Six months of waiting ... the Easter Sunday Review of the Chef’s Table at V&A's

[Mr. D's K-Man]

FINALLY ..............

So we’ve covered Citrico’s and Flying Fish. We’ve Welcomed you to Ci Ci’s and Narcossi’s. We can’t say enough about the Yachtsman Steakhouse. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1781267 Once again we were sinful on Good Friday. We just wrapped up the Jiko’s review. It’s time talk about the Chef’s Table at Victoria and Albert’s.

Before we can begin to talk about the food, there’s a whole bunch of things you just have to know about the “behind the scenes” stuff that went on. You see, while Mister Disney was busy with the Boss at the tradeshow, unlike previous trips, my “free time” was dedicated to coming up with something “Happy” for the Birthday Celebration at V&A’s.

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

I had a certain number of hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday that I was “free” to conduct my scavenger hunt for the perfect “Happy” for Sunday. I’ve already told you all the hoops that Mark Hoevenaars jumped through looking for “Happy” and for the cuff links. Israel Perez jumped through just as many, phoning and emailing all over WDW looking for “Happy”. The notion of a personal visit from Happy himself at the Chef’s Table … well that was just much too cost prohibitive.

Tuesday, during my scavenger hunt in Downtown Disney, I told you found this hot muscle bear with his princess, but alas it was Chef Al and Cinderella, not Snow White and Happy. By the time it was time to pick up Mister Disney from the tradeshow, the only things I had found were blisters on my feet and a sunburn on my face and head.

Wednesday, at the Magic Kingdom, I ran into a million different princess wannabes, but still no Snow White, and still no Happy. No, the complete set of plastic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” just wouldn’t do. My hunt at the castle was fruitless, the clock was ticking, and I needed to get “Happy”.

I took a wrong turn down a ramp from behind Cinderella Castle and ran into a barricade and the parade, with no way out. I finally broke free of that trap and made my way down Main Street. Panicked, I found comfort in a large waffle cone at the ice cream shop.

After all, when the going gets tough, the tough get DESSERT!

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

With the spike in blood sugar, once again, I found myself invigorated enough to resume my scavenger hunt. Enjoying my sugar buzz, I calmly strolled through the stores along Main Street and came upon the fine jewelry and figurine shop. A wonderful clerk who recognized me from my frenzied dash through the store on my way to the castle approached me and asked if there was some way he could help me. I gave him the Reader’s Digest version of the situation and explained that I just couldn’t settle for anything less than perfect for Mister Disney.

We looked at the etchings, the laser glass things, and on and on. Finally, we came upon a wonderful Lenox figurine of Happy. Cute, shiny ivory with gold trim, this 8” little man holding his magic wand was IT!

“Absolutely Perfect” I burst at the helpful man. Of course, my outburst nearly caused him to drop the little man. He delicately regained control of “Happy” and put him gently back into the styrofoam. No, there was no need to gift wrap him, but I gave him my cash and excused myself while I made a very important phone call. Quickly, I stepped outside to call Israel to let him know the hunt was over. I’d found the perfect Happy and we wouldn’t need the white chocolate figurine he was arranging for Sunday.

After leaving the store, I rushed down Main Street, out of the Magic Kingdom, hopped on the ferry and headed over to the Grand Floridian to drop of the Happy to the Magic Makers at V&As. Time was working against me once again. It was nearly 3 PM and I had to get to the Grand, drop off Happy, then get back on the monorail to the parking lot and pick up Mister Disney, without getting caught.

 

[katie26]

Yaay! You guys are back! I'm in and waiting (impatiently) for more...

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

Wait, I had another task I was supposed to do. Since we were going to Narcossi’s for dinner, I was supposed to check about parking at the Grand, since the year before the Boss ended up parking in the back 40, making us late for dinner.

I rushed into the Grand, up the stairs to the second floor, found the doorway to the secret hallway where I was to drop the precious cargo off at Israel’s office. I met briefly with Israel and we both agreed that we’d done our best, exhausted all possibilities and yes, the two dozen red roses and Lenox Happy were the very best surprise we could achieve this year for Mister Disney’s Birthday Celebration at the Chef’s Table at V&A’s.

I rushed back down the stairs and out to the guard shack at the Grand to check on the parking rules when one is dining at the Grand. This truly was my lucky day as I was greeted by one of the happiest faces on earth … Faye! I asked her about parking that evening and with the most pleasant disposition she explained that the Boss would have no problem doing valet parking that evening as he had reservations, etc. Glowing that the treasure hunt was over, and even more so after speaking with Faye, I headed up to the Monorail, back to the car to pick up Mister Disney at the tradeshow.

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

Wednesday night, full from eating too much at Narcossis and even more DESSERT at the Magic Kingdom later that evening, I lay awake thinking of the day, and feeling that still there must be something somewhere in this Happiest Place on Earth that I hadn’t thought of or that could be done. HUM!

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

HUM! Thursday morning, Mister Disney’s Birthday, both of us showered, pressed and dressed. We jumped into the convertible, cranked up the Disney music on the iPod and headed to the tradeshow hotel. My brain still cranking that there might still be someone undiscovered, I headed back to Downtown Disney.

Once again, I wandered into the shop where Mark had found the cuff links. It turned out to be the same shop where I got the Lenox Happy on Main Street. Over in the corner, I saw a different set of cuff links. Shining with little diamond-like crystals were these Mickey hands waving back at me. Unlike the big white hands that greet thousands of visitors at Orlando Airport to load people onto the Magical Mystery Buses, these were in the show case … waving at me. With each wave, I could hear “BUY ME, BUY ME”. It just didn’t make sense to buy them though. Mark had picked up the perfect cuff links already. Tonight, they’d be presented in a special way to a very special man. Still, these mitts were calling out … “BUY ME, BUY ME”.

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

I bought them.

As I walked back to the hotel, I rationalized buying them. No, they wouldn’t outshine tonight’s Mickey Head cuff links. Instead, I decided, I’d make another call to Israel and let him know I had one more thing to add to Sunday’s surprises. I suggested to Israel that he might be able to hide them in the roses, like hidden Mickey’s, only these would be hidden gloves. Again, he told me where to dropped them off and he’d take care of things for me.

Since this was Thursday, there really wasn’t a whole lot of time, as it was the short day at the tradeshow. I decided to drive over to the Grand and park in the back 40 and walk up to the hotel to deliver them. As I approached the Grand, I drove by the wedding chapel and then the day spa. HUM!

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

HUM! I remembered how much Mister Disney and I enjoyed our two previous visits to the spa. The couples massage … The gentleman’s facial. Wouldn’t that be fun to do … again. I’m sure I wasn’t supposed to be there, but suddenly there I was. I put the roof up, locked the car and ran over to the spa. I asked the woman at the counter what the chances were that they were open on Easter Sunday, and if they were, what the chances were for getting two gentleman’s facials mid to late afternoon, before we had dinner at V&A’s. Within 5 minutes I was out the door with a gift certificate for 4 PM facials. Perfect.

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

Higher than any DESSERT high, I headed over to the Grand to drop of the cuff links to Israel. I looked over to the guard shack and noticed that Faye was working. She noticed me walking and had a huge smile and wave. Knowing I still had plenty of time, I walked over to thank her for her help the day before and to show her my latest surprise for Mister Disney. The cars were coming in and out, so I stepped into the booth to avoid any problem. I showed the cuff links and told her about the facials. She shared her stories of her beautiful diamond and amethyst ring. Each of us sharing our stories of the loves of our lives.

As I was standing there, I noticed this wicked cool, red convertible sports car approaching. The blond driver with dark sunglasses looked hotter and hotter as he approached the guard shack. Faye obviously knew the man as she greeted him by name. He suddenly tipped his sunglasses and yelled into the booth, “Kevin, what are you doing here”. I looked again, it was Mark Hoevenaars. I responded, “Mark, what are you doing here”. He responded, “I’m picking up some special wine for some special guests tonight”. I responded that I was dropping stuff off for Sunday. There wasn’t much time to talk as one of the Magical Mystery Bu ses was right behind him. He waved and said, “see you guys tonight”. (BTW, the wine was for our dinner at the Yachtsman that night.) I finished up with Faye and delivered my package to Israel.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1781267

I headed back to the hotel to hide the gift certificate and headed back to the tradeshow to pick up Mister Disney. As I said, we already told you all about the Magic at the Yachtsman Steakhouse, this is the intro and stage setting for our dinner at the Chef’s Table on Easter Sunday at Victoria & Albert’s.

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

Easter Sunday, we arrived and parked at the Grand early to walk around and see the Easter Egg and all the fun stuff as a decoy reason for getting there early. Walking around, we meandered by the Spa and went in.

Of course, Mister Disney figured it out ahead of time, but it was still a surprise and quite a treat for both of us. Now granted, it’s not just those of us of different demographics who get the gentlemen’s facials. We were among the many gentlemen there getting pampered, including the guy getting his finger and toe nails done … yes, even with the polish.

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

While we were waiting, we slipped into the Jacuzzi and relaxed. Just as the bubbling stopped and we got back to the lounge, the women challenged with making us look beautiful came to the door. From the looks on their faces, we knew they knew they were challenged. Mister Disney told his “surgeon” he’d be with her in a minute. He went back to his locker and got his camera … you know … so we could share with everyone here on the DIS Board. I suppose it’s only fitting that we’re posting this close to Halloween.

You decide if this is a trick or a treat! LOL

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

Once again, we were pressed and dressed and headed to V&A’s for dinner. Of course, we compared what each looked like before and after the facials. We both agreed, the “surgery” was a success.

We stopped at Mizner’s for our traditional before dinner drink. We talked about previous dining experiences and the staff we were looking forward to seeing. We were especially looking forward to seeing our friend Diane who always greets us as if we are her long lost sons. When we arrived, we were very disappointed to hear that Diane was out sick. There was a something missing this night by not seeing Diane.

Chris saw us enter the restaurant and came over to greet us. All smiles, Chris shook our hands and wished Mister Disney a Happy Birthday and told us Chef Aimee and the entire staff was looking forward to making our evening very special. He escorted us through the restaurant, through the kitchen to the Chef’s Table. As we walked through we were given the warmest greeting by everyone.

 

[dvc at last !]

I am enjoying reading this TR--
and wanting more.....................!

Love your writing style !

 

[adsrtw]

Wow, I made it through your other review links at rapid speed! Love them!

I can't wait to hear more ~ living vicariously here, lol. Instead of just reading the details, I feel like both of you paint a picture for us.

Oh, oh, the cuff links are amazing! Very thoughtful!

 

[jeminni]

great report, I cant wait to see how it all turns out

 

[BriarRosie]

With the spike in blood sugar, once again, I found myself invigorated enough to resume my scavenger hunt. Enjoying my sugar buzz, I calmly strolled through the stores along Main Street and came upon the fine jewelry and figurine shop. A wonderful clerk who recognized me from my frenzied dash through the store on my way to the castle approached me and asked if there was some way he could help me. I gave him the Reader’s Digest version of the situation and explained that I just couldn’t settle for anything less than perfect for Mister Disney.

We looked at the etchings, the laser glass things, and on and on. Finally, we came upon a wonderful Lenox figurine of Happy. Cute, shiny ivory with gold trim, this 8” little man holding his magic wand was IT!

“Absolutely Perfect” I burst at the helpful man. Of course, my outburst nearly caused him to drop the little man. He delicately regained control of “Happy” and put him gently back into the styrofoam. No, there was no need to gift wrap him, but I gave him my cash and excused myself while I made a very important phone call. Quickly, I stepped outside to call Israel to let him know the hunt was over. I’d found the perfect Happy and we wouldn’t need the white chocolate figurine he was arranging for Sunday.

After leaving the store, I rushed down Main Street, out of the Magic Kingdom, hopped on the ferry and headed over to the Grand Floridian to drop of the Happy to the Magic Makers at V&As. Time was working against me once again. It was nearly 3 PM and I had to get to the Grand, drop off Happy, then get back on the monorail to the parking lot and pick up Mister Disney, without getting caught.

You know this had to be done. Ahem:

Hello world, here's a song that we're singin'
Come on, get Happy
A whole lotta lovin' is what we'll be bringin'
We'll make you Happy

We had a dream we'd go travelin' together
And spread a little lovin' if we'll keep movin' on
Somethin' always happens whenever we're together
We get a Happy feelin' when we're singin' a song

You know I'm sick and twisted when this song pops into my head after I read your adventures acquiring Happy.

 

[BriarRosie]

great report, I cant wait to see how it all turns out

Oh, I could tell you how it turned out. They were treated like kings. Like gods. Well, that's typical day for them. I wouldn't mind finding a "Kevin" to spoil me like that! (Well, at least one that plays for my team. )

I'm looking forward to all the food porn. And no "what is this?" quizzes that last a year.

 

[Redwitch]

You know this had to be done. Ahem:

Hello world, here's a song that we're singin'
Come on, get Happy
A whole lotta lovin' is what we'll be bringin'
We'll make you Happy

We had a dream we'd go travelin' together
And spread a little lovin' if we'll keep movin' on
Somethin' always happens whenever we're together
We get a Happy feelin' when we're singin' a song

You know I'm sick and twisted when this song pops into my head after I read your adventures acquiring Happy.

OMG LMAO! Maybe they'll have partridge for dinner!

 

[Mr. D's K-Man]

You know this had to be done. Ahem:

Hello world, here's a song that we're singin'
Come on, get Happy
A whole lotta lovin' is what we'll be bringin'
We'll make you Happy

We had a dream we'd go travelin' together
And spread a little lovin' if we'll keep movin' on
Somethin' always happens whenever we're together
We get a Happy feelin' when we're singin' a song

You know I'm sick and twisted when this song pops into my head after I read your adventures acquiring Happy.

OMG ... Did Disney buy up the Rights to the Partridge Family Songs too!