Best Date Ever

When I was little, I used to go for Daddy-Daughter dates, when just me and my Dad would plan something fun to do.  And of course, in my family, this usually involved a treat or food of some kind.  When we lived in Albany, one of our favorite places to go to was Toll Gate.

They had the most amazing ice cream, and I have many fond memories of going there with Dad for an ice cream cone or a malt shake.  (To this day, I have yet to find another place that has better chocolate ice cream - theirs is truly A-MAZING.)  Even though I could barely see all of the flavors over the counter, I didn't need to because I usually got chocolate - and Dad would usually have to "trim" my cone to keep from dripping (although I think he really just wanted a taste!).

We may not live near Toll Gate anymore, but last month Dad and I had one of the best Daddy-Daughter dates ever.  To celebrate my recent graduation from BYU, Dad surprised me with reservations at Victoria & Albert's, the Five-Diamond Award-winning restaurant at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. 

I'd only heard stories about this place from when Dad took my sisters there when I was on my mission, but nothing could prepare me for the remarkable and extraordinary experience that was in store.  Our reservation was for early evening, so after getting all dressed up (per the restaurant's dress code), we headed over to the Grand Floridian.

(This place is on my Bucket List of hotels I want to stay at someday!)

We hadn't even entered the hotel yet when the royal treatment began with complimentary valet parking.  Well-dressed young men opening the car door and helping me out of the car?  A girl could get used to that kind of treatment! 

We had some time to spare before our reservation, so we took in the beautiful lobby area and Dad used his photog skills to snap some pictures.







This place is so detailed and intricately decorated, from the carpet to the ceiling.

 Before the piano player (shown at the piano in the above left photo) began his set, he was kind enough to take a picture of me and Dad all dressed up.

 

 (Notice the band set up behind me - they were playing when we entered the hotel.  Just like out of a movie!)










The restaurant's on the second floor, and when we entered and gave them our reservation, the hostess welcomed us warmly and even congratulated me on my graduation.

After seating us, the waiter brought out a purse hook for me and a tuffet for Dad's camera bag.  That was the first time I ever ate at a restaurant that offered a tuffet! 







 

 Victoria & Albert's menu changes, but each patron gets their own personalized menu as a souvenir.  (It's so nice when you're name is spelled right!)  Our waiter went over the menu options, and we were left with the difficult task of choosing which dish we wanted for each course.

***Since we were too shy to take pictures of our dishes, many of these pictures I got off of Google.  Some great ones can be found at http://mealsandmiles.com/2010/04/25/foodbuzz-242424-a-dining-experience-at-victoria-alberts/, and Victoria & Albert's official website.

After the Amuse-Bouche, I started with the balsamic charred cuttlefish with watermelon and tomatoes, and Dad chose the Applewood smoked buffalo "waldorf."

My cuttlefish dish (I got this off of another website, and for some reason I'm not smart enough to figure out how to rotate it...)

 For the next dish I went with the Vegetable ash-crusted halibut.  The fish was blackened, so it didn't look like much, but it tasted incredible.  Especially because it was paired with butter clams and corn chowder, on top of a potato slice.  Talk about a party for the taste buds - the chowder was so creamy and went beautifully with the halibut.  Dad chose the sake-soy-marinated salmon with bok choy and soy beans - a very different dish from mine, but equally scrumptious!

 

When Gina had eaten here a few years ago, she'd had the duck, so I picked that as my next course.  It was prepared three different ways - duck breast, duck sausage, and confit with strawberry and rhubarb.  Each one was so different, but oh so good!  I was in awe of how thinly a strawberry could be sliced (see picture below).

Dad's dish was the roulade of ocala rabbit with pistachios and apricots, which he really enjoyed.  Throughout the meal, they brought out different breads paired with various homemade butters.

The first was a traditional French bread paired with unsalted butter, the next was a savory herb bread with pumpkin-flavored butter, and last was a multi-grain loaf and salted butter. 



















I was a little unsure what to have for the next course, but when I put in my order, the waited emphatically suggested the lamb, and I was so grateful for his recommendation because it was amazing!  Definitely one of my favorite dishes of the night (along with the halibut).  Since it was the main course, it was a little bit bigger than the other dishes.  It came with asparagus, too, which were perfectly blanched, making it the perfect dish overall. 


The restaurant manager came around to greet each patron, and he congratulated me on my graduation, even bringing a homemade gnocchi in the shape of an asparagus.  He and the rest of the staff made it such a personal, special evening - I felt like a movie star!

But the dishes just kept on coming!  After the main course, we had the choice of cheese or gelato - three guesses as to which these Italians picked!  The gelato was a white chocolate flavored covered generously with fresh white chocolate shavings, and topped with an edible orchid.  The gelato and chocolate were AMAZING!  Creamy and sweet, but not too rich.  The orchid pretty much tasted like a plant. 



THEN came dessert.  Before which came Dad's coffee, that came to our table in this little contraption where the coffee brews right at the table.  I don't drink coffee, but the scent of it as it brewed added a cozy feeling to the already-intimate and relaxed atmosphere.  Being chocolate lovers, we chose the chocolate mousse for dessert, which was shaped like a pyramid and came with fresh strawberries, a dark chocolate-champagne-chambord truffle, and chocolate ganache.  We finally overcame our shyness (or maybe it was our preoccupation with the incredible food!) and took some pictures of our dreamy desserts.

Photo taken by one of our servers.  (Notice Dad's coffee pot on the left, and my purse hook on the right!)

By the time dessert was through, I was starting to approach my wall, but the food still didn't stop.  They brought out bite sized treats - a chocolate filled with caramel, a pumpkin tart, and a strawberry jelly for each of us. 







Each woman gets a rose as part of her evening there, and not only did I get a beautiful long-stemmed red rose, but our waiter brought out a gift bag containing a fruit-and-nut bread from the Grand Floridian bakery as part of my graduation celebration.

It was truly a wonderful evening, right out of a dream!  It was so much fun to talk and laugh with Dad, just the two of us - just as fun and as special as the Daddy-Daughter dates from when I was younger.  The evening definitely was among one of my favorite memories of being with Dad.

Outside the restaurant after our meal.

My goody bag. :)