Ready, Set, Let the Games Begin! - Link to new PTR/TR!

[franandaj]

I did. But I know that you like it rarer than I eat it; so there will be a point where you'll want to pull it out so that you get your meat the right way. I'll probably still want to put slices back on the grill and keep it going for a bit longer.

I thought I would leave one on the grill a little longer than the other so one was more medium rare and one was more medium.

Do we need to worry about cross contamination on the grill with the meat and the pesky vegetarian?

 

[rentayenta]

Holy moly, the meat looks great but of course we like it still mooing.

Michael's boss makes the best Tri-trip I've ever had. He marinates in Santa Maria marinade and then charcoal grills it for a while on very few briquettes. It's unreal. It ends up black and blue, nice char on the outside and rare deliciousness on the inside

Now I'm hungry. We're doing a weenie roast tonight. It's the only time I really like hotdogs other than the ballpark.

 

[jedijill]

Yum! The tri-tip looks delicious!!!

Jill in CO

 

[PrincessInOz]

I thought I would leave one on the grill a little longer than the other so one was more medium rare and one was more medium.

Do we need to worry about cross contamination on the grill with the meat and the pesky vegetarian?

If we put one or two of the mushrooms on first for the pesky vegetarian, it should be fine. Pesky indeed, right?

Otherwise, he's fine with eating salads.

 

[Juliealto]

Hi, Alison, I'm stepping out from the corners where I've been lurking this past week to say, "I love your TRs and PTRs!" Last weekend I came to the DVC forum looking for threads where people actually COOK IN THEIR DVC VILLAS and found your TR for the trip you finally got to take to IOA & WDW in the fall of 2012. Bringing your own beef from CA hooked me in and I've been working my way thru your older TRS and PTRs, learning so much about Disney food and fine dining along the way.

 

[TifffanyD]

If we put one or two of the mushrooms on first for the pesky vegetarian, it should be fine. Pesky indeed, right?

Otherwise, he's fine with eating salads.

Can I have a mushroom too? I don't eat beef

 

[Minniemum]

Your tri tip looks delicious! I had to look up what tri tip was as it's not a regular cut in Australia. It seems our butchers prefer to cut this section into steaks. I'm intrigued to try it so here's hoping I can find some.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Can I have a mushroom too? I don't eat beef

Shameless self-promotion....here's what the mushrooms look like.

And the answer is yes!

 

[TifffanyD]

Shameless self-promotion....here's what the mushrooms look like.

And the answer is yes!

Ohhhh looks yum! Love feta and pesto! yum yum yum!!!

 

[mvf-m11c]

I'll be following along. I can't believe it took me this long to sub in on your PTR. It just shows you with working full time makes you miss these updates. I will be looking forward to hearing more.

 

[dgbg100106]

ok I am here finally and all caught up.

Your met ups are going to be wonderful, and I am jealous...

The menu seems very filling and fun, the tri tip was cooked perfect for me... now I just need to get to WDW... Ha-ha.

 

[eandesmom]

marking my spot, now off to catch up!

 

[scottny]

I lived there in 95-96 in Burbank and Glendale. My friend who moved with me is still out there.
I could not imagine traveling with meat in my suitcase. Of course I had my toiletries in my bag. LOL

 

[glaserjm]

Hi Alison, I'm subbing I'm and am looking forward to reading along!

I love the potluck that you're doing. We cook quite a few meals in our villas and love using the grills. The grills at OKW seem to be pretty frequently used, but I rarely see any mention of them in TRs... guests most villa grillers aren't DISers!

I'm glad you've been able to start traveling again and that your medical issues are under control so that you can take these great trips!

 

[franandaj]

Sorry I've been MIA folks! Last weekend was our annual Concert in the Park and this year it required even more effort from Fran and myself. It has taken me most of the week to catch up on sleep and energy!

Holy moly, the meat looks great but of course we like it still mooing.

Michael's boss makes the best Tri-trip I've ever had. He marinates in Santa Maria marinade and then charcoal grills it for a while on very few briquettes. It's unreal. It ends up black and blue, nice char on the outside and rare deliciousness on the inside

Now I'm hungry. We're doing a weenie roast tonight. It's the only time I really like hotdogs other than the ballpark.

I'm going to make a few more passes at it before the end of summer. I have six more in the freezer (two are going to Florida). I've considered marinating, but truthfully I just like the taste of the meat (with some horseradish).

Yum! The tri-tip looks delicious!!!

Jill in CO

Thanks! It was and it made for some great French Dip sandwiches the next night.

If we put one or two of the mushrooms on first for the pesky vegetarian, it should be fine. Pesky indeed, right?

Otherwise, he's fine with eating salads.

We might want to consider hijacking a second grill, if there are two. That way they can all be hot at the same time.

Hi, Alison, I'm stepping out from the corners where I've been lurking this past week to say, "I love your TRs and PTRs!" Last weekend I came to the DVC forum looking for threads where people actually COOK IN THEIR DVC VILLAS and found your TR for the trip you finally got to take to IOA & WDW in the fall of 2012. Bringing your own beef from CA hooked me in and I've been working my way thru your older TRS and PTRs, learning so much about Disney food and fine dining along the way.

I'm glad that you came out of lurkdom. That's one of the things that hooked us into DVC, was the kitchen. I've been cooking on our vacations for a long time now. I remember when we went to New Zealand in 1999 I booked a couple places specifically with kitchens so we could relax in the evenings with a home cooked meal. Turns out it was a good move because some of the places we ate the food was so "different", it was refreshing to eat some of our favorites from home.

I'm glad that I can help you out with the various dining options, I am certainly into dining!

Can I have a mushroom too? I don't eat beef

I'm sure there will be plenty!

Your tri tip looks delicious! I had to look up what tri tip was as it's not a regular cut in Australia. It seems our butchers prefer to cut this section into steaks. I'm intrigued to try it so here's hoping I can find some.

If nothing else when you go to DL, if you purchase a WoC Dining package at Ariel's restaurant one of the entrees that they offer is the Santa Maria Tri Tip. It's a really popular cut of meat here in Southern California.

I'll be following along. I can't believe it took me this long to sub in on your PTR. It just shows you with working full time makes you miss these updates. I will be looking forward to hearing more.

Hi Brett! Work does tend to cut into DIS time! I need to get over to your TR and catch up as well!

ok I am here finally and all caught up.

Your met ups are going to be wonderful, and I am jealous...

The menu seems very filling and fun, the tri tip was cooked perfect for me... now I just need to get to WDW... Ha-ha.

There is going to be plenty of food, you're welcome to come join in if you can just get to WDW!

marking my spot, now off to catch up!

I'm glad that you made it over here!

I lived there in 95-96 in Burbank and Glendale. My friend who moved with me is still out there.
I could not imagine traveling with meat in my suitcase. Of course I had my toiletries in my bag. LOL

I lived in the Valley back then, Northridge area. I didn't figure that I would ever be traveling with meat in my suitcase either, but it ended up saving us a lot of money was very convenient!

Hi Alison, I'm subbing I'm and am looking forward to reading along!

I love the potluck that you're doing. We cook quite a few meals in our villas and love using the grills. The grills at OKW seem to be pretty frequently used, but I rarely see any mention of them in TRs... guests most villa grillers aren't DISers!

I'm glad you've been able to start traveling again and that your medical issues are under control so that you can take these great trips!

I'm glad you're subbing in! On our first trip at SSR, we could see the grills from our Villa and they were in use every night, one of them, I kept waiting for these folks to leave so I could use them and finally ended up just joining in with them. We had a fun time!

 

[franandaj]

So I have an actual update to the trip. Many of you know that the California Grill has been closed for rehab. They say it is going to reopen soon, maybe the Fall, but there is no concrete update. I have been trolling the WDW reservations site, but it keeps coming up that there are no available reservations. I made us a reservation at Narcoosee’s (since we liked it so much on our last trip) as a consolation.

Well after reading some reviews on the Dining Board, and looking at our potential WDW schedule, after this trip we may not be back to the world again until Spring of 2015. I started thinking about another choice. Last trip Fran wasn’t up to dining at Victoria and Albert’s, but since we probably won’t do it on the Spring ’15 trip, I asked if we could do it on the Fall ’13 trip, and she agreed! So a little over a week ago, I rung up the Disney Dining line (no online reservations here) and inquired about reservations. They couldn’t take my call at the time, but I left a voice message and received a call back within 10 minutes.

They had a ton of early seating (between 5:00PM and 5:30) and one 8:45PM reservation. Fran hates to eat early (more than she hates dining at 10PM), so we picked the 8:45 reservation. Besides with our bodies having jumped off of California time only the day before, this will work well with our internal clocks. Not to mention it will give us plenty of time to get hungry again from our breakfast at 1900 Park Fare!

V&A’s is nothing new to us, we dined there on our first trip to WDW together in 1997. I wasn’t into food pictures back then, so I don’t have any. In fact I don’t have any pictures of the restaurant or even of us. I do have one picture of the two of us in the lounge at the Poly, which I’m pretty sure was taken just before our dinner at V&A’s as Fran is wearing a jacket, but that’s all I have in pictures. I did find the menu tucked away in my photo album and was able to take pictures of that. My how the prices have changed!





And in case you want to see what’s on the menu.





I remember distinctly exactly what the Fois Gras dish looked like. It is etched in my mind. I was so afraid of it knowing that I despise the smell of calves liver, but there was no need to fear, it was wonderful!

I also vividly remember the name “Peeky Toe Crab”, and ever since when I see it on menus, I remember this meal and how fantastic it was. I’d have to say that this was my first really really really fine dining experience and it totally blew me away!

Our next visit to V&A’s was via the Chef’s Counter in 2007, I called it our 10 days for 10 years Anniversary trip. This was quite a meal! We bypassed the main dining room.



And went directly to the Chef’s table in the kitchen.



This was one of the first meals where I started my obsession with food porn. I don’t think that I ever took food pictures before this. Now keep in mind that each of us were served 10 courses, but some of the 10 were different, so I think we ended up getting to taste about 15 different courses. This was our Amuse Bouche. I don’t have the menu, but I made a Kodak Photo book of this trip and included my meal photos with descriptions, so I have that to refer back to. Lobster en Crepe, Roasted Quail with Turnip Kraut, John Dory on a Himalayan Salt Plate with Heirloom Tomatoes, Deviled Quail Egg with Iranian Osetra Caviar.



I believe that the next two were our second courses, Long Island Duck with Tuscan Melon



Fennel Seared Colorado Buffalo Tenderloin



I know that these two arrived in the same course making it number three. Jonah Crab Gratin with Grainy Mustard Sauce and Vanilla Skewered Crab Tempura.



Maine Diver Scallop with Salsify and Cauliflower



Now each one of these dishes was just topping the rest, each one was more delicious than the previous one and I was wondering how he was going to keep this up! Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin and Belly. I think both of us were served this one.



And I believe that both of us were served this, Poulet Rouge with Wild Mushroom Ragout, course #5 if you’re keeping score.



We must have both received course #6, Pan Roasted Foie Gras and Fuji Apple Tart. By this time I had enjoyed Foie Gras a few times other than at V&A’s and knew it would be good.



I’m positive that we both were served this dish, it was absolutely stunning and probably where I really hit my turning point for being completely and totally full. Australian “Kobe” Beef Tenderloin with Short Ribs.



It took every bit of will power that I had to try and taste each one of the cheeses in the cheese course (#8 if you are still counting). Comte Saint Antoine, Pierre Robert, Humboldt Fog light, and gorgonzola stuffed pear.



Then we both received the same Chocolate Course. Miniature Chocolate Pyramid, Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Souffle, and Orange Chocolate Napoleon.



For the dessert course we both received separate dishes, but unfortunately I had thrown in the towel. My most favorite ever Grand Mariner Souffle sitting on the table in front of me and I couldn’t eat it.

I just could. not. put. another. bite.

in.

my.

mouth.



Fran said it was delicious, as was her Poached Pear with Cassis Mousse and Spiced Cake.



We were lucky that we were staying at the Grand Floridian for that trip. I almost couldn’t walk back to the room, I’m not sure that I got my clothes off before I hit the bed.

(((((Serious food coma.)))))


[Continued in Next Post]

 

[franandaj]

[Continued from Previous Post]

The most recent time that I dined at V&A’s was in January 2010. This time I was prepared to document my entire food experience. The menu



This was my Amuse Bouche, I know that it was slightly different from the rest of the table because I had indicated that I did not care for Salmon. All the other offerings were all about Salmon, so he had a bit of a challenge to give me the same things, but without the Salmon. I have no idea what any of this was because all the menu says is “Amuse Bouche”.



We both had the Maine Lobster with Watermelon Radish, Kohlrabi and Vanilla Aoili



My Dad ordered the Sake Marinated King Salmon with Bok Choy and Soy Beans



Next Course, I got the Day Boat Scallop with Zellwood Corn and Chorizo Sauce



Since we always split everything we traded and I also got to try the Monterey Abalone with Toasted Capers and Meyer Lemon that Fran ordered. I let her have most of it since she is such a fan, I was happy with my scallop.



For our next course, we couldn’t choose between the three options. There was Poulet Rouge with Mushroom Truffle Ragout, Black Trumpet Mushrooms and English Peas.



Duck Breast, Duck Sausage and Confit with Pomegranite and Salsify



We both enjoyed each of these items, but since we couldn’t really decide, we also asked to split the Lobster Bisque. This was my father’s portion, they split ours into a little coffee type mug for the soup, but we each got the same sized pastry on the side.



Then we moved on to the Main Course. I believe that this was my father’s entrée from the location of the plates. I’m pretty sure that he got the Marcho Farms Veal Tenderloin with Marble Potatoes and Sauce Soubise.



I had the Colorado Lamb with Fresh Cannellini Bean Cassoulet. It was very tasty.



Fran got the Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin and Belly with Baby Beets and Sherry-Bacon Vinaigrette.



We had two choices following the Main, Fran went with the White Chocolate Gelato with Tableside Shavings and Micro Orchids.





I believe that both my father and I went for the Cheese Course.



They give you an amazing coffee service. I’m not sure who drank the coffee, maybe it was decaf and I had some.



I can not ever resist a Grand Mariner Souffle. It is my most favorite flavor in the world, yes, even over chocolate. I just love the delicate flavor it possesses, so subtle and tasty!



Here is our waitress putting in the cream.



Fran and my Dad were much more into chocolate. They got the Tanzanie Chocolate Pyramid with a Champagne-Chambord Truffle and Macerated Pomegranate Seeds.



This was such a great meal, we wished my mom could have joined us, but on this trip we passed around a virus. Fran got it the first two days, I got it the next couple days and my Mom had it while we were at V&A’s. We had skimmed the reservation down to three because Fran was backing out of it after she had the virus, but when my mom got so sick, Fran had to go instead.

So I’m really looking forward to returning to this restaurant after a three and a half year break from it!

 

[jedijill]

If you ever need company at V&A I'm your girl...especially if its at the Chef's Table. I just ate there last month (4th time!) and booked again in October. Such a fantastic experience!

Jill in CO

 

[dgbg100106]

Alison you are making my mouth water with these wonderful meals... I have done V&A once back in 2009.... I need to go back...

 

[missmdr]

Just finished reading your last trip report - enjoyed it so much, I'm here for the new one! You two are so lucky to take so many cool trips. I am the mother of 3, not as easy $$ wise for us to take multiple vacations in a given year. I love to read about others experiences, though.