ehagerty
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2001
What can I say that I haven't already said? Dining here, once an infrequent, esoteric experience, has become a "must do" for each visit to the World. How did that happen? How did I overcome the bias that dining here was only meant to be experienced once a decade?
Well, a few things have changed.
I started cooking more. Not " in earnest," but with a modicum of effort. My influences:
(1) Wegmans - local grocery store - published seasonal cooking magazine. Each recipe has a "take it" "make it" or "bake it" option. If you choose "make it," the ingredients and recipe are all at one "station." Recipes were quite good, and it didn't take long before (one recipe) I realized it would taste better if I cut fresh vegetable rather than using pre-cut or frozen ones. Being able to load 8 ingredients from one location when you are always short of time was a strong encouragement to experiment.
(2) Accidental Success - I made split pea soup about 10 years ago - off the back of the dried pea bag and an Easter ham bone. My father-in-law commented on how great it was - that I must have been making it for years to have perfected it. "No," I replied, "First time." "How did you do it the first time?" he asked. "I followed the recipe," I replied, "Just like a chemistry experiment." (Much to my mother-in-law's chagrin.) "Hmmm," I thought to myself, "this cooking isn't hard at all." I said "accidental success," but the willingness to follow a recipe (at least the first time) can be attributed to watching my mom cook, as she was conscientious about her reference materials. (Note, I also realized, once I had young children of my own, that you lose track of ingredients and steps between sleep deprivation and interruptions. Recipes are a good thing for most of us.)
(3) Molly Steven's braising book - saw this book dawdling over coffee at Barnes and Noble - read some of her introduction, recipes, suggestions and instructions - and immediately set out to cook all recipes (hadn't heard of Julie and Julia at the time). Learned a lot.
(4) Babette's Feast - the movie. Really made me want to create a nice dining experience for people, like she did.
Anyway - the back story may be wordy, but the pictures will speak for themselves!
So, why am I here?
Because, even if I COULD cook like this (which is entirely untested), I probably WOULD not (a) acquire the quality ingredients used in VnA kitchen and (b) prepare the number of dishes, with the variety of ingredients that I enjoy here. All in one meal. In short, I can pretty much simulate a California Grill meal - or Artist Point braised ribs - or (the list goes on). But the sheer breadth and depth of the meals I enjoy here, I will never replicate. So, based on food alone, VnA has become a "gotta have."
Add "service" - orders taken at my pace, dishes served with explanations, when I'm ready, etc. Jack (of Jack and Sherry acclaim - see prior posts) won recognition in the service industry this year as "Server of the Year" (I may not have gotten the exact honor, and I couldn't find the trade journal online), but he was, in his own words, "Floating on air." Yes, the 2010 server of the year works at VnA. At DisneyWorld. Well deserved.
Add wine pairings - complementary (please folks, don't confuse that with comPLImentary - totally different!!!), paradoxical - wine, sake, ale - gotta love a thoughtful pairing - and an explanation of the choice. Gives me a chance to learn. I actually seek out wines in local wine shops that I had for the first time here. Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc. Chamey ale. Baileyanna Chardonney. Mollydooker "The Boxer" Shiraz.
Add ambiance - there are many lovely places at WDW, and many fond memories - but only a couple where, once you pass the "show curtain" completely disengage you from the fun (often hot) hectic WDW and usher, over the space of a couple of feet, into a soft, quiet, gentle, relaxing place where you can decompress for a few hours. Not something I would seek out, if it meant compromising on food, wine or service, but I sure appreciate it as an additional element of delight. BTW, the "other" location (for me) is the WL lobby.
Now, price. While dining here is still located on the outer edge of my financial bubble, you see I still manage to allocate my dining dollars here. Regularly. I've learned a thing or two about dining in more expensive cities (London, Dubai) - not on my own dime. With my limited, but not entirely narrow, understanding of dining, I've actually concluded that VnA has a very high "dining enjoyment for the dollar" index. I pretty much concluded that a couple of meals ago. I can no longer deny it this trip.
For those who have been following from the beginning (first VnA post), my original perspective was "Why would I want to eat at VnA once when I could eat at CG 3 or 4 times?" My current thinking is - "Well, to get appetizer, entree, dessert, coffee, etc. at CG, it is really only a cost ratio of 2 CG meals to 1 VnA meal (not 3 or 4)." And, yes, I would rather eat at VnA once (or more, if I have an excuse) than CG twice (or Artist Point, Citricos, etc.) - not that they are mutually exclusive. My new perspective is "What do I have to do (financially) to ensure that I get to VnA at least once a vacation." Then I plan accordingly.
Let the pictures begin. I won't distinguish too much between the two meals - you will notice different table layouts. No worries, from here on out, it is about the meal.
BTW - I did not coin the phrase "new regulars" - I overhead Jack greeting the adjoining table of 8. "Is this your first time?" he asked. "No, we are all regulars except that guy," one of them responded. Jack quipped, "Well then, he will be the new regular."
Yes, me too. The "New Regular." On her Dining Scheherazade.
===================================================
For those who may not already be aware, there are other nights to this story..
Night #1 - Victoria & Alberts - Picture Trip Report (January, 2009)
Night #2 - Victoria & Albert - A Once-in-a-Decade Dinner, for the second time in 2009 (May, 2009)
Night #3 - Victoria & Albert - My Dining Scheherazade (September, 2009)
Night #4 - Victoria & Albert - Dining Scheherazade Night #4 - "Table for One" (October, 2009)
Night #5 - [URL="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2461568"]Victoria & Albert - Dining Scheherazade Night #5 - "Table for One - Again" 23 FEB 10[/URL] (February, 2010)
Night #6 and 7 - [URL="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2512143"]Victoria & Albert Dining Scheherazade Night #6&7 "I could die happy,and I am only 20"[/URL] (June, 2010)
Night #8 and 9 - [URL="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2627108"]Victoria & Albert - Dining Scheherazade Night 8 and 9 - "New Regulars"[/URL] (December, 2010)
Well, a few things have changed.
I started cooking more. Not " in earnest," but with a modicum of effort. My influences:
(1) Wegmans - local grocery store - published seasonal cooking magazine. Each recipe has a "take it" "make it" or "bake it" option. If you choose "make it," the ingredients and recipe are all at one "station." Recipes were quite good, and it didn't take long before (one recipe) I realized it would taste better if I cut fresh vegetable rather than using pre-cut or frozen ones. Being able to load 8 ingredients from one location when you are always short of time was a strong encouragement to experiment.
(2) Accidental Success - I made split pea soup about 10 years ago - off the back of the dried pea bag and an Easter ham bone. My father-in-law commented on how great it was - that I must have been making it for years to have perfected it. "No," I replied, "First time." "How did you do it the first time?" he asked. "I followed the recipe," I replied, "Just like a chemistry experiment." (Much to my mother-in-law's chagrin.) "Hmmm," I thought to myself, "this cooking isn't hard at all." I said "accidental success," but the willingness to follow a recipe (at least the first time) can be attributed to watching my mom cook, as she was conscientious about her reference materials. (Note, I also realized, once I had young children of my own, that you lose track of ingredients and steps between sleep deprivation and interruptions. Recipes are a good thing for most of us.)
(3) Molly Steven's braising book - saw this book dawdling over coffee at Barnes and Noble - read some of her introduction, recipes, suggestions and instructions - and immediately set out to cook all recipes (hadn't heard of Julie and Julia at the time). Learned a lot.
(4) Babette's Feast - the movie. Really made me want to create a nice dining experience for people, like she did.
Anyway - the back story may be wordy, but the pictures will speak for themselves!
So, why am I here?
Because, even if I COULD cook like this (which is entirely untested), I probably WOULD not (a) acquire the quality ingredients used in VnA kitchen and (b) prepare the number of dishes, with the variety of ingredients that I enjoy here. All in one meal. In short, I can pretty much simulate a California Grill meal - or Artist Point braised ribs - or (the list goes on). But the sheer breadth and depth of the meals I enjoy here, I will never replicate. So, based on food alone, VnA has become a "gotta have."
Add "service" - orders taken at my pace, dishes served with explanations, when I'm ready, etc. Jack (of Jack and Sherry acclaim - see prior posts) won recognition in the service industry this year as "Server of the Year" (I may not have gotten the exact honor, and I couldn't find the trade journal online), but he was, in his own words, "Floating on air." Yes, the 2010 server of the year works at VnA. At DisneyWorld. Well deserved.
Add wine pairings - complementary (please folks, don't confuse that with comPLImentary - totally different!!!), paradoxical - wine, sake, ale - gotta love a thoughtful pairing - and an explanation of the choice. Gives me a chance to learn. I actually seek out wines in local wine shops that I had for the first time here. Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc. Chamey ale. Baileyanna Chardonney. Mollydooker "The Boxer" Shiraz.
Add ambiance - there are many lovely places at WDW, and many fond memories - but only a couple where, once you pass the "show curtain" completely disengage you from the fun (often hot) hectic WDW and usher, over the space of a couple of feet, into a soft, quiet, gentle, relaxing place where you can decompress for a few hours. Not something I would seek out, if it meant compromising on food, wine or service, but I sure appreciate it as an additional element of delight. BTW, the "other" location (for me) is the WL lobby.
Now, price. While dining here is still located on the outer edge of my financial bubble, you see I still manage to allocate my dining dollars here. Regularly. I've learned a thing or two about dining in more expensive cities (London, Dubai) - not on my own dime. With my limited, but not entirely narrow, understanding of dining, I've actually concluded that VnA has a very high "dining enjoyment for the dollar" index. I pretty much concluded that a couple of meals ago. I can no longer deny it this trip.
For those who have been following from the beginning (first VnA post), my original perspective was "Why would I want to eat at VnA once when I could eat at CG 3 or 4 times?" My current thinking is - "Well, to get appetizer, entree, dessert, coffee, etc. at CG, it is really only a cost ratio of 2 CG meals to 1 VnA meal (not 3 or 4)." And, yes, I would rather eat at VnA once (or more, if I have an excuse) than CG twice (or Artist Point, Citricos, etc.) - not that they are mutually exclusive. My new perspective is "What do I have to do (financially) to ensure that I get to VnA at least once a vacation." Then I plan accordingly.
Let the pictures begin. I won't distinguish too much between the two meals - you will notice different table layouts. No worries, from here on out, it is about the meal.
BTW - I did not coin the phrase "new regulars" - I overhead Jack greeting the adjoining table of 8. "Is this your first time?" he asked. "No, we are all regulars except that guy," one of them responded. Jack quipped, "Well then, he will be the new regular."
Yes, me too. The "New Regular." On her Dining Scheherazade.
===================================================
For those who may not already be aware, there are other nights to this story..
Night #1 - Victoria & Alberts - Picture Trip Report (January, 2009)
Night #2 - Victoria & Albert - A Once-in-a-Decade Dinner, for the second time in 2009 (May, 2009)
Night #3 - Victoria & Albert - My Dining Scheherazade (September, 2009)
Night #4 - Victoria & Albert - Dining Scheherazade Night #4 - "Table for One" (October, 2009)
Night #5 - [URL="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2461568"]Victoria & Albert - Dining Scheherazade Night #5 - "Table for One - Again" 23 FEB 10[/URL] (February, 2010)
Night #6 and 7 - [URL="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2512143"]Victoria & Albert Dining Scheherazade Night #6&7 "I could die happy,and I am only 20"[/URL] (June, 2010)
Night #8 and 9 - [URL="http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2627108"]Victoria & Albert - Dining Scheherazade Night 8 and 9 - "New Regulars"[/URL] (December, 2010)
I'm waiting with baited breath!
Anyway...its my adopted hometown now. I moved here from Missouri about 2 1/2 years ago.
My neighbor works as a manager at the Ithaca store and the rest of his family works here locally. Our area could really use two stores because ours is sooooo busy but it looks like they will not be building any more stores in NY because of our wonderful taxes 
At least they have branched out to several other states so that others can enjoy 
