Simple, Superb, and Sublime 6 Days of Deluxe Dining UPDATED:THE WAVE LUNCH
- Thread starter Joie29
- Start date
Wow, your start to V&A is practically killing me. It reminds me of what is our best meal to date- dinner at the French Laundry in Yountville, (Napa Valley) California. When you described the kitchen, I immediately recalled the steady, orderly hum at French Laundry. When you described the custard baked in the egg shell, I remembered gazing through the kitchen window from the garden, mesmerized by the young assistant who was doing nothing but cutting and cleaning egg shells for this same purpose. And the salts recalled the salts that accompanied the fois gras with grilled brioche course. The different salts brought out different flavors in the dish- and it was fun! (OK, no comments about the fois gras please, I do enjoy it.) The level of service at French Laundry was epitomized by this course. I took my time and savored each tiny bite (I wanted more bites to experiment with the salts and to draw out the ecstasy of eating fois gras.) About half way through, the waiter came and refreshed my brioche (a nice hunk of which I had eaten half) because he feared my original piece had cooled!
Can't wait to read more. Hmmmmm... I turn 40 this October. Do I feel a trip to Orlando coming?
Can't wait to read more. Hmmmmm... I turn 40 this October. Do I feel a trip to Orlando coming?
Yes! You deserve a trip for your 40th
We were celebrating my 30th.You hit the nail on the head, this meal was certainly on par with the French Laundry. It truly is about the entire experience and all the meditative, expert work that goes into such cooking. It may sound silly to some, but one can actually sense the work and devotion put into the methodical cutting and cleaning of egg shells, to careful sorting of baby swiss chard leaves, etc...when you take those few small bites prepared with some of the finest ingredients available, and with such precision and care, it is indeed sublime. Savoring each bite is essential
No negative comments about foie gras from me. I have had amazing foie gras and enjoyed it, I just don't generally like it, but I appreciate its place in cuisine. And, as I alluded to above, I know it is controversial, but so should be a lot of mainstream farming...maybe we don't know the whole story to why they banned it? Regardless, to us, even a very fine, grass-fed, free-range piece of meat is somewhat occasional in our daily lives which we find helps us appreciate, enjoy, and respect what we are eating all the more.
Your French Laundry meal sounds incredible!
Thanks for reading...
WOW! What an awesome start!
I'm so happy you guys were able to secure this reservation!
Thank you Dsis
I am going in June to the Chef's Table so this is great I love hearing about others' experiences....keep it coming.D&R love Disney
DIS Veteran
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What a great review of V&A's. I can't wait to read more!
Sazzo'sMommy
DIS Veteran
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- Sep 26, 2003
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- 946
These are awesome! Please, keep them coming!
I am working hard on the Chef's Table review, but it is taking some time, so I thought in the meantime I would post a few of the snacks we enjoyed!
After reading a great deal about Dole Whips, I was excited to try one...I went for the Dole Whip Float. This little chilly treat was delish! I think I defintely would prefer the float over just plain dole whip. The tangy, sweet pineapple juice in the bottom was really yummy with the soft serve pineapple above, and the two tastes were quite different but obviously complementary. This WAS very sweet, so I couldn't finish it, but it was a good size to share!
Main Street Confectionary is a happy little oasis in a bustling area of Magic Kingdom--it is located on the right side of Main Street (if you are facing the castle) right at the beginning of the stretch. We had not been using many snack credits so stopped in here to do that very thing. It was a pretty little shop, with a great selection of fudge, cookies, other treats, plus the usual treats we were seeing in every shop all over WDW (the same lollipops, strange sugar tube things, snack mix, etc...)
DH picked out a couple of different squares of fudge (from this case) and I selected a container of two, plump, perfectly ripe chocolate covered strawberries! They were heavenly...they also sold white choc covered strawberries. The fudge was good, not the best we have had, but the many flavors they offer are fun (peanut butter choc, turtle caramel, tiramisu, white choc, and so on...) DD selected a Pooh Bear lollipop--these were all snack credits.
We would highly recommend stopping into this sweet shop for a use of snack credits! The CM told me that almost everything in the case was a snack, beautiful cupcakes, choc covered rice crispy treats, choc covered pretzels, and much more. I believe there were only a few things that were not snacks. The CMs were helpful and friendly, and the treats were great.
After reading a great deal about Dole Whips, I was excited to try one...I went for the Dole Whip Float. This little chilly treat was delish! I think I defintely would prefer the float over just plain dole whip. The tangy, sweet pineapple juice in the bottom was really yummy with the soft serve pineapple above, and the two tastes were quite different but obviously complementary. This WAS very sweet, so I couldn't finish it, but it was a good size to share!
Main Street Confectionary is a happy little oasis in a bustling area of Magic Kingdom--it is located on the right side of Main Street (if you are facing the castle) right at the beginning of the stretch. We had not been using many snack credits so stopped in here to do that very thing. It was a pretty little shop, with a great selection of fudge, cookies, other treats, plus the usual treats we were seeing in every shop all over WDW (the same lollipops, strange sugar tube things, snack mix, etc...)
DH picked out a couple of different squares of fudge (from this case) and I selected a container of two, plump, perfectly ripe chocolate covered strawberries! They were heavenly...they also sold white choc covered strawberries. The fudge was good, not the best we have had, but the many flavors they offer are fun (peanut butter choc, turtle caramel, tiramisu, white choc, and so on...) DD selected a Pooh Bear lollipop--these were all snack credits.
We would highly recommend stopping into this sweet shop for a use of snack credits! The CM told me that almost everything in the case was a snack, beautiful cupcakes, choc covered rice crispy treats, choc covered pretzels, and much more. I believe there were only a few things that were not snacks. The CMs were helpful and friendly, and the treats were great.
Continuing on with this wonderful meal...
I love tuna; this tuna was dreamy
DH was actually very jealous (his crab cannelloni was wonderful, and had mustard, but he adores tunaI shared several bites with him!). Somehow this description on my menu does not seem complete
if I am remembering correctly, it only describes the right side of the picture.
The left side was a tuna tartar, small pieces of highest quality tuna marinated with fresh ginger, I am guessing also a little rice wine, toasted sesame oil, and something else I could not quite place. The flavor was like fireworks and incredible... It was on top of a carpaccio of tuna (thinly sliced and also raw), topped with greens. Tat Soi is an Asian green. The Tamari Honey foam (the tan colored spot that looks like a scallop on the top) was so inventive so light, but intensely flavorful. The deep sesame flavor of the tamari was perfect with the sweet honey, and add this to the tunaperfect! Ethereal yet also deep and robust
The right side was a beautiful piece of the sesame crusted tuna, topped with a crunchy lotus root chip and greens. This was great too, but the other side, well, we both could have eaten that all night. There was also a bit of wasabi
paste as an accompaniment.
The pinot blanc was really lovely too; crisp to bite through the rich tuna, not too dry.
Course Two DHDungeness Crab Cannelloni with Baby Greens, Radishes, and American Caviar
DH wrote the following: The crab was delicious and moist, flaked into luxuriously large pieces, and presented the buttery essence of the crustacean augmented by the mild, almost grassy wrapper. The caviar garnish added crispness and salt with a medium strength flavor of the sea that matched very well with the crab.
Wow on this course! This may have been one of my favorites. Chef Hunnel said he calls this three for three. We both started with the scallops (far right), and that corn!!! So fresh, so sweetand good scallops are sweet as well, so this was just wonderful. There were also some beautiful fresh fava beans, and other vegetables which gave this a rather spring-like freshness.
The abalone (center) was meaty and dense with a hint of sweetness. Neither of us had ever had abalone previously, I was excited to try it. Abalone is a shellfish in the mollusk family, this abalone was from the coast of California. It was lightly floured and fried which was perfect with the braised swiss chard on which it was served. The thick, bright lemon caper sauce was also perfectthink chicken piccatathis was basically a variation on that dish. Now, I really dislike capers, but their use here was delicate enough to not overwhelm the sauce itself.
Finally, the grouper (far left) was absolutely incredible. This was the richest of the three with a risotto like mélange of slow roasted vegetables on the bottom; these were so smoky and incredible! I suspect some well chosen aged cheese (maybe an aged Mahon cheese?) was included, because this was just sinfully rich! The smokiness was from the Jamón Ibérico, a really super amazing aged Spanish ham. The fresh grouper was a meaty white fish. I would seek this dish out again, it was SO fabulous, and also a more rustic dish that could be attempted at homesimple preparation really, just truly incredible ingredients.
This was a generous course, thankfully the next course was smaller.
Thank you to everyone for reading! This was such a special, celebratory meal for us, it is great fun to relive it here.
I will try to finish this up in the next installment...
Course TwoSesame Crusted Big Eye Tuna with Tat Soi Salad and Tamari Honey Foam paired with Marcel Deiss Pinot Blanc Bergheim, Alsace 2005
I love tuna; this tuna was dreamy
DH was actually very jealous (his crab cannelloni was wonderful, and had mustard, but he adores tunaI shared several bites with him!). Somehow this description on my menu does not seem complete
if I am remembering correctly, it only describes the right side of the picture. The left side was a tuna tartar, small pieces of highest quality tuna marinated with fresh ginger, I am guessing also a little rice wine, toasted sesame oil, and something else I could not quite place. The flavor was like fireworks and incredible... It was on top of a carpaccio of tuna (thinly sliced and also raw), topped with greens. Tat Soi is an Asian green. The Tamari Honey foam (the tan colored spot that looks like a scallop on the top) was so inventive so light, but intensely flavorful. The deep sesame flavor of the tamari was perfect with the sweet honey, and add this to the tunaperfect! Ethereal yet also deep and robust
The right side was a beautiful piece of the sesame crusted tuna, topped with a crunchy lotus root chip and greens. This was great too, but the other side, well, we both could have eaten that all night. There was also a bit of wasabi
paste as an accompaniment.
The pinot blanc was really lovely too; crisp to bite through the rich tuna, not too dry.
Course Two DHDungeness Crab Cannelloni with Baby Greens, Radishes, and American Caviar
DH wrote the following: The crab was delicious and moist, flaked into luxuriously large pieces, and presented the buttery essence of the crustacean augmented by the mild, almost grassy wrapper. The caviar garnish added crispness and salt with a medium strength flavor of the sea that matched very well with the crab.
Course Three--Florida Black Grouper with Artichokes, Fennel, Leeks and Jamón Ibérico
Carmelized Nantucket Scallops with Zellwood Corn Ragoût
Monetery Abalone with Toasted Capers and Meyer Lemon
paired with Domaine Vincent Girardin Santenay 1er Cru Clos de Tavannes 2006
Carmelized Nantucket Scallops with Zellwood Corn Ragoût
Monetery Abalone with Toasted Capers and Meyer Lemon
paired with Domaine Vincent Girardin Santenay 1er Cru Clos de Tavannes 2006
Wow on this course! This may have been one of my favorites.
Chef Hunnel said he calls this three for three. We both started with the scallops (far right), and that corn!!! So fresh, so sweetand good scallops are sweet as well, so this was just wonderful. There were also some beautiful fresh fava beans, and other vegetables which gave this a rather spring-like freshness. The abalone (center) was meaty and dense with a hint of sweetness. Neither of us had ever had abalone previously, I was excited to try it. Abalone is a shellfish in the mollusk family, this abalone was from the coast of California. It was lightly floured and fried which was perfect with the braised swiss chard on which it was served. The thick, bright lemon caper sauce was also perfectthink chicken piccatathis was basically a variation on that dish. Now, I really dislike capers, but their use here was delicate enough to not overwhelm the sauce itself.
Finally, the grouper (far left) was absolutely incredible. This was the richest of the three with a risotto like mélange of slow roasted vegetables on the bottom; these were so smoky and incredible! I suspect some well chosen aged cheese (maybe an aged Mahon cheese?) was included, because this was just sinfully rich! The smokiness was from the Jamón Ibérico, a really super amazing aged Spanish ham. The fresh grouper was a meaty white fish. I would seek this dish out again, it was SO fabulous, and also a more rustic dish that could be attempted at homesimple preparation really, just truly incredible ingredients.
This was a generous course, thankfully the next course was smaller.
Thank you to everyone for reading! This was such a special, celebratory meal for us, it is great fun to relive it here.
I will try to finish this up in the next installment...
Flossbolna
Sea days are just so relaxing!
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Thanks for posting your reviews, they are really well written and extremely enjoyable. One day I will have to try the Chef's table!!
HKinDC
Shapely Ears
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- 47
Your dining review is making my mouth water! Your descriptions of the food are truly evocative. I've always wanted to try abalone, and jamon iberico for that matter! Great job so far and I will be following the rest of your culinary adventures with great anticipation.
It's great that wanting something without mustard worked out so nicely for you with your tuna selection! 
BriarRosie
<font color=blue>Creator of Tag Fairy Haiku:<br>Cl
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I can't believe I missed the start of this review! Let's recap:
Ger's Bread and Butter Pudding: I'm a devout chocoholic, and I loved this. If you want a photo of it, I can certainly help you out there. I reviewed Raglan Road last year.
Artist Point: Love it there, too. And that is my favorite mushroom soup, ever.
V&A: I've done the Chef's Table twice, and just recently the main dining room. I also posted it in my food review. I ranted about the foie gras ban slightly. I wrote Disney because they removed it from their restaurants right before my trip, and someone from Disney Spin Control called me back and gave me rhetoric about improving guest experiences.
And I had sweetbreads...while making snarky references to "Young Frankenstein". 
You are doing a fantastic job.
Ger's Bread and Butter Pudding: I'm a devout chocoholic, and I loved this. If you want a photo of it, I can certainly help you out there. I reviewed Raglan Road last year.
Artist Point: Love it there, too. And that is my favorite mushroom soup, ever.
V&A: I've done the Chef's Table twice, and just recently the main dining room. I also posted it in my food review. I ranted about the foie gras ban slightly. I wrote Disney because they removed it from their restaurants right before my trip, and someone from Disney Spin Control called me back and gave me rhetoric about improving guest experiences.
And I had sweetbreads...while making snarky references to "Young Frankenstein". You are doing a fantastic job.
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