Victoria & Albert's (Orlando)

[goshi]

Yes it is quite sad that the only 5 star blah dee blah is a Disney creation. With that said, I have been bored at Norman's, Manuel's skyrise locale is beuatiful but the food is pitiful and Hue is a total abortion of "hip and chic."

So, is Victoria & Albert's the same as Orlando fare or can I expect more? I sure hope so as I am excited since I am dining there for my birthday.

Thanks for any help.

[NYC Mike]

My wife and I enjoyed it very much. This was 5 yrs ago so things might have changed but the food, wine parings, service and atmosphere were all outstanding then. It was a very romantic escape to overdose by Micky with young twins.

-mike

[Susan in FL]

My husband and I enjoyed it very much, too. Click here for one of the topics that includes impressions of Victoria & Allbert's, and here is another informative topic that might have some reviews that would be helpful to you.

[Marlene]

We enjoyed it very much as well.

[mkjr]

Top quality hands down. I have been there twice (last time was this time last year) and will be there for a third tonight - 6:30 reservations and just getting ready now. I love V&A's and and think that the price is a deal for what you get. The Kona Chocolate souffle is to die for. Will go for the wine pairing tonight. I will report back on my views in the next few days (for a reference, I have been to many top places in a few different U.S. cities (Per Se, Babbo, The French Laundy, Gary Danko and pretty much most of the top places in Toronto and Vancouver).

[goshi]

Thanks for everyone's input and yes, I hope your dinner fares well. It would be great if you could provide me with what you had and your impressions. Went to allears.net to see the December menu and was impressed.

I recently ate at Babbo's and was utterly shocked how good it was. Wow, I was blown away.

I am really excited about finally going there in a week. Orlando is a tough place to find a restaurant that hasn't been defacated out by Darden's but...some of the independents are not any better. Again thanks to everyone for their help! I'llalso put down my input in case anyone plans on dining there in the future as well.

[mkjr]

It would be great if you could provide me with what you had and your impressions.

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V&A's was outstanding last night! It may take me a few days or so to put together the items that my wife and I had - in the middle of our vacation with limited internet access. My wife and I had different items for each course, with the exception that we both had the cheese course, and so we tried close to 14 dishes. Israel Perez did an outstanding job putting together the wine pairings (I confess that I have known Israel for many years when he worked at Citricos prior to moving to Artist Point and have always been impressed with his knowledge of wine). The wine pairings for at $55 bucks is a steal (better not say that too loud or it might go up in price) and really so is the $100 menu price (sans supplements - note I went with the Kobe beef supplement ($25) and wife with the foie gras supplment ($15 - very easy to take on this extra cost at this price) that would make most drool just talking about each item). Hard to go wrong at V&A's. Service was some of the best I have ever had. Trying to think of a place in Miami, Tampa or Charleston to try out before we go home to compare. With respect to Babbo, I think that the Beef Cheek Ravioli is one of my top five dishes ever.....just thinking about it makes me hungry.

[SoxMunkey]

I thought that Victoria's and Albert's was fantastic! I love the Grand Floridian Hotel and I feel that Victoria's and Albert's is an excellent addition. Just my two cents.

[OrlandoMan]

My wife and I ate at V&A's a few years ago, when the servers were still called Victoria and Albert. Although I know the manager has changed since then, the chef is the same, and one of the best in the area. We have dined at many top dollar restaurants, meaning $300 for two, and, in our opinion, V & A 's was one of the few where we left feeling like we had gotten our money's worth. We had the wine pairing, which was incredibly well matched. Our one recollection was how outstanding the soups were. Since it was a while ago, I can't remember or elaborate on the exact dishes that night, but my primary recollection is that is was worth the money, the soups were unbelevable, the service was very professional but not at all pretentious, the atmosphere was very comfortable, and it is possibly the best restauant in Orlando in that price range. The only other high end restaurant in Central Florida that we would agree was an extraordinary experience for the money would be Bern's Steak House in Tampa.

[Susan in FL]

Hi, OrlandoMan. I agree about Victoria & Albert's. One question: Do they not call the servers Victoria and Albert anymore? It was two years ago that I was there and they did then.

[OrlandoMan]

Hi Susan

Yeah, I read last year that they were now allowing the servers to use their own names. But I haven't been there since that happened either.

I'm about to post a new request for updates in Palm Beach. I know you raved about L'Europe, but check my new post if you have any updates, por favor.

PT

[mjmchef]

I got to tell you as a chef I feltthat dining at Victoria and Alberts was in the top 3 dining experiences that I have Had. Besides eating at some of the best in the world (Fat Duck, Ducasse, French Laundry,etc.) I have also worked at some of the best in hte world (Fat Duck, El Bulli, etc.) and the food is in it's own rights damn good. The value is there and the service is fantastic. If you are really an adventurist get the chef's table and leave him to cook for you. You will feel more impressed and appreciative at the same time