victoria and albert's one

I don’t usually do restaurant reviews, but I think a 10 course meal warrants at least a mention, don’t you think?

Here’s the deal: the.boy really wanted to go to Disney World on our honeymoon. I really did not. So we compromised – he came along with me to a food blog conference in Disney, and I still get to to go to Italy and June. Win/win. Also, multi-tasking.

Anyway, since he really considered it to be our honeymoon, he did a lot of research on crazy things that we could do while there, and inevitably stumbled across Victoria & Albert’s – recognized with a AAA Five Diamond rating, it is basically the Per Se or French Laundry of Disney World. That is to say, really delicious. Really expensive. Really worth it.

The photos above are us before eating. I decided against showing you what we looked like after…extreme inebriation does not look good on us.

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We sat in the Queen Victoria’s Room, which is a fairly intimate room that holds up to 16 people, however it was only us and another couple celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary while we were there. We were attended to by two waters throughout the evening – Jack and Sherri, a married couple, who were extremely personable and knowledgeable about everything on the menu, the wines that were served, etc. It was obvious that they were very passionate about their jobs and that enthusiasm definitely added to the eating experience.

When we called to book the reservation, we were asked fairly extensive questions about our eating preferences, likes, dislikes, any dietary restrictions, etc. so that our menus could be tailored specifically for us. As such, I had a vegetarian menu while the.boy had a carnivorous one. Each course was accompanied by a half glass of wine (though they really felt like full glasses to me) that was specifically paired to what we were being served. There were also three unlisted bread courses throughout the evening.

victoria and albert's three

My first course was an amuse bouche of roasted kabocha and butternut squash soup. I mean, did they get me or what. The soup was creamy and slightly sweet, but not overly so. It was all I could do not to gulp it down in one slurp! The bread that was served with this was a very simple baguette.

Next up was a cold salad of marinated marble potatoes with ratatouille and balsamic froth. This dish felt very fresh, and I thought the fact that it was served chilled complimented the acidic flavors very well.

And because no fancy schmancy meal is complete without a little smoke and mirrors, we were served a hot salad of smoked cauliflower with Fuji apple dressing. The cauliflower arrived under a bell and when it was lifted, smoke poured out of it for dramatic effect. The cauliflower itself was tender, smoky, and sweet-tart from the dressing.

victoria and albert's four

The next course seemed to be a celebration of cruciferous vegetables, as it consisted of a cabbage tart with salsify and baby brussels sprouts. This was one of my favorites throughout the night. The cabbage was couched in a flaky puff pastry while the brussels sprouts were simply roasted, just the way I like them. My only regret of the evening was not demanding more pieces of the cabbage tart!

Next up was my favorite dish of the night – poached egg ravioli with Florida corn. Basically, an egg-stuffed ravioli sits atop a creamy corn bruschetta and is topped with corn foam. As soon as you cut into the ravioli, the egg yolk runs everywhere making it that much more delicious.

Then was my favorite bread of the evening – a truffle bread that was paired with truffle infused butter. Mmmm.

victoria and albert's five

For the pasta course, I was served house-made gnocchi (so fluffy!!) that were paired with a black trumpet mushroom sauce and topped with the biggest slices of black truffles that I have ever seen. I don’t really love mushrooms other than truffles…but it was glorious.

The main course was a potato cannelloni. The inside was stuffed with mashed potatoes, while the outside shell was comprised of crispy fried potatoes. The juxtaposition of the two in the dish really accentuated how versatile potatoes are, while the miniature vegetables that it was served with were almost too cute to eat!

I don’t think I’ve ever had a cheese course in a meal before (I’m not fancy like that), but the one we had was a good first experience. The cheeses were mostly mild (I wish I could remember the names, but at this point I was fairly drunk), though there was a deliciously pungent blue on the end. They were served with homemade fruit leather, nuts, and whole pieces of honeycomb.

victoria and albert's six

In an attempt to sober myself up, I insisted on having coffee even though it was pretty late. Then, Jack brought out this crazy coffee making device! I thought I was seeing things, too, but no…it really does make good coffee. The basic concept is that the coffee is brewed by creating a vacuum, and while I’m sure I thought I understood the science behind it in the moment (see above about my mental status by this point in the meal), now I have no idea. But it was delicious.

victoria and alberts

 

You all know I can never pass up dessert, and we were served two. By this time, I was pretty stuffed, yet I still managed to eat every last bite of the peach quark cheesecake served with spun sugar and fruit-infused caviar, and chocolate mousse timbale with roasted white chocolate gelato. No, really – EVERY BITE. And maybe even some of the.boy’s. I totally needed to be rolled home.

On top of that, they then tried to feed us a chocolate course that we begged them to let us take home. It’s a good thing we did because I almost projectile vomited when I tasted the bourbon one, which was basically filled with STRAIGHT ALCOHOL. Not what I was expecting.

All in all, I would definitely say our experience at Victoria & Albert’s was well worth the money we spent. I went feeling hungry, and left feeling stuffed, inspired, and totally satisfied. The.Boy, who is decidedly way less of a foodie than I am, enjoyed it also and his main comment was that he never realized food could make him feel that way. Suffice it to say, he’s already planning our first anniversary trip there. Not joking.

My point being that even though it’s a splurge, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity worth taking. You won’t regret it!

Note: I bought this meal with my own money and was not compensated for this review at all in any way. As always, my thoughts and opinions are my own!

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44 Responses to Wednesday Coffee Talk: The Victoria & Albert’s Edition

  1. P says:

    Sounds like an amazing place for sure! Glad you two had a great time 🙂

  2. Love it! It reminded of our visit to Per Se. The sheer magnitude of each dish was impressive and when I did not like any of the dessert options, they made something up just for me. Glad you both enjoyed it. 🙂

  3. We *almost* went there for a fancy dinner before our cruise last year, but then thought about the ridiculous amount of bread, cheese, butter, sugar, and just food in general we’d be eating on the ship. It sounds TOTALLY worth it and we’ll have to actually fit it in sometime!

  4. I seriously loved this post so much! The real foodie in me is pretty much freaking out over all the fancy-schmancy food you got to enjoy! And uh, white chocolate gelato? NEEED.

  5. oh sweet lord….10 courses!!! It looks sooo fancy and romantic and delicious and overwhelming lol

  6. Meg says:

    Ooh, this sounds delightful! A true culinary experience . . . though I can’t imagine how you were able to eat (and drink!) everything without wanting to explode. But how could you pass any of it up?!

  7. SallyBR says:

    I don’t do restaurant reviews either, but like you, open exceptions for truly spectacular meals, and of course yours was UNREAL!

    what a place!

    I would have trouble keeping up with the wine, though – I used to be able to handle this type of extravagance, but unfortunately no longer the case. My advice to you, enjoy it while your body can handle… 🙂

    you both look sooo happy and gorgeous together!

    looking forward to the next special trip…

  8. You definitely deserve this! I may not be sophisticated enough to be eating at fancy restaurants…to me, it seems like all of the dishes have dish soap bubbles on them.

  9. 10 course meal?!!!! oh my gawd. . everything looks amazing . . love that you shared this with us and so glad that you also get to go to Italy in June. Win/win, indeed, yo! Nice!!

  10. There are no words for this, except… I’m making reservations!!!!!

  11. Julia says:

    Your two-honeymoon plan sounds brilliant, and I’m already ironing out the details of shoving myself in your luggage come June. I’ll be real quiet and you won’t even notice me photo bombing all your Italia shots 😉

    What a marvelous meal you had!! Gotta love a little fine dining from time to time, and I really want that crazy coffee contraption!

  12. Sign me up! What a lovely dinner! I could handle 10 courses like this! Thanks for sharing every bit of it…

  13. Heather says:

    That sounds like the most amazing dinner ever!

  14. Lori R. says:

    This looks so nice. A great compromise indeed. I’m completely intrigued by the coffee contraption! I also expect many detailed food reviews like this from Italy!

  15. Beth says:

    What an amazing experience, Joanne! I’m glad you had a great time.

  16. Pam says:

    What a fantastic and delicious meal! You both look great.

  17. A cheese course? I am totally fascinated…
    And, wait – there are people who pass on dessert??? The nerve!!!!! Though I am not a fan of straight up alcohol and chocolate though…

  18. Christine says:

    What a wonderful and memorable experience. Cheers on a brilliant compromise!

  19. OMGeeeee this is sooooo super amazing! What a fabulous evening together!

  20. Sounds like a fabulous meal Joanne! That’s one of the best parts of marriage….learning to compromise. So glad the ‘first half’ of your honeymoon was delightful!

    Have a great day!

  21. Sarah says:

    Wow, what an amazing dinning experience. Glad you had fun!

  22. I love how he told you he never knew food could make him feel that way—HAHA!! Seems that just the wine alone makes it worth it. Loved that you took us with you and documented all the dishes. It really inspired me to indulge in a fancy schmancy supper like this one day!!

  23. Kate says:

    That sounds like an all night kind of meal!

  24. Whoa, that’s not a meal it’s a vacation! What a great experience and you look like quite the hottie walking down those stairs my friend. 😉

  25. Oh, I would say The.Boy did very well – what an interesting and enjoyable experience.

  26. What a meal!!! Did you take photos of the carnivorous one? I would love to see what he had.

  27. Molly says:

    Science! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siphon#Siphon_coffee

    There are also a ton of awesome videos on this on Youtube 🙂

  28. Sues says:

    What an awesome meal!! It all looks incredible 🙂 Guess you’ll be doing it all again next year 🙂

  29. Reeni says:

    That’s a LOT of food! And wine! It all looks delicious! I wouldn’t of passed up dessert either no matter how stuffed I was.

  30. Hotly Spiced says:

    Wow! What a fantastic night out. I love the china! It’s always a good sign when the staff ask for your dietary preferences. It sounds like the vegetarian meal was a standout. I’d love to try the gnocchi with mushrooms. And yes, those half-glasses of wine really do add up xx

  31. mira says:

    Sounds like you had wonderful time Joanne! So glad! Pictures are awesome!

  32. Wow. What an amazing eating experience! Thanks for sharing – the dishes are so creative.

  33. Lynn says:

    I would have loved that ravioli, too. The whole meal sounds good – especially the dessert. And a cheese course! Lovely.

  34. Kelly says:

    Aaw, yay! Each and every course looks amazing and I think that poached ravioli would be one of my favorites too! That coffee device sounds so cool! What a fun night, so glad you guys had a great time 🙂

  35. What a wonderful experience and a once in a life-time – well worth it! Thanks for sharing with us!

  36. If I ever go back to Disney I am so going there. I’ve seen several specials on it and I’m so glad it lived up to the hype. It’s nice that they create meals just for you, so you don’t have to worry you won’t like it.

  37. Danguole says:

    I’m so intrigued by that cabbage tart! Cruciferous GLAMOUR. Who knew.

  38. The restaurant did a wonderful job of creating a delicious veggie meal…I’m sure The.Boy’s was great as well.

  39. Wow – I have to admit, I never would have expected a place this amazing to be at Disney World! Consider me surprised 🙂

  40. It looks like you had a very fancy dinner. You both looked wonderful.

  41. Johanna GGG says:

    wow that makes disneyland sound so much better – love all the foam but I wish I could have seen the cauli served – sounds like lots of fun

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