Victoria & Albert’s, 3 Generations, & the BEST Coffee Ever!
Every August, it has become Jay’s and my tradition to go and celebrate the start of a new academic year with a special trip to Disney World. This past weekend was that trip and we decided to reserve a special meal at Victoria and Albert’s, which we fondly call V&A.
V&A, located in Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, is the only AAA 4 Diamond restaurant in Florida and they have held that honor for almost 14 years!
In the regular dining room, for a fixed price, you receive the most amazing 6-course meal you can ever imagine. That in and of itself is worth every penny of the bit of a hefty price. But, for this special occasion, and because 2013 continues to be the year to celebrate life today, we booked the Queen Victoria room.
The Queen Victoria room has four tables, and offers a 10-course meal. Before you think, “10 Courses! How can you eat so much?” They are very small courses.
This is the cheese course. Just a few bites of VERY GOOD cheese.
This is one of two dessert courses. But, even so, we are talking only a few DELECTABLE bites!
A little side note: on this night only 3 tables were booked for the Queen Victoria room. In addition to Jay and me (married 22 years), a couple was at the table next to us celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, and across from us sat a very young couple celebrating 1 year of dating. If you were a fly on the wall you would be amazed at the difference in the 3 couples. The young couple made some unwise and unfortunate choices in beverage ending up leaving the restaurant early because they were . . . well . . . beyond inebriated. As Jay and I watched them, we were sad that they could not enjoy the wonderful tastes, artistry, and treat of dining at V&A. The couple next to us, celebrating their 50th, was the exact opposite. They oozed an aged maturity soaked in an obvious commitment to each other. Even having been married 50 years, they still held hands and brought an air of playful maturity. As we struck up a conversation with them, they truly encouraged us who are only halfway to their amazing accomplishment.
But I digress. As I mentioned, while in the main dining room you have choices for each course. In the Queen Victoria room, the 10-course meal is set. But, with items like “Alaskan King Crab ‘Jar’ with Siberian Oestra Caviar,” who needs choices. Chef Scott Hunnel is amazing as he takes the freshest of every day ingredients and turns them into culinary works of art . . . literally.
You may be wondering where are all the pictures of this wonderful food? I promise, I will do a blog about the food in the future. But, for today, I want to talk about the coffee. V&A makes the best coffee to top of the best meal you have ever had and it all starts with this coffee maker.
I can hear the harp strumming and the angels singing “Hallelujah!”
The BEST COFFEE EVER starts with water in the bottom, coffee grounds in the top, and a simple flame underneath. As the water heats, it boils and is pushed up into the grounds.
By some force of suction, chemistry, or whatever you want to call it, it is not until the flame is blown out and the now brewed coffee cools a tad, that only the coffee returns to the bottom leaving the grounds in the top and wonderfully brewed coffee in the bottom container.
We love this coffee so much that, every time we eat here, without fail, the next morning we long for that coffee.
V&A at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort is definitely a bucket list kind of meal. But, if you ever get the chance to eat here, save room for the coffee!
I think the coffee is new since y’all so generously took us there. I can practically smell and taste it. I’ll never forget how good the meal was. Cheers to your wonderful traditions!