Victoria and Albert's

[NeurosurgeryNP]

Hello all -

We are going to WDW for our honeymoon in Septemebr 2006. We are staying at tha Grand Floridian. I have heard that their resturaunt V+A's has a special "chef's table" dining experience wehre you get to dine in the kitchen area and have a custom menu created for you. Has anyone done this before, and what type of prices are we looking at? Thanks, Jen

 

[Cheshire Figment]

It is not actually created just for you. Here is a link to a recent Honeymoon Couple's review, complete with pictures. You get a ten course meal with a sampling of all the items which are being served in the dining room that evening. There is one reservation per night and the cost is $150 per person (plus tax and gratuity). If you want the wine pairings, which is highly recommended, that is an additional $65 per person.

Note that V&A is one of only 46 restaurants in the country with an AAA Five Diamond rating.

The main dining room ($100 + $55) is more romantic, but the Chef's Table is an experience you will never forget, and if you are into gourmet cooking it is, as my late wife said, the best cooking lesson she ever got in her life.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Not much I can add to what the Cheshire has already said--
If you decide on the Chef's table, make your reservations ASAP due to the fact that they have only that ONE seating per evening.

 

[NeurosurgeryNP]

Now that I am seeing what the menu is, I am not sure it is a great place for us - my fiance is simple as far as food goes - he wouldn't even touch 99% of the food that was reviewed - he is a steak/hamburger/pizza man. I am afraid to go there, spend the money, and it be a huge waste.

Is there a great steakhouse at WDW? This would be the ideal place!

Appreciate all of your input.

 

[tabrizia]

For steak try Shula's or Le Cellier's both are great steak places from everythiing I've seen and read.

 

[NeurosurgeryNP]

Where are these places? Jen

 

[tabrizia]

Le Cellier's is in Epcot at Canada in the World Showcase.

Shula is at the Dolphin I believe.

You can find both menus at http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menus.htm to give you an idea of the type of food normally served there.

 

[mckryan]

You may also want to consider the Yachtsman Steakhouse at the Yacht Club. It's very good.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Neurosurgery:
It sounds like you did your homework and are making a wise decision!! V&A is certainly not for everyone and no use spending a lot of $$$ on something that does not seem to meet your requirements.
In addition to the already mentioned spots, there is also the Concourse steakhouse in the Contemporary Hotel.
For a honeymoon type spot, I believe I'd go with Yachtsman Steakhouse--

 

[majortom]

Note that V&A is one of only 46 restaurants in the country with an AAA Five Diamond rating.

Until this moment, I had never paid any attention to AAA's restaurant revues. I have always heard good things about Victoria and Albert's, but I have never eaten there (not really interested in its dress code). I was curious after I read this to see what restaurants made this list and I was quite surprised.

I have eaten at four of the five 5 Diamond restaurants in Chicago. I like Arun's, but I have been to at least 3 better Thai restaurants in Chicago alone, and dozens of others around the country. Charlie Trotter's is good and his kitchen table experience is great, but I can think of at least at least 3 other restaurants in Chicago that are at least as good (in all cases, I mean food and service) and are quite a bit cheaper.

I have never been impressed by Everest or Seasons.

Everyone that I know who has been to Tru (including several well known chefs) have said, it was interesting, but if they died tomorrow never having been back, they would not feel they had missed anything.

There are no restaurants on this list in New Orleans, which is surprising given that Susan Spicer has usually been ranked as one of the top 5 chefs in the United States.

The French Laundry does not make the list. Two of the four Michelin three star restaurants in NYC do not make the list.

In Las Vegas, I have eaten at two of their 3 restaurants and unless they are judging by price or scarcity of reservations, I think there are many better restaurants in town.

Over all, I am not very impressed by this list.

While as I said, I have heard nice things about Victoria and Albert's, I am not that impressed by its five diamond rating.

/carmi

 

[jiminyfan]

My wife and I did it for our 15th anniversary and it was FANTASTIC. Yes, it is not cheap, but then again you get an amazing meal, a great chance to see the chefs at work. I am a cooking nut, so for me to talk to the chefs watch them do their stuff was a bonus.

We will definitely do it again. It was one of my top 5 meals of all time.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Lots of things go into a AAA 5 Diamond rating and that's why it's such a coveted award.
In V&A's case, it's well deserved.

 

[majortom]

Lots of things go into a AAA 5 Diamond rating and that's why it's such a coveted award.
In V&A's case, it's well deserved.

It may be a coveted award, but if it does not equate with great food and service, it does not seem that useful (for me at least). Again, I am not really discussing Victoria and Albert's as I have never been (but have always heard good things about it). I just have a hard time believing that, for example a Michelin 3 star restaurant would not merit 5 diamonds, and yet that is the case.

I just read their rating criteria and I guess I understand why their ratings seem so meaningless to me. Quality of food and service make up only a small (almost insignificant) part of their rating process. They are as concerned with with the decor of the lounge as the quality of the food. For some, I guess these factors matter. For me, I am only interested in having great food, with excellent service. I have no concern if there is valet parking (a requirement for 4 and 5 Diamond restaurants), whether they accept credit cards (required for 3 Diamond and up restaurants), if their seats are "Fully-upholstered seats incorporating fine fabric coverings; highest degree of comfort and appearance" or other factors that do not affect the food and service.

/carmi

 

[Uncleromulus]

That's it exactly--food and service are but a part of the ratings. But then--it's their system, so they can use any criteria they want. And those other factors do matter to lots of folks.
Any chance of trying V&A yourself?? It's the only real way to know for sure if it's up to all the good reviews.

 

[SandraVB79]

Majortom, it's the same with hotel ratings. To get a certain rating, you need to have a good score on a number of different areas. I found some 3* hotels being better than some 5* ones, but there is no way they can get more stars since they lack some element that is necessary.

To some, it's only about the food and the service. But would you really like your great fantastic food arrive on a paper plate? I know, this is exaggerated, but still... The surroundings make that a dining experience is great or "just" very good.

 

[Docsknotinn]

We really enjoy Disney restaurants and are going to VA in Aug. However I really feel the best food quality and service are not found on Disney properties. Shulas simply can not be matched by Disney (IMO) for a top quality steak and service. We still enjoy Disney restaurants. The magic and theming make up a lot of ground for slight difference in service and food quality.

 

[majortom]

That's it exactly--food and service are but a part of the ratings. But then--it's their system, so they can use any criteria they want. And those other factors do matter to lots of folks.
Any chance of trying V&A yourself?? It's the only real way to know for sure if it's up to all the good reviews.

You are right, it is their rating system and they can pick what ever criteria they choose (no matter how absurd they may seem to me). My only point as been that for my own use, their rating system is so skewed towards things that do not matter at all to me as to be meaningless. Whether a restaurant has a reservations system that has no restrictions as to party size (but can charge what ever it wants for deposit), whether it has a separate waiting lounge, whether it has valet parking, whether it has linen table cloths and sterling silver cutlery, have close to zero impact on my enjoyment of their food and appreciation of their service.

As I have said, I have heard good things about Victoria and Albert's. I have no doubt that it has good food and service. Two things stop me from going there. First, I almost never wear a jacket to a restaurant and there is just something that bothers me about a dress code as extreme as it is at a theme park restaurant (although as a friend said, I might treat it like a costume party). Second, I cannot plan far enough in advance to actually get a reservation (I rarely make reservations at all, and when I do, it is usually only a day or two in advance).

/carmi

 

[majortom]

But would you really like your great fantastic food arrive on a paper plate? I know, this is exaggerated, but still... The surroundings make that a dining experience is great or "just" very good.

Mr Powdrell's Barbeque House in Albuquerque, New Mexico is probably the best Barbeque in the United States, if not the world. They do not have valet parking, they do not have linen table cloths, they do not have sterling silver cutlery. Their staff is great and their food is stellar. I would not care if they served me on paper. It seems that you would feel differently.

To each, his own.

I have nothing against AAA's ratings system, just realized that it has no meaning to me.

/carmi

 

[Uncleromulus]

I undrstand.
I sort of got that same feeling as I was looking at the Zagat dining ratings for New York City restaurants. Places I'd head of as being good were treated rather poorly, while other spots did quite well. But then I thought--these are Zagat's ratings, and they may not look at restaurants as I do.
As an aside, I once went to a local restaurant that proudly had "Zagat rated" on the door. I looked it up later--they were given a horrible rating!!!