Pie That Brownie, Fruitcake! Updated Post #1832 - The End

[oybolshoi]

Sunday, October 18th - Just Once I'd Like Someone to Call Me Ma'am Without Adding "You're Making a Scene."

Here's a quick recap of part I for those of you who may not have the time or inclination to go back and read ... or for anyone like me who seems to be suffering from early onset memory impairment and just needs a refresher:

Good friends and food with cheerful conversation?

Check.

Caviar ordered?

Check.

Silly song requested from the harpist?

Check.

Safe return from random and unexpected DIS-stalking episode?

Check.

I have been told that while we were absent Jack and Sherry, our extraordinary serving team, quietly removed the butter knives from everyone's place settings. No doubt after the Krusty the Clown sings Stephen Sondheim incident, the serving staff had gauged the true measure of our table and were reacting accordingly. In this case I think it's safe and accurate to state that our serving term really were stoic.

Shortly after Jay and I returned to the table the "dinner" course arrived.

Course IV:

Kurobota Pork Tenderloin and Belly with Baby Beets and Sherry-Bacon Vinaigrette
Niman Ranch Lamb with Fresh Cannellini Bean Cassoulet
Marcho Farms Veal Tenderloin with Marble Potatoes and Sauce Soubise
Australian “Kobe” Beef Tenderloin with Smoked Garlic-Potato Puree ($35 up charge)
Japanese Wagyu Strip Loin with Oxtail Jus ($80 up charge)

Jay selected the lamb for his dinner course, which surprised me. I really thought he'd go for the pork or the veal - after seeing that the veal presentation included a meat straw he may have known just a moment of shank envy, but all in all he was pleased with his selection and said that it was really tasty. His wine with this course was a Cesari Mara Ripasso Valpolicella. As a side note to the picture below, I like that the garnish sprig on his plate took on the shape of the letter "Y" ... perhaps for YUM?

Jason had a little lamb ...

In the true spirit of splurge - you can't take it with you - I chose the Australian "Kobe" beef tenderloin for dinner, which was served with a glass of Benziger "Tribute" Sonoma Mountain. I first tried this "Kobe" beef back in 2006 when Jay and I first dined at Victoria & Albert's and it was just as good this time around as it was three years earlier. The beef was tender and juicy and bursting with melt-in-my-mouth meaty goodness. And that garlic-potato puree was pretty damn fine, too! In fact, I would go so far as to say that this course was incredibly eloquent ... I mean it really spoke to me.

What's that? You want me to eat you???

Once the dinner course was complete, it was time for what I like to call pre-dessert.

Course V:

White Chocolate Gelato with Tableside Shavings and Micro Orchids
Colston Bassett Stilton, Coach Farm Goat, 36-Month Aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Epoisses

Selections like these are really easy for us because Jay picks one and I take the other and we share the culinary joy and all is right with the digestive world. If I haven't mentioned it about one billion times already, let me say right now that my hubby is a truly wonderful person. He probably would have liked that cheese plate as much as I did, but ordered the gelato so that I could revel in the milk-based food product. I did share, but not as much as I should have.

However, I have to say that the surprise of this course was actually the gelato. Niether Jay nor I are fans of white chocolate ... it's not really chocolate anyway, but a mix of sugar, cocoa butter, and milk ... but this was actually quite good with a delicate, creamy flavor and velvety smooth texture. It was paired with a glass of Paolo Saracco Moscato D'Asti which happens to be something we drink at home and enjoy very much.

Gelato

As for the cheese plate, it was also very good; I really enjoyed the goat cheese and the parmigiano, tolerated the stilton, and am pretty sure I gave the epoisses away because it was stinky toe cheese to the extreme. It had a very powerful taste and a pungent aroma ... not dissimilar to feet. It was during this course that the staff at Victoria and Albert's demonstrated why they are such a first class establishment. The beverage paired with the cheese plate was Quinta do Crasto Late Bottled Vintage Porto (2002) and while I loves me some port I do not care for ruby ports, which is what this ended up being. I flagged down Sherry and asked if it were possible for me to substitute a tawny for the ruby - she had to go track down the sommelier and make the request for me, but in the end she reappeared at the table with a lovely glass of tawny that made me smile from head to toe. I eventually passed the extra ruby port over to Chelsi's Jason since he enjoys them far more than Jay or I do.

Now, I'd like to editorialize for just a moment about this cheese plate. It was good, no doubt about that, but it wasn't spectacular and the cheese selections were not particularly exotic or expensive - most of them are priced between $12-$20 per pound, retail, and are easily purchased even in Stinktown. It's not that I want or expect the most expensive or rare cheese in the world when I dine at V&A, but I do think that a 5-diamond restaurant should be putting a bit more thought into their cheese offerings; if cost is an issue then they should offer a premium cheese plate for an upcharge just like they do for kobe beef or rare fishies. I would pay an upcharge in a heartbeat for a cheese plate that included Brillat Savarin or a young Manchego or almost anything from Herve Mons and I bet there are other cheese lovers who would do the same if given the choice.

That is all; please enjoy the picture of my cheese plate which follows. The cheese selections from left to right are: goat, parmigiano, epoisses, and stilton.

It was pretty good ...

Before dessert was served, Jack and Sherry asked if the table wanted coffee - I believe we all responded in the affirmative in part because V&A have the most awesome coffee brewing contraption ever and they serve Celebes coffee! I don't really know much about coffee, but I do know that this stuff comes from a mountainous area of Indonesia and is considered a gourmet coffee. We've never had it anywhere other than V&A, and I can tell you it's a wonderful, rich, aromatic cuppa joe that's always a treat to drink.

Check out V&A's coffee maker!

Course VI (Dessert!):

Tanzanie Chocolate Pyramid, Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Soufflé, and Peruvian Chocolate Ice Cream on Puff Pastry
Meyer Lemon and Blood Orange Purse with Blackberry-Violet Sherbet
Caramelized Banana Gateau
Vanilla Bean Crème Brulee
Grand Marnier Soufflé
Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Soufflé

I decided to try the chocolate dessert sampler, and while it was good, I wasn't knocked off my chair the way I expected; in fact, I didn't fall out of my chair at all. In retrospect I wish I'd ordered the Grand Marnier Souffle', but since I'd already had one at Bistro a few nights earlier I wanted to try something different. I took a picture of the entire plate as well as each individual dessert - of the three, I enjoyed the chocolate pyramid the most due to its' light, delicate taste and texture.

Chocolate dessert sampler

Peruvian Chocolate

Chocolate soufflé

Chocolate pyramid

Jason chose the Banana Gateau for his dessert - don't you just love the presentation with the spun sugar web?

Banana Gateau

So there we all were, pleasantly stuffed from a fine meal paired with tasty wines, the serving staff hovering in the background no doubt eagerly anticipating the moment of our departure, when I suddenly remembered one last gift we'd brought to share with our friends. It was silly ... I know ... but I also thought it would be really funny and oddly appropriate for the end of a meal at Victoria and Albert's. So I whipped out the box of premium, hand-rolled chocolate cigars I'd ordered from Dean & Deluca shortly before we left for Florida and said something stupid along the lines of how Jay and I had discovered that nothing really puts a punctuation mark on a fine meal like a cigar.

The presentation was perfect - six individually wrapped dark chocolate ganache cigars dusted in cocoa powder - and they really looked like cigars; it was amazing!

Chocolate cigars from Dean & Deluca

A single unwrapped cigar

From this point forward, much to the dismay of the staff and other guests, the silliness just kept on keeping on. We decided that in order to properly enjoy a cigar one must have a glass of cognac or brandy, so we requested the dessert drink / cordial menu. Friends, they don't serve inexpensive firewater in a glass at Vicki and Al's. Jay and I opted for the least pricey cognac we could find - about $20 per glass - and placed our orders with Sherry. Here's where my fine breeding really stood out; rather than trying to pronounce the name of the beverage I pointed to it on the menu. Sherry said, "Oh, alright; you want the $120 glass because it's your birthday? That's great."

To which I rapidly replied, "Oh no! I already ordered the caviar service and my husband would kill me if I ordered expensive booze; I need the cheap $20 cognac!!"

While I'm sure she appreciated my honesty, what must she have thought of me? "Any old riff-raff with extra cash to spend can just waltz in here and make a hollow mockery of our fine dining traditions!"

Lori, Catherine, Jay, and I all ordered a snifter of cognac to accompany our cigars while Chelsi and Jason decided to save theirs for another time. I think they enjoyed the goofy shenanigans that then followed as we all took turns posing with our chocolate.

Lori

Catherine's cigar broke in half; I felt kind of bad but it was easier to eat that way!

Catherine

Plump Pistachio-Bendy

Jay tries to impersonate Mr. Burns but just can't look mean enough

For anyone wondering ... these cigars tasted amazing! Once I started eating mine I couldn't stop. They were a little messy because the cocoa powder came off on my fingers, but they were delicious and I'd order them again in a heartbeat if they were available.

The last thing that the restaurant does for its patrons is provide a plate of handmade cookies and candies to prolong the dining enjoyment. We were given cookies, salted chocolate covered caramels, and some kind of sugar-coated gummy square. I liked the cookie and caramel just fine and ignored the gummy because I don't care that kind of sweet.

Friandese

Before leaving we were all given a wee take-home gift in the form of a fresh baked loaf of banana-date bread, and all the ladies received a beautiful long-stemmed red rose. And I'm sure we couldn't leave soon enough as far at the staff were concerned. Victoria and Albert's has an early dinner seating and a late dinner seating; we were seated around 5:30PM and I don't think we left until close to 11PM so we stayed through the first seating and a good chunk of the second as well. We were having such a good time and while boisterous now and then, I really don't think we were obnoxious. I certainly hope we weren't because I'm sure none of us would have wanted to ruin anyone else's special evening. Many thanks to Lori, Catherine, Chelsi, and Jason for making this a dinner and evening we will never forget - it was a wonderful night!

And now I guess I've got to assign Victoria and Albert's a rating. I've thought long and hard about this and have even gone so far as to discuss it with Jay to make sure that I'm not too far off base. We are both in agreement and while it's hard not to give V&A our highest rating, we just don't think we can do so in good conscience. While the service and atmosphere are impeccable, Jay and I both think that there may be some complacency on the part of the kitchen staff. The menu choices are not changing much at all from season to season; honestly, they haven't changed much from the first time we dined there in October 2006. And while the decision not to serve foie gras can be laid at the feet of the Disney Dining Dictator, it is a notable, and we think unacceptable, omission from the menu of a gourmet restaurant. For these reasons, Jay and I give Victoria and Albert's our second highest rating - the Batmanuel.

 

[D&R love Disney]

What a night, it looks like you all had such a fun time and of course the food made it even better. I think the cheese plate while nice really could be improved. Those cheese are so readily available that it's nothing special.

 

[Karen Mouse]

"tolerated the stilton"???????

Stilton is my favourite

I'm drooling over that choc souffle though. Dont suppose you bought me a doggy bag

 

[dizneeat]

YUM YUM YUM

Your food choices look devine. That coffee "brewer" looks somewhat "funny". How does that work - let the steam go up, then let it drip back?

The Kobe beef looks out of this world and I would have ordered the same dessert.
I love all the photos with your cigars - going to show your update to Tom tomorrow and hint that this would be a nice treat sometime in the future (and yes, we do have a TiW card )

Thank you for doing all that tasting and reviewing for us!

 

[oybolshoi]

What a night, it looks like you all had such a fun time and of course the food made it even better. I think the cheese plate while nice really could be improved. Those cheese are so readily available that it's nothing special.

Hi Deb - thanks for reading! We really did have a lot of fun that night - I'm glad we decided to meet up with everyone else for dinner. And I'm with you on the cheese plate ... tasty but average.

"tolerated the stilton"???????

Stilton is my favourite

I'm drooling over that choc souffle though. Dont suppose you bought me a doggy bag

Auntie Karen! Haven't seen you in ages - thanks for stopping by!! You have to like Stilton ... it's written into your constitution, isn't it? And I'm sorry but there was no no doggy bag this time. Maybe we can work something out in advance the next time?

YUM YUM YUM

Your food choices look devine. That coffee "brewer" looks somewhat "funny". How does that work - let the steam go up, then let it drip back?

The Kobe beef looks out of this world and I would have ordered the same dessert.
I love all the photos with your cigars - going to show your update to Tom tomorrow and hint that this would be a nice treat sometime in the future (and yes, we do have a TiW card )

Thank you for doing all that tasting and reviewing for us!

Hi Karin! Thank you for taking the time to read - V&A is really a great deal with the TiW card ... dinner would be $250 for the both of you (unless you choose the wine pairings and then I think it's another $65 per person) then lop 20% off with your discount and then add on your tax and gratuity. One evening at V&A and the card pays for itself.

You would love the experience - I hope you get a chance to give it a try!

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Wow. I've really enjoyed your V&A updates. I think about trying it but am just not sure I have refined enough of a palate. I can, however, request cheesy songs of the harpist. Sounds like you had a fabulous evening of good food and friends. Aren't DIS'ers just the bestest? Thanks for sharing it with us!

 

[BriarRosie]

I have been told that while we were absent Jack and Sherry, our extraordinary serving team, quietly removed the butter knives from everyone's place settings. No doubt after the Krusty the Clown sings Stephen Sondheim incident, the serving staff had gauged the true measure of our table and were reacting accordingly. In this case I think it's safe and accurate to state that our serving term really were stoic.

I think the serving staff could read us very well! Heheh.

Shortly after Jay and I returned to the table the "dinner" course arrived.

Course IV:

Kurobota Pork Tenderloin and Belly with Baby Beets and Sherry-Bacon Vinaigrette
Niman Ranch Lamb with Fresh Cannellini Bean Cassoulet
Marcho Farms Veal Tenderloin with Marble Potatoes and Sauce Soubise
Australian “Kobe” Beef Tenderloin with Smoked Garlic-Potato Puree ($35 up charge)
Japanese Wagyu Strip Loin with Oxtail Jus ($80 up charge)

Jay selected the lamb for his dinner course, which surprised me. I really thought he'd go for the pork or the veal - after seeing that the veal presentation included a meat straw he may have known just a moment of shank envy, but all in all he was pleased with his selection and said that it was really tasty. His wine with this course was a Cesari Mara Ripasso Valpolicella. As a side note to the picture below, I like that the garnish sprig on his plate took on the shape of the letter "Y" ... perhaps for YUM?

Jason had a little lamb ...

In the true spirit of splurge - you can't take it with you - I chose the Australian "Kobe" beef tenderloin for dinner, which was served with a glass of Benziger "Tribute" Sonoma Mountain. I first tried this "Kobe" beef back in 2006 when Jay and I first dined at Victoria & Albert's and it was just as good this time around as it was three years earlier. The beef was tender and juicy and bursting with melt-in-my-mouth meaty goodness. And that garlic-potato puree was pretty damn fine, too! In fact, I would go so far as to say that this course was incredibly eloquent ... I mean it really spoke to me.

What's that? You want me to eat you???

Jay's dinner looked ok, but yours gave me Beef Envy. But I got over it because of the Vegas beef splurge I planned, so it's all good! Potato envy maybe.

Once the dinner course was complete, it was time for what I like to call pre-dessert.

However, I have to say that the surprise of this course was actually the gelato. Niether Jay nor I are fans of white chocolate ... it's not really chocolate anyway, but a mix of sugar, cocoa butter, and milk ... but this was actually quite good with a delicate, creamy flavor and velvety smooth texture. It was paired with a glass of Paolo Saracco Moscato D'Asti which happens to be something we drink at home and enjoy very much.

Gelato

As for the cheese plate, it was also very good; I really enjoyed the goat cheese and the parmigiano, tolerated the stilton, and am pretty sure I gave the epoisses away because it was stinky toe cheese to the extreme. It had a very powerful taste and a pungent aroma ... not dissimilar to feet. It was during this course that the staff at Victoria and Albert's demonstrated why they are such a first class establishment. The beverage paired with the cheese plate was Quinta do Crasto Late Bottled Vintage Porto (2002) and while I loves me some port I do not care for ruby ports, which is what this ended up being. I flagged down Sherry and asked if it were possible for me to substitute a tawny for the ruby - she had to go track down the sommelier and make the request for me, but in the end she reappeared at the table with a lovely glass of tawny that made me smile from head to toe. I eventually passed the extra ruby port over to Chelsi's Jason since he enjoys them far more than Jay or I do.

I think I've only had ruby ports. I'll have to try a tawny to see what I'm missing. And I only order the cheese course. I prefer that over the gelato, and I'm a huge fan of ice cream in general! And if I knew you were giving away the stinky cheese, I would have begged it from you. I loved it! I didn't find it that stinky, or maybe my sniffer was off. I thought it was rich and creamy.

Now, I'd like to editorialize for just a moment about this cheese plate. It was good, no doubt about that, but it wasn't spectacular and the cheese selections were not particularly exotic or expensive - most of them are priced between $12-$20 per pound, retail, and are easily purchased even in Stinktown. It's not that I want or expect the most expensive or rare cheese in the world when I dine at V&A, but I do think that a 5-diamond restaurant should be putting a bit more thought into their cheese offerings; if cost is an issue then they should offer a premium cheese plate for an upcharge just like they do for kobe beef or rare fishies. I would pay an upcharge in a heartbeat for a cheese plate that included Brillat Savarin or a young Manchego or almost anything from Herve Mons and I bet there are other cheese lovers who would do the same if given the choice.

I'll have you know that the dinner I had the prior year with Catherine and her mom...they had Brillat Savarin cheese on their cheese plate.

Before dessert was served, Jack and Sherry asked if the table wanted coffee - I believe we all responded in the affirmative in part because V&A have the most awesome coffee brewing contraption ever and they serve Celebes coffee! I don't really know much about coffee, but I do know that this stuff comes from a mountainous area of Indonesia and is considered a gourmet coffee. We've never had it anywhere other than V&A, and I can tell you it's a wonderful, rich, aromatic cuppa joe that's always a treat to drink.

Check out V&A's coffee maker!

I always order the coffee for the science experiment!

Course VI (Dessert!):

I decided to try the chocolate dessert sampler, and while it was good, I wasn't knocked off my chair the way I expected; in fact, I didn't fall out of my chair at all. In retrospect I wish I'd ordered the Grand Marnier Souffle', but since I'd already had one at Bistro a few nights earlier I wanted to try something different. I took a picture of the entire plate as well as each individual dessert - of the three, I enjoyed the chocolate pyramid the most due to its' light, delicate taste and texture.

Chocolate dessert sampler

Jason chose the Banana Gateau for his dessert - don't you just love the presentation with the spun sugar web?

Banana Gateau

I'm all about the chocolate, and I didn't care much for two of the items, either. My favorite has been and always will be the chocolate souffle, which is probably the only dessert I'll order there from now on.

So there we all were, pleasantly stuffed from a fine meal paired with tasty wines, the serving staff hovering in the background no doubt eagerly anticipating the moment of our departure, when I suddenly remembered one last gift we'd brought to share with our friends. It was silly ... I know ... but I also thought it would be really funny and oddly appropriate for the end of a meal at Victoria and Albert's. So I whipped out the box of premium, hand-rolled chocolate cigars I'd ordered from Dean & Deluca shortly before we left for Florida and said something stupid along the lines of how Jay and I had discovered that nothing really puts a punctuation mark on a fine meal like a cigar.

The presentation was perfect - six individually wrapped dark chocolate ganache cigars dusted in cocoa powder - and they really looked like cigars; it was amazing!

Chocolate cigars from Dean & Deluca

A single unwrapped cigar

That was hilarious! You and Chelsi surprised me with so many cool things!

From this point forward, much to the dismay of the staff and other guests, the silliness just kept on keeping on. We decided that in order to properly enjoy a cigar one must have a glass of cognac or brandy, so we requested the dessert drink / cordial menu. Friends, they don't serve inexpensive firewater in a glass at Vicki and Al's. Jay and I opted for the least pricey cognac we could find - about $20 per glass - and placed our orders with Sherry. Here's where my fine breeding really stood out; rather than trying to pronounce the name of the beverage I pointed to it on the menu. Sherry said, "Oh, alright; you want the $120 glass because it's your birthday? That's great."

To which I rapidly replied, "Oh no! I already ordered the caviar service and my husband would kill me if I ordered expensive booze; I need the cheap $20 cognac!!"

While I'm sure she appreciated my honesty, what must she have thought of me? "Any old riff-raff with extra cash to spend can just waltz in here and make a hollow mockery of our fine dining traditions!"

Lori, Catherine, Jay, and I all ordered a snifter of cognac to accompany our cigars while Chelsi and Jason decided to save theirs for another time. I think they enjoyed the goofy shenanigans that then followed as we all took turns posing with our chocolate.

There was no way I was going to order the expensive stuff either! As it was, Catherine and I were able to ask Jack and Sherry if we could have a half pour each to share the cost.

Lori

ROFL! I look so frumpy with my bad posture! Love that photo. Too funny! I did not eat my chocolate cigar. That was for posing purposes. I had the cigar a few weeks after that dinner. It was gooooood.

Catherine's cigar broke in half; I felt kind of bad but it was easier to eat that way!

Catherine

Plump Pistachio-Bendy

Jay tries to impersonate Mr. Burns but just can't look mean enough

Poor Catherine and her broken cigar. I still think Jason looked better with a tiara accessory.

For anyone wondering ... these cigars tasted amazing! Once I started eating mine I couldn't stop. They were a little messy because the cocoa powder came off on my fingers, but they were delicious and I'd order them again in a heartbeat if they were available.

They were messy and delicious! Thanks again for enabling my chocolate addiction.

The last thing that the restaurant does for its patrons is provide a plate of handmade cookies and candies to prolong the dining enjoyment. We were given cookies, salted chocolate covered caramels, and some kind of sugar-coated gummy square. I liked the cookie and caramel just fine and ignored the gummy because I don't care that kind of sweet.

Friandese

Those are ok, but I could leave everything but the chocolate and be ok with it.

Before leaving we were all given a wee take-home gift in the form of a fresh baked loaf of banana-date bread, and all the ladies received a beautiful long-stemmed red rose. And I'm sure we couldn't leave soon enough as far at the staff were concerned. Victoria and Albert's has an early dinner seating and a late dinner seating; we were seated around 5:30PM and I don't think we left until close to 11PM so we stayed through the first seating and a good chunk of the second as well. We were having such a good time and while boisterous now and then, I really don't think we were obnoxious. I certainly hope we weren't because I'm sure none of us would have wanted to ruin anyone else's special evening. Many thanks to Lori, Catherine, Chelsi, and Jason for making this a dinner and evening we will never forget - it was a wonderful night!

I don't think they give bread out unless you've got a birthday or anniversary. But I made sure the few birthdays were mentioned. And I totally think we were obnoxious. But in a genteel way, right? Heheheh. I do hope that we didn't ruin anyone else's evening. I'd be mortified if someone posted on the DIS about the "group of obnoxious people at V&A"! That was so much fun, I want to go back again. I would like to return to Todd's place without a F&W event.

And now I guess I've got to assign Victoria and Albert's a rating. I've thought long and hard about this and have even gone so far as to discuss it with Jay to make sure that I'm not too far off base. We are both in agreement and while it's hard not to give V&A our highest rating, we just don't think we can do so in good conscience. While the service and atmosphere are impeccable, Jay and I both think that there may be some complacency on the part of the kitchen staff. The menu choices are not changing much at all from season to season; honestly, they haven't changed much from the first time we dined there in October 2006. And while the decision not to serve foie gras can be laid at the feet of the Disney Dining Dictator, it is a notable, and we think unacceptable, omission from the menu of a gourmet restaurant. For these reasons, Jay and I give Victoria and Albert's our second highest rating - the Batmanuel.

I still gave them a high rating because the food is consistently good. But I do wish they would change the menu up more often like they used to.

 

[kabuki]

I am still in shock at the words -"tolerated Stilton"! That cheese is like a 100% cashmere pashmina for your mouth! No! It's like 100 % Micheal Mina!
"In this case I think it's safe and accurate to state that our serving term really were stoic." How else was anyone going to be after the song styling you ordered up on the harp! Send in the clowns! I think that is what they were thinking when we all walked in!

We LOVED the cigars!!! We had a Bourbon and split one that night at dinner! The other was for coffee in the morning in the room!

All and all we agree with all about the food - it's good but needs to change more for me to want to go back. Too many other food adventures to be had! The night was amazing though! I can't thank Lori enough for setting it up! Jason and I just had the best time with everyone!

 

[WDW Fan]

What a fantastic review of V&A Brenda!!! It's always so much fun to read about your dinners here since I'll probably never be able to afford to eat here!!! It sure looks like you had a great time with friends and I loved the chocolate cigars that you gave out.

 

[onelilspark]

From this point forward I will call V&As nothing but "Vicki & Al's."

 

[SmallWorld71]

Depending on what you want the surprise to be, you could order something from room service once you check in and ask them to deliver something while you're out ... we did that once with a chocolate covered strawberry presentation a couple of years ago at the Beach Club.

The other option is to order something from the WDW Florist. Just google them and you will find their website - they have a lot of options to choose from ... some of them ridiculously overpriced ... but we've had good success using them for ourselves as well as for others who we've sent things to.

Thanks for the info.

 

[cntkg1]

Now THAT'S what I call a sweet update!! Starting with the dessert pictures, I was in complete awe.

 

[ChelleinNC]

It sounds like a wonderful night....the food, the booze and the friends

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

Well, I didn't eat there but after reading that, I am in food coma...

Another wonderful and realistic review!

 

[oybolshoi]

Wow. I've really enjoyed your V&A updates. I think about trying it but am just not sure I have refined enough of a palate. I can, however, request cheesy songs of the harpist. Sounds like you had a fabulous evening of good food and friends. Aren't DIS'ers just the bestest? Thanks for sharing it with us!

Hi Christine - thanks for reading! I don't think you need to have a refined palate to dine at V&A (look at me! ) I think you just need a love of food and a bit of adventurousness. It really was a lovely evening and I'm so glad we decided to do this. DIS-foodie friendies are the best!

I think the serving staff could read us very well! Heheh.

Jay's dinner looked ok, but yours gave me Beef Envy. But I got over it because of the Vegas beef splurge I planned, so it's all good! Potato envy maybe.

Thank goodness Jack and Sherry have a sense of humor. Beef envy ... that's a good way to phrase it! I can't wait to hear about your beef splurge so that I can pick up some good ideas for our May trip. And those potatoes were awesome!!

I think I've only had ruby ports. I'll have to try a tawny to see what I'm missing. And I only order the cheese course. I prefer that over the gelato, and I'm a huge fan of ice cream in general! And if I knew you were giving away the stinky cheese, I would have begged it from you. I loved it! I didn't find it that stinky, or maybe my sniffer was off. I thought it was rich and creamy.

I'll have you know that the dinner I had the prior year with Catherine and her mom...they had Brillat Savarin cheese on their cheese plate.

Well, this is just my humble opinion so take it for what it's worth but to me ... tawny ports have a much more mellow sweetness - like liquid toffee or caramel - and I love the way they smell. Ruby ports are younger and much more sharply sweet to me and I just don't like that.

I would have turned a cartwheel at the table if Brillat Savarin had shown up on my cheese plate! I'm glad to know that V&A use it at least some of the time. I'm sure there was a purpose behind the cheese selection they gave us that night, I just would have liked something a little more interesting and exotic. But I still enjoyed it ... it was cheese after all!

I always order the coffee for the science experiment!

Exactly!

I'm all about the chocolate, and I didn't care much for two of the items, either. My favorite has been and always will be the chocolate souffle, which is probably the only dessert I'll order there from now on.

Dessert has always been an area that I feel V&A is lacking in; and another area that hardly ever changes up. B.O.R.I.N.G. Their souffles are usually pretty darn tasty, though - I will give them that!

That was hilarious! You and Chelsi surprised me with so many cool things!

Glad you liked them!

There was no way I was going to order the expensive stuff either! As it was, Catherine and I were able to ask Jack and Sherry if we could have a half pour each to share the cost.

It never dawned on me to split the cognac with Jay ... we don't usually share booze because we're both lushes ... obviously!

ROFL! I look so frumpy with my bad posture! Love that photo. Too funny! I did not eat my chocolate cigar. That was for posing purposes. I had the cigar a few weeks after that dinner. It was gooooood.

You looked great!

Poor Catherine and her broken cigar. I still think Jason looked better with a tiara accessory.

My tiara picture of Jay just didn't turn out so I opted not to post it, but the rest of you managed to get some good shots of it.

They were messy and delicious! Thanks again for enabling my chocolate addiction.

Always happy to help!

I don't think they give bread out unless you've got a birthday or anniversary. But I made sure the few birthdays were mentioned. And I totally think we were obnoxious. But in a genteel way, right? Heheheh. I do hope that we didn't ruin anyone else's evening. I'd be mortified if someone posted on the DIS about the "group of obnoxious people at V&A"! That was so much fun, I want to go back again. I would like to return to Todd's place without a F&W event.

Each time we've been at V&A they've given us the bread, so maybe we've been lucky. Although now that I think about it we were there twice within a week of my birthday and once on our anniversary so that probably explains it.

Jay said we really weren't that bad ... just bursts of hilarity now and then. He said it made the restaurant seem a little less like a morgue.

I still gave them a high rating because the food is consistently good. But I do wish they would change the menu up more often like they used to.

Fair enough.

I am still in shock at the words -"tolerated Stilton"! That cheese is like a 100% cashmere pashmina for your mouth! No! It's like 100 % Micheal Mina!

I hereby bequeath all future servings of stilton to my dear friendie, Chelsi!

"In this case I think it's safe and accurate to state that our serving term really were stoic." How else was anyone going to be after the song styling you ordered up on the harp! Send in the clowns! I think that is what they were thinking when we all walked in!

They should have played it while we were leaving! It could be our collective group theme song!

We LOVED the cigars!!! We had a Bourbon and split one that night at dinner! The other was for coffee in the morning in the room!

They tasted amazing! And see ... my memory is so bad that I forgot you two ordered something different and forgot to take a picture.

All and all we agree with all about the food - it's good but needs to change more for me to want to go back. Too many other food adventures to be had! The night was amazing though! I can't thank Lori enough for setting it up! Jason and I just had the best time with everyone!

You said it better than I could on all counts!

What a fantastic review of V&A Brenda!!! It's always so much fun to read about your dinners here since I'll probably never be able to afford to eat here!!! It sure looks like you had a great time with friends and I loved the chocolate cigars that you gave out.

Thanks very much for reading - glad you've enjoyed the reviews! We really did have a great time. And the cigars were terrific!!

From this point forward I will call V&As nothing but "Vicki & Al's."

It's funny but I cannot take credit for it - that goes to Lori and Catherine.

Thanks for the info.

You're welcome - hope it helps!

Now THAT'S what I call a sweet update!! Starting with the dessert pictures, I was in complete awe.

Thanks Goose - glad the desserts made it worthwhile for ya!

It sounds like a wonderful night....the food, the booze and the friends

It really was a terrific evening and now a lovely memory that brings a smile to my face whenever I think about it.

Well, I didn't eat there but after reading that, I am in food coma...

Another wonderful and realistic review!

We should have been in a food coma after eating all of that!

Thanks for reading - glad you liked it!

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

I would have turned a cartwheel at the table if Brillat Savarin had shown up on my cheese plate! I'm glad to know that V&A use it at least some of the time. I'm sure there was a purpose behind the cheese selection they gave us that night, I just would have liked something a little more interesting and exotic. But I still enjoyed it ... it was cheese after all!

Dessert has always been an area that I feel V&A is lacking in; and another area that hardly ever changes up. B.O.R.I.N.G. Their souffles are usually pretty darn tasty, though - I will give them that!

Oh my goodness! If there is Brillat Savarin (or even better....Pierre Robert...) on the cheese plate in March my choice will be VERY easy!

I would have given the Stilton away as well...actually, the Stilton wouldn't show up on my plate because I'm allergic

We are so new to V&A that we can't be bored by the desserts yet...there are so many I haven't tried. I must admit, of the three chocolate offerings in the trio, the Kona souffle was easily the standout!

May I ask what the adorable little pitcher on your Kobe plate contained? I'm guessing some sort of sauce or reduction?

Now you are really making me want the caviar AND the kobe (DDad is gonna kill ya ). I just watched an episode of Gordon Ramsay's F Word last night that was all about how wonderful caviar is

 

[A&A'sGrammy]

What a wonderful revue of V & A's. Sounds like such a fabulous night with Dis friendies. Someday.........................I hope!

 

[tinacaplan]

Being a lover of truly great food, I am sad that my DH and I won't be dining at either Bistro de Paris or V&A's. Just not in our budget this time around. So I must live through wonderful reviews like yours! Your reviews are among the most entertaining and informative I've read on the Dis. THANK YOU!! I believe that you mentioned something about kids at the Bistro and as a proud parent to a two year old...what are parents thinking???

 

[jenbear123]

Hey there! Coming over from All7OfUs' PTR. I've read a bit so far. I love your rating system. Too clever Can't wait to catch up.

 

[hmgray95]

Sorry I'm so late catching up Bendy! It sounds like you guys had a great night, and I love that coffee maker....it looks like a hookah on steroids!