It’s been years since I dined at Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian, but I still savor the experience and aim to return someday soon. The service and the food was impeccable. Besides being distinctive in flavor and service, it holds the distinctive honor… Read More »15 Years in a Row: AAA Five-Diamond Award for Victoria & Albert’s
I have a confession to make: I’ve been having a deep, personal relationship with the pork two-ways from California Grill. You may say “Oh, it’s just another pretty dish” or “How can it be any better than its previous incarnation, the pork loin?” Well, it’s better, trust me. And it’s completely worthy of its own post.
If you dined at the California Grill before the recent refurbishment, you know that the pork loin was its number one dish for two decades. It was simple peasant food really, just a basic polenta flavored with goat cheese and topped with a few slices of lightly seasoned tenderloin and some button mushrooms. It’s simplicity, of course, was also what made it perfect. But while it was filling and satisfying, it had gotten a little bit boring. In recent years, I’d found myself straying over to the scallops or, if I was feeling especially adventurous, the sushi. It, not unlike the décor and the overall feel of the rest of the restaurant, was in serious need of an overhaul.
When the California Grill opened back up a few weeks ago, I was pleased to see that they had updated, but not removed entirely, some of its best dishes, the pork being one of them. Now you’ll get a smaller serving of pork loin topped with fried sage and another serving of pork belly. Pork belly, you say? Think a big square of bacon. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.Read More »Pork Two Ways at the California Grill: An Old Friend Returns, Only Better.
California Grill Chef de Cuisine Brian Piasecki spent nearly a year perfecting a new menu with seasonal ingredients and a lighter touch, such as baked local prawns and wild Columbia River salmon with Zellwood sweet corn pudding. He’s been a part of Disney’s excellent foodservice team since his apprenticeship in 1991, rising through the ranks to eventually take over The California Grill in 2009. I had the chance talk with Chef Brian a few days before the restaurant officially reopened after a long remodel process:
Full bio below the jump:
Long acknowledged as the crown jewel of Walt Disney World culinary collection, Victoria & Albert’s has once again earned the coveted Five-Diamond award from AAA. This marks the 13th year in a row for the restaurant. Chef Scott Hunnel, Master Pastry Chef Erich Herbitschek, Maître… Read More »Victoria & Albert’s earns 13th consecutive AAA Five-Diamond Rating
Remy an upscale restaurant experience on board the Disney Dream has updated its menus and released a new video with Chef Scott Hunnel showcasing one of the new items – Tomato Ratatouille. Seems an appropriate dish given the restaurants provenance.
True Disney foodies know you haven’t arrived until you’ve dined at the crème de la crème of restaurants – Victoria & Albert’s at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. But now the top-rated dining room has a new “must do”: the gorgeous Queen Victoria’s Room.… Read More »New Dining Experience at Victoria and Albert’s