shoreline99

After discussing the meal with other friends, my only real knock on the restaurant is the decor. It's pretty dated, although very well done. As you can see from my first photo the front doors are kind of beat up, and on one photo I took you can see the years of fingerprints on the frosted glass. It could certainly use an upgrade. And maybe a few windows to the outside. You can argue that a space like this makes it all about the food, but if you had a restaurant of this quality in a space like Narcoosee's, it would be an even bigger home run.

It's no French Laundry or the like, but it's definitely a wonderful experience.

They did this on Space Mountain in the queue line. There used to be buttons to press in the regular queue line for an interactive game, now it's part of the Disney parks play app.

I'm quite sure this has more to do with collecting data than moving people along, but that point does make some sense.

It was lamb shoulder. Didn't think it was veal. Updated my post above.

22 minutes ago, Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie said:

Looks amazing. The offering you could not remember, is that the veal with yukon mash topped with potato glass maybe? Saw a similar dish on another review. 

How were the breads?

Were the ladies presented with roses at the end of the meal.

Can't believe you passed on the chocolate assortment at the end. 

The ladies did get roses, which were lovely. None of us are really chocolate people, and after that chocolate dome at the end of a 4+ hour meal, we were done. You live and learn.

The bread service is fresh baked individual baguettes and herbed brioche, with a variety of butters and flaked sea salts.

That sounds like it could be right, I don't remember it being veal but I did email the restaurant to find out what it was. Definitely potato glass, which was really cool.

I know Mo is waiting for this, so I'll try to keep it brief and to the point.

We ate at V&A's earlier this week, in the main dining room. This is one of three dining options at V&A's, along with the chef's table and the smaller, private dining room. There is a harpist playing in the dining room for the evening, and the ambiance was lovely.

Our party arrived about a half hour early, since I was informed when the restaurant called to confirm our reservation that we would be seated promptly at our reservation time (6 PM). Most of our party went into the adjacent bar at Mizners, but they hadn't even had a chance to order a drink before our table was ready.

Unassuming entrance:

Ceiling detail:

Drinks were ordered, and our waiter for the evening (John from Boston, MA) and server (Rado, not sure where the gentleman was from but he was very helpful all evening) passed around personalized menus and a glass of champagne for everyone.

This was my menu for the evening, with 11 total courses (including the amuse bouche). We also chose to do the wine pairing (2-3 oz. pours):

One of our party had the pescatarian menu, which was basically the same but with substitutions for the animal protein dishes. Another in our party had the vegetarian menu, which he said was amazing as well.

Amuse Bouche, New Zealand Langoustine with Imperial Caviar, Avocado and Lime Nuage:

The Nuage was a type of foam, and the pairing of the salty langoustine and caviar with the creamy avocado and sweet foam was a nice way to start the dinner. We all skipped the additional caviar dish.

First Course, Bison Tenderloin with Horseradish Creme and Clementines.

This was a Bison carpaccio, and was a great bite, with the clementine pairing well with the sharpness of the horseradish and the flavor of the meat. Most if not all of the dishes were about texture and balance as well as flavor, and we all felt that they nailed it consistently.

Second Course, Maine Halibut with Poppy Seed and Lemon Ravioli

Quite possibly my favorite single bite of the evening, the sauce with this dish was amazing. The fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned, and the handmade ravioli with fresh herbs paired well with it.

Third Course, Dover Sole with Petite Squash and Tomato Water:

Don't let the name fool you, that tomato water was amazing. They brought the dishes to the table and poured the sauce over at each plate. Delicious and so aromatic - thank god they had bread service.

Fourth Course, (this was a 'chef's choice' and was not on the menu) Lamb shoulder with Yukon Mashed Potatoes and Potato 'glass':

The piece on top was a modernist take on a potato chip, and was really quite interesting. It is made using raw pureed potatoes, white vinegar and salt that is blended together and spread on a silk screen, then dehydrated overnight and fried the next day. I think this was the most 'nontraditional' item on the menu, and very well done.

Fifth Course, Roasted French Quail with Corn Pudding and Spinach:

The Quail was cooked as a type of sausage, very tasty.

Sixth Course, Kurubota Pork Belly with Pineapple and Peanuts:

Honestly, this was good but it was my least favorite plate of the night. The wine pairing with this was one of the best, though.

Seventh Course, Australian Kobe Style Beef with Potato Pinwheel (I did splurge for the Miyazaki Beef add-on also):

I've never eaten such a buttery, delicious piece of beef - the Japanese portion we shared among three of us so we each got a bite. You've heard the phrase 'melt in your mouth, that's exactly what this did. It was served with a savory sauce. The 'Kobe style' beef was also amazing, well paired with a nice Cabernet and a chimichurri sauce. (sorry for the 'already took a bite' photo)

Eighth Course, cheese plate

We could have ended the meal here and it still would have been perfect. Nice selection of cheeses, and the fresh honeycomb was fantastic. They also brought out the coffee service, which is made fresh at your table in a kind of 'reverse perk' British vacuum pot.

The glass carafe with the grinds in it is placed in the pot of water, and a small burner is lit below the pot. The water heats up and perks up and into the carafe with the grounds, and the burner is extinguished. As the pot cools, the coffee is drawn back down into the pot and then served. It's pretty cool to watch, and the coffee was as good as I've had. https://cona.co.uk/cona-products-dining.php for info and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUzDYHi1A2g for a video of the coffee brewing (not my video).

Ninth Course, Banana Cream Dessert (not on the menu):

Fresh banana with a salted caramel sauce, with a crunchy wrap full of banana cream and more sauce. This was reeeally good. By this point we were all pretty much done, but there was yet the..

Tenth Course, Bittersweet Chocolate Dome on Praline Crunch

Compared to a lot of the other plates, this one was larger, and if we were doing it again I think I would have brought this home to enjoy. It was delicious, but by this point we were stuffed.

After coffee and dessert were finished, the waiter came around with chocolates for everyone, which we did manage to decline.

All in all an excellent dinner, no one had the slightest complaints (even after the bill had arrived) and the presentation, food, service and ambiance were all wonderful. 10/10.

Would I do it again? Maybe, but I feel like that box was checked and there are so many other places to get excellent meals on and off property that it's more for a once-in-a lifetime experience.

On 9/20/2018 at 12:14 PM, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

As long as it's not super busy up there you can. It can be full during peak dinner hours or if there's an event of some kind, but otherwise it's usually not a problem.

But we've learned you have to ask very specifically if there's room in the lounge OR at the bar (or sushi bar if you want to eat).  If you only ask for one, when they call up they only ask about that one area. 

Typical conversation..
Me: "Can we go up to the lounge?"
CM (phones upstairs): "No sorry, no room in the lounge"
Me: "How about at the bar or sushi bar?"
CM: "Oh sure!"

So ask for the lounge OR bar.

Have fun!  🙂

OK, so we ditched the Cali Grill option as we caught the last monorail of the night (at 10:30), and chose to ride through to the Poly, where we were told there was a 90 minute wait for Trader Sam's. After I laughed at the hostess, we ordered up a Minnie Van back to our hotel. In hindsight, it was probably a good decision overall.

Review and photos to follow.

Just got my call from the restaurant to confirm everything! Pretty cool.

On 9/13/2018 at 12:10 PM, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

Oh yes please!  I can lend you one of mine.  

Mo - question about the Cali grill - can you just go up and sit at the bar? We're thinking about going there after V&A, then Trader Sam's for the hat trick

1 hour ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

What's interesting is they did away with the covered area in the middle of the raft on Kali where you could put the stuff you didn't want to get wet.  Although I suspect because it wasn't all that great at keeping your stuff completely dry.  Now THAT would have been the ride Ziploc should have sponsored as you pretty much always get wet, and sometimes you get completely drowned.  🙂

That ride is a guaranteed soaker, the seats are ALWAYS wet, with puddles in them. I am usually the seat that gets stuck under the waterfall, anyway.

Oh, come on. Boone's Farm is where it's at.

4 hours ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

Looking forward to your review!

We still haven't gotten there yet, but will someday.  🙂

We totally hit the jackpot on a reservation for 6, must have gotten someone else's cancellation.

And, in the interest of sharing information for anyone interested in dining there,

Quote

Your reservation is for XXXXXX at XXXXX in the Main Dining Room for a party of X guests.

 We will reach out to you about one week prior to this reservation to obtain any celebratory information for your party, any allergies/dietary needs and names of your guests.

 Menu Style- Victoria & Albert’s offers a Chef Degustation Tasting menu with a vast array of textures and flavors.  Our menu is seasonal as Chef Scott, Chef Aimee along with the culinary team are on a quest of always finding the perfect balance between classic and modern touches.  Allow at least 3 hours for the dining experience.  On average, the menu will be between 8 and 12 courses.  The amount of courses may change based on the size of some of the culinary creations. 

Pricing – Menu price is $235.00 per person (for food only) not including supplement items, alcoholic beverages, gratuities or taxes.  A wine pairing is also available upon request at a price of $150.00 per person.

Cancellation Fee - Cancellations will be accepted only by our reservations office by calling 407-939-3862.  A fee of $100 per person will be charged for each guest that cancels within 72 hours or does not show to the reservation.  All fees will be waived if we receive a courtesy call before the 72-hour window.  Our restaurant is very small and each table is only served once per evening.  A prompt cancellation allows for us to call one of our many guest on our wait list.

Dress Code –A dinner jacket is required for men, along with a collared dress shirt, long sleeves, dress slacks and dress shoes (tie optional) and elegant evening attire, such as a dress or pants ensemble, is required for women. No jeans, t-shirts, shorts, capris, flip flops, sneakers or casual wear please. 

 Valet Parking – Complimentary valet parking is available at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa for guests dining at Victoria & Albert’s.  

Corkage Fee – The restaurant has over 600 wine selections.  We allow for a special or meaningful bottle that is not in our wine list to be brought in at a corkage fee of $75.00 (limit one per table) – Please submit a request for a bottle to be brought in with our sommelier team at [email protected] or contact us at 407-939-3862. Our office is open from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. EST 7 days a week.

  Thank you and have a Grand Day!

 

*bump*

Never went last year, but we have reservations in a couple of weeks for dinner with our friends in the dining room. Looking forward to it, will report back.

This is nasty.

Still down as of this morning. However, http://www.mydisneyexperience.com seems to be working fine.

Don't know about the parking situation, but yes you can access the 'international gateway' by the bridge between England and France from the Boardwalk/Y&B Club side.

Anyone know when this will reopen? Heading to WDW in two weeks, would love to hit Tambu if it's open...

 

Nah, I think they are hemorrhaging money right now from passholders not renewing and are trying to 'add value'.

On 9/4/2018 at 12:50 PM, djsamuel said:

My daughter posted a negative comment on the blog about this and it did show up eventually.

Hmmm, nope.

On 9/3/2018 at 6:24 AM, dblr....Rennie said:

We arrive this Wed for 5 nights hope we pick a night the crowds are not real bad.

Don’t go on Friday or Saturday nights. Not sure how bad Sunday night would be either. Weekends the festival is packed. 

I posted a comment on the blog, but surprise surprise it's not showing up there. Maybe it has to be 'approved' before it shows up?

Just now, keith_h said:

All I can say is Disney doing boneheaded things like this make it easier to skip a trip south an instead going to see other parts of the country. I'm starting to think about skipping WDW next February and instead waiting until March to hit up Dollywood or till May to go up to New England.

Completely agree. We skipped wdw this year for a family trip, and probably will next year, too. Honestly, maybe even stay away until the 50th celebration in a few years.

We’re still going down for our annual ‘adults only’ food & wine trip this fall, but my wife is already saying maybe we should skip next year and go somewhere else...

47 minutes ago, djsamuel said:

The comments on the Disney Blog and their Facebook page is overwhelmingly negative regarding this.  In fact, the Disney Blog suspended comments for a time.  It will be interesting to see if anything changes.  I doubt it, but you never know.  I didn't get a chance to talk to a friend of mine (who is familiar with the situation) yet regarding what is going on, but hopefully will soon.

I saw that they had suspended comments, figured it was because 80% of them were negative. I’d love to hear what insights your friend has on this whole thing. 

I get that it’s all about the $$. I get that AP has been in a state of flux since it’s head chef left a year or two ago, and I get that it’s almost never at full capacity. But Dave is right, I think losing this as a signature restaurant is a downgrade for the resort.

In the long run they may make more $$ with the character meal, and yes I think they will try to make it a 2 ticket dinner like Cindy’s Royal Table, with a fancy dinner, and say that’s worth it. They could also have easily made it a character breakfast, lunch or brunch and kept dinner as a signature meal.

No matter, it really chafes me the wrong way to see this restaurant close. Again, I say it’s some bean counter’s answer to solving a revenue stream problem at AP and the closure of the backyard BBQ.

I'm guessing this is, in part, an effort to pick up the slack that will be lost when the Backyard BBQ closes.

This totally SMB. 

Anyone that's going, please post your favorite foods and 'must try' recommendations from this year's menus!