Victoria and Albert's - The Chef's Table, Part III
If I haven't already mentioned it, dinner at the Chef's Table is a liesurely affair. There is no rushing from one course to the next - you are supposed to enjoy each culinary offering...admire the presentation, inhale the aroma, savor the taste. Take your time because the entire experience is designed to last upwards of four hours.
Uh, since you took the time to edit and all...I just thought I'd be obnoxious first chance I could since well, I enjoy being snarky. About being leisurely and everything.
As a word of advice, I'd suggest getting up now and then and wandering around the "back porch" as Lori called it. It's good to get up and move around a bit between courses - it aides the digestive process - and we found that the kitchen staff were friendly and eager to talk.
Easier said than done in a rowdy group of five, where some of us are getting refills on the wine pairings! Let's just say we didn't feel the need to get up from the table. I think it would be easier to do so if you're not at the Party Table.
Two things I should mention before I forget. Ladies... when you feel a need to powder your nose you must inform one of your serving team so that you can be escorted out of the kitchen and through the dining room. This is for your safety as well as that of the staff, but I'm sure it's an annoyance when they have a guest like me at the CT who constantly needs to use the bathroom. Be sure to wave to the dining room patrons as you walk through!
Oh yes, four of the five Party Table were ladies. And you know that meant not just being escorted to the bathroom, but being the 8:30 Parade To the V&A's Ladies' Room. Single file. I was sorely tempted to do my best princess wave. Instead, I had to contain the fit of giggles that the other women could also barely restrain until we reached the safety of the Ladies' Lounge. I know I've mentioned this ad nauseum, but the memory still makes me giggle!
You probably could have used a spotlight on you since you were alone in your parade.
Does anyone ever grab a long-handled spoon and play the copper pots?
Oh, but I'm sorely tempted now that you captioned the copper pots!
Course Three (Brenda)
Long Island Duck with Roasted Chiogga Beets and Turnip Kraut
Wine pairing: Dr. Zenzen Apollo-Falter Spatburgunder, Rheinhessen 2005
Once again I thought the presentation was lovely, although... I do wish someone had placed a small pair of glasses just across the top portion of the turnip (just under the sprouts) and a miniature moustache under the bottom of the turnip. Then they could have called this dish Duck Incognito.
I squeaked when I read this. Yes, SQUEAKED. I knew exactly what you were going for in your best Groucho Marx / Gene Shalit combo glasses/nose/stache phony-as-a-three-dollar-bill disguise.
I know it's just the way that the turnip is positioned, but doesn't it look like a giant white nose is jutting out from the middle of the duck meat?
A big honkin' YES! (squeak!)
Jason: The duck was really flavorful and tender, but keep in mind it is a darker meat. If you're like my wife and you don't like darker meats, you ain't gonna like the duck. By the way, I had nothing to do with the turnip nose or duck incognito comments. In case you haven't noticed, my wife is nutz.
Thank you, Captain Obvious.
We never would have realized her "nutziness" without a little help. Heheh.
Course Three (Jason)
New Zealand Elk with Elephant Garlic Spaetzle and Veal Sweetbreads
Wine pairing: Perez Cruz Reserva Carmenere, Maipo Valley 2004
Jason: This was pretty tasty - not gamey the way you might expect elk to be. The vegetable balls were good - they had a nice crunch to them.
Brenda: Jay's not as chatty as I am. I didn't try this dish, but I can offer some helpful information for what it's worth.
Elephant Garlic is more closely related to the leek than to ordinary garlic. The bulbs are very large and can weigh over a pound. A single clove of elephant garlic can be as large as a whole bulb of ordinary garlic. In terms of flavor, elephant garlic is said to be to garlic what leeks are to onions - much less intense and sweeter.
Spaetzle are similar to noodles - see those green worm-shaped things in Jay's bowl? Those are the spaetzles.
Sweetbreads - don't let the name fool you. There is nothing remotely sweet or breaded about this! It is the name of a dish made from the thymus gland or pancreas of an animal younger than one year; in this case dairy calves (veal). Sweetbreads feel spongy in the mouth, and are very fatty with a gamey flavor.
I think I'm adventurous enough to try it, even the sweetbreads. Which, as you described them, sounds like one of the SNL Linda Richman Coffee Talk discussions when she gets "verklempt": "Talk amongst yourselves. I'll give you a topic. Sweetbreads. They're neither sweet nor are they bread. Discuss."
Course Four (Brenda)
Kurobuta Pork Tenderloin and Belly with Risotto and Cherry Jus
Wine pairing: Lambert Bridge Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley 2003
As you will no doubt notice, Jay and I basically had the same thing with one difference - I received risotto (woo hoo!) while he was corned. I'm not crazy about corn to begin with, but with the Crohns it's just better to avoid "kernel-ey" food items in the first place.
I thought the presentation was a little lacking with this dish - I'm not sure if everything just ended up on the plate this way or if I'm just getting difficult to please. As for the taste...it was good. Pork isn't often my meat of choice but this tenderloin was like no pork I've ever tasted before. Turns out Kurobuta pork is the most highly prized pork in Japan and it comes from an ancient Oriental breed of pig known as Black Berkshire. The meat from the pure oriental strains of Black Berkshire is regarded as the highest quality pork in the world.
Oooh...I like pork tenderloin. The snooty version sounds amazing. You know, I think it's time for...
Bad Pun Alert! Bad Pun Alert!
Wait for it...
We sure were dining high on the hog, weren't we?
Oh yeah! Go Brenda! Go Brenda!
The risotto was tasty but would have been a lot better in my opinion if it hadn't been plopped down on top of some of that pork belly gravy - I don't like gravy, either.
Jason's right. You are nutz. Gravy, done right, can be a wonderful thing.
Can I talk about the wine for a moment? I can't stand Zinfandel...at least not the kind that typically shows up at Christmas parties and wedding receptions. Blech! Why not just hand someone a glass full of pink vinegar and tell them to pucker up?
BUT...this Zinfandel showed me what I've been missing. This was a nice dry wine with hints of strawberry and, tea... or... coffee? Israel must have seen the flash of dislike when he first said "zinfandel" but he told me right away that this was not what I would expect. And he was absolutely right - this was a great wine that really complimented the pork and brought out the cherry flavoring in the jus.
There's a world of difference between White Zinfandel (aka the pink wine at parties) and the Zinfandel without the "white" in the name, IMHO. I can get over all the wines you had that sounded like you need an interpreter to order them. There's no way I could bend my mind (or my pronunciation!) around those.
Jason here: My plate was definitely more aesthetically pleasing, wasn't it? This dish was full of porkie goodness and I liked it. Even the belly was good but it had more of a fatty flavor to it...because it's belly! There was actually a small corn-cake here with more corn sprinkled across the top - very good!
The wife is really better at this "review thing" than I am, but I feel compelled to make a comment about the hog joke.
She's a freak and now you all know what I have to deal with on a daily basis...it never ends.
And that is why you stayed married to her all these years. She's
your freak! While you don't have the knack of flowery speech that seems to trip effortlessly from Brenda's brain to the keyboard, you're not too shabby. I like the he/she perspectives. (If there was an applause emoticon, I'd insert it here.)
Course Five (Brenda and Jason)
Pan Roasted Foie Gras and Fuji Apple Tart with Mostarda di Cremona
Wine pairing: Royal Tokaji Azsu 5 Puttonyos, Mad Tokaj-Hegyalja 2000
Brenda: I've said it before and I'll say it again...I never thought I'd like foie gras until I tried it here last year. This stuff is incredible - lightly seared on the outside and buttery soft on the inside; every forkful literally melts in your mouth. The apple tart pairs really well, so that the richness of the foie gras is offset by the tartness of the apple. And mostarda really has nothing to do with that cheap, bright yellow stuff I like to put on my hot dogs, french fries, and fried fish. Italian mostarda is actually fruit preserved in syrup that gains quite a kick from a healthy jolt of powdered mustard seed. So mixed all together in each bite there is a really wonderful burst of rich foie gras with tart apple and a hint of mustard with other fruit flavors, unnamed but definitely there, popping in to surprise you.
I'm all those emotions and more. I think this is the time where the spotlight shines down on your table, and the angels start to sing. Foie gras! It seems pretty common to see it paired with a fruit salsa or compote, and I've had it with an apple type of mixture before. Yum!
And the wine...oh my, the wine. This is from a Hungarian winery and just blew us right off our seats. The color is the first thing you'll notice about it - straw colored with hints of gold. In the picture we took it almost looks like a cognac. The aroma is definitely fruity - apricot and orange are the scents I remember the most - and the initial taste is sweet and fruity with a hint of spice and honey at the end. Its texture is velvety smooth - overall a really well balanced wine that just made the entire dish go "POW!"
Jason: Yeah, what she said.
We have got to get us some of this!
While you're getting some of that wine, get me some of that, too! Your description probably doesn't even do it justice!
Figures I'm jonesing for foie gras. Why can't I be normal and jones for something cheaper and more accessible? There's always still my Chipotle kick.
Our kids (and us) were crushed. For about 15 minutes, then I realized "Yeah! We get to go home!!". I can't complain, my DS did great - dove on his knees to catch a foul ball in left field. 
Great review! Hate duck, love elk, don't eat pork; give me more! 
insert tears here 
rolleyes1 you have, right?) so just know that I did not entirely forget you, as I went in search of you last night....and finished this super-duper report this morning with my cups of coffee.
