Mozart
There's one in every crowd...and it's usually me
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2007
When my wife and I were married ten years ago, we really wanted to go and eat at Victoria and Alberts, but like many new couples we just couldnt fit anything like that into our budget. Our honeymoon was spent at Port Orleans, with a week of theme parks thrown in, and even a (short) day at Sea World. Granted, we ate at some nice restaurants (Cinderellas Royal Table, Chefs de France, California Grille, Alfredos and more) but we just couldnt justify the big bucks. As we approached our 10th anniversary though, we found ourselves saying We can do $500 for one meal, just as long as we dont make it too regular. And thus we find ourselves on the evening of Thursday, April 26th, 2007 at Victoria and Alberts. We arrive at 8:00 for 9:30 reservations in order to give ourselves time to explore the Grand Floridian. After going to the shops and buying some H2O shampoo (fell in love with that on our cruise.) and a Tink pin for DWs collection, we head to Mizners for a pre-dinner cocktail. Red wine for me, and Amaretto Disarrono on the rocks for her. Nice, but the main events time has arrived and we head next door.
Of course, the maitred is waiting for us, calls us by name, and we are led to our table. Thus, the adventure begins. Below are our selections, along with their wine accompaniement (yes, we had the wine pairing)
Amuse Bouche:
Lobster Bisque and Lobster sausage with Heidsieck Monopole Blue Top Brut Champagne NV.
Cold Appetizer:
Me Seared Colorado Buffalo Tenderloin, Braised Fennel, Radishes and Satsuma Tangerine Vinaigrette (Cantina Del Taburno Falanghina, Campania 2005)
DW Dungeness and King Crab with Spring Asparagus and Calvisius Caviar (Sella & Mosca La Cala Vermentino, Sardegna 2004)
Hot Appetizer:
Me New England Elk with Elephant Garlic Spaetzle and Veal Sweetbreads (Perez Cruz reserva Carmenere, Maipo Valley 2004)
DW Long Island Duck with Roasted Chiogga Beets and Turnip Kraut (Dr. Zenzen Apollo-Falter Spatburgunder, Rheinhessen 2005)
Fish:
Me Washington State Salmon with Mustard Greens, Sauce Soubise and Ramp Pesto (Pere & Fils Christian Moreau Chablis 2004)
DW Yellow Fin Tuna Tempura with Hijiki Salad and Carrot-Ginger Coulis (Sepp Moser Gruner Veltliner Breiter Rain Kremsatl Austria 2005)
Entrée:
Me Poulet Rouge with Wild Mushroom Ragout and Truffled Egg (Toad Hall Pinot Noir Dijon Clones, Carneros 2003)
DW Prosciutto Wrapped Lamb with Potato Gnocci and Sherry Vinaigrette (Cesari Mara Vino Di Ripasso Valpolicella 2003)
Me Comte Saint Antoine, Fourme DAmbert, and Pierre Robert (Cockburns 10 Year Old Tawny Porto)
DW Lemon Gelato with Almond Biscotti and Candied Lemon Zest (Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato DAsti, Piedmont 2005)
Dessert:
Me Grand Marnier Souffle
DW Carmalized Banana Gateau
Im a huge fan of she-crab soup, and lobster bisque is very similiar in many ways. The key to it is getting just the right amount of sherry, which was accomplished perfectly. The lobster sausage is something that was so small, I honestly could not tell you what it tasted like. I loved the way the buffalo was cooked, and DWs caviar was excellent as well (although only having had caviar 2 or 3 times in my life before, Im probably not a very good judge of it. Each course was definitely ramping up, though, because the elk was good the duck was outstanding. I was a little bit disappointed with the fish course, but then came the entrée and WOW!
The mushroom ragout made the chicken just sparkle, and Ive never had a truffled egg before. I will be looking for recipes when I get home. I have got to have that one again! As good as those were, though, the prosciutto wrapped lamb topped them. Just outstanding. By the time we got to the cheeses and gelato, I was so overwhelmed that I hardly paid attention to that course. Good port, I do remember that. Maybe the problem by this time was that we were beginning to feel the effects of the wine pairing. Someone had told me that the wine pairing would be very small glasses, but they werent, and everything was so good that we felt compelled to finish the glasses. That did not last the whole meal, but we were feeling it by dessert time.
Oh yeah! Dessert. 3 word Grand Marnier, and Souffle. Not much more needs to be said.
Overall, the meal was excellent and about what we expected. Was it worth the $382 we paid for it (before tip) yes. Would we do it again we definitely will.
And one final thought when DW couldnt finish her meal, they brought us a doggie bag for her to take food home (without us asking.) The only thing we took was the lamb.
That made a really good breakfast the next morning.
Of course, the maitred is waiting for us, calls us by name, and we are led to our table. Thus, the adventure begins. Below are our selections, along with their wine accompaniement (yes, we had the wine pairing)
Amuse Bouche:
Lobster Bisque and Lobster sausage with Heidsieck Monopole Blue Top Brut Champagne NV.
Cold Appetizer:
Me Seared Colorado Buffalo Tenderloin, Braised Fennel, Radishes and Satsuma Tangerine Vinaigrette (Cantina Del Taburno Falanghina, Campania 2005)
DW Dungeness and King Crab with Spring Asparagus and Calvisius Caviar (Sella & Mosca La Cala Vermentino, Sardegna 2004)
Hot Appetizer:
Me New England Elk with Elephant Garlic Spaetzle and Veal Sweetbreads (Perez Cruz reserva Carmenere, Maipo Valley 2004)
DW Long Island Duck with Roasted Chiogga Beets and Turnip Kraut (Dr. Zenzen Apollo-Falter Spatburgunder, Rheinhessen 2005)
Fish:
Me Washington State Salmon with Mustard Greens, Sauce Soubise and Ramp Pesto (Pere & Fils Christian Moreau Chablis 2004)
DW Yellow Fin Tuna Tempura with Hijiki Salad and Carrot-Ginger Coulis (Sepp Moser Gruner Veltliner Breiter Rain Kremsatl Austria 2005)
Entrée:
Me Poulet Rouge with Wild Mushroom Ragout and Truffled Egg (Toad Hall Pinot Noir Dijon Clones, Carneros 2003)
DW Prosciutto Wrapped Lamb with Potato Gnocci and Sherry Vinaigrette (Cesari Mara Vino Di Ripasso Valpolicella 2003)
Me Comte Saint Antoine, Fourme DAmbert, and Pierre Robert (Cockburns 10 Year Old Tawny Porto)
DW Lemon Gelato with Almond Biscotti and Candied Lemon Zest (Michele Chiarlo Nivole Moscato DAsti, Piedmont 2005)
Dessert:
Me Grand Marnier Souffle
DW Carmalized Banana Gateau
Im a huge fan of she-crab soup, and lobster bisque is very similiar in many ways. The key to it is getting just the right amount of sherry, which was accomplished perfectly. The lobster sausage is something that was so small, I honestly could not tell you what it tasted like. I loved the way the buffalo was cooked, and DWs caviar was excellent as well (although only having had caviar 2 or 3 times in my life before, Im probably not a very good judge of it. Each course was definitely ramping up, though, because the elk was good the duck was outstanding. I was a little bit disappointed with the fish course, but then came the entrée and WOW!
The mushroom ragout made the chicken just sparkle, and Ive never had a truffled egg before. I will be looking for recipes when I get home. I have got to have that one again! As good as those were, though, the prosciutto wrapped lamb topped them. Just outstanding. By the time we got to the cheeses and gelato, I was so overwhelmed that I hardly paid attention to that course. Good port, I do remember that. Maybe the problem by this time was that we were beginning to feel the effects of the wine pairing. Someone had told me that the wine pairing would be very small glasses, but they werent, and everything was so good that we felt compelled to finish the glasses. That did not last the whole meal, but we were feeling it by dessert time.
Oh yeah! Dessert. 3 word Grand Marnier, and Souffle. Not much more needs to be said.
Overall, the meal was excellent and about what we expected. Was it worth the $382 we paid for it (before tip) yes. Would we do it again we definitely will.
And one final thought when DW couldnt finish her meal, they brought us a doggie bag for her to take food home (without us asking.) The only thing we took was the lamb.
That made a really good breakfast the next morning.
But it's so good!!!
LOL) We think it is fitting for such a special occasion, though.
