Magic And Chic: Fashion and Fare for the Disney Geek: Eats

Showing posts with label Eats. Show all posts

Dinning at Victoria and Albert's in Walt Disney World was my dream for what seemed like forever. Ever since I had heard about it, I had wanted to go there.Three years ago, my then-boyfriend (now husband) and I went on our dream trip to Disney World. We had been before, but this was something really special. It was the most magical trip ever (so-far). So, I decided to splurge and take us to Victoria and Albert's!

Steevin wasn't all that interested to be honest. He was nervous he wouldn't enjoy it and would feel out of place because it might be "too fancy". But he decided he would go and try to enjoy himself for me. And he was SO glad he did. Its a meal we still talk about, to this day. If you have ever wanted to eat at Victoria and Albert's, it is worth it. I would go again in a heart beat!

We arrived at the Grand Floridian the night of our reservations and asked for directions to Victoria and Albert's. We went and checked in but I knew we were early so they had a hostess WALK us to the bar around the corner. I told a still-anxious Steein he could relax now because they had seen him and hadn't sent him home but he was still nervous. So I ordered him a Rum and Coke at the bar and I got a Gin and Tonic. We actually had a great time chatting with the bartender and another couple there. The bartender was a treat. She told us about a drink she invented called a Poison Apple and then made the couple one and gave us a little taste. Soon the hostess came back and found us and walked us back to V&A's. No buzzers here, thankyouverymuch.

Steevin's Malibu and Coke did the trick and he soon loosened up a little and was able to enjoy himself. Its really easy to feel comfortable. The wait staff is so nice and accommodating. No one is going to make you feel small for getting some crumbs on the table or like a fool for not knowing which fork to use. This is Disney. You're going to be made to feel welcome no matter how used to fine dinning you are.

We got our personalized menus, picked what we wanted to eat and what followed was the best tasting three hours of our lives. Below is our dinner. I will have to go back in the future just to get better photos of the mouthwatering meal. But please enjoy these photos and descriptions responsibly.. I cannot be held responsible if you finish reading this and suddenly find yourself starving!

Our amuse-bouche: cauliflower cream with caviar,
ahi tuna, duck, and lobster. It was all amazing!

My appetizer: cold-smoked and seared bison with
truffle vinaigrette

Steevin's appetizer: gulf shrimp and heirloom tomatoes
with charmoula sauce

Victoria and Albert's Maine scallop with braised fennel and blood orange gastrique.

Maine scallop with braised fennel and blood orange
gastrique.(No photo of Steevin's. His was GONE
by the time I was ready to take a photo.
I guess it was good!)

My hot appetizer: Marcho Farm veal with and apple
red wine kraut

Victoria and Albert's Steev's blurry hot appetizer: roasted quail with Asian pears and Serrano ham jus

Steevin's blurry hot appetizer: roasted quail with
Asian pears and Serrano ham jus

My main course: Kurobuta pork tenderloin and belly with
verjus-bacon vinaigrette

victoria and albert's Steev's main course: Australian kobe-style beef tenderloin with smoked garlic potato puree

Steevin's main course: Australian kobe-style beef tenderloin
with smoked garlic potato puree (See below)

This is the smoked garlic potato puree

My delicious cheese platter - so many delicious cheeses!!

Steevin's white chocolate gelatto

My Hawaiian Kona chocolate souffle. This was heaven in my mouth!
Quite literally the best dessert I have ever had the pleasure of eating!

Steevin's vanilla bean creme brûlée. He said this was the greatest thing ever.

And then this! After dinner treats and a rose. The chocolate
on the right was sea salt and some sort of caramel
with liqueur. SO AMAZING!

This was an incredible night with fantastic company. If you've ever wondered about going to Victoria and Albert's but weren't sure about it, I can't say enough nice things about it. Yes, it was expensive. But I did not feel bad at all for saving up for something like this and I would do it again. There are some things in life that are worth the extravagance and this is one of them!

Hi guys!! I was lucky enough to get to visit Disneyland resort on both Sunday and Thursday this week. Sunday was a trip to celebrate a dear friend's birthday. And it was WET! I don't mean it was kind of soggy and damp. I mean it was pouring down big, fat rain drops. Everyone was covered from head to toe in plastic ponchos... except for me. I was covered from head to toe in sopping wet clothes. And I was totally okay with this! It was still a great day in the park.

I went from this...

...to this wet mess in under a minute!

The rain did make things cold and slippery but the thing about rain is it makes soup the perfect meal! And that is exactly what we did. We stopped of at Cafe Orleans for a late lunch and warmed up with some French Onion soup. I consider myself a french onion soup connoisseur of sorts and this bowl sure hit the spot. It was rich and cheesy and the onions were caramelized to perfection. And yes, there were pomme frites as we all know, no trip to Cafe Orleans with out these "french fries with attitude". Dessert was a birthday-sized plate of cake and beignets themed to Up. How awesome is that!!

disneyland cafe orleans french onion soup

The Frenchiest of french onion soup

Pomme Frites... Mmmmmm!

A rather poor photo of Up Biegnets

We managed to enjoy our day a great deal even in the rain. However... Thursday arrived with blue skies all around and promised to warm up to a toasty 75 degrees. Sometimes you just can't beat Southern California in the winter. The parks were SO empty. There were stretches where I didn't see anyone else at all. It was MAGIC. Sure... it means that I missed out on seeing some of the awesome outfits you guys were wearing at the park that day. But wasn't it nice to have room to breathe and stretch out? As proof of all the room, I offer this photo that my friend took:

Room for a nap! Photo by Dtrigger05

With so much space, there was plenty of time for rides! Watch for a youtube video coming soon to see all the fun we had that day in the park. Such a great time!! But of course, I don't go to Disneyland Resort for just the rides. So we hit up Disney California Adventure for lunch. We ate at the Paradise Garden Grill. I opted for the Cheeseburger that was visiting the location from the Taste Pilots Grill that is currently under renovation. There were not very many burger options. Just a cheeseburger or a bacon cheeseburger. I went with the regular cheeseburger and disappointingly, unlike at Taste Pilots there was no topping bar to be had. The burger did come with thousand island dressing. It wasn't a bad burger by any means... but it was pretty bland and boring.

dca disney california adventure cheeseburger burger hamburger

A basic burger

After lunch we hit the Sonoma Terrace Beer Garden where I enjoyed a beer called a Pranqster. We had time to just sit, hang out and talk. Once we were done we got to meet Oswald! It was super exciting. It was my first time meeting him. And then a few of us went and sang our hearts out at the Frozen Sing-a-long. I'm not going to lie... my friend Matt and I sang a pretty amazing duet of Love is an Open Door. It was Grammy-worthy, to be sure! And after we finished watching Elsa let it go, we headed off in search of more refreshments. Vodka, pomegranate and limeade from Cozy Cone Motel.

Pranqster!

Me and my buddy, Oswald!!!

Cozy Cone Motel Cars Land Disney Disneyland California Adventure Vodka Limeade

The foam on top is lime flavored

We hit a few more rides before our tummies were asking for dinner. This time we went to the Pacific Warf and I opted for the Clam Chowder in a Sourdough Bread Bowl. I cannot tell you the last time I had one of these and I don't know why its been so long! It was so tasty. It made up for my boring burger earlier in the day. The soup was creamy and hot and the bowl was crusty and the perfect sourdough-ish taste. I kind of wish I had a bowl right now!

Chow-ddah!

We ended out night at the new Frozen area in Hollywood Backlot. We played in the snow for a while, waved to Olaf, warmed up with white chocolate hot cocoa with freshly made peppermint marshmallows and then danced and danced late into the night... or at least until 8pm when the parks closed for their off-season hours.

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Thanks for reading! I'll post a link to the video soon. By the way... where is everyone's favorite place to grab a burger at the Disneyland Resort? Sometimes I just want a tasty burger!

The Tam O'Shanter. Its a legend in itself. Its been around since 1922 and is one of the oldest restaurants in LA. It was located right near the Walt Disney Studios (when it was located on Hyperion) so Walt Disney and his Imagineers often ate there. In fact, they ate there so often that they called it their "commissary".

As a huge fan of Disney (The man even more than the company, if that's possible) I have always wanted to go. And now that I live just a few minutes away, it seemed like a great time to make this dream a reality.Lucky for me, Steevin (my husband) was down to give it a try too. We headed over on a Saturday afternoon around 2pm for a late lunch.

We've driven by the restaurant quite a few times in the past so we knew where to find it on Los Feliz boulevard. While the building has changed a bit over the years, the idea of what it originally looked like, remains intact. (Click here to see old photos!) The white walls and dark wood beams definitely remind you of a Scottish Tudor style cottage and a bit like a fairy tale. I somehow missed taking a photo of the exterior of the building but here is a great one by Loren Javier fron Flickr:

Tam O'Shanter Inn by Loren Javier

The sign itself has been changed several times but the most recent sign is a call back to the original sign. As it should be! This place is an institution, not just for Disney Lovers but its a great piece of history.

Tam O'Shanter sign welcomes all

We pushed open the doors and walked inside. It was so cozy inside. It honestly felt like coming "home". There was a warm, dark nook to the right with chairs and a fire place. The hosts and waitstaff wore plaid. It made me wonder if Walt Disney found inspiration for the Disneyland Guest Relations costumes here. The skirts worn here are quite a bit shorter than would be allowed to be worn by Cast Members at Disneyland but I imagine when Walt started eating here in the 20's the skirts would have been much longer.

We were told the main dining room was closed until dinner time but the "Ale and Sandwich Bar" was open and we were directed to the bar down a short hall. I fell in love right away. I know I've already used this to describe The Tam but it just felt COZY. The walls had Scottish memorabilia scattered about but not in a fake kitschy way like a TGIFridays. It felt natural and homey. We sat down and a sweet and sassy waitress explained to us how the Ale and Sandwich bar worked. We could order from the menu or walk up to the sandwich bar where they would carve meat right in front of you and make you a sandwich.

The menu!

Steevin chose Fish and Chips from the menu and I decided to try the sandwich bar and a beer. The sandwich bar is right in front of the regular bar. I was asked what kind of meat and bread I wanted. I ordered a corned beef on rye. And that is exactly what I got. The carver pointed me towards a small condiment bar where you could add mustard, pickles, three different kinds of horseradish, potato salad and peanut slaw. OH MY GOD. Let me tell you about this peanut slaw. It was like a cabbage salad, with an oil and vinegar based dressing, perfectly seasoned and peppered with peanuts. I mean the sandwich was SO good. But that peanut slaw... I really loaded up my plate with that the next time we went back to The Tam.

Sandwich and Beer... the perfect Saturday lunch

Steevin really enjoyed his fish and chips a lot but tasted my corned beef and knew he had to get a sandwich next time. (Fun fact about Steevin: "Sandwich" is his favorite food. LOL) We chatted and ate and I just soaked up the fact that WALT DISNEY ate here. And I can see why. It was simple and good. Really good. We skipped dessert on this trip but have since been back (right after Christmas as you'll see in the below photos) and got a tasty treat.

Tasty after lunch treat

Tam O'Shanter Ale and Sandwich bar all dressed up for the holidays

After our meal was over we slowly made our way out. I asked the host if it was okay to take some photos of the Disney related items they had on the walls. He said "Of course" and left me to it for a bit. After I finished, I thanked him and Steevin and I made our way to the door. The host said "Wait, do you want to see his table?" It took me a moment to understand what he was asking me. His table? OH! Walt's table!!!! I am sure I practically shouted "yes!" and he walked Steevin and I back to the dining room to take a peek. Steevin told me later it looked like I was practically skipping down the hall to see Walt's Table.

Some of the Disney related items in the entryway

THE TABLE!

We got to look at it, touch it a bit. There are drawings and carvings all over the table from imagineers. To look at that table and think about what ideas must have been hatched there... It was a special moment indeed. We eventually left and I was practically giddy. We knew we'd be back to visit again. (And we were!)

Have you been to the Tam O'Shanter? Did you love it as much as I did? If you haven't been before, is it something you've wanted to do as a Disney fan? I'd love to hear about it!

On my solo trip to Disneyland a few days ago, I decided to have lunch at Disney California Adventure. I had heard that there was a new meal out just for the Autumn season at The Pacific Wharf Cafe, a Cheddar Cheese Ale Soup in a sourdough bread bowl. And that sounded right up my alley. It covered three of my favorite things to have in my mouth... Cheese, booze and bread.

Cheddar Ale Soup at Disney California Adventure DCA Pacific Wharf Cafe

Photo courtesy of my friend Brian Hammond because like a
goof, I forgot to take a photo of this!

I ordered my food without waiting long at all, one of the benefits of eating lunch at 11am. It was served up nice and hot in a hollowed out bread bowl and served with two pats of butter. I assume those were for the top portion of the bread, the bread bowl lid if you will, but I didn't need it.

The soup itself was good. I wasn't blown away. I think I was hoping for a bit more beer flavor and a sharper bite of cheddar but it was still tasty. It was just a bit more mild in flavor that I personally was hoping for. However, if you're not a huge fan of the taste of beer I would highly recommend this treat. As any sane person would do, I dipped my "bowl lid" into the soup and munched away. The bite of the sourdough mixed with the mild cheesy flavors of the soup was great! While it wasn't what I was expecting, it was good and for under $10, it's a great option for a Disney meal that will fill you up and not break your wallet in the process.

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