Universal Orlando, Royal Pacific Resort, May 2006
You find us on our last day at the resort and on the the evening before our actual anniversary. I must preface this review by saying that I was not really looking forward to this dinner - I'm not a fan of Asian-styled cuisine - but I knew that Jason would really enjoy the experience and sometimes I can be a nice enough wife to take his preferences into consideration.
Our Sunday night dinner reservation was for 6:30 PM - we made it with about 10 minutes to spare (lingered a bit too long at the villa pool sucking down mango coladas... ). The pictures I had seen of this restaurant on-line did not do it justice - it is absolutely beautiful. The dining room is still crowded, but somehow it's less jarring and less noticeable than at Emeril's restaurant at Citywalk. The recessed walls with tiles and low lighting help create an intimate atmosphere, and who would have expected an indoor lily pond?
We were seated at at cozy booth for two in a secluded corner of the main dining room (I think there may be another dining room but I'm not sure). I loved this table - low bolster cushions to lounge on, lots of space and privacy but with a great view of the entire dining room. Without even glancing at the menu I liked this restaurant better just because of the atmosphere...it looked romantic...it felt romantic...it was romantic.
The first thing we noticed as we perused the menu was that there seem to be more offerings than at the CityWalk restaurant. For someone who is still a picky eater at heart, I find this to be a good thing, indeed. We also learned from our primary server that both of us did not have to order the chef's tasting menu...most restaurants that offer this type of dining option will require that the entire dining party partake of it. I am growing more and more happy with this place by the minute...greater variety and more flexibilty...I think it's time for a celebratory drink!
We each ordered a tropical martini thing...yecccch!!! It looked like fruit punch and tasted like a very bad, very warm hurricane. This drink was so bad I've apparently blocked it from my already faulty memory. Just, don't try any tropical martinis while you're there unless you like really sweet cocktails. My advice is to stick with what you know - I should have asked for a Manhattan. However, this martini was the worst part of the entire evening; from this point forward the night was one great experience on top of the next.
Since Jason and I did not both order the chef's menu this review is probably going to get a little messy, but I'll do my best to keep it organized. The Chef's menu at Tchoup Chop is $54 per person and an additional $28 per person for the wine pairings - it is comprised of four courses instead of six, hence the lower price than at Emeril's CityWalk. Do you know what they let us do? Not only did they let me add those wine pairings to my crazy dining choices, but they also brought extra plates with each one of Jason's courses so that I could sample them. Unheard of!!!They also brought us a little happy anniversary offering in the form of a lightly spiced crab mixture on crispy toast topped with caviar - what a yummy way to begin the meal!!
Chef's Tasting Menu, Course I - Kabayaki Glazed Salmon and Kokuho Rice Inarizushi served with Wakame Seaweed Salad, Furikake and Yellow Pea Tendrils. Wine pairing: 2004 Riesling, August Kesseler, Germany. I did not try this and Jason did not ask me to - he wasn't being selfish he just knew that I wouldn't care for it. He said it was very spicy (and too much spice is bad for this old Crohn) and absolutely delicious! I thought the presentation was very attractive - lots of color. The wine was just right - light and crisp.
I feel much shame in admitting this, but I ordered two appetizers. There were so many choices that I couldn't make a decision, so I opted for glutton-mode (bye-bye belt!).
Appetizer I - Confit Beef and Pepperjack Cheese Moo Shu Rolls with Cilantro Sour Cream, Sesame Guacamole, and Ancho Barbeque Sauce. Served with the same wine as the course mentioned above. What can I say? This was really good, a little spicy due to the pepperjack cheese, but a great complement to the beef. The BBQ sauce was pretty tasty, too - a hint of sweetness to counter-act the spice of the cheese and the salt of the beef. Jason said the sour cream and guacamole were also quite tasty (I don't like either, so I didn't try them).
Appetizer II - Polynesian Crab Cake with Mango Habanero Butter Sauce and Papaya Salsa. Ohmigod. Until I tried this dish I'd never experienced Nirvana while eating. Lightly breaded, flaky, tender crab sitting in a light orange / yellow pool of mildly spiced butter with a spoonful of salsa on top for color. This stuff just melted in my mouth - I could have (and next time I will) ordered five more and made a meal out of them. Jason saw the writing on the wall - he stuck with his appetizer and the beef rolls while I inhaled the crab cake. Absolutely the best appetizer we had on the entire trip - if you like crab you simply must try this. Please note - the beef moo shu rolls are not on the regular menu but were part of the special menu items being offered for the evening in addition to the tasting menu. The crab cakes, however, are on the regular menu (can I get an amen?). Go forth and gorge on crab, my hungry friends.
Chef's Tasting Menu, Course II - Pan Seared North Carolina Wreckfish served with Asian Chayote Slaw, Rum Spiced Mango Butter Sauce, and Plantain Strips. Wine Pairing: 2005 Rose, Domaine Alfred, Vin Gris, Edna Valley. Another lovely presentation. I actually tried this and the fish was quite good. Jason really enjoyed this offering, too, and said that this was one of the best fishies he'd ever eaten. A note on the wine - it didn't work with this dish as far as we were concerned. It was like the wine and the fish were at odds with each other. It is rare that Jason doesn't like a wine pairing (not so rare with me) but we didn't understand what the sommalier was trying to achieve here. We both left the wine unfinished and when we voiced our opinion to the serving team they didn't seem too concerned. This surprised us both, given the level of attention we'd received at Emeril's CityWalk and at other restaurants with similar dining options.
Chef's Tasting Menu, Course III - Grilled Demi Filet served with Scallion Mashed King Edward Potatoes, Apple Wood Smoked Bacon Reduction, Dragon Tongue Beans, and Sizzled Leeks. Wine pairing: 2001 Cabernet, Oberon, Napa Valley. Another beautifully plated and paired dish. Jason's eyes rolled back into his head several times while he was eating, a sure sign that his taste buds and his tummy were quite happy.
Dinner - Pan Roasted Filet Mignon served with Red Bliss Potatoes, Lop Chong Port Wine-Anise Reduction, Melting Brie Cheese, and Sweet Onion Crisps. Served with the same wine as mentioned above, this is a regular menu item. First of all, why hasn't anyone else ever entertained the idea of serving a filet with brie melting over the top and oozing slowly over the sides to mix decadently with the pool of port wine sauce on the plate??? This was a brilliant idea and I'm going to steal it and try it here at home some time this summer. The filet was perfect - delicious and tender - and the cabernet was a great wine choice (even though I'm not crazy about red wines, this worked really well and wasn't too heavy). I don't remember anything about the potatoes with this dish - I was too busy being a carnivore to pay any attention to vegetables.
By the way, don't you love the Shakespeare reference on the wine? I told Jason that it must be a sign of some sort that we had two different wines at two different Emeril restaurants with Shakespearian references on the label. He asked what kind of sign it was supposed to be and I promptly said that it was a sign that our next trip should be to England. His rebuttal: It was more likely a sign that I'd been drinking too much.
Chef Tasting Menu, Course IV - Dessert, baby! Wonton Napoleon served with Pineapple Cinnamon Ice Cream, Tropical Salsa, White Chocolate Shavings, and Sweet Cream. No wine pairing with this course - Jason opted for a cappuccino. This was a pretty good dessert and the ice cream was surprisingly good (I'm not crazy about pineapples, either). But I didn't eat much of this beacuse of my own, better dessert choice!!
Dessert - Kahlua Cake Sundae served with Banana Rum Ice Cream, Chocolate and Caramel Sauces, Sweet Cream, and Toasted Coconut. Sadly, my fellow choco-holics, this was a special dessert being offered for the evening and to the best of my knowledge is not on the regular menu. I also had a glass of Fonseca 10-Year Tawny Port to wash down my fabulous dessert. Another winning entry from the kitchen!!! This was incredible and I remember it now through a hazy fog of pleasure...the cake, the ice cream, the sauce...all perfect compliments to each other and thinking about it now makes my teeth hurt if I consider how much sugar probably went into the making of it.
The port was also a nice accompaniment (I love a good port with dessert!) but wait...tThe sommalier has a surprise for us. Remember earlier I mentioned that I was puzzled by the lack of reaction to that yucky wine offering with Course II? Well, the sommalier noticed that we were sharing the port and bopped on over to the table with something we'd never heard of before: Don PX. Don't misunderstand - we're not Port experts or anything, but my mother loves the stuff, so I have bought quite a bit for her over the last few years (when we give her a new bottle to try she suddenly develops a bad cold and has to drink it all in a single evening - she has no appreciation for the finer uses of port). Anyway, this Don Px is a Spanish Port that has been aged for 25 years. It looks like motor oil in the glass...thick and viscous...and it smells like...coffee. Interesting. We were told that this is actually very sweet - the sommalier said she likes to pour it over ice cream. We each took a bite our respective ice creams and then followed with a sip of the Don PX...BAM!!!
Where has this stuff been all my life? It is incredible, no other way to describe it. It is very sweet, so I would imagine that one bottle would go a long way (even for my mother), but what a treat! The service barometer just went way up! So, where are we? Dinner is over...it's probably about 8PM...and we're pleasantly stuffed but not overly so. We are most pleased with our dining choice for the evening, pay the bill, and hop the shuttle back to PBH.
Jay & Brenda's rating: 5 gastropods out of a possible 5!!!
Now we are faced with a dilemma: Which restaurant is better? The food at both restaurants was excellent, but we give the edge to Tchoup Chop for variety, creativity, and presentation. The service at both restaurants was also quite good, but we give the edge to Emeril's CityWalk which was a bit more prompt and professional. The atmosphere at Tchoup Chop wins hands down over Emeril CityWalk - it's more romantic and intimate.
So, what happens if we have to choose one over the other instead of having the option of doing both in one trip (which we normally wouldn't do, I swear!)...The consensus in this family of two is that on the next visit to USO / IOA we'll be headed to Tchoup Chop. How's that for a surprise? I never would have predicted that result coming from me (the crab cake and the dessert tipped the food scales!).
I forgot to mention that the Chefs all autographed the menu for us that night so now we have a lovely keepsake of our meal. If you're ever at either one of these restaurants don't hesitate to ask for a copy of the menu as a souvenier - they're always happy to oblige.
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