Saturday, September 19, 2009

We’d been hearing good things about The Chef’s Table at the Edgewater, so we decided to try it out for our anniversary. We had a bit of trouble finding the restaurant; there was a car show going on, and Plant Street was closed down to auto traffic. Once we arrived, however, we were greeted immediately by Laurie.

Chefs Table Interior

We were the first ones to be seated that evening, which was nice for us, as it gave us a bit of quiet time before the restaurant filled up. There were only 6 tables in our dining room: three two-tops and three four-tops. An adjoining dining room had one large table, and Laurie told us that they were expecting a large party later on that evening. The atmosphere was intimate, but it wasn’t the hushed, romantic atmosphere of Victoria & Albert’s restaurant. When a party of four was seated next to us, we could hear every word of the men’s descriptions of their various car accidents. As one man had been in nine different accidents, this topic of conversation went on for quite a while. All of the diners were in business casual attire: slacks and collared shirts for the men, and dresses for the women.

The menu is a three-course prix fixe for $49.99, with optional additions like the wine pairings for $21.99 and a five cheese tasting course for $14.99. We opted to add on the cheese course, and my husband opted for the wine pairings, while I, as the driver, chose to sip on one glass of wine throughout dinner.

Tuna Tartar

My first course was my favorite of the whole dinner: a tuna tartar with avocado and mango. This was absolutely delicious and very light. The tuna was soft and fresh, and it contrasted nicely with the crispiness of the diced cucumber. The creaminess of the avocado and sweetness of the mango rounded off the concoction beautifully. The tartar mixture was tossed with sesame oil and sesame seeds, and it was nice and salty, without being unpleasantly so. I chose the wine recommended as a pairing for this particular dish: the Now and Zen Wasabi White. This was a great choice; I’m usually not a big fan of white wines, but this was off-dry, fruity, and very easy to drink.

Foie Gras

My husband chose the savory foie gras crème brulee for his first course. In order to make this dish, they seared the foie gras to render the fat off of it. They then added the fat, onions, and apples to the crème brulee dish. They chopped up the foie gras, added it and butter to this mix, and they cooked it all in a water bath. After that, they lightly caramelized the top of the foie gras to brulee it. The caramelized sugar was sweet but not cloying, and this dish was much lighter than it looked or than my husband expected. The temperature was cool, which he found off-putting, but it tasted very good. It was nice and creamy without being greasy. He did wish that he’d been given more toast points with which to eat the crème brulee. His wine with this was a Lynskey Gewurztraminer. It smelled and tasted of peaches and honey.

Mirleton Crab Gratin

My main course was the one that Kevin, the chef and owner, had recommended, the mirleton and crab gratin with shrimp and scallop, Cajun hollandaise. He told us that he was from Louisiana, and this was very much a Louisiana dish. It tasted like something my grandmother would have made. The creamy gratin was baked in a casserole dish and topped with panko, and the scallops and shrimp were seared and placed on top of the gratin. This was very well-seasoned, with heat that I only felt in the back of my throat, not in my mouth, so it didn’t interfere with my tastebuds. It reminded me of my childhood, so I enjoyed this dish very much.

Beef ShortRib

My husband’s choice was a braised beef shortrib with creamed leek mashed potato. The portion sizes came as a bit of a surprise to us. They were large, and we’re used to having many small courses when we eat out, so it was definitely different. The beef was tender, well-cooked, and had very little fat. However, it was underseasoned. The leek mashed potato was really good, and he thought it was probably the best part of the dish. The asparagus were cooked very well, with some bite to them still, and a vibrant green. The dish needed salt to pull it together, though, since otherwise it came across as a bland pot roast dish. His wine with this was a Prazo de Roriz Douro, from Spain. It was a very interesting wine, which we both enjoyed. The finish was short, but it was a smooth, easy-to-drink wine.

There was a little mix up over our desserts. I had ordered the warm peach bread pudding, toasted nuts, with caramel cream cheese ice cream. My husband ordered the tropical tapestry of mango pineapple salsa with coconut macaroon, vanilla ice cream. They switched desserts, though, and because of this, my husband ended up with the wine that was paired with the bread pudding. This wasn’t a problem, as he very much enjoyed it, a Santa Alicia late harvest muscatel. It tasted like grapefruit, and wasn’t like the typical honeyed, ubersweet dessert wine. It had some nice acid to it, which we both liked.

Peach bread pudding

My bread pudding was great: warm, soft, and sweet, and the caramel ice cream melting over it added a lovely sauce. There was a ring of balsamic vinegar around the edge of the dessert, which I thought added some nice depth to the bread pudding.

My husband enjoyed the pistachio in his dessert; he thought that it added both a nice flavor and a nice texture. The macaroon was good, very coconutty, but the vanilla ice cream didn’t wow him. He gave me a bite of this, which I had trouble tasting because the ice cream was so cold.

Cheese plate

After dessert came our cheese tasting, which was probably the most disappointing part of the meal. Heresy! Nonethess, it is so. We’d appreciated the fact that their wine list had interesting wines that we couldn’t find in most supermarkets, but the same could not be said of their cheeses. The five cheeses on the plate were provolone, gouda, Roquefort, asiago, and brie. Blah. We would have appreciated the opportunity to try something that we couldn’t normally get ourselves, or at least something that wasn’t carried at the local Publix. The accompaniments were very good, especially the quince jam, but we were really disappointed by the cheese selection.

To summarize, we liked the business model of the chef/owner who was very approachable and his wife who was knowledgeable about wine and also very approachable. We liked the fact that there were very few tables, so everyone got personal attention. However, we felt that, with a little more attention to the kitchen, our dining experience would have been great instead of just very good.

From the ‘blog stats, looks like pictures are pretty popular.  Are there any people, food, or atmosphere pictures that people are looking for, in particular?  No guarantee we’d have them, but the ones posted here are just a sample of what we took.  Feel free to leave a request in the Comments and we’ll see if we can accommodate.

We were fortunate enough to get tickets to the Bocuse d’Or gala dinner held at Epcot on Saturday, September 27, 2008. This was obviously a huge splurge for us, but it was something that we really wanted to do, since it was probably going to be our only opportunity to see this amount of incredible culinary talent assembled in one room.

For those not familiar with the Bocuse d’Or, it is basically THE international culinary competition. Paul Bocuse founded it in 1983, and winning affords a lot of prestige to the champion. The competition itself is held in Lyon, which we could not attend, but the portion of the competition held at Epcot was to determine the American chef who would participate in the international competition.

Eight different chefs and their commis were participating in the two-day event:

Chef Timothy Hollingsworth & Commis Adina Guest from The French Laundry

Chef Hung Huynh from Solo & Commis Girari Goumroian

Chef Rogers Powell and Commis Kyle Fiasconaro from the French Culinary Institute

Chef John Rellah and Commis Vincent Forchelli from Hamilton Farm Golf Club

Chef Richard Rosendale and Commis Seth Warren from Rosendales

Chef Michael Rotondo and Commis Jennifer Petrusky from Restaurant Charlie at the Palazzo

Chef Kevin Sbraga from Garces Restaurant Group and Commis Aimee Patel from Amada

Chef Percy Whatley from Ahwanee Hotel and Commis Josh Johnson from Delaware North Parks

The officials and judges read like a Who’s Who in Cooking. In the officials group were Paul Bocuse, Jerome Bocuse, Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, and Lea Linster. The fish judges were Daniel Humm, Traci des Jardins, Gavin Kaysen, Patrick O’Connell, Alain Sailhac, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Beef judges were Michel Bouit, Hartmut Handke, David Myers, Georges Perrier, Andre Soltner, and Laurent Tourondel. It was unbelievable to us that we actually got to see and speak with these incredibly fabulous chefs.

Because we’d purchased gala dinner tickets with our American Express card, we were able to get Silver Access passes for the competition. This entitled us, besides our free chef’s hat, tiny American flag, and noisemaker (which everyone got), to the preferred seating section of the bleachers and entry into the Chef’s Lounge. The Chef’s Lounge was great on so many levels. Our favorite part was that the chefs would just come strolling through there, so it was a great place for obtaining autographs. It also had tables and chairs and a huge viewing screen that showed what was going on in the competition area. There was a bar with bottled water and Moet et Chandon champagne, and there were also food offerings. Not being a carnivore, I had three different types of cheeses and three small chocolates. My husband, who eats meat only on vacation, had a beef slider made with Brandt beef (one of the event sponsors) and some charcuterie and pate by D’Artagnan (another sponsor).

The competition part of the event was a bit chaotic, from an organizational standpoint. It was interesting seeing the demographics, because there was a big gap in attendees. There were the hardcore “foodies,” industry people, and their friends and family. And then, because it was held at Disney World, there were the bulky middle Americans who wandered in, having seen the event on their Food and Wine Festival schedule of events. It was hilarious, seeing the pin trader types wearing the sequined gold mouse ears as they’d stand in front of the food, blocking all other viewers, until asked to move along. The juxtaposition was really interesting.

We checked in at the VIP desk, to pick up our access passes, and then went into the competition area. There were three sets of bleachers, one of which had “Reserved” marked on it. No seats were available at this point in the other two sets of bleachers, so we asked one of the white-shirted cast members waving glowing sticks where the preferred seating was. She told us that there was no preferred seating, and that we’d have to stand. Fortunately I noticed another couple speaking with a more senior-level cast member who directed them to the “Reserved” bleacher stand. We approached her, and she sent us that way, as well. This was great, since for the first thirty minutes or so, there was plenty of room to spread out in the reserved section. We could get up, get autographs, and return without having to worry about someone having taken our seat. The event was very popular with the wander-in folks, though, so the cast members decided to remove the “Reserved” signs and let everyone in. After this, things were difficult, because we had to always leave one of us behind to hold seats, while the other went to get photos or autographs. I wish that they had opened maybe half of this section and kept the other half for the preferred seating that we’d been promised. Of course, I’m sure those without tickets would disagree with me!

Because most of the chefs were Frenchmen, the seating issue caused a problem for us. Of the two of us, my husband is the bigger fan, so I wanted him to get to be the one to meet the chefs, get their autographs, take pictures, etc. However, Frenchmen have a marked predilection for women, and we noticed that I got a very different reception from the one that he got. He was treated with indifference by some of the chefs, whereas this was not a problem when I approached them. Teamwork would have been much better in this case than what ended up happening. He would send me out to get autographs while he held down the fort.

We were given a chef’s toque at the check-in table, along with a Sharpie marker, and we used this to get autographs from the chefs. It turned out to be a great idea, and we now have a wonderful souvenir of the event.

The competition itself was often annoying, mainly because of Al Roker. The man kept up a steady stream of patter for four and a half hours, all of it inane, some of it insulting. At one point, he was trying to interview John Rellah and his commis, both of whom had been cooking nonstop since early that morning. The commis ran to the restroom before the interview, so Al Roker took it upon himself to announce to the entire audience, “The commis is in the commode.” I thought that he went out of his way to embarrass or annoy the chefs there, but maybe he is normally a blunderer. Al’s presence also attracted a good number of guests who were there, not because they cared about the culinary event, but just because they wanted to get a look at Al. I think if they’d taken Al out of the mix, we’d have cut down on a good 20% of the attendees, which would have been good, since it was so crowded that the exits kept getting clogged and they’d come along periodically and clear people out.

The chefs each served one fish platter, followed by individual servings for the fish judges. They then served one meat platter, followed by individual servings for the meat judges. It was so neat, getting to see the judges taste the food, take photos of the food, etc.

Hollingsworth Meat Platter

Hollingsworth fish platter

The competition ended at 3:30, at which point they promptly booted everyone out, to set up for the gala dinner. We checked into our hotel, the Boardwalk Inn, which had fortunately just been rehabbed. No longer were the carpets faded and stained; everything looked bright, elegant, and well-kept, which was pleasing.

By 6:45, we were lined up yet again at the World Showplace area. The cast members out front split us into two lines by last name, which was bizarre, considering that there was no such division once they finally let us in at 7:20. The disorganization showed again in their tardiness; the event was scheduled to begin at 7:00, and they kept men in jackets and ties standing out in 85 degree weather. No one gave us a time frame, which we would have appreciated.

Once we entered, though, it was fabulous. The décor was very ethereal, with blue lighting and clouds projected onto large dividers. The entryway was lined with servers holding trays of drinks: Manhattans, mojitos, glasses of Veuve Cliquot champagne. Once we got into the cocktail area, we saw that the competition kitchens had been transformed into hors d’oeuvres preparation areas. We could circulate and see what each chef was preparing. Servers floated through the crowds, carrying trays of hors d’oeuvres, or guests could pick up the food at the kitchen areas. There were a few different options here, each created by a different chef. Most contained meat, so I didn’t get to taste them all, but Chef Scott Hunnel from Victoria and Albert’s had one of the duck appetizers made for me without the duck, which I really appreciated. We always appreciate the excellent level of service at Victoria and Albert’s, so this was very typical of Chef Scott.

There were two fall squash appetizers: Kabocha squash wrapped with smoked salmon, by Chef David Myers from Sona, and Butternut Squash Panna Cotta with celery and truffle salad by Chef Traci des Jardin from Jardiniere. Both of these were okay, but not excellent. The panna cotta was light and fluffy, but I don’t care for celery, so I didn’t enjoy the greens. The squash with smoked salmon was also very light and mild in flavor, but the squash was extremely hard and crunchy, like a tough carrot stick. This was not my favorite section.

There were two wild mushroom appetizers: a while mushroom cappuccino by Chef Georges Perrier from Le Bec Fin and a Jalousie d’epinards et champignons sauvages by Chef Andre Soltner of the French Culinary Institute. The mushroom cappuccino was unbelievable. It had a lovely, dark, rich flavor, with a froth on top. My husband and I both agreed that this was the best thing we’d eaten all day. The mushroom tart was mild and flaky, and generally didn’t stand up to comparison with the cappuccino.

The foie gras booth also had two amuses bouches: foie gras terrine with raisin and apple mostarda by Chef Laurent Tourondel of BLT Restaurants and a foie gras feuillete, caramelized endive and mango by Chef Alain Sailhac of the French Culinary Institute. My husband tried both of these, since we are both lovers of foie gras, and since I enjoy living vicariously. The foie gras feuillete was a napoleon of foie gras pate, and it was creamy, rich, and delicious. My husband said that there was something about it that stuck in the mouth, so that he could taste it for several minutes afterward, which he enjoyed. He usually prefers a piece of foie gras, but he really enjoyed this. The foie gras terrine was good, but he usually prefers peaches or pears with his foie gras, so the raisins were a bit different.

The last booth was the duck booth, with grilled duck and armagnac sausage, black lentil dal and red curry sauce in phyllo by Chef Roland Muller of WDW. I had this, minus the duck and sausage, and it was quite good. The phyllo was flaky and crisp, as good phyllo should be, and the filling was very spicy and exotic. The second taste from this was a roasted Muscovy duck with fennel and blood oranges, smoked bacon and Minus 8 vinaigrette by Chef Scott Hunnel of Victoria and Albert’s. My husband was very impressed by this dish. The duck was incredibly tender, and the bacon paired well with it and was a nice surprise.

After the cocktail hour was over, we were told to go into the dining area. The tables were assigned with numbers and the name of an herb; ours was number 26, mace. We were seated next to a French couple whose company was one of the event sponsors: Cuisine Solutions. The couple across from us was from New York originally, though they now live in Miami.

Our first course was incredibly lush and decadent, rightfully called the “Tin of Sin.” Each place setting had a toque on the plate, and beneath the toque was a caviar tin. This was the first course from Chef Patrick O’Connell of the Inn at Little Washington. It was a Peekytoe crab salad with Petrossian caviar. This dish was absolutely marvelous, and it turned out to be the best thing we ate that night. The crab salad was very light, and it was complemented beautifully by the caviar. This caviar was not too salty or fishy, as some caviars can be, and the portion was extremely generous. We were each given a crisp, buttery piece of brioche toast, and I slathered the caviar and crab salad onto this. Even though I piled it high, I had enough in the tin of sin to use two pieces of toast and then some left over to eat by itself!

This was paired with a Paragon Sauvignon Blanc 2006 from the Edna Valley Vineyard. We both enjoyed this wine very much. It was citrusy and crisp, with a lot of fruit, and it was definitely our favorite of the white wines.

The next course was the fish course, a Steamed Pierless Cod with Hojimenji mushrooms and a ginger-soy-hijiki sauce by Chef Charlie Trotter from Charlie Trotter’s. We appreciated that each chef stood up on the stage and said a few words about his dish. The cod was perfectly cooked, so light, tender, and smooth. The flavor was very mild, though the sweet and sour mushrooms added a bit of zing to the dish. I felt like this offering was more about the texture of the fish, rather than actual taste, since it was so mild. This dish was served with an Acacia Vineyard Chardonnay 2006. We’re not huge Chardonnay fans, but this was pretty good. It was very oaky, and I got a lot of banana flavors off of this wine.

The third course was where my husband and I parted ways. This was a duo of Brandt beef: red wine braised short ribs and seared rib eye, glazed beet, root vegetable gratin, horseradish, by Chef Daniel Boulud of Daniel. I had asked for the vegetarian option for this course, and I was disappointed to see that I got the exact same thing that my husband did, simply minus the beef. The root vegetable gratin was pretty good, but it was a bit dry. It would have been better if it had been creamier in texture. The glazed beet was surprisingly enjoyable, and it had a lot of flavor. The horseradish cream was very light, almost foamy. On my husband’s plate, it was served on top of the beef, but on mine, it was just served by itself, which was one of the reasons for my disappointment in this option. Who wants to eat plain horseradish cream? The braised short ribs were fatty, but not uncomfortably so. They were extremely tender, with a nice flavor, but my husband preferred Chef Aimee’s short ribs at Victoria & Albert’s. These were served on top of a parsnip puree, which was very creamy and flavorful. The seared rib eye was also flavorful, with a clean taste. The jus that it came with was not memorable, but my husband enjoyed the horseradish cream with this beef selection. The wine with this course was a Beaulieu Vineyards Tapestry Reserve 2004, which we both enjoyed very much. I have a case of the 1999 Tapestry that my husband gave me for my birthday one year, and we are generally Tapestry fans.

The final course of the sit-down portion of the dinner was a cheese plate with four cheeses: Comte Fort Russe, Grayson, Manchester, and Gorgonzola Piccante. The Comte Fort Russe was a nice, creamy goat’s milk cheese, while the Grayson was referred to by Max McCalman as “the stinky cheese like an Epoisse.” It was made in Virginia, though we’d never heard of the farm at which it was made. The Manchester was very enjoyable, with a bit of a bite to it, while the Gorgonzola Piccante was also very good: creamy and not too ammonia-y. The wine with this course was a Dom Perignon Champagne, Brut, 2000, according to the menu, but the bottle they poured ours from was a 1999. We don’t often get the chance to enjoy a vintage Dom Perignon, so we were excited about this wine.

After the cheese course was underway, they began the ceremonies on stage. The winner (big surprise) was the chef from Thomas Keller’s restaurant, The French Laundry. We figured that it would be so, since Thomas Keller was one of the officials, even though he wasn’t a judge. We obviously didn’t get to taste any of the food from the contest, but we were very impressed by the presentation skills of Chef John Rellah. Both his fish course and his beef course were incredibly beautiful, but he didn’t win any of the lesser prizes in the contest even. Ah, well.

Before presenting the prizes, all of the chefs participating in the event entered the dining room, Disney style, i.e. following a giant stuffed rat. Again, the juxtaposition was striking, as a minimum-wage actor gamboling in a Remy suit led a parade of chefs like Alain Salhac around the room. Only Disney would force a collection of grand master chefs to follow a rat around, and I had to wonder what they thought of this odd, ill-suited levity, compared to the treatment that they receive in other countries.

After the award presentation, Jerome Bocuse appeared in the back of the room, holding a giant bottle of champagne and a saber. What he did next was very, very sexual. He held the bottle in one hand, and with the saber in his other hand, he began stroking the bottle from the base of its neck out to the cork. He stroked the bottle faster and faster until finally he knocked off the cork and champagne spurted out of the bottle. It was a just a very funny moment.

This was the signal for confetti to pour from the ceiling and for the band in the other room (the cocktail area) to begin playing “Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot.” Everyone poured out into that room again, where there were nine different dessert stations set up, in addition to the bar areas. We carried our champagne with us, because we’re not ones to waste a vintage Dom Perignon!

Of the desserts, there were six that we didn’t get to try because we just weren’t hungry. These were as follows:

• Passion Fruit and Chocolate Baked Alaska by Chef Andreas Born of Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Salted caramel, coffee, passion fruit duchesse by Chef Ewald Notter of Notter School of Pastry Arts
• Assorted petits fours and fruits with champagne foam by Chef Stefan Reimer of Disney’s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts
• “Poire Helene” poached Bose pear, Valrhona chocolate ganache, almond financier and amaretti gelato by Chef Kelly Smith of Disney’s Boardwalk Resort
• Chocolate Caramel cheesecake martini and apricot napoleon by Chef Chris Vitanza of Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Celebration Cake by Chef Mike McCarey of Mike’s Amazing Cakes

There was another dessert that we didn’t get to try, but that wasn’t listed on the menu. My husband really wanted to check this one out, but he was simply too full. It was a test tube station, and the test tubes were filled with mint chocolate tapioca pearls. These were placed under a long, swirly tube which then pumped what looked like chocolate milk into the test tube. It was very high-tech, but I don’t care for tapioca, so I passed on this one.

We did get to try three of the desserts. I first went for the Grand Marnier-flamed crepes suzette with vanilla cream. It was excellent! I’ve had these where the Grand Marnier was overwhelming, but this was not the case at all. The crepes had a lovely, light orange flavor, without that burning alcohol taste. I enjoyed these very much.

My husband went for the poached strawberry dumplings and wild forest strawberry sauce. Both of our dessert choices happened to be by Eric Herbitschek of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. The dumplings were so soft and warm with a strawberry inside, but they were a bit too mild in flavor for us. I prefer a bit of tartness or zing to my strawberry dishes, and these were just very light and mild. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t spectacular.

Our final choice was excellent. This was a tropical fruit tartar and champagne sabayon by Chef Lothar Neumaier of Epcot. I enjoyed this very much. It was sweet, but a little tangy from the tropical fruits. The champagne sabayon was light, and it was a very refreshing dessert.

We did have one funny moment with Chef Alain Salhac. My husband saw Chef Alain, with whom we’d spoken earlier that evening, and so he said, “Ca va?” Chef Alain, who was completely drunk, apparently, told my husband that this was the best day of his life and asked if my husband knew why. He said, “Because I met you! I live each day like it’s the greatest day.” It was so much fun, to get to see a completely different side of these old school French chefs.

We also saw Chef Scott and Sous Chef Aimee from Victoria and Albert’s Restaurant. They were having a great time, and Aimee was in awe of the incredible talent gathered in one room.

After the desserts were over and we’d had our fill of circulating, we decided to head back to the hotel. It was truly one of the most fabulous days we’ve ever had, well worth the $325 per person price tag.

Until we get the ‘Net connectivity issue resolved…..

We have always been impressed with the way all of Disney’s restaurants accommodate a variety of diners’ preferences, particularly our own.  If you have been following our dining adventures, then you are aware that we are pescatarians, so the only living animals that we eat are those which fall under the category of seafood.

Being that Disney is El-Cheapo, they only allow us to enter certain parks on December 25, Animal Kingdom being one of them.  Last year, we happily lunched on salmon at the Tusker House, but a year of change brought an end to our Tusker House counter service, replacing it with a character buffet.  We chose not to spend our time lunching with 200 cranky toddlers on Christmas day, so instead elected to make reservations at the new Animal Kingdom table service restaurant: Yak & Yeti.

Our first mistake here was not to read the menu in advance, since it was, frankly, uninspiring (or uninspired?).  We were caught up in the excitement of a NEW restaurant in a park that, even before the downfall of Tusker House, has always sorely lacked dining options.

We entered the restaurant just before 12:00 noon, the time of our reservations.  It was much less crowded than we’d expected it to be on Christmas day: only about 20% occupied.   Despite this fact, it took our server a full 10 minutes to greet us.  In our 10 minutes of wait time, we had ample opportunity to peruse the dining menu, and I thought there must be an error somewhere, since nowhere on the menu was a single vegetarian entree listed.  There were two fish entrees, but neither one sounded appealing, so we hoped that this restaurant might do what San Angel Inn does and have a vegetarian menu available on request.  When the server arrived, I asked her about vegetarian options.  And here the hilarity began.

She first said, “Well, I can tell them to leave the chicken and shrimp off the lo mein noodles.”

I replied, “That might be okay.”

She responded, “But the noodles are made with beef broth.”

“Then that’s not really a vegetarian option, is it?” I pointed out to her.  “Since they’re made with beef.”

“That’s why I mentioned it,” our server responded.

Um…  Why suggest it as a vegetarian option at all, if it’s made with beef?  Yak & Yeti is a Landry-owned restaurant; surely we can’t be the first non-meat-eaters they’ve encountered.

Her next suggestion was equally unacceptable.  “Well, I could have them serve you the side dishes of plain rice, with some steamed vegetables.”  Yum.  No, really,  yum.  Plain rice and some steamed vegetables.  That’s EXACTLY why we chose to go out for Christmas lunch.  We stared at each other in astonishment, realizing that these were the Yak & Yeti options for vegetarians: beef noodles or plain rice and steamed vegetables. It was at this point that we told our server thanks, but no thanks, and left Yak & Yeti in disgust.  And, seeing that it was Christmas day, and we were in the Animal Kingdom park, our only other options were soggy Pizzafari pizza or Rainforest Cafe, which ended up being what we chose.

Before we left the park, we went to guest services to register a complaint at the lack of vegetarian options at Yak & Yeti.  We realize this isn’t a Disney-owned restaurant, but come on!  It’s on Disney property, which has historically proven to be wonderfully accommodating to those with diverse dietary needs.  I don’t think we’ve ever just walked out of a restaurant before, but there’s always a first time for everything.  Yak & Yeti goes into our Hall of Shame, and from now on, we will read the menu before making a reservation somewhere!

We had reservations for a 6:30 dinner here, with my sister-in-law and her friend, so this time we were a party of 4.  Of the four of us, my sister-in-law and her friend both ate meat, while my husband and I are still pescatarians!  When we got to the restaurant, we were seated promptly.  I asked to be seated in a quieter room, since we weren’t interested in loud entertainment or louder drunks, and they accommodated us by seating us in one of the side rooms.

My husband and I began with our old favorite, the Smokie City.  For those not in the know about this appetizer, it’s described as “Oven-baked layers of smoked pollock with mature Wexford cheddar and double cream, served with crusty bread.”  At $11.95 for a two-person appetizer, it’s not a great bargain, but is Disney-reasonable.  When my parents-in-law first suggested this appetizer to us, we were iffy on the whole concept of fish mixed with cheese and cream.  But it is really, really good!  The smokiness of the fish is a great foil for the milder potatoes, tomatoes, and cream, while the melted cheese is great with this dish.  We are both big fans of it, and we order this appetizer every time we go to this restaurant.

My sister-in-law ordered the Dalkey Duo, which turned out to be pigs in blankets on forks.  They’d really been excited about this one, but said that the taste was disappointing.

Husband’s entree was the standard fish and chips, with a request to “overcook” the chips. They typically come out of the kitchen in the British-style, which is softer than we Yanks prefer. We were tipped off to this on a previous visit so didn’t make the same mistake twice. The fish was not greasy, but had a slightly off-taste. Wasn’t fishy or bleachy, but a distinct chemical that wasn’t cut by adding lemon.

I was debating between the Scallop Forest, which I’d had before, and the Goats Town, which I’d not yet tried for my entree (I find two appetizers are more than sufficient for me).  I asked our server which he recommended, and he was strongly against the scallops.  Hmmm…  He was so vehement that I didn’t question whether it was a matter of quality that night, or a matter of personal preference.  Regardless, I went with his suggestion and ordered the Goats Town.  This was described on the menu as “Irish goats cheese terrine made with sauteed garlic, shallots, shiitake mushrooms,” so I was expecting more of a terrine.  Instead, I got a round piece of goat cheese.  It was good, mild, but still goaty enough for me, but just not what I expected.  I didn’t care to eat a huge amount of plain goat cheese for dinner, so I quit about halfway through.

My sister-in-law had the Pie in the Sky, a chicken and wild mushroom pie, served with rocket, though not, in her case – she has something against rocket, apparently.  The server was more than willing to substitute.  She enjoyed this, but didn’t seem to be wowed by it.

My sister-in-law’s friend had the Serious Sirloin Steak, served medium well.  Aaack!  But she enjoyed it that way, and actually said it was the best steak she’d had in a long time.

For dessert, my husband and I split the Ger’s Bread and Butter Pudding, about which I’d read so much.  It was exactly like eating warm, spongy butter.  This was the most buttery-tasting dish I think I’ve ever tried, with the exception of an actual stick of butter.  It was warm, moist, buttery, and essentially delicious, though it was so rich that we only ate about a third of it.  My sister-in-law and friend had recently been to ‘Ohana and had the bread pudding there, and they said this bread pudding was very similar.  My sister-in-law, to be different, got the Dunbrody Kiss, which was a chocolate dessert.  She seemed to enjoy it except for the rice krispies inside, but I was glad that we got the bread pudding, since it was really an outstanding version of bread pudding.

Overall, we enjoyed our dinner at Raglan Road very much.  My sister-in-law reported that it was their best dinner on their trip to WDW.  We always find the food to be exceptional, better than that of most of the Disney-owned restaurants, and, as locals, we appreciate the availability of reservations at Raglan Road!

We’d read about the Old Hickory Steakhouse’s Tours de Fromage in a local paper, so we called right away (about a month in advance) and made reservations for this event. The newspaper article had the time wrong: it said that the event started at 12 noon. When we called for reservations, no one mentioned this, but it was only when I called the week before to confirm and happened to ask about the time that I was told it was actually at 4 pm. The hostess said that there had been a few articles with various times: 12 noon, 6 pm, 5 pm, so we were fortunate to have called in advance.

A word about parking at the Gaylord Palms: it stinks. We couldn’t believe that it costs more to park at some convention center than it does to park at Disney! And that the restaurants didn’t validate for parking, so we were stuck with a whopping $12 parking fee. Sheesh.

There was a chiropractor’s conference going on that day, so we had to park far in the back of the building, out in BFE. We approached a canopied entrance that said, “Entrance of the Stars.” Apparently we weren’t considered stars, because we were turned away and told to hail down any passing black vans that we could find. These “shuttles” (not labeled, of course) would take us to the front entrance of the convention center. Hoping it wasn’t a van full of Iranian terrorists, we flagged down an approaching unmarked black van and, lo and behold, the driver very kindly offered to drive us to the front entrance. This still left us walking from there to the actual hotel in 90+ degree weather, but half a loaf and all that.

The moral of the story, Children, is to arrive early enough to walk a half-marathon around and through this building if you have reservations for an event inside the hotel. And don’t be afraid to climb right into unmarked black vans – the drivers are your friends!

We arrived at the Old Hickory Steakhouse, hot, dishevelled, and slightly out of breath, with five minutes to spare. Go us! We then had to wait until around 4:05, when our host came to seat us.

A word about the dress code: it is business casual. And please keep in mind that it is a cheese and wine tasting, which requires the use of all of your olfactory senses, so drenching yourself in perfume will impair the experience not only for you, but for everyone else at the tasting. The room is exceedingly small, with a maximum of 30 guests.

We were fortunate enough to be seated at our own table, but one poor couple got stuck at a table for five and were joined by three 50’s-60’s-ish women dressed for a formal wedding and reeking of scent. It was enough to discommode everyone in the room. We’d go to smell the wines or cheeses, and all we were getting was eau de middle-aged-ladies. After it was over, our Maitre de Fromage, Kayla, asked us for suggestions for future events, and I suggested having the hostess taking reservations remind guests not to wear heavy amounts of perfume. At a tasting, that kind of thing can really mar everyone’s experience. Kayla agreed and immediately knew who we were talking about.

But now on to the actual event!

Our first cheese was Garroxta, a goat’s milk cheese from (where else?) Spain, though the paired wine was a champagne: Chartogne-Taillet “Cuvee St. Anne”, NV. This was a 50/50 mix of Pinot Noir & Chardonnay, and it was a grower’s champagne, which meant hand-selected the grapes that (s)he wanted and made the wine himself, as opposed to selling the grapes to the negociant, who would buy the grapes for a large house. The negociants are looking for a certain flavor & consistency, whereas the growers are looking for grapes that are representative of their terroir. This wine had very small bubbles and apples on the nose. The sommelier (John Glover of Augusta Wine Imports) commented that this wine was sweet, which we actually didn’t get until after we’d tasted this champagne again after the next cheese.

The Garroxta itself was very good. It was mild, not extremely goaty, yet not without goat, if that makes sense. I like my cheese to be animally, and this was, but no offensively, in-your-face animally cheese. Kayla suggested that we pair this with the quince jelly or the date. To me, the quince jelly was a bit overpowering with this very mild cheese. The quince jelly was delicious and sweet, but when you paired it with the cheese, you tasted – quince jelly. The date did much better. It had a mild enough taste to accentuate rather than overwhelm the Garroxta.

Our next cheese was a sheep’s milk cheese, a Zamorano. This was interesting, because it definitely had what Kayla called a “sheep’s bite.” It almost made the back and top of the mouth itch, if that makes sense. This cheese was better with the wine, and it was creamier than a Manchego.

The wine paired with this was a Jose Palactos Petalos Mencia from Spain. This grape varietal was genetically similar to a Cabernet Franc. The wine tasted a bit like licorice and was better with the cheese. The cheese made the wine taste smoother; by itself, the wine’s tannins were a bit much.

Our third and final cheese (yes, were were disappointed that a “tour”de fromage consisted of only three cheeses) was our favorite, the Mahon. This was actually very similar to an extremely stinky cheese that we’d bought at the Union Square Farmer’s Market in New York this summer, from a New Jersey cheesemaker. The Jersey cheese had been stinkier then this one, and it had also been creamier. This cheese had a similar pungency, though. Kayla said that when she first tasted it, she took a big bite and had to spit it out!  The Mahon was very tangy and very salty, and we enjoyed it in small, deliciously interesting bites.  I picked up notes of apricot, while my husband thought it was reminiscent of a really funky cheddar.  It was so odd that we both immediately declared this to be our favorite of the three cheeses.

The wine paired with this cheese was an Atalayas de Golban from Spain.  This was from Tempranillo old vines that have never been re-planted, grafted, or changed.  Apparently soil conditions and the altitude of these vines made them resistant to phyloxera.  It was a so-so wine and didn’t impress us in any way.  It tasted a bit smoky, whereas I like my wines to be a bit more fruity.

Here are the cheeses, with the Garroxta on the far right, the Mahon in the middle, and the Zamorano on the left.  The slice of red is quince jelly.  Just below this is the date, and just below that is a fig cake, which my husband enjoyed.  I don’t care for figs – I don’t like the seeds.

When we were seated at our table, the two red wines were already poured.  This was good, because the wine had a chance to breathe, but bad because a bug had flown into one of my glasses and I had to request a new one.  The interior of the Gaylord Palms is an ersatz tropical forest, so flies happen.

We were actually quite disappointed in the sommelier from Augusta Wine Imports.  I don’t know whether it was his first event, or whether he was nervous, or whether he just didn’t give a rat’s a**, but he made no effort to circulate or talk to the guests about the wines.  He stood in the front of the room, gave a short spiel about each one, then waited at the bar for the next wine to be introduced.  At one point, he stepped outside to make a phone call.  We were expecting him to be a bit more like the vineyard representatives we’d encountered at the Jiko wine dinner.

Overall, for $30 per person, it wasn’t a bad deal for three cheeses and three glasses of wine, though I was expecting more cheeses to make it an actual “tour.”  I also had thought that it might be nice to be seated banquet style, to inspire guests to converse about the cheeses and wines, but instead we were at our own tables.  This turned out to be a blessing in disguise when the perfume ladies walked in.  Even though we could smell them, it would have been much worse if we’d been seated next to them.

When we arrived at the check-in desk downstairs in the Contemporary, we asked the hostess whether it would be possible to wait for a window seat. She said that she would see what she could do, and she radioed upstairs to let them know that a couple at Disney for their anniversary was requesting a window seat. She then warned us that it might be a bit of a wait and sent us up on the elevator.

When we arrived on the 15th floor, we wandered out to the outside walkway, fully expecting to spend quite a while out there. The walkway had a good amount of people on it, waiting for a table, so we assumed that it would take a bit of time to get a table. Wrong! Within 5 minutes our pager was buzzing, and we were off, to be seated at the most glorious table in all of Christendom. Coincidentally enough, this was the same table we were given last year, so perhaps it’s now a tradition for us?

To show you just how magnificent this table was, I’ll post two photos of our view:

And this:

Both of these photos were taken from the table. Fantabulous, hmm?

Now, I have to give a disclaimer about the photos that will accompany this review. They kind of stink. My husband said that the ISO was set wrong (?), and so they look extremely funky. But you will get the idea, at least, of the presentation & the quantity of the portions.

For our appetizer, we began with Yoshi’s Deluxe Sushi Platter. We both love sushi! And we both really love the California Grill sushi, which is always inventive and always fresh. For example, one of the items on the sushi platter was a roll with fried shrimp inside. My husband’s fried shrimp roll had a piece of strawberry in it, which we’ve had before, and we both love. The tart, juicy strawberry contrasts so nicely with the warm, crispy-coated shrimp. Heavenly… My fried shrimp roll had pieces of melon inside it, which was a nice surprise. Again, the crispness of the melon went very well with the tempura fried shrimp.

The rest of the items were fairly standard rolls & nigiri, some with slight twists like the fish with lemon zest over it. All of the pieces of fish were tender, soft, and very, very delicious. We enjoyed this dish was much as we usually do.

For his entree, my husband elected to go with the BLT flatbread. He was saving room for the cheese platter here! He really liked the bacon on it; it was good quality bacon and was quite thick. He wished that the cheese had had a little more flavor to it, but the crust was nice; crispy and well-seasoned. The lettuce was interesting, because he wasn’t used to lettuce on a pizza, but he liked it. He thought that the tomatoes were a bit juicy, and he wished that they’d been drained a little better. Overall, he enjoyed this selection, though he couldn’t finish it. By the end, the richness of the cheese & the heaviness of the bacon were too much for him.

My entree was another sushi platter: the Yellowfin Tuna Three Ways, poki, tataki, and tartare. The poki was just large-ish, competely raw chunks of tuna, topped with something that was funky looking and bright green. I don’t know what it was, but I enjoyed it! Each of the three items was topped with a different color caviar. The poki had red caviar; the tataki had green caviar; the tartare had yellow caviar.

The tataki was very nice, though I have to give the edge to the Flying Fish’s version of this. The outside was lightly seared, and the inside was nice and rare, but I had been really wowed by the Flying Fish chef’s use of interesting spices on the crust of their tuna tataki. In comparison, this one was a bit bland.

I saved the tuna tartare for last, because it’s usually my favorite, but this one, while good, was actually a touch too spicy for my taste. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t tolerate heat well, so a normal person may find the level of heat to be just right. The small cubes of mango mixed in with the tuna were quite nice, and I enjoyed their fruitiness. It complemented the tuna very well.

For dessert, we couldn’t wait for the cheese plate! The cheeses were, from first to last:

• Coulommiers- a bit mroe flavor than a brie; liked
• Lionza- mild
• Flixer- good to see you, old friend!  Thanks for the Flying Fish memories
• Clochette- good, not too goaty
• Hubbardston Blue- not memorable, at least at this point

We took our time eating these cheeses, savoring each one; I liked them all. The cheese plate at the California Grill costs $2 more than the one at the Flying Fish, and we didn’t know why that was, except possibly because the California Grill serves larger portions of cheese. We were quite pleased with the size of the cheese wedges here.

Our server was so kind as to bring us out a slice of possibly the richest chocolate cake I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating. We couldn’t quite finish it, but we made a good effort! It was lovely, with a thick, cold, extremely rich chocolate ganache layered between the slices of soft, moist chocolate cake.

For those interested in dining at the California Grill, the dress code is business casual. Shorts and tank tops are out of place here. Sushi platters average $20, and entrees range from $23-35. The flatbreads are a relatively affordable entree alternative with a $10-$14 price tag.

Many people come solely for the view, which is a mistake. Odds are against ever being given a window seat, especially around fireworks time. For as many times as we’ve been to the California Grill, we’ve only gotten a window seat twice: our past two visits. If you don’t have a window seat, forget about trying to view from within the restaurant. People at the bar will shout at you to move and crouch down, even if you happen to be barely 5 feet tall (I know this from experience!). And people on the viewing walkway will shove you around. Apparently fireworks at Disney are the equivalent of a shipment of food to the Sudan. People are ready to hurt you, just to get a better fireworks view. It’s a scary thing.

But the food alone is worth visiting for. In many ways, I wish they’d move Chef Mickey’s up here and just create a Lord of the Flies-esque pandemonium on Floor 15, while letting those of us who enjoy good cuisine quietly eat our California Grill meals, sans shoving or yelling, in a less view-centered arena.

Since we had our wedding reception at Victoria & Albert’s Restaurant, we return here every year for our anniversary. We prefer to eat at the Chef’s Table, even if we can’t get it on quite the right date, which happened to be the case this year.

Even though the Chef’s Table is in the kitchen, the dress code is still formal, with jacket required for men and a similar level of formality for women. Once seated at the Chef’s Table, though, men can remove their jackets, which is a big no-no in the main room. The primary advantage of the Chef’s Table is twofold: 1. You get to sample EVERYTHING and 2. You get to interact with the chefs and watch them at work.

On this particular evening, Chef Scott was off, so Sous Chef Aimee was our chef for the evening. My husband selected to go with the wine pairings, but we all started off with a champagne toast: Hiedsieck Monopole Blue Top Brut Champagne, NV.

Our amuse bouche course was incredible, so we began the meal with exuberance. The Cream of Cashew soup was sweet and incredibly creamy, and the candied cashews added an interesting crunchy texture that contrasted nicely with the thick creaminess of the soup. There were small pieces of squash in the soup that my husband could have done without; he felt that they didn’t add anything to either the flavor or the texture.

The next amuse was Lobster en Crepe with Vanilla Aioli. In contrast to the soup, this was very light and delicate. We wished that it had a bit more flavor; the strongest taste came from the vanilla. I wished that there had been more caviar, because there is usually a caviar-based amuse bouche.

Our final amuse was Monterey Abalone with Preserved Lemon. Neither of us had ever had abalone before, so this was a new taste for us. In my husband’s words, it tasted like “an awesome fried clam.” It was clean and tender, with a bright taste, and was fried delicately, so that it wasn’t greasy at all. This dish and the cashew soup both had that “wow” factor.

My husband’s first course was Seared Colorado Buffalo Tenderloin, Braised Fennel, Radishes and Blood Orange Vinaigrette. He could only taste the outside of the tenderloin: the sear and the seasoning. The inside wasn’t as flavorful, so it got lost in the stronger flavor of the crust, which tasted almost like beef jerky. The blood oranges had an exotic taste, like oranges with an interesting twist. The wine paired with this was the Cantina Del Taburno Falanghina, Campania 2005.

My first course was upsetting to me, mainly because it included *gasp!* prosciutto. As I’d specifically told them that I didn’t eat meat, and as Chef Aimee had confirmed this with me prior to the start of the meal, I was surprised that they’d made this glaring omission to their usually dietary vigilance. I peeled the prosciutto off and gave it to my husband, and then proceeded to eat the (no longer) Prosciutto Wrapped Gulf Shrimp with Melon Coulis and Pickled Watermelon.

This dish was very good, nice and light; the melon coulis gave a faintly sweet, fresh taste to the shrimp. Except for the pig, I enjoyed it very much.

Our next dishes were similar, yet different: two variations on one theme. My husband had the Crab Stuffed Tempura Squash Bloom with Grape Must Mustard. The tempura batter was light, not greasy, and the crab was sweet, which provided a nice foil for the fried batter. This dish was great. The mustard was creamy, not too pungent or strong, and it was light enough to pair with the crab without overpowering it. Every ingredient was beautifully matched. It was the kind of dish that, if we tried to make it at home, the mustard would be too strong, or the crab would be too tasteless, or the batter would be too greasy, but somehow the chefs at Victoria & Albert’s harmonized these ingredients beautifully. He ate it all, even the stem! His wine with this was one of our favorites, Caymus Conundrum, California, 2001.

My dish was a Vegetable Ratatouille Stuffed Tempura Squash Bloom with Tomato Broth. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this dish. I’d had the crab stuffed squash blossom before and had been a big fan, so I was at first disappointed to get a different version. I’m not the world’s biggest fan of tomato broth, but, again, every ingredient worked so well together. The faintly tart tomato cut through the light, fluffy, crispy tempura batter, while the bits of vegetable added an interest to the texture. My husband offered to half his squash blossom with me, but after tasting mine, I said that I’d prefer to stick with my own dish, though I did taste his.

My husband’s next course was a Pondichery Peppered Quail with a Four Grain Pancake, Georgia Peaches and Corn. He said that this was so nice. The best part was the cracked pepper on top of the quail egg; it tasted like no other cracked pepper he’d ever had, and it worked well with the quail. The theme was pancakes and eggs, and the pancake was okay. It was a nice background but didn’t really add anything to the dish. The quail was juicy, tender, and extremely flavorful. The egg was too small; he wanted more of it. It was cooked sunny side up just perfectly: a little past soft, so that it didn’t run everywhere, but still had a nice liquidity to it. The wine paired with this was a Grans-Fassian Auslese Trittenheimer Apotheke, Pfalz 2002, and it was off-dry. He liked this wine very much.

My next dish was a Vegetarian Consommee with Potato Gnocchi and Morels Mushrooms. I thought that this was the weakest of all of my dishes. The vegetable broth was very light, and, though it had some flavor, it was still lacking oomph. I was underwhelmed. The potato gnocchi was very light and fluffy, but, again, wasn’t as interesting as it could have been.

My husband’s next dish was a Ballotine of Poulet Rouge with Duck Consomme and Morels. This was his weakest dish. The duck and the consomme were both rich and flavorful, but the chicken didn’t go very well with the mushrooms. The chicken was too mild tasting, and didn’t pair well with the earthiness of the mushrooms. He thought it was a weak match. Boiled chicken by itself has a wimpy taste anyway, so there probably wasn’t much they could have done to make this dish interesting or exotic. The wine with this was a Newton Red Label Chardonnay, Napa 2005.

I had the Seared Wild Turbot with Brown Butter Sauce and Toasted Capers. Chef Aimee said that Turbot was her favorite fish, and I agreed that it tasted wonderful. The fish was deliciously flavorful, and the rich, creamy brown butter sauce contrasted beautifully with the tartness of the capers. Despite the rich sauce, this dish was not too heavy at all.

My husband then had the Duo of Pan Roasted and Chilled Terrine of Foie Gras. The foie gras had a great taste, but it was a bit greasy and weighed heavier than it normally would have, given how full he was. It was slightly over-salted, as well. In comparison with the foie gras he’d recently had at Per Se, this was a disappointment. It still had a great taste, but he’s had better foie gras there. This was paired with Royal Tokaji Azsu 5 Puttonyos, Mad Tokaj-Hegyalja 2000, which we’ve had before. We always enjoy this dessert wine.

The terrine was rich, and it tasted very much like a richer, gamier version of a chicken liver pate. It was heavier than the seared foie gras, and he wished that they’d just served him the foie gras, not the duo.

My next course was Virginia Beach Striped Bass with Oyster Sauce and Asian Vegetables. The bass was good, and the oyster sauce added a nice flavor to the mild taste of the fish. The sauce was enjoyable, but not outstanding; it tasted like standard oyster sauce.

My husband’s main course was a Tasting of Japanese “Wagyu” and Australian “Kobe” Beef Tenderloin with Oxtail Jus. This was paired with a Chateau Cantemerle, Haut-Medoc 2003.

The Australian “kobe” was tender like butter. He didn’t really need to use the knife with this. The flavor, also, was mild. He’s had this several times before, at just about every meal. The jus had an anise, licorice flavor to it and was very rich.

The Japanese Wagyu, in comparison, was like night and day. It had so much more beef flavor. It was extremely well seasoned and had more marbling, which is probably why it had so much more flavor. He definitely preferred the wagyu to the “kobe.”

The shortribs that accompanied this dish were the one of the richest things he’s ever eaten. They were nicely shredded, not fatty, but a bit greasy. They felt heavy in his mouth, and he could barely finish this dish, not because of the way it tasted, but because of where it was placed in the meal. The shortribs tasted great, though he has to give the preference to the pork shortribs that Chef Aimee does also.

My next dish was an Alaskan King Salmon with Bamboo Rice Blend,Coconut Broth. The salmon was great. It had a lot of flavor, and there were crispy, very salted pieces of salmon that tasted almost like bacon. I enjoyed it very much, especially since I’m a big salmon fan but don’t often get salmon of this quality.

The bamboo rice was flavorful. Again, it was very salty, but it tasted more like something that I could get in a good Chinese restaurant, instead of something truly special and unique.

We then each had a cheese course next: a Comte Saint Antoine, Pierre Robert, Monte Enebro and Fourme D’Ambert. Unfortunately, we don’t remember much about these! The Comte Saint Antoine was rather mild, as the first cheese, and the Pierre Robert had more flavor than the triple creme cheeses usually do. The Monte Enebro was a goat’s cheese that was very good, and the Fourme D’Ambert was quite mild for a blue cheese. My husband’s final wine was a Cockburn’s 10 year old Tawny Porto. I prefer a 20 year tawny port, since the flavor is just much richer, but this one was quite good also.

We then had a course of fruity desserts: Wild Strawberry Sorbet, Mango-Yogurt Panna Cotta and Miniature Banana Gateau. The sorbet was a nice palate cleanser, and we preferred this course of fruit-based desserts followed by a chocolate dessert to the meals from years past when we had a chocolate course followed by another heavy or rich dessert. The Mango-Yogurt Panna Cotta was also light and refreshing, and the banana gateau was very sweet and creamy, but still fairly light.

Our final course was the chocolate course: Tanzanian Chocolate Pyramid, Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Souffle and Peruvian Chocolate Ice Cream and Puff Pastry. Of these three items, we’d had two before: the souffle and the pyramid. The ice cream and puff pastry was new to us on this trip, and I didn’t like the way it looked. It reminded me of a small, spiky animal. It wasn’t enough to keep me from tasting it, but I just didn’t find the presentation to be very appealing.

Of the three chocolate dishes, my least favorite was the Peruvian Chocolate Ice Cream. My husband agreed that it was nothing special, but he thought that it was the best of the three! He said this was probably because it was cold and at that point, he was so full that he wanted something a bit more refreshing. The chocolate pyramid was a deliciously rich mousse, though the Kona chocolate souffle was too heavy for me to eat at this point in the meal! Each time we eat at the Chef’s Table, we come with empty stomachs and try to do justice to all of the courses, but we never quite make it. Still, I’d prefer having too much fantastic food at Victoria & Albert’s than a few good courses and stingy portions at Per Se.

And, as always, we finished with a delicious cup of coffee, brewed in the Cona coffee maker:

Overall, this was an immensely enjoyable experience. We always appreciate the care and attention to detail that go into our meals at Victoria & Albert’s. The service was very smooth, and the only glitch was the prosciutto that found its way into my shrimp dish. This was disappointing, but not enough to prevent us from returning, and neither are the rapidly rising dinner prices

We visited this counter service restaurant twice, only getting a soup on our first trip.  The reason for this was that we’d eaten lunch earlier that day at the Kringla Bakeri Og Cafe, and then we went off to do the Aqua Tour.  All the swimming left me hungry after a relatively light lunch, so I suggested that we stop by the Sunshine Seasons for a quick snack.  Hence not one, but two days of reviews rolled together.

Our first meal consisted of a bowl of creamy tomato soup and the accompanying giganto cracker.  It pretty much tasted like creamy tomato soup with an immensely large cracker.  The soup was about mid-range creamy, not rich and luscious, but definitely not pure tomato juice.  This dish was a great comfort food, and I think they should offer it during the winter time for guests facing down the blizzards of Central Florida.

One of the reasons why we like this place is that it has a variety of stations, so there’s pretty much something for everyone.  There is a salad bar, for those attempting to stay on a diet while at Disney World (good luck with that).  There is an Asian bar, which I never try, since it seems to consist mostly of meat offerings.  There is a sandwich bar, a dessert bar, and, finally, there is my favorite bar: the warm foods bar.  At this bar, you can choose from salmon or chicken, and you get to pick two vegetable sides.

I chose the salmon with mashed potatoes and carrots as my sides.  Since Tusker House has fallen victim to the notorious Disney Dining Plan, the salmon here at Sunshine Seasons has become my favorite counter-service salmon.  It’s got flavorful char marks on it, and it served warm with a cold kalamata olive sauce.  The mashed potatoes were also pretty good.  They weren’t extremely creamy, but they weren’t dry at all.  There were big pieces of red potato skin in this item.

My husband’s sandwich was a Turkey and Muenster sandwich, which was far too dry.  It needed more chipotle mayonnaise to make it palatable.  The turkey and cheese here were just standard, grocery store deli counter fare, and the chipotle mayonnaise was nice, but  they’d skimped on this necessary ingredient.

Overall, we would return, though my husband would probably order something different.  I continue to order the same salmon dish every time we eat here, because it is decent quality counter service food.  My only complaint is that they don’t accept the Disney Dining Experience discount here.