Anyone underwhelmed by V&A?

[drenalin'junkie]

There are few places in the world where you may find so many luxurious ingredients in one menu.And it is likely to have 3-5 in one meal,more if you add the up-charge items.

As Uncleromulus stated it is not for the budget minded buffet grazers but for folks who are open-minded about food and it's preparation and gratified by opulent settings and stylish presentations.

I do almost all the cooking in our family and it is truly impressive to find food we enjoy more than our personal favorites cooked at home with no budget.For me to prepare a similar menu would run $300 to $500 per person AND I wouldn't be able to sit down long enough to enjoy it.

Similarly we love almost all of the better restaurants in ALL the parks we regularly attend even though comparable cuisine is only steps away or at most a few miles to the many fine restaurants locally.YMMV

 

[Cheshire Figment]

About 15 years ago we had some friends who both worked for Disney. The wife was one of the early DVC salespeople and won an award which allowed them to have a meal at V&A. The husband was a "meat and potatoes" type guy. He was so turned off by the meal that on the way home they stopped at a McDonalds for him to get something to eat. (And for the nay-sayers, he was not an overweight person who wanted large quantities of food.)

 

[Shell54]

The replies have been so interesting. I appreciate, as far as fine dining goes: unobtrusive service that is not fawning, but anticipates ones needs and is always near ones table. Fine, simple, well prepared food not served in huge quantities, but multiple small courses so I can sample the chef's talent. A beautiful, but not fussy interior design and never ever snobby wait staff. When it all comes together you know it and it's a really great dining "experience" for all the senses. Does that sound too demanding? I would want V&A for the prices I'm paying to meet those expectations. I have dined in places only a few times in NYC and NJ and France that have satisfied me like that.
I want to try V&A . I'm pretty curious!

 

[2infinityandbeyond]

unobtrusive service that is not fawning, but anticipates ones needs and is always near ones table. Fine, simple, well prepared food not served in huge quantities, but multiple small courses so I can sample the chef's talent. A beautiful, but not fussy interior design and never ever snobby wait staff.

That sounds exactly like our experience at V&A's.

 

[BriarRosie]

The replies have been so interesting. I appreciate, as far as fine dining goes: unobtrusive service that is not fawning, but anticipates ones needs and is always near ones table. Fine, simple, well prepared food not served in huge quantities, but multiple small courses so I can sample the chef's talent. A beautiful, but not fussy interior design and never ever snobby wait staff. When it all comes together you know it and it's a really great dining "experience" for all the senses. Does that sound too demanding? I would want V&A for the prices I'm paying to meet those expectations. I have dined in places only a few times in NYC and NJ and France that have satisfied me like that.
I want to try V&A . I'm pretty curious!

That pretty much summed up my experience there last Sunday. I'll eventually get around to writing about my experience in my review. I took photos of everything.

 

[shellybaxter]

I am always honest in my assessment of a restaurant. My friend and I wanted to try V&As but our husbands didn't. I am not extremely adventurous and don't eat seafood or beans/legumes/etc. I was nervous about the meal and had plans afterward to get something from Gasparella's or Captain Cooks if I needed to.

No need. I love the food, atmosphere, service, just everything. It was an experience I will never forget. I loved the wine pairings. I'm like white wine so much better than red and I love Reisling. Only my main course should have been paired with red - the kobe beef - when I mentioned my likes and dislikes to the server she suggested a wonderful Reisling instead of the red. Everything was awesome.

 

[PaulaSB12]

The replies have been so interesting. I appreciate, as far as fine dining goes: unobtrusive service that is not fawning, but anticipates ones needs and is always near ones table. Fine, simple, well prepared food not served in huge quantities, but multiple small courses so I can sample the chef's talent. A beautiful, but not fussy interior design and never ever snobby wait staff. When it all comes together you know it and it's a really great dining "experience" for all the senses. Does that sound too demanding? I would want V&A for the prices I'm paying to meet those expectations. I have dined in places only a few times in NYC and NJ and France that have satisfied me like that.
I want to try V&A . I'm pretty curious!

That is my experience as well, cant wait to go back next year.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

The replies have been so interesting. I appreciate, as far as fine dining goes: unobtrusive service that is not fawning, but anticipates ones needs and is always near ones table. Fine, simple, well prepared food not served in huge quantities, but multiple small courses so I can sample the chef's talent. A beautiful, but not fussy interior design and never ever snobby wait staff. When it all comes together you know it and it's a really great dining "experience" for all the senses. Does that sound too demanding? I would want V&A for the prices I'm paying to meet those expectations. I have dined in places only a few times in NYC and NJ and France that have satisfied me like that.
I want to try V&A . I'm pretty curious!

You have absolutely it it on the head.

One additional interesting item. For any position in either the kitchen or as a member of the wait staff there are no applications filled out. One server, a couple of years ago, told me how she got the job. She had worked for about 12 years in various WDW restaurants, and at the time was a server in Yachtsman's Steakhouse. When she reported in for the start of her shift she was called into the manager's office and asked to sit down. She was wondering what was going on; then the manager said: "I have been contacted to tell you there is a server position opening up at Victoria and Albert's and to ask you if you would accept the job". She said she almost went into shock, and then the manager congratulated her on her new job.

 

[TDC Nala]

That pretty much summed up my experience there last Sunday. I'll eventually get around to writing about my experience in my review. I took photos of everything.

Did you take a photo of the world's cutest servers, Jack and Sherrie?

"Delicious!"

 

[livie1205]

I liked it ok but I did enjoy wolfgang pucks upstairs dining (chef table) a lot more.

 

[mechteach]

I have eaten at V&A's twice, and enjoyed it both times. That said, we do not plan to go back there for our next trip. Why? I don't think that it provides the full fine dining experience for the money it costs.

I think the food at V&A's is very good, and you do see some variation in the menu, but it does not seem to be as seasonally "in-tune" as some other fine restaurants. Furthermore, the suggested wine pairings are very nice, but it is difficult to find a knowledgeable sommelier if you want to depart from the pairings and create your own bottle-to-multicourse grouping. Likewise, the servers seem to have a good basic knowledge of the ingredients and preparations, but are not prepared to go in-depth when questioned.

On a personal level, I also found the atmosphere to be a little stuffy for my taste. I think that I prefer a more modern approach, but I know that many, many people feel differently.

On a pure price level, you can get a menu with fewer courses but more variety for the same cost at the Inn or Citronelle in DC; Daniel, Le Bernadin, or Jean-Georges in NYC; Trotters in Chicago; or Gary Danko in SF. I know that WDW is not equivalent to any of those major cities in terms of number of restaurants or price competition, but I would rather save my money and go to any of those restaurants instead.

I think that this review sounds horribly snobby, which is not my intention! I'm just trying to give you an honest assessment from my very limited sample set if you want to compare V&A's to top restaurants in other cities.

 

[Shell54]

You have absolutely it it on the head.

One additional interesting item. For any position in either the kitchen or as a member of the wait staff there are no applications filled out. One server, a couple of years ago, told me how she got the job. She had worked for about 12 years in various WDW restaurants, and at the time was a server in Yachtsman's Steakhouse. When she reported in for the start of her shift she was called into the manager's office and asked to sit down. She was wondering what was going on; then the manager said: "I have been contacted to tell you there is a server position opening up at Victoria and Albert's and to ask you if you would accept the job". She said she almost went into shock, and then the manager congratulated her on her new job.

That's pretty interesting. Everyone that works there is Disney trained and moves up through the ranks in Disney dining? It would stand to reason that their flagship would only hire the best. It sounds pretty cool how they tell people they've been promoted to work at V&A's. I bet nobody turns it down.