Parks? What Parks? We're Here for the FOOD!**PICS!** COMPLETE!

[Melissa_E]

I'm really enjoying your review!! I understand about the bathroom thing, I'd be embarrassed too if that is what the wait staff thought you said (but I laughed my way through it anyway).

I can't wait for more!

BTW, your pictures are terrific too and really add to your report. Of course my family is going to look at me weird when I pull out the camera at meals.

 

[Tink rules]

Gee, I thought you were going to come back with toilet paper on your heal or your skirt stuck in your stockings!!!

At least we've all been there!!!

Great reviews!!! Love the pictures and I agree... anyone can make chicken... That dish ALONE would have gotten them kicked off of Iron Chef America!!!

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

Great reviews cant wait to read more!

V&As looks really POSH and EXPENSIVE!

How much does it cost???

It is $175 per person plus the wine pairings if you choose to do them.

Yes. It is posh AND expensive - but I felt like it was worth it!!

I'm really enjoying your review!! I understand about the bathroom thing, I'd be embarrassed too if that is what the wait staff thought you said (but I laughed my way through it anyway).

I can't wait for more!

BTW, your pictures are terrific too and really add to your report. Of course my family is going to look at me weird when I pull out the camera at meals.

DH understood and eventually helped (a little)! We had a lot of fun taking all the pictures and it is a great way to remember what you ate when you were a little inebriated...

Gee, I thought you were going to come back with toilet paper on your heal or your skirt stuck in your stockings!!!

At least we've all been there!!!

Great reviews!!! Love the pictures and I agree... anyone can make chicken... That dish ALONE would have gotten them kicked off of Iron Chef America!!!

No - No toilet paper, but I think this story is pretty embarassing! It's nice to have people laugh, but also understand!

The iron chef comment cracked me up!! Mainly because you are RIGHT! That dish was an eliminator for sure!!
Thanks for reading!

 

[Disney owl]

great reviews & photos

 

[Cyndibear]

Great reviews and pictures!! We ate at V&A in April and just loved it. We had a great time. Can't wait to hear what you had for dessert. We didn't enjoy the dessert as much as we enjoyed the main courses. Maybe we were just too full to enjoy them.

I waited till the last possible minute to ask to go to the bathroom. It felt very uncomfortable for me to be led to the bathroom and then to wait for someone to escort me back to the table.

Cyndi

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

great reviews & photos

Thanks! Stick around for more... Eventually I WILL get done with the Chef's Table!!

Great reviews and pictures!! We ate at V&A in April and just loved it. We had a great time. Can't wait to hear what you had for dessert. We didn't enjoy the dessert as much as we enjoyed the main courses. Maybe we were just too full to enjoy them.

I waited till the last possible minute to ask to go to the bathroom. It felt very uncomfortable for me to be led to the bathroom and then to wait for someone to escort me back to the table.

Cyndi

I'd love to hear about your trip! Dessert was fun! I loved having all those different things to try! I will admit though - the other courses stand out in my memory more than the dessert course!

The whole bathroom situation is uncomfortable there... They need a little bathroom closet off the room so we don't have to go thru all that!!

Thanks for reading!

 

[shovan]

More pleaaasseee!!!!!

 

[MOTHERGOOSE3]

please I need another laugh!

 

[smiller]

Love the review! DSis and I are thinking about sending our parents to V&A Chef's Table for their anniversary next September.

We'd probably only add on just one wine pairing though...

Could you tell me what is an appropriate tip (dollar amount) for the Chef's Table? Do you tip the server and/or the chef separately?

Thanks!

 

[disneydreams81]

this is an awesome review!

i love the way your name looks in ur signature so cute!! how did u do that??

 

[HonnyDipp]

I love your pics and reviews! I'm also curious to see how you made your siggy too!

 

[mrsbelle]

Great reviews! Can't wait for more!

 

[oybolshoi]

Oh, yoohoo! Ms. Heimlich ... where oh where have you gone, my friend? We miss you ... come back soon!

 

[BabyPiglet]

Well I'm sorry to realize you haven't updated since November. I'm really enjoying your reviews and want more!

The Kobe beef just looks soooooo wonderful.

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

Great reviews! Can't wait for more!

Oh, yoohoo! Ms. Heimlich ... where oh where have you gone, my friend? We miss you ... come back soon!

Well I'm sorry to realize you haven't updated since November. I'm really enjoying your reviews and want more!

The Kobe beef just looks soooooo wonderful.

EEEK!!

Has it really been since NOVEMBER???

I need to get back on the ball. I will try to post the last 2 courses at the Chef's Table this week... I am such a SLACKER!!

I got bogged down and we had some turmoil at the Heimlich house...

I hope everyone is doing well and I will come back soon with cheese & dessert.... And second dessert.

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

On to what was the beginning of the end of my "healthy lifestyle" for the week of our vacation. Cheese --- GLORIOUS Cheese!! This was one of my favorites of the evening! I LOVE CHEESE.

If I can ever finish this review... You will see I also got a cheese plate 3 more times!

As a side note... This course prompted me to have a cheese pairing at our house around Thanksgiving with several cheeses and accompaniments. We got 6 different cheeses from our local Whole Foods, several other things, 3 bottles of wine and invited friends for some food & fun!


The Cheese Plate

 

[oybolshoi]

Oh yessssss .... the cheese plate! My only complaint is that they didn't give you enough cheese.

 

[joanjett1976]

Looooved your reviews! Thanks.

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

The cheese selections were:
Comte Saint Antoine
Saint Nectaire
Taleggio
Wabash Canonball

You've already seen this picture, but it bears repeating!!!


The Wine Selection for this course was:
Quinta do Crasto Late Bottled Vintage Porto 2000





The Wabash Canonball is pictured at the top of the plate. It was paired with some kind of compote or quince paste (can't remember & no notes...). I LOVED LOVED LOVED this cheese. The Wabash Cannonball is a hand-formed ball of goat's milk cheese from Indiana. The texture is denser and drier than fresh chevre with a ash and mold rind. This is an American Made cheese. Again, I LOVED This cheese and have looked for it many times (with no luck... ) It was delicate, spreadable, and YUMMY!

The Comte is pictured second from the top and is made from unpasturized cows milk and is made almost exclusively in France. It is a semi-hard cheese that is usually aged over a year. This was my least favorite of the cheeses because of its dry texture and mealy-ish consistency. The paring here was balsamic vinegar. The paring was nice, it complemented the cheese well, I just wasn't wild about this one...

The Saint Nectaire is pictured second from the bottom and paired with a bit of date. This cheese is also made in France and is semi soft with a washed rind. I really enjoyed this cheese and we have looked for it several times. It was slightly acidic but had a smooth texture. A winner for us!

Finally, the Taleggio is pictured at the bottom, paired with a bit of honey & honeycomb. This is a semisoft cheese that is creamy, mild and slightly tangy. We really liked this cheese and have purchased it a couple of times in the last couple of months. It is an Italian cheese made with cows milk.

The wine.... Ugh. I hate to even type this... (I can feel Brenda reading this and crying real tears...) I didn't like it. I don't like Port wine. Too Sweet. Too syrupy. Too much... much. I will take a nice refreshing glass of water with my desert please! Thomas felt the same way... We just didn't like it....

Overall, the cheese plate was one of my favorite experiences of the evening. It was my first foray in to a "professional" plated cheese presentation and I was blown away by it. I understand now why people choose cheese rather than dessert.

Thomas says that before the presentation he didn't "get" the whole pairing cheese with fruit thing. He thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience and it changed his opinions about cheese plates, too!

 

[Ms. Heimlich]

Appetizer Dessert

Wild Strawberry Sorbet
Mango-Yogurt Panna Cotta
Miniature Banana Gateau



Our dessert course was served on a long plate with all three of these selections side by side.

On the far right you have the Panna Cotta. This was my least favorite of the dessert appetizers. I don’t care for the texture of panna cotta, flan, or any other milk-like-Jello. It makes me gag. Anyway, Thomas says this dessert was light and flavorful. It was our first panna cotta experience but we were expecting creamier – almost more like a pudding or crème brulee like consistency. Overall, not our favorite, but I guess he would choke it down if served it at V&A’s.



The middle dessert is the banana gateau. This was my favorite of the dessert appetizers. It was superb. There was a cake at the bottom, a layer of banana cream, and surrounded by a wrapping of something crunchy… Not sure what. This was SOOOOOOOOOO good. I didn’t want to stop eating it. The flavor was light and not too sweet. I finished this portion easily. Thomas loved this one, too, but he loves bananas!



The third and final course of the dessert appetizers was the wild strawberry sorbet. All I can say is …. Imagine the best strawberry sorbet you have ever eaten….

Got it?

It’s like comparing a strip steak to a filet mignon. Yea, they are from the same animal, but SOOO different.

The sorbet was such a contrast to the rich creamy desserts we had just eaten, it almost acted as a palate cleanser for Main Course Dessert…. This was the BEST sorbet I have ever eaten… EVER.