sommeliers appear to materialize magically just when you need some advice on a special vintage or looking for a favorite vintner. Fancy a martini? It can be served tableside, shaken or stirred, just ask, and “retro cocktails” are also available.

The chef’s seafood menu is another taste extravaganza featuring Maine lobster with drawn butter and lemon, succulent George’s Bank scallops with American caviar beurre-blanc and dayboat fresh fish. If you want the best of both worlds, try Surf & Turf – filet of beef tenderloin and lobster tail.

Behind the culinary excellence he displays as executive chef at the Gaylord Palms, Reinbolt has many influences. His favorite place is Louisiana (his wife’s home state) and he specializes in jambalaya, seafood gumbo and crawfish etouffee. He’s worked in Virginia, New Jersey, New Orleans and Memphis at some of the most exclusive restaurants. “It is very important for a chef to keep his horizon open,” says Reinbolt. “The beauty of this occupation is that there is so much to do and so much to achieve.”

Still there is more to satiate the appetite – melt-in-your-mouth rack of lamb, osso buco of braised veal shank and boneless capon breast with black truffles. And I would say, if just once, go game. Chef Reinbolt’s rendition of tenderloin of American buffalo, twin medallions of venison and farm-raised alligator really creates a food sensation at Old Hickory Steakhouse. Where else can you enjoy tenderloin of alligator lasagna with basil tomato sauce?

Potatoes never looked this good. There’s gratin of potatoes and turnips dauphinois, garlic mashed potatoes and classic, parmesan or garlic and herb pommes frites. These “sides” compete with creamed spinach gratinee, haricots verts, rigatoni and cheese and very tasty sauteed wild mushrooms and steamed asparagus served with hollandaise.

I was completely taken by the utterly gorgeous petite gougeres that are freshly baked three or four times during dinner. The marvelous assortment of hot and cold appetizers is a prelude to the evening of culinary art and enjoyment. Occasional indulgence can be fun and it believe it or not, it was that time again. An appetizer platter of warm pear Gorgonzola tart, shrimp cocktail with garlic aioli and cocktail sauce, Oysters Rockefeller with Pernod, alligator lasagna and jumbo lump crab cake set my palate abuzz. The house cured loin of wild boar with cauliflower tabouleh sounds really intriguing, maybe next time.

Ever the trendsetter, the restaurant has introduced Florida to an age-old European tradition, the cheese course, courtesy of celebrity chef Terrance Brennan whose New York fromagerie supplies handcrafted cheeses. The 27 cheese selections offered during my visit were from France, Switzerland, Holland, Italy, England, Spain, Canada and the United States, all of which are listed with flavors. Mine included Brin D’Amour – soft, herbaceous and sweet, Chaput Brique – firm, rich and concentrated, Ihores – smokey and delicate, Beaufort – nutty and complex, Pierre Robert – triple crème, buttery, rich and soft and Primadonna – firm, sweet and crunchy.

The after-dinner cheese course sets the mood for “Sweet Surrender” to the delectable desserts and among the famous classics are  crème brulee infused with Strohrum, chocolate fondue, Jack Daniel’s bread pudding with vanilla sauce and tiramisu with leghorn sauce, or if you prefer, seasonal berries with ice cream and orange crème fraiche. Over a dozen “Liquid Gold” features include Black Muscat Quady “Elysium” California, Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Tawny Port, Dow’s Boardroom Port, Pedro Domecq Amontillado Sherry and Churchill’s Vintage Port 1994.  

Guy Reinbolt’s career blossomed after mastering classic French cuisine and earning two degrees from the Lycee d’Enseigment Professional et Hotelier de Guebwiller. Today he is ranked as one of the best steakhouse chefs in the United States, but he never forgets a childhood memory. At 13, he says, “I met a gentleman in a restaurant who taught me you don’t just cook food to eat it, it’s got to be a passion.” 

We agree wholeheartedly.