ehagerty
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2001
- Messages
- 2,099
Who: ME49
When: Sunday, June 20, 2004; 4:30 pm
Where: Grand Floridian Resort, Garden View Lounge
What: High Tea
This experience was one of those I learned about from trip reports. I knew what to expect relative to menu (on internet) and ambience (from having been to the GF); still there was an experience to unfold.
Who goes to High Tea? I could tell from the trip reports that this experience has appeal as a girls afternoon out; pre-bridal, mother-daughter, sisters, best girl-friends, etc. I was surprised that the composition of customers was much broader than that.
There were:
-- grandparents (both genders) with grandchildren (both genders, under 10, well-behaved)
-- couples
-- singles (like me), and
-- various female combinations.
There was no visible evidence, much a less a preponderance of, the white glove girls I was expecting. (Hard to believe, but we were actually trained in how to serve high tea in high school, including the silver pots and white gloves. It was quite the anachronism, even(especially?) in 1970.). In summary, if you have any interest in attending this tea, do it. It would not however be a good fit for rowdy, boisterous, loud and / or physically active people who are uncomfortable sitting still for an hour or so. I didn't see any "multiple-male" parties. Perhaps that afternoon was just an anomoly!?!?!
Dress was, as it is everywhere, except Victoria & Alberts, everything from somewhere dressy to casual (me I no longer pack anything to wear than cant be rolled up as a part of a full days clothing into a gallon-size ziplock).
The ambience beautiful as it is everywhere in the GF.
The food I opted for the Grand Tea for two reasons:
1. It was "reasonable", considering the sum ($) of the parts
2. I wanted to try the broadest possible sampling of food, to know how to plan for the future.
I was not particularly hungry.
Tea Sandwiches the word pate was used in reference to the sandwiches. I immediately, and incorrectly, assumed liver, but realized, on tasting the sandwiches, that it just means ground meat. There were 8 sandwiches," each about 1 square and about 1/8 thick, a collection of chicken, pork and the one I couldnt identify on my own duck. All were good and a pleasant sample of something new / different. The plate came with a small slab of Stilton cheese (I like sharp / zingy cheese and considered this the best item on the plate) and a small mix of raspberries, blueberries (perfectly fresh) and walnuts, and crackers.
Jam Tart & Scone the next course was a small tart (about 1.5 diameter) and small, steamed golden raisin scone. I preferred the tart because I like a good, crisp crust, but the real winner was the Devonshire cream. Oh, my. Some people go out of their way for chocolate, but Im a whipped cream person. Real whipped cream. No vanilla (though it is OK, I dont voluntarily add it). Well, if you get a rush out of pure, sweet fat, this was heavenly. It seemed to hover in the middle realm between whipped cream and butter. Never had it before. Will be looking for it again. It really wouldnt have mattered WHAT I put the Devonshire cream on, it would have been great (for me). Kimberly (Winter Park, FL) reminded me of just how Atkins-friendly this meal was.... protein, fat & fruit!
Tea Pastry / Trifle / Strawberries & Cream I overheard the waitress describing the tea pastry offerings (from a small dessert tray / tower) and they sounded very interesting and unique. However, the strawberries & cream had received such raves reviews, I wanted to try it. It was, as advertised in other trip reports, heavenly. Perfect biscuit (crisp, not soggy; sweet, not floury), perfect berries (about 15 perfect berries, halved; and not those huge, hard, bright red uglies from California, but medium sized, sweet almost as good as western New York in early June) and again perfect whipped cream (thick, but not sugary). If I could only order one item, this would be it. If you like strawberry shortcake, make an effort to get here.
Tea I opted for the house blend, just to try something new. I am not a tea snob; I like all varieties, so I wanted to try something different. This was very good, black tea with flowery overtones. It is delivered in a pot, along with a filter (silver mini-colander) for your cup. The waitress will refill the tea pot with hot water if you run low. BTW, my sharp-eyed (for china) MIL noticed that the my picture of the tea set for this tea matched the china for sale in my picture of the tea shop at the UK pavilion at Epcot.
Tea Set at the Grand Floridian
Tea Seat - Epcot UK Pavilion
Champagne was included in the Grand Tea. I inquired (before ordering, while I was still in the mode of establishing that the Grand Tea components were significantly more individually than the menu price of the Grand Tea). I could see on the back of the menu that there were 3 champagne offerings for about $11/glass so I wondered if one of them was the one included in the Grand Tea. Yes, it was the Iron Horse Champagne. I liked it not too dry, not sweet. Seemed to be about 2-3 ounces.
(Darn, I am at the library (long story) and just lost what was the next 3 paragraphs. Oh, well.)
Grand Mimosa - for inquiring minds, it was champagne, orange jiuce & Grand Marnier. It was good, but you can pretty much guess how it will taste if you are familiar with the ingredients.
Tables - the best tables were those for parties of 4 or more. They were (mostly) centered, near the window, with small vases of fresh flowers. Single / Dueces are set up along the back, tables too small for flower bouquet and not much of a view (if you care about such things). I would certainly ASK for a table with a view (by the window, near the center...) if they can accommodate your request.
Back Table View - at least is was "window"
Music - from 3-9, a piano player alternates with a 6 piece swing/jazz in the lobby, outside of the tea room. Both are excellent, can be heard from the tea room without being intrusive. Definite "plus" to the experience.
Reservations - the priority seating reservation folk ask you choose among 2:00, 3:15 and 4:30 seatings. At the door, they seated anyone if they had a table free, so the reservations time seem more like a "guideline" than a "rule" - don't let that stop you from popping by if you're in the neighborhood.
When: Sunday, June 20, 2004; 4:30 pm
Where: Grand Floridian Resort, Garden View Lounge
What: High Tea
This experience was one of those I learned about from trip reports. I knew what to expect relative to menu (on internet) and ambience (from having been to the GF); still there was an experience to unfold.
Who goes to High Tea? I could tell from the trip reports that this experience has appeal as a girls afternoon out; pre-bridal, mother-daughter, sisters, best girl-friends, etc. I was surprised that the composition of customers was much broader than that.
There were:
-- grandparents (both genders) with grandchildren (both genders, under 10, well-behaved)
-- couples
-- singles (like me), and
-- various female combinations.
There was no visible evidence, much a less a preponderance of, the white glove girls I was expecting. (Hard to believe, but we were actually trained in how to serve high tea in high school, including the silver pots and white gloves. It was quite the anachronism, even(especially?) in 1970.). In summary, if you have any interest in attending this tea, do it. It would not however be a good fit for rowdy, boisterous, loud and / or physically active people who are uncomfortable sitting still for an hour or so. I didn't see any "multiple-male" parties. Perhaps that afternoon was just an anomoly!?!?!
Dress was, as it is everywhere, except Victoria & Alberts, everything from somewhere dressy to casual (me I no longer pack anything to wear than cant be rolled up as a part of a full days clothing into a gallon-size ziplock).
The ambience beautiful as it is everywhere in the GF.
The food I opted for the Grand Tea for two reasons:
1. It was "reasonable", considering the sum ($) of the parts
2. I wanted to try the broadest possible sampling of food, to know how to plan for the future.
I was not particularly hungry.
Tea Sandwiches the word pate was used in reference to the sandwiches. I immediately, and incorrectly, assumed liver, but realized, on tasting the sandwiches, that it just means ground meat. There were 8 sandwiches," each about 1 square and about 1/8 thick, a collection of chicken, pork and the one I couldnt identify on my own duck. All were good and a pleasant sample of something new / different. The plate came with a small slab of Stilton cheese (I like sharp / zingy cheese and considered this the best item on the plate) and a small mix of raspberries, blueberries (perfectly fresh) and walnuts, and crackers.
Jam Tart & Scone the next course was a small tart (about 1.5 diameter) and small, steamed golden raisin scone. I preferred the tart because I like a good, crisp crust, but the real winner was the Devonshire cream. Oh, my. Some people go out of their way for chocolate, but Im a whipped cream person. Real whipped cream. No vanilla (though it is OK, I dont voluntarily add it). Well, if you get a rush out of pure, sweet fat, this was heavenly. It seemed to hover in the middle realm between whipped cream and butter. Never had it before. Will be looking for it again. It really wouldnt have mattered WHAT I put the Devonshire cream on, it would have been great (for me). Kimberly (Winter Park, FL) reminded me of just how Atkins-friendly this meal was.... protein, fat & fruit!
Tea Pastry / Trifle / Strawberries & Cream I overheard the waitress describing the tea pastry offerings (from a small dessert tray / tower) and they sounded very interesting and unique. However, the strawberries & cream had received such raves reviews, I wanted to try it. It was, as advertised in other trip reports, heavenly. Perfect biscuit (crisp, not soggy; sweet, not floury), perfect berries (about 15 perfect berries, halved; and not those huge, hard, bright red uglies from California, but medium sized, sweet almost as good as western New York in early June) and again perfect whipped cream (thick, but not sugary). If I could only order one item, this would be it. If you like strawberry shortcake, make an effort to get here.
Tea I opted for the house blend, just to try something new. I am not a tea snob; I like all varieties, so I wanted to try something different. This was very good, black tea with flowery overtones. It is delivered in a pot, along with a filter (silver mini-colander) for your cup. The waitress will refill the tea pot with hot water if you run low. BTW, my sharp-eyed (for china) MIL noticed that the my picture of the tea set for this tea matched the china for sale in my picture of the tea shop at the UK pavilion at Epcot.
Tea Set at the Grand Floridian
Tea Seat - Epcot UK Pavilion
Champagne was included in the Grand Tea. I inquired (before ordering, while I was still in the mode of establishing that the Grand Tea components were significantly more individually than the menu price of the Grand Tea). I could see on the back of the menu that there were 3 champagne offerings for about $11/glass so I wondered if one of them was the one included in the Grand Tea. Yes, it was the Iron Horse Champagne. I liked it not too dry, not sweet. Seemed to be about 2-3 ounces.
(Darn, I am at the library (long story) and just lost what was the next 3 paragraphs. Oh, well.)
Grand Mimosa - for inquiring minds, it was champagne, orange jiuce & Grand Marnier. It was good, but you can pretty much guess how it will taste if you are familiar with the ingredients.
Tables - the best tables were those for parties of 4 or more. They were (mostly) centered, near the window, with small vases of fresh flowers. Single / Dueces are set up along the back, tables too small for flower bouquet and not much of a view (if you care about such things). I would certainly ASK for a table with a view (by the window, near the center...) if they can accommodate your request.
Back Table View - at least is was "window"
Music - from 3-9, a piano player alternates with a 6 piece swing/jazz in the lobby, outside of the tea room. Both are excellent, can be heard from the tea room without being intrusive. Definite "plus" to the experience.
Reservations - the priority seating reservation folk ask you choose among 2:00, 3:15 and 4:30 seatings. At the door, they seated anyone if they had a table free, so the reservations time seem more like a "guideline" than a "rule" - don't let that stop you from popping by if you're in the neighborhood.
