They Should Make Margaritas a Snack Credit! - September 2011 Dining Review

[jenneth79]

Now we arrive at one of the most anticipated dinners I have experienced in a very, very long time. For our Anniversary dinner, we were able to get a table in the Queen Victoria Room at Victoria and Alberts.

I had been both anticipating and dreading this meal for months before our trip. Anticipating because, well, let’s face it, I love great food! And dreading it, because we have had less than stellar experiences (I’m looking at YOU, Las Vegas!) at high end restaurants.

We were booked for this dinner through the YC CL IPO, but I received a call from V&A a week before to confirm our information, our allergies, preferences, etc.

More than anything though, I was dreading getting dressed for this meal!

Anyway, we arrived at the Grand Floridian and all I decided right then and there I was going to stay at this hotel one day. It was simply gorgeous, the lobby, the light, the marble, music, smell. People were very helpful as well, took one look at us and knew we were heading to V&A. How could they not, when my DH looked so very handsome in his suit! I didn’t get the stuffy “vibe” that I’ve heard of in regards to GF.

Now, let me warn you, there is only one picture of anything at all in this review, and that’s of our menu. Here’s why: I could not bring myself even once to pull out the camera and take a picture of my food. So I’m sorry for that, but it really just didn’t feel appropriate at the time, and hey, this was our anniversary dinner, just the two of us without any technology!

That doesn’t mean we didn’t write down all our thoughts on the meal the next day however, so let’s give you a run down of what went down!

V&A is extremely quiet... it’s almost jarring after all the hustle and bustle of a Disney vacation (and dining). We were led through the main dining room to a small private room off the left side of the restaurant. Two things to note, this room is a private alcove and does not (at least the two times we have now been to V&A) have closed doors. This is actually somewhat of a good thing, as you can still hear the harpist during your dinner. She’s amazing, by the way, and mixes beautiful versions of both Disney music and popular. (She was playing “Samson” by Regina Spektor, along with “Beauty and the Beast”...such a fun mix!) The tables (4 in total) are all set away from the doors, however, so your view does not include the main dining room. It’s a clever setup.

As we were dining in the QV Room, we were going to be treated to a gazillion courses (I’m only half joking) and you do not get to pick out the plates that are sent to you. This is key to note if you shy away from tasting menus, you might want to stick to the main dining room, where you are giving choices at each course. Our waiter was amazing, and came out to discuss my allergy to Pine nuts, explaining there was one dish on the menu that had them, but that the chef was going to do something different with that dish for me.

(As a side note for those of you saying “only pine nuts?” quite like I did when my doctor told me what was wrong with me.... Google “Pine Mouth”. We’re still not sure if it was “bad nuts” or an allergy, but on two separate occasions in the past 3 years, I was unable to eat fats or sweets for almost two months. Great weight loss program I guess, but MISERABLE!)

We also decided to go with the wine pairing, and menus were brought out to us for our review. Here’s a picture of the full menu, I have breakouts later so you can view the text better, this just gives you an idea of how much food is presented!!!

Phew, we were in for some SERIOUS eating!

First there was a Champagne toast, the chef sending out something a little extra special for our anniversary celebration. It was french, it was expensive, and I don’t remember the name of it! (I know, I know.... bad food reporter!!!)

We chatted for a bit, sipping the Champagne, when our waiter brought out two more flutes and poured what was to be our first actual pairing. Note to everyone reading, do not, I repeat...do NOT finish what is in your glass for every pairing. You will not be able to see straight by course 6. Maybe 4.

First off was our amuse-bouche, little bites and sips of some amazing flavors. My favorite was the jamon wrapped shrimp with melon, Mike really liked the quail egg and caviar.

Ah, before I forget, the “close up” of the first half of the menu:

The next course that stood out was the cold “smoked” lamb. How was it smoked? Why, right at your table of course, with dry ice. I’m not usually one for super gimmicky dishes (read: FOAM!) but this was fantastic. My favorite dish of the night. And it had dry ice smoking all over the table. Simply stunning dish.

Something else pretty special about the QV room? They finish many of your dishes table-side, like our next course, the salmon. A cooking stone (made out of salt) was heated and brought to our table, where the waiter cooked each small salmon filet to our liking. Again, quite spectacular.

The dishes kept coming, and with all this food, I’ll admit I was pretty much stuffed after the quail. Another note, do not finish each of your dishes, or you will not be able to see straight after course 6.

The only selection I didn’t care for was the veal sweetbreads. This is because I do not like sweetbreads. At all. Ew. There, two year old moment over.

After our “main” courses were finished, they wheeled over the most amazing cheese tray on a very rare and large cut of Maple trunk. Gorgeous presentation. We were asked to pick from a selection of the cheese and accompaniments (things such as figs, quince, honey..) it was a lovely course, though I was starting to worry about standing up and ripping my dress from all the food I had consumed!

Then, three...yes...THREE dessert courses. I took a bite of each, and the Panna Cotta was probably my favorite.

During our meal, we spotted something special on the rolling bar cart behind us, a bottle of 30 Year Macallan Scotch. We asked for a glass of this for my husband at the end of the meal, I sipped on the port from the cheese course.

Finally, coffee was brought to the table, and even this is a production. In a good way. I won’t spoil the surprise for you, but it’s so much fun!

Overall, we decided the Queen Victoria Room experience was absolutely too much food, but such a unique experience we really didn’t care that we could barely walk afterwards. As we were handed our menus carefully folded and I was given a rose, we waddled out, quite full, quite happy, and quite glad we chose V&A to celebrate our Anniversary.

 

[jedijill]

Now we arrive at one of the most anticipated dinners I have experienced in a very, very long time. For our Anniversary dinner, we were able to get a table in the Queen Victoria Room at Victoria and Alberts.

I had been both anticipating and dreading this meal for months before our trip. Anticipating because, well, let’s face it, I love great food! And dreading it, because we have had less than stellar experiences (I’m looking at YOU, Las Vegas!) at high end restaurants.

We were booked for this dinner through the YC CL IPO, but I received a call from V&A a week before to confirm our information, our allergies, preferences, etc.

More than anything though, I was dreading getting dressed for this meal!

Anyway, we arrived at the Grand Floridian and all I decided right then and there I was going to stay at this hotel one day. It was simply gorgeous, the lobby, the light, the marble, music, smell. People were very helpful as well, took one look at us and knew we were heading to V&A. How could they not, when my DH looked so very handsome in his suit! I didn’t get the stuffy “vibe” that I’ve heard of in regards to GF.

Now, let me warn you, there is only one picture of anything at all in this review, and that’s of our menu. Here’s why: I could not bring myself even once to pull out the camera and take a picture of my food. So I’m sorry for that, but it really just didn’t feel appropriate at the time, and hey, this was our anniversary dinner, just the two of us without any technology!

That doesn’t mean we didn’t write down all our thoughts on the meal the next day however, so let’s give you a run down of what went down!

V&A is extremely quiet... it’s almost jarring after all the hustle and bustle of a Disney vacation (and dining). We were led through the main dining room to a small private room off the left side of the restaurant. Two things to note, this room is a private alcove and does not (at least the two times we have now been to V&A) have closed doors. This is actually somewhat of a good thing, as you can still hear the harpist during your dinner. She’s amazing, by the way, and mixes beautiful versions of both Disney music and popular. (She was playing “Samson” by Regina Spektor, along with “Beauty and the Beast”...such a fun mix!) The tables (4 in total) are all set away from the doors, however, so your view does not include the main dining room. It’s a clever setup.

As we were dining in the QV Room, we were going to be treated to a gazillion courses (I’m only half joking) and you do not get to pick out the plates that are sent to you. This is key to note if you shy away from tasting menus, you might want to stick to the main dining room, where you are giving choices at each course. Our waiter was amazing, and came out to discuss my allergy to Pine nuts, explaining there was one dish on the menu that had them, but that the chef was going to do something different with that dish for me.

(As a side note for those of you saying “only pine nuts?” quite like I did when my doctor told me what was wrong with me.... Google “Pine Mouth”. We’re still not sure if it was “bad nuts” or an allergy, but on two separate occasions in the past 3 years, I was unable to eat fats or sweets for almost two months. Great weight loss program I guess, but MISERABLE!)

We also decided to go with the wine pairing, and menus were brought out to us for our review. Here’s a picture of the full menu, I have breakouts later so you can view the text better, this just gives you an idea of how much food is presented!!!

Phew, we were in for some SERIOUS eating!

First there was a Champagne toast, the chef sending out something a little extra special for our anniversary celebration. It was french, it was expensive, and I don’t remember the name of it! (I know, I know.... bad food reporter!!!)

We chatted for a bit, sipping the Champagne, when our waiter brought out two more flutes and poured what was to be our first actual pairing. Note to everyone reading, do not, I repeat...do NOT finish what is in your glass for every pairing. You will not be able to see straight by course 6. Maybe 4.

First off was our amuse-bouche, little bites and sips of some amazing flavors. My favorite was the jamon wrapped shrimp with melon, Mike really liked the quail egg and caviar.

Ah, before I forget, the “close up” of the first half of the menu:

The next course that stood out was the cold “smoked” lamb. How was it smoked? Why, right at your table of course, with dry ice. I’m not usually one for super gimmicky dishes (read: FOAM!) but this was fantastic. My favorite dish of the night. And it had dry ice smoking all over the table. Simply stunning dish.

Something else pretty special about the QV room? They finish many of your dishes table-side, like our next course, the salmon. A cooking stone (made out of salt) was heated and brought to our table, where the waiter cooked each small salmon filet to our liking. Again, quite spectacular.

The dishes kept coming, and with all this food, I’ll admit I was pretty much stuffed after the quail. Another note, do not finish each of your dishes, or you will not be able to see straight after course 6.

The only selection I didn’t care for was the veal sweetbreads. This is because I do not like sweetbreads. At all. Ew. There, two year old moment over.

After our “main” courses were finished, they wheeled over the most amazing cheese tray on a very rare and large cut of Maple trunk. Gorgeous presentation. We were asked to pick from a selection of the cheese and accompaniments (things such as figs, quince, honey..) it was a lovely course, though I was starting to worry about standing up and ripping my dress from all the food I had consumed!

Then, three...yes...THREE dessert courses. I took a bite of each, and the Panna Cotta was probably my favorite.

During our meal, we spotted something special on the rolling bar cart behind us, a bottle of 30 Year Macallan Scotch. We asked for a glass of this for my husband at the end of the meal, I sipped on the port from the cheese course.

Finally, coffee was brought to the table, and even this is a production. In a good way. I won’t spoil the surprise for you, but it’s so much fun!

Overall, we decided the Queen Victoria Room experience was absolutely too much food, but such a unique experience we really didn’t care that we could barely walk afterwards. As we were handed our menus carefully folded and I was given a rose, we waddled out, quite full, quite happy, and quite glad we chose V&A to celebrate our Anniversary.

Great review. I've dined in the main dining room and it is fantastic. I was nervous about some of the "new" foods but had no issues and tried many things I normally would shy away from. Can't wait to try it again!

Jill in CO

 

[jenneth79]

Raglan Road

This review is a bit of a short one, because we never got a chance to have a full meal at Raglan Road, instead opting for a quick drink and appetizer on a day we happened to have some free time in Downtown Disney.

After a lovely day at Saratoga Springs Spa, Mike and I took the boat over to DTD, to check out a few of the shops. Unfortunately there was a major power outage that day that took out the whole row that D Street (the one place I REALLY wanted to go to ) was.

Instead, we ducked into Raglan Road around 2 in the afternoon, and walked up to the bar, which was absolutely gorgeous. One of the nice things about Raglan is the menu, which gives you both historical information (for example, the bar itself was imported from Ireland) to the fun (how to say cheers in Gaelic):

We ordered an appetizer to share, the bartender recommended we give the Dalkey Duo a try. Basically mini battered hot dogs with a mustard dipping sauce.

I find the presentation both cute and practical. Especially if you’re sharing with a table. Or your husband. The nice cocktail forks also help you protect your share of the meal!

Mike opted for a local Florida beer, and I went with a Bailey’s shake. Basically Baileys, ice cream, and coffee liquor all mixed together. It was very good, but very filling, so I only finished about half. A grown up milkshake, if you will...

It was a bit of a shame our trip didn’t include an evening here to really experience the dancing and food, but at least we know we love the atmosphere and will certainly make a trip back there sometime soon!

Raglan Road, at the time I’m writing this, does accept Disney Dining Plan.... added bonus.

 

[jenneth79]

After a lovely day of relaxing outside of the parks, we walked down to dinner at the Yachtsman Steakhouse in our hotel. I had read great things about this location, so I was looking forward to trying one of the highly rated steaks.

To start, the restaurant was running behind and asked us to take a pager and wait in the lobby. Which was full, so we walked next door to the Crew’s Cup lounge, which was also full. Guess they were running really behind! Luckily a group’s pager went off so we were able to snag a little bit of couch space.

Mike walked up to the bar to order a drink while I watched the little glass box they lock the poor butcher in. Just kidding:

Really cool, unless you hate the sight of raw meat. Then I would advise you to avoid this bar. Probably the restaurant too.

After about 25 minutes, we were called up and ushered back to our table. We were seated along the back wall, booth and chair style seating. It was certainly a crowded restaurant, but still didn’t feel too cramped.

Menus were brought out by our server for the evening, Sam, who was fantastic! He wished us a happy Anniversary and placed down special menus (which we got to keep):

We opted for a bottle of Faust, a Cabernet Sav that both Mike and I have had before, which goes great with a nice steak:

We then placed our orders and a basket of bread was brought out to our table. The onion rolls were nothing special, and I think overall we’d already had better bread at other signature locations.

For my appetizer, I went with the Escargot and Mike chose the Pan-Seared Diver Scallops.

First off, my snails:

I have to say these were pretty good, not too tough and not swimming in garlic butter, just enough to give them a good rounded out flavor.

Then, Mike’s scallops:

Oh my, but these were amazing! They had a roasted pepper hummus that they sat on, which gave them a little bit of a tang that tasted wonderful. I thought the scallops at Le Cellier were good, but these were way better.

On to the entrees, then. Mike went with the New York Strip:

It was good, if a bit heavy on the butter sauce. The steak was cooked perfectly, however, a nice medium rare.

My steak, the Filet with a Cabernet wine sauce, came out as well:

Here was my one major complaint with dinner. The sauce, wow. Not only was the steak swimming in it, the sauce itself? I kid you not, it tasted like Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce. It completely ruined the flavor of the steak beneath it.

Our server was quick to notice the expression on my face (which must not have been good) for he came over and asked if there was anything wrong. I just mentioned I wasn’t a fan of the sauce, but I was just going to eat the Truffle Mac and Cheese (Oh wait, I need to show you a picture of that:

...which was to die for. I know it’s not included on your dining plan.... it doesn’t matter, order it anyway, it’s so very good. Anyway, he took my plate away and not five minutes later, a perfectly cooked filet was placed before me sans sauce. I kind of forgot to take a picture of it... so...um.. this is what it looked like afterwards?

(....oh, the carnage! Ha.)

We finished our meal with a cute little Anniversary plate courtesy of the restaurant:

As well as this little gem that I never wrote down the name to, but was a chocolate torte made with habenero served with key lime gelato.... oh my, it was very very good!

So overall, the Yachtsman was very good, and the service was even better. I listened a bit too much to the hype about the steaks, I think, which is why I didn’t leave there with a huge feeling of satisfaction, but for the money it was a good meal.

 

[jenneth79]

Ohana

Next up was a breakfast at Ohana that my husband requested, since he (like I) is a big Stitch fan. We pulled up to the Polynesian via monorail, which was pretty awesome, and made our way over to the check in around 8AM. Wow, is this place crowded! We waited a good fifteen minutes (after the obligatory picture session which Disney will be happy to sell you a copy of later for 20 dollars....sigh....) then were brought over to our table.

Our server was nice, but a bit inattentive. However, after a few minutes both a hot plate and fruit were brought over to our table:

Similar to most character meals, you aren’t here so much for the food as the interaction. All the same, the Hawaiian bread was very good, and the bacon was nice and crisp, just like I prefer it!

Our table was in an awkward spot, it seemed, for we were well done with our meal before any characters walked over. We did catch the parade:

Mickey, Pluto, and (finally) Stitch came over for a visit:

I would say we waited a good 30 minutes after our meal was over to get a few pictures with the blue monster, but we made the best of it and enjoyed our coffee and juice (which, btw, is really good!) Our server did seem to want us to leave, however, he became quite attentive when he figured we were done. That struck me as a bit off.

Overall, a decent breakfast and a good place for the kids, they were really loving the character interactions!

 

[jenneth79]

We ate at Bistro de Paris on a rainy night in Paris....no really, it was pouring down rain and we walked into the lobby to check in quite bedraggled and soaked. Bedraggled, hmm, I quite like that word.

Anyway, our hostess looked at us with a slightly disapproving stare and I wondered if perhaps eating at the “fancy French place” was such a good idea after all! Thankfully the sourness extended only to herself and the rest of the staff was quite friendly and kind.

There, that out of the way....we had hoped to get a table to view Illuminations, but we were instead seated towards the back of the restaurant with no view of the windows. This will come in play a bit later....

Our server, Jonathan, was quite attentive and he was quite patient with me when I asked if I could practice my horrible French on him. I actually made it through deciding on drinks though, so perhaps those seven years in school actually worked! Ha. Mike had a beer and I went with a cocktail, the St. Germain. It was very light and refreshing. We then decided on a bottle of white wine that our server recommended, which was a really nice Pouilly-Fuisse,

I will have to apologize, dear reader, for this was another place I just didn’t feel too comfortable taking pictures. I do have a few from my cell phone, but I hope I can make up for that with our descriptions and thoughts on the courses.

I went with the Serrano ham appetizer, which was basically asparagus on a plate piled high with super thin slices of serrano. Similar to Proscuitto, but a bit less salty. I thought it was nice and light - something we were starting to appreciate more and more after a week of rich foods!

Mike went with the smoked salmon, also very good. Especially the horseradish cream that comes with it!

For entrees, Mike decided on the Sea Scallops (yes, a bit of a theme on our trip):

I have to say these were very good, and the pea and parsley risotto underneath was fantastic. As good as those from Yachtsman? No, but still better than Le Cellier (which, as a reminder, we loved.)

I chose the Red Snapper with a potato “crust”... and it was very good, but I have to hand it to the chef, it looked absolutely amazing..... I wish I had relented and taken a picture with a real camera, because this just doesn’t do it justice.

Basically, they gave the fish “scales” with extremely thin sliced potatoes. Our waiter explained they actually cook the fish and the potatoes separate, the assemble at the end to give it the right look while still making sure everything is evenly cooked. Beautiful.

We decided to skip dessert, we were pretty much worn out and about done with food! The fireworks started, and our waiter came right over and asked if we’d like to watch. In a very special moment of pixie dust, he and another waiter moved our table out into the aisle, quickly switched my place setting over next to my husband, and we were able to watch the second half of Illuminations sitting side by side sipping our wine. It was a lovely touch.

We had our bottle corked and packed up for later, and we bid adieu to Bistro de Paris... for now. Because I promise you we will be back!

 

[jenneth79]

Our lunch at Biergarten was included as a part of our own “drink around the world” plan for one of our last days in the parks. As we didn’t want to end up like “those people” (you know, the ones passed out on the grass near Canada...) we decided to incorporate some meals into our journey.

Biergarten was one of those meals. It’s a buffet, and you had better like people, because if your party isn’t a big one, you will be seated with other groups. We ended up perfectly matched with two different groups, all with military backgrounds. The funniest part was after the meal, when Mike mentioned “I wonder how they knew I was in the Army?” I simply told him to look at his shirt:

I guess he forgot what he had chosen to wear that morning.... and this was well before more than a beer was consumed! Ha!

Anyway, I would have to say that the conversation was more enjoyable than the food to me, with one notable exception: I don’t know what it’s called.. but on the dessert table, there is a cookie like pastry that is topped with almonds. It’s amazing. If you see it, get two pieces. Yum!

Other good items on the buffet were the Gurken (Cucumber) salad and the sausages with sauerkraut.

We also had a great view of the show, which I don’t think there’s a bad seat in the house for:

We ate fairly early (12:30) so other than the kids, no one was really ready to dance.

 

[jenneth79]

I'm still here!

I'm waiting here in anticipation!

I'm still here! no worries...looking forward to all the reviews...

Can't wait!

Thanks everyone, for sticking with me! At this rate, I might actually finish this thing tonight!

Still haven't gotten to that laundry though......

 

[saintstickets]

Now we arrive at one of the most anticipated dinners I have experienced in a very, very long time. For our Anniversary dinner, we were able to get a table in the Queen Victoria Room at Victoria and Alberts.

I had been both anticipating and dreading this meal for months before our trip. Anticipating because, well, let’s face it, I love great food! And dreading it, because we have had less than stellar experiences (I’m looking at YOU, Las Vegas!) at high end restaurants.

More than anything though, I was dreading getting dressed for this meal!

Anyway, we arrived at the Grand Floridian and all I decided right then and there I was going to stay at this hotel one day. It was simply gorgeous, the lobby, the light, the marble, music, smell. People were very helpful as well, took one look at us and knew we were heading to V&A. How could they not, when my DH looked so very handsome in his suit!

No pictures of the handsome couple?

Now, let me warn you, there is only one picture of anything at all in this review, and that’s of our menu. Here’s why: I could not bring myself even once to pull out the camera and take a picture of my food. So I’m sorry for that, but it really just didn’t feel appropriate at the time, and hey, this was our anniversary dinner, just the two of us without any technology!

I know what you mean. When DW & I ate at V&A, I wanted so much to take pictures but did not. I did sneak my little pocket size notebook out in between courses and write down our thoughts though. Hey....in my old age and with all the food and wine, I'd better write it down quick or it would be nothing but a blur by the time the meal ended!

Overall, we decided the Queen Victoria Room experience was absolutely too much food, but such a unique experience we really didn’t care that we could barely walk afterwards. As we were handed our menus carefully folded and I was given a rose, we waddled out, quite full, quite happy, and quite glad we chose V&A to celebrate our Anniversary.

We have only experienced (and it is an experience, not just a meal) the main dining room and it was absolutely fantastic. We were able to split our wine pairing and it was a good thing because we would have been crawling out had we imbibed a full glass with each course not to mention the feeling the next morning riding a coaster! This place definately deserves its AAA five diamond rating.

We ate at Bistro de Paris on a rainy night in Paris....no really, it was pouring down rain and we walked into the lobby to check in quite bedraggled and soaked. Bedraggled, hmm, I quite like that word.

I will have to apologize, dear reader, for this was another place I just didn’t feel too comfortable taking pictures. I do have a few from my cell phone, but I hope I can make up for that with our descriptions and thoughts on the courses.

Ditto again about taking pictures in this restaurant. DW and I rate Bistro 2nd only to V&A for restaurants at WDW. It has been voted the #1 theme park restaurant in Florida beating out Mythos at Universal.

We decided to skip dessert, we were pretty much worn out and about done with food! The fireworks started, and our waiter came right over and asked if we’d like to watch. In a very special moment of pixie dust, he and another waiter moved our table out into the aisle, quickly switched my place setting over next to my husband, and we were able to watch the second half of Illuminations sitting side by side sipping our wine. It was a lovely touch.

We had our bottle corked and packed up for later, and we bid adieu to Bistro de Paris... for now. Because I promise you we will be back!

We were lucky enough to get one of the window tables and the view is great even though it is a bit obstructed depending on where you are sitting. DW had the crepes flambe for dessert and with the fireworks, the romantic setting in the restaurant and the show put on by the waiter with the dessert, well...all I'm willing to say was it was like a scene in a movie!

Loving your TR and all your reviews. I can't wait to go back to V&A and Bistro de Paris!

 

[jenneth79]

So as many of you know from my pre-trip report, my plans fell through for our special dinner within the theme parks....but our amazing event planner did ask me when we would be in Epcot to watch the fireworks, and she would make sure we got VIP viewing passes.

As it turned out, the evening we were going to watch Illuminations, it was pouring....down...rain..... and the show was almost cancelled. The rain did eventually give up, but just barely.

Our table was being set up, and they were running a bit late, since they lost the ability to sit anyone in the uncovered area of the patio dining room. We waited and chatted with the hostess for about ten minutes, who was super nice. Then we were led to the most adorable table ever!

For starters, we had a tablecloth...which I guess they just don’t have normally (at least outside) and they had left us a cute sign on our “reserved” table as well!

We also had a very special glass filled with some British treats and a little Duffy bear!


v

We also had one of the best tables there, offering a really decent view of the lake:

I love how this one captured some of the lightning...

It turns out all of this was the doing of the event planner, who really is the sweetest woman ever!

Anyway, on to the food, right? Right! Mike started off with a Scotch Egg:

I am personally not a fan of these... but Mike said it was very yummy. I secretly think it’s just because he’s Scottish and feels a need to like it.....

I went with the grilled mussels:

Yum, yum, yum! Very good mussels, and the tomatoes were perfectly plump and grilled to the point of bursting. I love those! (Just be careful when eating them.... like the camels in Aladdin...they spit!)

For a main course, Mike ordered the Shepherds Pie:

He liked it but said it wasn’t as good as mine. Good husband, I think I’ll keep him.

I went for the Fish and Chips because I just couldn’t decide on anything else:

The fish was excellent, though I did not try the chips....I was already pretty stuffed and only finished half a bit of fish.

Only one letdown during our whole meal, and that was the fact that they were out of Sticky Toffee Pudding. Boo! I opted for the creme brûlée (Official Dessert of Disney!) and Mike got the Cheesecake.

They were both good, though I was probably craving the toffee so much that I kind of forgot what the desserts tasted like.

We then sat back and watched the fireworks while Mike got a Scotch flight. It’s interesting to note just how humid it was outside....

We still didn’t see ALL of Illuminations (the high fireworks were blocked in our vision) but it was still a great evening and a special memory of our Disney trip.

I still want that Sticky Toffee though.... maybe next time.

 

[jenneth79]

On one of our DHS days, we made an ADR for lunch at the Hollywood Brown Derby. I hadn’t been expecting much, but I have to agree with the reviews that state this is a bit of a hidden gem!

Fist off, the place is gorgeous. They did a great job of recreating the “Derby”, and it only makes me sad that the original is no longer a part of the LA landscape. We were seated promptly and our waiter brought us our menus. I managed to take a picture for those of you interested:

I thought it was awesome that we were seated under the profile of a very special lady....

I decided to try a Dorma Nesmond... a yummy cocktail with an awesome name! (I started singing ALW “Sunset Boulevard” while Mike looked at me as if I had lost my mind....)

Mike went for a Celebrity Status:

Both drinks were very good, though I have to say I liked mine much better...anything with cream in it feels too rich to me, I think.

Mike won the next round, however, with his choice of the Spicy Tuna Tartare:

This dish won marks for both presentation AND taste. Not too spicy and by far our favorite of the two.

Since we were at the Brown Derby, I had to give the “Famous” Cobb Salad a try:

Not my favorite, but it is a cobb salad, which means lots of stuff other than lettuce. Had I been thinking straight I might have realized I don’t like “heavy” salads, so why would I like this? Once again, sucked in by marketing. Mike though it was good though, I think it just wasn’t for me.

At some point during the meal, Stitch decided he was “ready for his closeup” :

Mike selected the Pork Chop and I went for the Prawns:


Both were very good, but the hominy (grits) with mine...ok, so I’m a Southern girl at heart so grits anything is awesome....but these were especially good. (Almost as good as the Jalapeno Cheddar ones from High Cotton in Charleston, SC....almost!)

Then, it was on to dessert. Oh wow. My love for bananas knows no bounds.... the Banana-White Chocolate Tower w/ carmelized bananas....*swoon*. The honey nest filled with berries and cheesecake was good as well...but the bananas.....we both fought over this dish. I honestly forgot who ordered what!!!

(Again, very good, but doesn’t the plate feel a bit “empty” to you?)

We were on our way after that, but I would highly recommend this for a great lunch, or even a nice romantic dinner!

 

[jenneth79]

Wow, so this is my last restaurant review!! We decided on California Grill for our last night in Disney, for all the great things we had heard about it in the past. We were able to get a great seating thanks to a little help from our IPO and event planner. I didn’t really know what to expect as I’ve never been inside CG before, but I’m here to tell you know it’s probably my favorite Disney restaurant.

We were seated in the back “wine” room of CG, which has lovely views of Bay Lake but does not, in fact, face Cinderella’s castle. At first I was a bit disappointed... we were already jokingly calling this the “trip without fireworks”...but when our waiter Ryan/Bryan (Mike and I argue all the time over his name....I swear it is Ryan!) came over he made it all better. This guy is one of the best waiters ever. Period.

The table was decorated in confetti and we were treated to a very relaxing meal. We went with a few by-the-glass recommendations on our menu, and each was fantastic. A storm was brewing once again, and we got to watch our own “fireworks” show out across Bay Lake. Stunning. I loved this view so much I requested it again on our next trip in Feb 2012. (Not that I got it, but that’s a whole different story.....)


I went with a ravioli for my appetizer, which was good, but not fantastic. I think we might have been better off ordering two of what Mike picked out, the crab stack....which was delish:

My mouth is seriously watering over this thing!

For my main dish, I decided to go with a Dragon roll, which was not only amazingly good, it was HUGE:

Mike decided on the Bison with the truffle mac and cheese:

Wow, was this good. The bison was tender, the mac and cheese good, but if you want a tip, take the truffles and eat them with the bison, not the macaroni. So good. It’s typically on the menu, and I could not recommend it enough!

About half way through our dinner, Ryan/Bryan rushed over and let us know the fireworks were starting, so we grabbed our wine glasses and walked out to the observation deck.

Even if the food wasn’t spectacular (which it is) being able to watch the fireworks like this makes the ADR worth it. I cried. I’ll admit it. I was just so thankful at the moment for being able to go on the trip, and I missed my dad terribly, but I somehow felt he was there....

After dinner, I declared I was much too full for dessert, but Mike really wanted one, so Ryan/Bryan (who I shared a little secret with!!) brought out this anyway:

(Bananas!)

So, dear reader, remember that cake I mentioned in our first post? I had planned a little surprise for my husband, in the form of a custom cake. The process for ordering was painless and the pastry chefs at the Contemporary know their stuff! I did the rough design and they made it amazing...

...but where are my manners? You should see the pictures!!

Ryan/Bryan brought it over from behind my husband, so the surprise was held until the very last minute!!!

(our wedding date and monogram)

(I think he liked it....)

Mike is a huge fan of classic Mickey and “Steamboat Willie”..... so it was a no brainer what it should look like. The cake itself was chocolate with a peanut butter mousse.

A fantastic finish to a fantastic trip.

 

[jenneth79]

Great review. I've dined in the main dining room and it is fantastic. I was nervous about some of the "new" foods but had no issues and tried many things I normally would shy away from. Can't wait to try it again!

Jill in CO

Hi Jill! Thanks for your comments! Isn't it nice to go to a restaurant that you know you can "trust" with trying new things? We got to experience the main dining room on our last trip and it was much more reasonable portion wise (though we were still full before the "main" course arrived! ) We did have to deal with a rude guest, but the food was still amazing.

No pictures of the handsome couple?

>>>>>We're saving those for the TR! Although we unfortunately didn't ever have a picture taken of us together, which I'm super bummed about.

I know what you mean. When DW & I ate at V&A, I wanted so much to take pictures but did not. I did sneak my little pocket size notebook out in between courses and write down our thoughts though. Hey....in my old age and with all the food and wine, I'd better write it down quick or it would be nothing but a blur by the time the meal ended!

>>>>>>That was a smart thing to do! We tried to write it all down that night, but ended up doing it the next morning, I will have to take a mini notebook with me next time... well, I hope there's a next time!


We have only experienced (and it is an experience, not just a meal) the main dining room and it was absolutely fantastic. We were able to split our wine pairing and it was a good thing because we would have been crawling out had we imbibed a full glass with each course not to mention the feeling the next morning riding a coaster! This place definately deserves its AAA five diamond rating.

>>>>>>Agreed! Good note about splitting the pairing, I didn't know you could do that!



Ditto again about taking pictures in this restaurant. DW and I rate Bistro 2nd only to V&A for restaurants at WDW. It has been voted the #1 theme park restaurant in Florida beating out Mythos at Universal.

>>>>>I would say for food, I would go V&A-Jiko-GC-Bistro....but for overall experience, Bistro and CG are both up there in my top 3!

We were lucky enough to get one of the window tables and the view is great even though it is a bit obstructed depending on where you are sitting. DW had the crepes flambe for dessert and with the fireworks, the romantic setting in the restaurant and the show put on by the waiter with the dessert, well...all I'm willing to say was it was like a scene in a movie!

>>>>>We saw a few tables getting the crepes, and I can promise you that's on my must-do for the next trip... they looked amazing!

Loving your TR and all your reviews. I can't wait to go back to V&A and Bistro de Paris!

Thanks so much for reading along! I'm right there with you, October cannot come soon enough!

 

[407-W-DISNEY]

Great reviews~ I'l glad I just had dinner before I started reading or I would be really hungry!

Quote:
Originally Posted by jenneth79
We had our bottle corked and packed up for later, and we bid adieu to Bistro de Paris... for now. Because I promise you we will be back!


You can take your wine bottle with you????????? I never knew! All that wasted wine.......

 

[HolidayRose]

I LOVED your reviews; thank you so very much for posting.

 

[jenneth79]

Great reviews~ I'l glad I just had dinner before I started reading or I would be really hungry!

Quote:
Originally Posted by jenneth79
We had our bottle corked and packed up for later, and we bid adieu to Bistro de Paris... for now. Because I promise you we will be back!


You can take your wine bottle with you????????? I never knew! All that wasted wine.......

Hahaha.... I think it helped me in the opposite way yesterday, I spent so much time writing about food, I really didn't want to eat any!

Yes, I believe Florida is a state (like Virginia) that you can transport opened wine (re-corked). Or they were just really nice to us since we were staying on Disney property. Dunno.

I LOVED your reviews; thank you so very much for posting.

Thank you!!! I'm so glad you enjoyed them, I learned so much from other reviews here on the DIS, I wanted to share my own.

 

[Linda67]

Wow I had a lot of reviews to catch up on!!
I've really enjoyed reading them
Totally agree with you about HBD; we just weren't very interested in it but once we tried it we loved it
I love the look of you Dragon Roll at CG
Thanks again for your wonderful reviews

 

[MrsB1228]

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your reviews! I love your writing style and sense of humour, thanks so much for sharing your experiences! ​

 

[Nermel9]

I'm sorry, I always seem to forget about dining reviews, even when I subbed to them, which is why I never commented! But I read all of your reviews and loved them, especially the V&A one, since I'll probably never go there!

And your Steamboat Willie cake is AMAZING!!! I'm thinking of possibly maybe doing an anniversary cake for Brandon and I in May, since it's our anniversary trip and everything, but I have no idea how to go about ordering a cake!

Thanks again for your reviews!

 

[disfencer]

Your updatepalooza is fantastic! I've been reading the whole time but am only now coming out of lurkerdom to comment.

(Also, you have the best name ever--of course I'm referring to Jennifer. It's also my name. Not that I'm biased or anything. )

I too am a Carolina bbq fan after spending lots of time with family in the Piedmont area. Give me a good vinegar sauce and some coleslaw and I am happy! But my kinda bizarre taste in bbq (it's a 100 mile area or so that loves bbq like that and everyone else thinks we're insane! ) has kept me away from WDW bbq for fear I won't like it. I still may try it... one day.

Everything looks amazing except for the Yachtsman raw meat--why I won't be able to eat there. Big hunks of red meat = yuck. (For me, anyways. I know most people would disagree.)

The fish at Bistro de Paris, even with the bad cell phone picture, looks AMAZING, and so does the sushi roll at CG.

The celebration cake turned out so well! It's awesome they can do that.

Congrats on your anniversary and thanks for sharing with us! I'm glad you guys had a good time.