Holiday Hoopla

Clearly I haven't posted in awhile. It's actually one month to the day. But here I am now filling you in on all the holiday splurging we did. First off, we have a new member of the family. Our new puppy is named Sonoma, simply because Napa didn't sound as good. She is part lab and what we think is part coonhound (you should see her chase down those squirrels and rabbits!). After the dog, our holidays were highlighted by two amazing dining experiences in Orlando. First up was Emeril's new place at the Royal Pacific Hotel, Tchoup Chop. The idea is Emeril's Cajun cuisine meets South Pacific styles. And let me tell you, it works! The restaurant itself is beautiful, very chic and modern while still maintaing its class. Some of the other customers on the other hand. My favorite was when the wine fraud next to us said (slurring her speech because I think she had already indulged) "Three glasses of Chardonnay, the best you have." Any serious wine drinker knows, that just because its expensive doesn't mean its any good. The bartender, a nice guy from Massachusetts actually, persuaded her it was more affordable to just get a bottle (duh!) so Katie and I proceeded to guess what she would buy. Seeing what a fraud she was, I predicted two name brands that were overpriced and overrated. Sure enough, she picked one of those. Back to the food. I started with the Miso soup with Lobster, and the Mango-Papaya Crab Cake. Absolutely divine! Katie started with Spinach and Goat Cheese Salad that was equally impressive. For entrees Katie had Yellow Snapper and I had Grilled Salmon, and both were excellent dishes. The chocolate cake for dessert was delectable! In all it was an enthralling experience. Unfortunately for Emeril's, we dined at Victoria & Albert's the next night. V&A's is Disney's premier dining option. They have nothing else that can compare to this culinary creation. Located on the second floor of The Grand Floridian, V&A's entrances is nothing special, a simple wooden and glass door embossed with their name. But inside, the restaurant is elegant and sophisticated to no end. It's not over the top, but dignified. I was required to wear a jacket, their deterrent to keep vacationing culinary frauds from dining their "just because" it's the best. The dining room is hexagonal in shape with an inner layer of tables for two and an outer ring of various sized tables based on party size. The reservation process was intense and took half an hour, but ti paid off when they gave us a beautiful table in the inner ring facing the massive floral arrangement in the center. Our menus were customized with our names and "Happy 2nd Anniversary." Katie had a special menu with no dairy items due to her allergy. Have you ever been to a restaurant that customizes a menu for your allergies? The meal is six courses with about three choices per course. In these choices were luxury upgrades for an additional cost (another fraud nearby ordered every upgrade). We stuck with the base price and still had a spectacular meal. We were supposed to begin with an Amuse Bouche from the chef, a tiny bite sized warm-up to excite your taste buds. Unfortunately one of our servers forgot ours so we had our second course first. I began with Fennel Seared Colorado Buffalo Tenderloin while Katie had Long Island Duck. Katie's Duck had this amazing smoked quality to it that was so enticing. Then the Amuse Bouche arrived. It was a small shrimp wonton with soy seasonings. Oh my god was it good! I wish I could've had a whole plate of them. For our third course Katie choose the Colorado Lamb with wild mushrooms and Porcini Pasta. Yeah, it was awesome. I had Quail with Roasted Tomato-Fig Jam. This little number was one of my favorites for the night, it was so savory. For our seafood course, I had a Maine Diver Scallop that was so rich and tender. Katie had John Dory, a deep-sea fish, over Roasted Delicata and Pumpkin. This was a blockbuster! The fish and pumpkin blew my taste buds away! For our main course I had the Duet of Prime Angus Beef and Short Ribs. While the fillet was excellent, the Short Rib meat was unbelievable. It was already pulled and placed on the potato side. What flavor and texture! Katie had Minnesota Elk with Potato Gnocchi, and Veal Sweetbread. We had a vague understanding that Sweetbread was a strange body part that we had never had, but ordered it anyway. The Sweetbread is actually either the Thymus Gland or Pancreas of an animal. Well, when you pair that with the Elk, it created some phenomenal flavors. It was so rich and flavorful. I then had a plate of cheeses from France, whil Katie had sorbet made especially for her (my menu had gelato). For Dessert, Katie had a Fuji Apple Strudel, and I had the Hawaiian Kona Chocolate Souffle. When the souffle arrived, they cut it open and poured in warm Godiva chocolate liqueur. I nearly passed out, it was that good. The dessert was served with coffee from an 1880's style peculator that looked like a chemistry set from Madame Curie's Lab. But it made the best cup of coffee I had ever had! And wine you ask, well, we were going to do the $60 per person wine pairing with each course. However, the wines they listed with each course weren't enthralling to me, and it was only half a glass, not even a full pour. So instead I selected a 2005 Chehalam Pinot Gris from Oregon to start the night off. Let's just say I have good taste in wine, because it was fabulous. For the later courses we had a 2003 Goldeneye Anderson Valley Pinot Noir. Goldeneye is a label I had been dying to try, and was so glad we did, because it was an outstanding wine that paired well with the Elk and Beef. By the time we left the restaurant at a little past 1:00 in the morning, only one other table remained occupied. We left with the sense that it was the greatest meal we have ever had, and will be difficult to beat in the future. Special thanks goes to our servers, Sherry, our lead server, was great, as was her husband Jack, and Salvatore, while he forgot the Amuse Bouche, was flawless the rest of the night and a joy to have wait on us. This is the type of place that you need to splurge on at least once in your life, and for Katie and I, probably twice. Till next time..."Sherry, I know the jacket is required, but I am really sweating in here, can I take it off while sitting?"--Me, acting like a fool.