No time for witty thread titles! Bocuse d'Or Grand Gala (w/pics!)!!!

[ghidorah97]

Here I am, back at work after an incredible long weekend to kick off F&WF. I'm operating on about 4-1/2 hours of sleep thanks to the dreaded weather-related travel delays, so if I start to ramble incoherently, please forgive me.

The meat of this review -- details on the Gala along with the pics -- will come later once I've gotten home and had the chance to upload them. For now, I will simply set the stage. My little crew consisted of the following:

Me -- Brad, 39 and very soon to turn 40. This trip was my lovely, amazing, far-better-than-I-deserve DW's present to me. Isn't she the best?
My Posse -- Will and Ken. My two best friends in the world, we've known each other and have remainded friends since our Sophomore year in High School.

We arrived on Thursday, departed Sunday, so this was to be a short yet action-packed weekend. My complete review will include details on the following:

Thursday evening -- California Grill
Friday day -- F&WF booths, opening of the Bocuse d'Or competition
Friday evening -- Raglan Road
Saturday day -- two free Culinary demonstrations, more F&WF booths, more Bocuse d'Or competition
Saturday evening -- Bocuse d'Or Grand Gala!
Sunday -- picking up the pieces

Unfortunately, work has to take priority now, so I will sign off until this evening when I plan to begin the reviews!

Brad

[frdeb1999]

Welcome back! Looking forward to your reviews!

[TheDISneyFamily]

Looking forward to it!

[MickeyNicki]

Cant wait!

[TigerKat]

This should be fun.......

[Tatania]

Can't wait! Did you get any recipes you can post?

[kabuki]

I'm in!

[JenniBugInPink]

I think I might actually be salivating!

[D&R love Disney]

Looking forward to the reviews

[John's Mom]

Count me in!

[ghidorah97]

I'll keep the California Grill portion of the review relatively short.

1. Because most of you have probably already read other, better written reviews of CG,
2. Because I completely forgot to bring my camera with me to dinner, so no pictures and,
3. Because most of you would rather hear more about the Bocuse d'Or Gala!

On with the review:

We arrived at about 6:00 Thursday night and, after a quick change into more appropriate attire, headed over very early to the Contemporary for our 9:30 reservations. No biggie, we planned to just sit at the bar and nosh while we waited for our table. Forget that plan as not 10 minutes into our wait -- BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ -- our table was ready. Wow! While at the bar, we had ordered two Flatbreads which they brought over to our table along with our bottle of Merryvale Starmont.

We had the "Sicilian Flatbread" with Sopressata, Tomato Compote, Provolone Cheese and Pepperoncini Relish; and the Roast Chicken with Applewood Bacon, Crisp Romaine, Caramelized Onions, and Lemon Mayonnaise. The Sicilian simply exploded in your mouth with the spicy relish and soressata while the roast chicken was like the best open-faced grilled chicken sandwich you've ever had. A great start!

We then moved to the Sushi section of the menu with the Yellowfin Tuna Three Ways -- Poki, Tartare and Tataki. Incredibly fresh, perfectly prepared tuna! Delicious!

At this point we were thinking about taking a slight break prior to ordering our Mains, but Charmaine (our excellent server) rightly pointed out that if we ordered immediately, we'd be able to finish in time to head outside for the fireworks. So we did:

Me -- Roasted Lamb Tenderloin with Eggplant "two ways", Rosemary Potatoes, Confit Garlic and Currant Tomatoes
Will & Ken -- Both ordered the Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Polenta, Button Mushrooms, and Zinfandel Glaze

After a quick fireworks break, we moved on to dessert:

First, we had the Cheese Board. Five cheeses for $17.00? Yes, please!

Next, we ordered:
Me -- "Peachy Keen" Peach Cheesecake, Bellini "Bubble Tea" and Spiced Tea Cake with Vanilla Creme Glace
Will & Ken -- Both ordered the Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake with molten center, House-made Apricot Ice Cream and Apricot Sauce

A GREAT meal. Really stellar and a perfect start to our weekend.

Coming tomorrow -- Raglan Road and Day 1 at the Bocuse d'Or with some pictures.

Brad

[oybolshoi]

Woo hoo!

Bring it on Brad!!!

[Krissalee]

I have to subscribe to this one!!!!

Bocuse d'Or Grand Gala! I have been dreaming about this event!

I hope you ENJOYED it!

[jeminni]

I'm in. I can't wait to see some F&W reports.

[cdtommie]

Originally Posted by ghidorah97

I'll keep the California Grill portion of the review relatively short.

1. Because most of you have probably already read other, better written reviews of CG,
2. Because I completely forgot to bring my camera with me to dinner, so no pictures and,
3. Because most of you would rather hear more about the Bocuse d'Or Gala!

On with the review:

We arrived at about 6:00 Thursday night and, after a quick change into more appropriate attire, headed over very early to the Contemporary for our 9:30 reservations. No biggie, we planned to just sit at the bar and nosh while we waited for our table. Forget that plan as not 10 minutes into our wait -- BUZZ, BUZZ, BUZZ -- our table was ready. Wow! While at the bar, we had ordered two Flatbreads which they brought over to our table along with our bottle of Merryvale Starmont.

We had the "Sicilian Flatbread" with Sopressata, Tomato Compote, Provolone Cheese and Pepperoncini Relish; and the Roast Chicken with Applewood Bacon, Crisp Romaine, Caramelized Onions, and Lemon Mayonnaise. The Sicilian simply exploded in your mouth with the spicy relish and soressata while the roast chicken was like the best open-faced grilled chicken sandwich you've ever had. A great start!

We then moved to the Sushi section of the menu with the Yellowfin Tuna Three Ways -- Poki, Tartare and Tataki. Incredibly fresh, perfectly prepared tuna! Delicious!

At this point we were thinking about taking a slight break prior to ordering our Mains, but Charmaine (our excellent server) rightly pointed out that if we ordered immediately, we'd be able to finish in time to head outside for the fireworks. So we did:

Me -- Roasted Lamb Tenderloin with Eggplant "two ways", Rosemary Potatoes, Confit Garlic and Currant Tomatoes
Will & Ken -- Both ordered the Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Polenta, Button Mushrooms, and Zinfandel Glaze

After a quick fireworks break, we moved on to dessert:

First, we had the Cheese Board. Five cheeses for $17.00? Yes, please!

Next, we ordered:
Me -- "Peachy Keen" Peach Cheesecake, Bellini "Bubble Tea" and Spiced Tea Cake with Vanilla Creme Glace
Will & Ken -- Both ordered the Warm Valrhona Chocolate Cake with molten center, House-made Apricot Ice Cream and Apricot Sauce

A GREAT meal. Really stellar and a perfect start to our weekend.

Coming tomorrow -- Raglan Road and Day 1 at the Bocuse d'Or with some pictures.

Brad

Brad, this is a great review. Thanks to a fellow CT'er.