Larded and Loaded Tour: F&WF 10/11-20 Complete!

[BriarRosie]

I started doing my trip report at where else, the Trip Reports Board. I've only completed Day 3 of my 10 day trip. However, I thought that most of my report is about food, so I will import and edit the non-food stuff out of this report to make it, uh, palatable for this board. ;)

Welcome to the Larded and Loaded Tour!

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/lardload.jpg

Who am I? My name is Lori, pleased to meet you. I started the trip solo, but I was meeting up with some internet friends (RADP newsgroup, VMK players) at various times throughout the trip. My first four days had been filled with food and wine festival special events. I was expecting my mother, sister and mom's friend (hereby known as The Trio) on the Tuesday following my arrival.

If you want a little more than that, please follow the link in my signature for the full report. To save myself some time, I'm copying my thoughts from the report verbatim, so lots will be redundant if you follow my link.

Don't say I didn't warn you. ;) Ok, here we go!

Day 1 : Thursday, October 11:

Part 1: Food and Wine Festival kiosks and a food demo at the Odyssey

I arrived, checked in at Beach Club Villas, and headed to Epcot to sample and wander a bit. It's 11:45 and I walk towards the UK and Canada. I stop and get the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup and the Maple Custard with Almond Crumble:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN0987.jpg

As you can see, they don't believe in full cups of soup, but if I had pushed the issue, I'm sure I could have had the cast member top it off for me. It was slightly too thick from sitting around too long, and saltier than I would have wished, but it still had the same Canadian goodness I remembered from Le Cellier. As for the maple custard, I would have liked 4 more of those babies and I would have gone to town all over that action. :cloud9:

I stopped at Peru next. I ordered the Causa de Cangrejo (potato patty covered in a crab salad) and Arroz con Pato (Rice with Duck). They gave me the hot item first, the duck:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN0988.jpg

This was delicious. Sure, there was some liquid on the bottom of the plate, but the duck and rice were hot and flavorful. Yum.

Next was the potato with crab:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN0989.jpg

This dish was not so good. The crab had tasted like an entire bottle of vinegar was dumped on it, overpowering it for me, and the potato cake was pretty hard to cut into. I did manage to eat a good bit of it, but I found this to be a big disappointment for me.

Turned off by the crab dish, I picked up a Festival Guide on the way to World Showcase Plaza. I looked at my watch and noticed it was 12:35pm, and the next Odyssey cooking demo was at 1pm. I thought I was getting The Flavors of the Levy Restaurants, but instead, I got Neil Connolly, of Doc's Restaurant in Orlando.

Here's Neil and Pam Smith, the MC for the event:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN0992.jpg

Neil told us some stories about working for the Kennedys, of course to promote his book about working in the Kennedy kitchen. We also found the recipe in front of us for what he was making:

Lobster Stew! :banana:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN0990.jpg

Jackpot, baby! Oh, you want a photo of the stew? Certainly...
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN0993.jpg

This was not only fabulous and rich, but there were huge chunks o' lobster throughout. I can imagine paying $12 for this as an appetizer in a restaurant, but it was FREE! This is why going to the cooking demos can be rewarding. It certainly made up for the pungent crab I had at Peru! Instead of a too-bright overexposed shot of the lobster, I have a slightly blurry shot of a chunk on my spoon to give you an idea.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN0995.jpg

I was a bit thirsty so I stepped into Club Cool for free drinks. ;)

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN0996.jpg

Before you ask, no...I didn't have the Beverly, but that doesn't matter. I'm immune to the allegedly awful effects. Seriously, I'd make a great shill for the unsuspecting, because I don't taste how awful it's supposed to be. And I skipped Mezzo Mix from Germany this time, too. I just wasn't in the mood for it. My favorite has to be the Vegemeatavitamin...er...VegiBeta from Japan. China's is ok, but a little too sweet for me.

Part 2: Dinner at Raglan Road

I was meeting my friends Bruce and Marta (RADP friends) for dinner at Raglan Road, which was new to me. I always like having a "new to me" place to eat at WDW, and I've covered most of the restaurants at least once because of this. Needless to say, I was excited. I couldn't believe how big a crowd there was, and we still waited about 25 minutes after my ADR time. They sat us right next to the band's stage, and I was secretly hoping to avoid the entertainment. I was afraid it would be too loud, as it was already loud in the place.

I started out with the Four Provinces beer flight. Sorry, all the pics were somewhat blurry due to low light levels. The dessert pic came out best because I switched up the way I took the photo. ;)

Murphy's Red, Harp, Smithwick's and Guinness
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1020.jpg

I had Murphy's there before, (didn't say I haven't had a beer there, I just haven't eaten there!), but Smithwick's and Guinness were actually new to me. I was always intimidated by dark beer, but who knew I actually liked Guinness! I won't be afraid to order that at the Rose and Crown pub!

I had the Paddy's Pork, which our server said was the best item on the menu.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1021.jpg

This was delicious, and the leeks and potatoes complimented it perfectly.
The slightly sweet glaze made the dish. Here's the aftermath:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1024.jpg

Marta had the Pie in the Sky (chicken and mushroom pie)
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1022.jpg

That looked awesome, and I might want to try that next time.

Bruce had the Keen Eye for the Shepherd's Pie:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1023.jpg

Sorry for the horrid photo. In hindsight, I'm really glad I didn't order this, because this dish will come back in a surprising way later in the trip!

They shared the calamari appetizer and later, these trio of Panna Cotta desserts:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1026.jpg

That didn't spark my interest. I had my eye on the bread and butter pudding I heard so much about. Normally, I like getting desserts with chocolate, but I made an exception this night, and I'm glad I did. I loved the sauces for the pudding, and I couldn't finish it. It was pretty huge:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1028.jpg

Isn't that a thing of beauty? It arrived hot, and it was probably illegal in 36 states. The server said it's the most popular item on the menu, and I can believe it. I saw servers walking many of these babies around the restaurant while we were eating our dinners. I have to give Raglan Road a :thumbsup2 for a great meal. And I've heard plenty of stories about tortoise-slow service, but our server was quick and friendly.

Don't want to search for the updates? Check out my index!

Day 1 (Oct 11) (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21955288&postcount=1
)

Day 2 (Oct 12) (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21955330&postcount=2
)

Day 3 - Part 1 (Oct 13) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21988250&postcount=9
)

Day 3 - Part 2 (Oct 13) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=21988336&postcount=10
)

Day 4 - Part 1 (Oct 14) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=22125726&postcount=17
)

Day 4 - Part 2 (Oct 14) (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=22176288&postcount=23
)

Day 5 (Oct 15) (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=22317077&postcount=26
)

Day 6 (Oct 16) (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=22439496&postcount=30
)

Day 7 (Oct 17) (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=22998637&postcount=36
)

Day 8 (Oct 18) (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=23091995&postcount=47
)

Day 9 (Oct 19) (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=23244351&postcount=57)

Day 10 (Oct 20) (http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=23347567&postcount=69)

Final Thoughts (http://disboards.com/showpost.php?p=23537945&postcount=76)

[BriarRosie]

Day 2: October 12, 2007: South African Wine Event

Please Note:
I've decided to leave the report for the evening's events unedited, because I'm reviewing pretty much the event and sharing some fun things that happened during the event.

I arrived early to check in for my wristband on the lagoon side across from World Showplace, and I wandered towards the gate, where I saw my friends Bruce and Marta (RADP). I knew they were going to the event, so I had planned to enjoy it with them and our other RADP friends, Sean and Pam. But there was a girl that was sitting and talking to Bruce and Marta, and I discovered it was a DIS person: yearbook50 (Meli).

So my friends and I adopted Meli for the evening, and I must say I had a very good time with her and my friends! Here's a picture of:

When Lori Met Meli...
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/LoriandMeli.jpg

Now on to the event!

The entrance to the building showed this sign.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1049.jpg

Here's a photo of the the first entryway, followed by the overview of the room and the band that played. The band was pretty loud most of the night, but they were very good and set a festive tone.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1050.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1051.jpg

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1052.jpg

I knew from past events that the ceiling banners were not just decorations, but color-coded for the Party for the Senses event. Because PFTS is so huge, there's a menu brochure and a color-coded listing of where to find the dishes served. You're looking at what appears to be the Red section, but it had no bearing on the South Africa Wine event. I figured that they had to keep the room more or less set up for the Party For the Senses.

Ok, I digress. We quickly got a large table off the to left side of the venue, and most of us did a quick stroll around to get a feel for where the food and the wine stations were. It was to our surprise that all the food stations were along the ride side of the room, and each station was really not separated enough. So if you wanted to bypass one line and go to the next, most people would think you're cutting in line.

I started with one of my favorite stations, but mostly due to one dish. It was not the Pap with Sheeba Sauce that did it for me, but it was tasty:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1060.jpg

It wasn't the Lentil Bastilla (triangular pasty filled with a lentil mixture - you'll see it on my plate later). What inspired me to call this the best station?

Bacon-wrapped Scallops, baby!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1062.jpg

Here they all are co-existing on my first plate of food:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1054.jpg

The tomato "sheeba" sauce really made the pap dish, and the lentils in the puff pastry were delicious. But the scallops were special. Isn't everything better when wrapped in bacon? :love:

I continued to stuff my face silly in between samples of the wine. I noticed that the pours for me were way stingy compared to what my friends received. I secretly think the wine servers liked Meli better! I had a mission to try wines I've heard of, but never tried before, like Pinotage. I must have tried a few different varieties of that, but my favorite was from Long Mountain winery.

Ok, enough about the wine, here's more food!

Here's some sliced flat-iron steak, Durban chicken, and spinach couscous.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1055.jpg

I liked the meats, but I felt the couscous was a little flat in the flavor department. Maybe I just got a bad batch, as I've seen others comment how good it was.

My picture of the plate of shrimp on rice was a bit blurry, but here's the dish at the serving table:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1066.jpg

It was delicious and one of the best dishes at the food tables.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1064.jpg

You see this line? It was pretty much what you'd see if you stood in line for the cheese table. But picture the 20 other people behind them that didn't fit into my lens frame. The line was seriously long all night, and the cheeses served were not unusual nor South African. Last time I checked, Tillamook cheddar was a product of Oregon. :rolleyes:

Here's a pic of the cheese:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1065.jpg

Before you ask, the pink cheese was a port wine cheddar, and you'll find brie, muenster, gorgonzola and cheddar around. There were some fruits and crackers around, as well. Why do you think this was one of the most popular tables?

Two words: No desserts. :eek:

That's right. I always want something sweet after having something savory, and the cheese table wasn't my idea of dessert. The event cast members were venturing a guess that they had no desserts because they had no dessert wines offered. Ok, I guess I'll buy that. But I would have loved Animal Kingdom Lodge to export some of those highly portable, extremely poppable desserts to the event.

I would have killed for a Zebra Dome. Well, not really, but I do like my dessert!

Anyway, the night was filled with a few other surprises. A nice couple from Minnesota shared our table for a moment, and it was really nice to talk to them about their trip and how they've been enjoying themselves. They told my friends and I that they had received Dream Pin Lanyards from the Dream Squad that day, and they shared their story with Meli and me.

They had no clue about pin trading or how rare it was to get a dream pin lanyard. So they traded one pin from each of their lanyards to a cast member. A second cast member refused to trade with them and cautioned them that they shouldn't trade their pins, as they aren't sold anywhere. So I discussed pin trading and how sad I thought it was that they traded their first pins instead of keeping them.

I didn't think of it much as the couple drifted off to enjoy the event. But as the event was winding down, I was taking some photos of the food stations when the couple found me again. They told me that they are not interested in the pins, but they knew I would enjoy them. They gave me their two dream lanyards with pins, one for me, and one for Meli! I refused to accept them at first, but they insisted I keep them. They have a little boy that's too young to appreciate collecting pins just yet, and they wanted Meli and me to have them. I think they wanted Meli to have the extra lanyard due to talking about her upcoming Disney wedding.

I quickly found Meli and told her, "You are not going to believe this, but we just got dreamed!" I gave her the lanyard and the story, and we both couldn't believe how cool it was to get a dream from not the Dream Squad, but by another guest.

Overall, I liked the event well enough, but I think they need to re-think the setup of the food stations and offer dessert if they run this event again!

[maxiesmom]

I'm really enjoying your reviews. Keep them coming!:flower3:

BTW: I agree with you, everything does taste better with Bacon!:thumbsup2

[disneyquilter]

Just found your food review and LOVE it!

And yes, EVERYTHING tastes better wrapped in bacon :goodvibes

Keep the wonderful reviews comin'! popcorn::

[maiziezoe]

Great reviews! Can't wait to read more!

[Minniespal]

Brillant:thumbsup2

[Disney owl]

great photos thanks

[BriarRosie]

I'm really enjoying your reviews. Keep them coming!:flower3:

BTW: I agree with you, everything does taste better with Bacon!:thumbsup2

Just found your food review and LOVE it!

And yes, EVERYTHING tastes better wrapped in bacon :goodvibes

Keep the wonderful reviews comin'! popcorn::

Ok, ladies, looks like we have a few bacon fans around here! And the bacon-wrapped scallops were small enough to pop 'em like candy. :cloud9:

Great reviews! Can't wait to read more!

Brillant:thumbsup2

great photos thanks

I'm happy that you're enjoying the report so far. In my trip report, I mused that it's like the Reese's "you've got your chocolate in my peanut butter/you've got your peanut butter in my chocolate" debate. My report is like a trip report with a strong emphasis on food, or it's a food report with park touring thrown in.

And just you wait. I've got more blurry food photos. ;)

[BriarRosie]

I'm breaking my third day into two parts, with the first part being pretty skimpy on purpose. The second part will be Party for the Senses.

Day 3: Saturday, October 13:

I started my morning at the Studios with some of the RADP friends, and the plan was to eat lunch at the Dolphin before heading for a big meet and greet with other RADP friends.

We left the park to go to the Dolphin for lunch, so we'd be eating at Picabu when they opened their lunch specials at 11:30am. I had never eaten there before, and I was really pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I will be returning there whenever I want a meal that might feed a small nation. I'll explain...

I ended up with a decent sized meal, but when I saw what BigBrian (his RADP and podcast title) got as his lunch special, I had to photograph the evidence. I ordered the chicken pot pie, and it's a thing of beauty:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1072.jpg

I knew it was going to be good when the flaky puff pastry had that crispy sound as my spoon broke into the top. Mmmmm. This was probably one of the best chicken pot pies I've had. The pot pie wasn't available for me to take to my table, so they gave me a number and delivered it when it was ready.

BigBrian had lasagna for lunch. But since he was able to get two sides with his meal, he ordered more carbs in the form of stuffing. He redeemed himself with green beans:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1071.jpg

That's a LOT of food, baby! I later saw Caren's enchiladas and realized Picabu really means "Land of the Large Portions" in some exotic language. I don't usually frown at larger portions, unless I'm at Walt Disney World, and I don't want to have any leftovers. So unless I am really hungry, I'd probably want to split a meal here. I didn't want a huge meal because I knew I'd be pigging out later at Party for the Senses.

Stay tuned. My Party for the Senses post will be much bigger!

[BriarRosie]

After the Dolphin lunch and RADP meet and greet outside at plaza by the International Gateway entrance to Epcot, I had to leave to meet with my VMK player friends at the Magic Kingdom. I rushed back to BCV to clean up and meet some of the RADP friends at the Party for the Senses, which is where I start now:

Day 3: Part 2: Party Party Party!

I must warn you that my camera often doesn't like taking food porn. I think it's too modest or something. Some pics come out great, while others are a blurry mess. But I'll post the blurry pics, too...but I'll let you know what the items are.

I was running late getting ready for Party for the Senses. I cleaned up and walked over to the World Showplace, where I discovered the doors were opened:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1125.jpg

Does this look familiar?
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1122.jpg

I knew the colorful jellyfish hangings were there to guide people to their tastings if the read the color coded menu brochures...which change from Party to Party. If they went to the red jellyfish on 10/13, they would have found the Hong Kong-style Duck Bun or the Coriander-seared Tuna with an Asian Salsa, along with wines and spirits listed in that section of the menu/brochure.

Anyway, I had arrived at around 6:15pm, and the mad dash to scramble over those weaker than you to claim a table had occurred. People already have claimed tables, and I went to the back of the room hoping my friends found a large table. Unfortunately, the large tables were in the middle of the room, and the back of the room did not have them this year. So some people were at the standing tables while others were at the four-top tables with what Bruce described as "Ninja Attack Chairs".

When I arrived to join my friends, a lady took a tumble to the floor! She was attacked by one of the stealth ninja chairs. I don't know whose bright idea was to cover the chairs in black linen in a dimly lit room. Our chairs were claiming a few casualties that night, but not to the extent of the poor woman who took a dive to the floor. (She was ok, thank goodness!)

So I greeted my friends, and got down to some serious Larded and Loaded time! This year, I was going to try to sample things systematically, instead of wandering aimlessly, seeing an item as I passed by and not being able to find it later. I managed to try items at every colorful jellyfish station, but not every item on the menus. I also left my friends for long periods of time, not returning to the back of the room very often. I would actually do what the event was meant to do: Mingle with the crowd. I found standing tables around for the purposes of photographing my food, and I'd often chat with the people I'd find there.

The middle of the room was set up with a large stage so the Cirque performers could entertain the crowd:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1116.jpg

Ok, enough about the atmosphere, time for the food!

Since I was at the back of the room, I started with the Blue station.

Here's a deconstructed Reuben sandwich:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1092.jpg

This was listed as Corned Beef Reuben Spring Rolls. It was wild because it looked like an Asian dish, but you have the sauerkraut and thousand island dressing sauce there to make it taste like you were eating a Reuben. I though it was clever and very tasty.

Have you been to Raglan Road? Perhaps this looks familiar:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1094.jpg

Yes. It's Keen Eye for the Shepherd's Pie. When I went to Raglan Road a couple nights earlier, I had ordered a different entree, and I was grateful. I wanted to try this dish, so I was able to get a mini-sample at the Party. Bruce was a bit disappointed because he ordered that as his dinner that night. I do agree that most Disney chefs (although RR is not Disney but an operating participant) will make something not found at their restaurants to make PFTS something special. While I thought the dish was tasty, it was also a cop out for the chef.

What's in this blurry pic?
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1095.jpg

That's supposed to be Wild Mushroom Risotto with a Port Wine Sauce. The blobs on top were real, honest-to-goodness wild mushrooms. This was one of my favorite items of the event. Loved it. Glad I got to it early while I was not full.

BBQ Shrimp Scampi with Black Pepper Potato Puree
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1096.jpg

Mmmmmm. Shrimp. Unless it's overcooked, I don't think it's possible to mess it up.

I skipped the Causa at the last Blue station because I was still dealing with issues from the Causa I ate at the Peru kiosk. That's the potato thing with crab on it. But I did try their booze and dessert items.

Booze: Pisco Sour. Dessert: some Caramel fluffy thing I can't recall the name of:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1119.jpg

I liked the caramel thing, but the drink was just ok. People in Peru seem to love it, I guess.

And the last item in the Blue area:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1097.jpg

Mango & Ginger-marinated Pan Seared Salmon served over Cocunut-infused Boniato Mash with a Papaya Chipotle Salsa.

Wow! There was a lot going on in this dish. This is what Party for the Senses is all about. There was a party going on in my mouth, and I was invited to enjoy it.

Here's where I ventured off away from my friends. It was time to start conquering the colorful jellyfish around the room. The blue section was more like the back perimeter of the room. And away I went to the Green jellyfish...

Roasted Karabuta Pork Tenderloin and Braised Pork Cheeks with Rutabaga, Turnip Cabbage Wine Kraut
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1103.jpg

The pork was tender, which is always a plus. I don't think I found any dishes that I hated.

Who says dessert must come after all the savories?
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1100.jpg

This was Chocolate Decadence Cake with Marscapone Ice Cream. It was so good that I did get more of it later on in the evening. To my delight, this station shared a winery with a wine I knew would go perfectly with this:Banfi Rosa Regale! I didn't take a pic of the wine, but you can buy a glass of this stuff at the Italy pavilion any time you want. And it goes really well with chocolate, my favorite food group.

Grilled Quail with Fresh Figs, Caprino Cheese and Rocket Salad
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1101.jpg

If I said this tasted like chicken, I will get tons o' well-deserved abuse thrown at my head. But quail does. Taste like chicken. Yes, this was tasty, but it didn't "wow" me.

Lobster Bisque Espuma
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1102.jpg

Woohoo, Lobster Bisque Shooters! :banana:

This dish was by a chef familiar to many people from the Chicago area. Rick Tramonto. He and his ex-wife (a pastry chef) have some well-known (and expensive!) restaurants in the area. What can I say? This was another item you can easily down more than one.

This came out more like a foam at first, because Rick was using a CO2 canister to propel it out, sort of like whipped cream in a can. How many of you have squirted whipped cream into your mouth before? I am not ashamed to admit that I have done it. Yes, a part of me was secretly wishing Rick would squirt some Lobster Bisque into my mouth! :rolleyes1

Königinpastetchen
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1105.jpg

Gesundheit! Yes, welcome to the longest, most mispronounced item at the Party. It's Mini Vol-au-Vent with Veal Ragout. Walter Staib who cooks at the City Tavern in Philadelphia made this dish. He threw a German name on it, then described it in French. Which was all a fancy name of puff pastry with meat and sauce. So I decided to call it the Veal Pot Pie. I would enjoy having the full sized version of this dish. Even if it does sound like a Volkswagen ad-copy catch-phrase.

Time for the Purple jellyfish area!

Name That Blurry Mess:
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1099.jpg

This was supposed to be Sun-dried Tomato and Garlic-crusted Ostrich Medallion layered with Truffle-scented White Bean Puree and Jicama, Red Onion and Cilantro Salad. And I thought it was "just ok". I think my piece of ostrich was overcooked a bit, but the rest of the items were fairly tasty.

Beef Short Rib with Truffle Mashed Potatoes and Seared Scallops
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1107.jpg

Now this is a nice mini version of surf and turf! The entire dish was rich with flavors, and the short rib and scallop were not overdone. The potatoes went well with both items. This was also among my favorite dishes.

There were only a couple of things I got from the Pink station...

Mongolian Voodoo Lamb Lolli-chop with Mint Air and Pomegranate Blueberry Caviar, Sweet Pickled Cabbage
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1108.jpg

I think this deserves the Most Pretentious Description Award.

You can see the fruit "caviar", and the "mint air" looks like someone hocked a giant loogie on the lamb. I'm not a huge fan of the pretentious foams for this unappetizing reason! Although as far as loogies go, it was a breath of minty air! (Ducking for cover...) Truly, this dish was ok, but for the most part, it's just a mini lamb chop.

And what else would I not pass up at the Pink booth?

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1117.jpg

Yeah, chocolate truffles. These were the kind that the fancy chocolatiers like to make nowadays. They put unusual things into them. The ones I chose were: Sea Salt; Green Tea; Ancho Chile. They were great, and the best way for me to try these without worrying that I would hate them and waste my money. I liked the little bit of heat that came after you ate the ancho chile one. It was a surprise that I really enjoyed.

And now the Red jellyfish! I was getting somewhat full by this time, but I soldiered on! I only got one of the Red items, because there was only one that I found appealing, and I still needed to conquer the Yellow jellyfish.

Hong Kong-style Duck Bun, XO Flavor, White Soy Syrup
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1109.jpg

My first thought was that these would make great party food for sure! I would love to be able to go into my freezer and pop some of these babies into the oven for a snack. The duck wasn't greasy, and it was delicious!

Here we are, at the Yellow jellyfish, the last one of the night!

Tea-smoked Scallop nestled in a Celeriac Slaw, Heirloom Apple Brandy Sauce
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1111.jpg

I thought the smoky flavor and sauce made this a great scallop.

Red Wine-braised Elk Stew with Herb-buttered Black Tie Orzo, Roasted Tomato Jam and Sour Cream Drizzle
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1112.jpg

I haven't had elk before, but I expected it to be gamey like venison. I'm not a fan of venison for that reason. This was slightly gamey to me, but not to the extent of venison. It was ok.

And Party for the Senses wouldn't be the same without this beauty:

Sam Adams Utopias
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1110.jpg

This is the most alcholic beer in the world, and it tastes more like cognac. I love the pretty "I Dream of Jeannie" bottle it comes in. Yes, I know it's a replica of an old-fashioned brewers' kettle. I think this retails for something in the $150-200 per bottle range. How else would I get a chance to taste this stuff?

That brings me to the recap of the event. When you think about it, there aren't a lot of places where people could try such a wide variety of things like they could at this event. I believe most people haven't been able to say they've eaten quail, elk and ostrich, all in one night. As you can see, many items were prepared in ways you'd find at places like Victoria and Albert's, and you're paying about the same for this event as a night out there.

But, the real value is that for each food item I reviewed, each station also had various wineries represented, and you could try as many different wines as you wanted. I didn't even cover the breads and cheeses, either! I did try quite a few wines, and I was slightly tipsy, even after all that food I ate!

And it was interesting to hear how others liked/didn't like the items. While I thought the tea-smoked scallop was good, my friend thought it tasted like tobacco! She told me it just goes to show you how different palates taste food.

When you're leaving the party, the cast members wait at the exit with bags for guests to carry their souvenir wine glasses to take home. I dropped my glass off in my room and headed to the bus stop to catch up with friends at the Adventurers Club as usual.

Next: Day 4: Dreams, Sweets, Mix-Ups, and Who Knew I Liked Vegetarian Food?

[maxiesmom]

Awesome pictures, even the blurry ones.;)

We have another thing we like in common, besides the bacon. Rosa Regale. Yummy! Luckily, I have found that a local supermarket carries it, and I have been know to down a bottle when I need something sweat and bubbly.:thumbsup2

So if you had to pick one, which was your favorite item at the Party? :confused: Good grief, does that sound to anyone else like the silly kids show that talks about having a party in your tummy?:upsidedow

[taylorl25]

Loving your reviews. Party for the senses sounds fantastic and something I would absolutely love to do, really disappointed I didn't go when I was across there in September!

[John's Mom]

Thanks for the great reviews and pictures. I consider chocolate a major food group and love Rosa Regale.

[SmallWorld71]

Wow! The Party for the Senses looked like lots of fun.:banana: I can't wait to read more reviews.

[TheDISneyFamily]

What's in this blurry pic?
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1095.jpg

That's supposed to be Wild Mushroom Risotto with a Port Wine Sauce. The blobs on top were real, honest-to-goodness wild mushrooms. This was one of my favorite items of the event. Loved it. Glad I got to it early while I was not full.

[Beef Short Rib with Truffle Mashed Potatoes and Seared Scallops
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1107.jpg

Now this is a nice mini version of surf and turf! The entire dish was rich with flavors, and the short rib and scallop were not overdone. The potatoes went well with both items. This was also among my favorite dishes.




These two dishes would do it for me. Yum. Party for the Senses won me over. No question. Yes, there are some flaws - but nothing you can't overcome. It sounds like you did it right this year, Lori. I hope to follow your lead and get to more stations next year. I just made our DVC reservations for next October, so we're all set. :thumbsup2

Thanks for the report! :goodvibes
Take care,
Michelle

[my3disneygirls]

Anyway, the night was filled with a few other surprises. A nice couple from Minnesota shared our table for a moment, and it was really nice to talk to them about their trip and how they've been enjoying themselves. They told my friends and I that they had received Dream Pin Lanyards from the Dream Squad that day, and they shared their story with Meli and me.

They had no clue about pin trading or how rare it was to get a dream pin lanyard. So they traded one pin from each of their lanyards to a cast member. A second cast member refused to trade with them and cautioned them that they shouldn't trade their pins, as they aren't sold anywhere. So I discussed pin trading and how sad I thought it was that they traded their first pins instead of keeping them.

I didn't think of it much as the couple drifted off to enjoy the event. But as the event was winding down, I was taking some photos of the food stations when the couple found me again. They told me that they are not interested in the pins, but they knew I would enjoy them. They gave me their two dream lanyards with pins, one for me, and one for Meli! I refused to accept them at first, but they insisted I keep them. They have a little boy that's too young to appreciate collecting pins just yet, and they wanted Meli and me to have them. I think they wanted Meli to have the extra lanyard due to talking about her upcoming Disney wedding.

I quickly found Meli and told her, "You are [B]not going to believe this, but we just got dreamed!" I gave her the lanyard and the story, and we both couldn't believe how cool it was to get a dream from not the Dream Squad, but by another guest.


WOW! How sweet of them to think of you two, knowing that you would appreciate the lanyards more then they would.

And yes, everything is better with bacon. Which is why I rarely keep it in the house or else I would be eating bacon three times a day.:laughing:

[BriarRosie]

Day 4: Sunday, October 14:

After my Larded and Loaded night at the Party for the Senses, and a late night as usual at the Adventurers Club, it was refreshing to be able to sleep later than usual. My Sweet Sundays event at the Odyssey in Epcot didn't start until 10:30am, so I had plenty of time to get ready.

I headed into Epcot through the International Gateway near 10am, and walked towards Future World. There's a path that leads toward the Odyssey when you leave World Showcase Plaza, and I was surprised to discover the Dream Team for the first time! I didn't know what their costumes looked like, but I was at the right place at the right time, so I was awarded a Dream FastPass!

Here I am savoring the moment:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1127.jpg

I knew that my chances of getting awarded a Dream anything were slim, so I thought my trip was totally made when I got this Dream. But, because I'm such a geek, I didn't use any of my FastPass! I wanted to keep all the tabs intact. People might think I'm weird for wanting a pristine, unused Dream FastPass, but then I read Brenda's (oybolshoi on the DIS) trip report. :lmao:

As I made my way to wait in line and check in for the event, I told the people in line that the Dream Team was giving Dream FastPasses nearby. You should have seen the people scatter like bugs! :) As I waited in line, Amy showed up a few minutes later, where we both were handed our table assignment cards.

Peach table assignment card
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1128.jpg

For those who don't know what a Sweet Sundays event is, it's one of the Food and Wine Festival events. It's somewhat pricey, but you get a nice breakfast/brunch buffet and the guest chefs demonstrate three (yes three) desserts that you get to eat. Our guest chef, well chefs, were Greg Case and Keri Fisher. They wrote a book called One Cake, One Hundred Desserts.

Last year, I read Brenda's food report about this event. Let's just say that her experience (and probably many other people's experience) must have influenced the table assignments this year. It went smoothly. This was what was waiting for us at our tables:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1129.jpg

We had a packet of the dessert recipes, a nice lined notebook and wine stopper courtesy of the sponsors, Martini and Rossi. You couldn't help but notice the sponsorship when you entered the buffet:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1132.jpg

The line wasn't terribly long, and people could use both sides:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1130.jpg

We were handed a glass of Prosecco as we headed back to the table.
I had fresh fruit, a chocolate and mango bread, breakfast potatoes, a ham and cheese frittata, and two big honkin' links of sausage.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1133.jpg

Everything on the plate was tasty, and after I cleaned my plate, I paid attention to the show kitchen stage. Pam Smith hosted and interviewed Greg and Keri while they worked:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1134.jpg

The premise of their cookbook is that they could take a "base" cake recipe and use it 100 different ways to create their desserts. They made all their desserts using the base recipe. The first dessert was called Coffee and Doughnuts. Gotta love the presentation:

Coffee and Doughnuts
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1136.jpg

The joke is that you're getting the coffee inside the dessert. They tasted mostly of cinnamon to me, because I was drinking coffee with it. I think the coffee I drank masked the hint of coffee I was supposed to detect in the doughnuts. But they were tasty. And the chocolate espresso beans were a nice touch to the presentation. :goodvibes

Next was a holiday dessert, a Sicilian Cassata, a cannoli type cake. The only thing that bothered me was that the Disney chefs preparing our desserts took liberties with the presentation, so instead of a rectangular layered cake with the layers of sweet ricotta filling, they gave us the cake in a dome shape, with the ricotta filling piped into the bottom.

Sicillian Cassata
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1137.jpg

Yes, it was delicious. But I would have loved trying the actual cake the chefs were making. I gave them a pass because they were serving my favorite food group. ;)

The last dessert was Mexican Chocolate Cake. Here is a picture of it:

Mexican Chocolate Cake
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1138.jpg

Now, I have had a dessert made at a Lunch and Learn (chef Rick Bayless) a few years ago that featured Mexican chocolate. Rick's brownie was sinful and delicious. This chocolate cake? Not so much. It was a little dry and didn't taste much like chocolate to me as I would have liked. It had more of a spice cake taste. I liked this dessert the least of the three.

After the event, Amy and I wandered around World Showcase for a bit, starting with Mexico. I wanted to go on the boat ride, and I actually find I like it better with the Three Caballeros in it.

As we got to Germany, I stopped to pick up my surprise birthday gift for Brenda's birthday on the 17th. I bought her some Toblerone, because she related a pretty funny story in a previous triip report about receiving it as a gift. So I couldn't pass up the opportunity to give her a gag gift later in the trip.

As Amy and I walked into Japan, we were curious to see if Teppan Edo / Tokyo Dining would open soon. So we walked up to the stairs leading to the restaurant, and we decided to see. Sure enough, they were taking guests on a walk up basis. So we decided to have some sushi!

As you walk in, you can see a large, inviting space that used to be closed off as Tempura Kiku:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1139.jpg

And we were greeted and bowed to by no less than a half dozen friendly Japanase ladies as we passed the check in area:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1140.jpg

In fact, we were seated near the check in area, and every few minutes we would hear them offering their greetings to each and every person passing by, bowing every time. It was getting to be pretty comical.

Here are some pics I took of the tables near the window, and the view outside (if I bent forward enough to not have the people at the window in my photos):

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1144.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1145.jpg

Even the menu and the table settings were pretty:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1142.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1143.jpg

I ordered miso soup, an unagi roll (yes, that's fresh water eel, folks) and a glass of plum wine.

Miso Tasty!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1151.jpg

I just loooooooove miso soup. I have to have it every single time I'm in a Japanese restaurant. I could easily drink a quart of this stuff.

Unagi roll
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1154.jpg

Plum Wine
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1152.jpg

I really can't say much about the sushi, except I found it just as tasty as my favorite sushi back home. I enjoyed it very much.

After we finished our sushi, the ladies bowed and said their salutation in unison again, and I tried not to giggle. I took some photos of the Teppan Edo side of the restaurant. There are many rooms side by side, with lots of tables in each room. Here's what the inside of the rooms look like:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1155.jpg

They did a really nice job on the renovations of the restaurant, I think. I would definitely want to have sushi at Tokyo Dining again, and I would also want to try Teppan Edo, since I liked it when it was Mitsukoshi.

I had a nice rest in the afternoon, as I was gearing up for the food and wine Signature Dinner at the California Grill....coming up next.

[BriarRosie]

Awesome pictures, even the blurry ones.;)

We have another thing we like in common, besides the bacon. Rosa Regale. Yummy! Luckily, I have found that a local supermarket carries it, and I have been know to down a bottle when I need something sweat and bubbly.:thumbsup2

So if you had to pick one, which was your favorite item at the Party? :confused: Good grief, does that sound to anyone else like the silly kids show that talks about having a party in your tummy?:upsidedow

Well, it's a good thing you like blurry photos! :laughing:
It's pretty common to find that a lot of people really love Rosa Regale. I have yet to find someone to post, "Ewwww, that swill is revolting!" (And I'm waiting for some snarky person to do just that. Heheheh) My favorite item at the Party for the Senses? Probably the Lobster Bisque shooter. Unless you didn't catch the longing in my post after I compared it to shooting Reddi Whip into your mouth. ;) And I did have a party in my tummy, so it's all relative.

Loving your reviews. Party for the senses sounds fantastic and something I would absolutely love to do, really disappointed I didn't go when I was across there in September!

PFTS isn't for everyone. There's a lot of moving around, and a possessiveness over the tables with seats. If you go in with the intention of moving around from table to table, instead of fighting for a seat, I think that might be more enjoyable for most. The food is always fantastic, and it's still reasonably priced. The first time I did this event, it was a huge bargain. They've raised the prices to match what it should cost now.

Thanks for the great reviews and pictures. I consider chocolate a major food group and love Rosa Regale.

Woot! Welcome to my world. :hug:

Wow! The Party for the Senses looked like lots of fun.:banana: I can't wait to read more reviews.

Thanks! It's been a little slow going lately, but I'm ready to post more soon!
I just posted the first part of Day 4.

These two dishes would do it for me. Yum. Party for the Senses won me over. No question. Yes, there are some flaws - but nothing you can't overcome. It sounds like you did it right this year, Lori. I hope to follow your lead and get to more stations next year. I just made our DVC reservations for next October, so we're all set. :thumbsup2
Thanks for the report! :goodvibes
Take care,
Michelle

This year I went to the beat of my own drummer, while in the past, I made the long trek back to my table. I felt it was just too much backtracking and easy to get distracted. I did abandon my friends, but I managed to catch up with them after a while.

WOW! How sweet of them to think of you two, knowing that you would appreciate the lanyards more then they would.

And yes, everything is better with bacon. Which is why I rarely keep it in the house or else I would be eating bacon three times a day.:laughing:

Getting a "dream" from another guest was one of the highlights of my trip. I never imagined I'd get dreamed twice. :goodvibes And bacon is another major food group, next to chocolate. ;)

Thanks for reading, I'll be posting lots more!

[oybolshoi]

Hooray for Lori and her food reports!! :thumbsup2

I am ever-so-pleased that the Sweet Sundays organizers have learned from their past mistakes and good gawd do those desserts look yumptious!

I take this thread to mean that you are feeling better? Oh, and Happy Belated Birthday to you! :hug:

[BriarRosie]

Hooray for Lori and her food reports!! :thumbsup2

I am ever-so-pleased that the Sweet Sundays organizers have learned from their past mistakes and good gawd do those desserts look yumptious!

I take this thread to mean that you are feeling better? Oh, and Happy Belated Birthday to you! :hug:

Yes, I was thinking that you would have really appreciated the changes to the event this year. And yes, I'm feeling better. I update my report on the TR board and schlep the pertinent tasty bits here. And thanks for the belated birthday.

But I'm glad you're around, because people on your "damned" report are ready to send out the hounds to search for you for an update! :laughing:

[kabuki]

Love your reports! We were at the SAWE and the PFTS! My husband and I are already planning next years Food and Wine events!:thumbsup2

[BriarRosie]

Love your reports! We were at the SAWE and the PFTS! My husband and I are already planning next years Food and Wine events!:thumbsup2

Thanks! I enjoyed your West Coast reports of the DCA events. :)
I would have had my next installment today had I not closed the window while composing a good chunk of the Signature Dinner event. :rolleyes:

[BriarRosie]

Ok, I'm copying this verbatim from my trip report update on the TR boards.
Redundancy Alert! ;)

Day 4: October 14th, 2007, part 2:

Amy played a joke on me. I thought she couldn't get into the Signature Dinner event at the California Grill that night. But right before the trip, someone at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival emailed me a copy of the menu for that night. Apparently, they were giving us fair warning that we were being offered a vegetarian menu, as the visiting chef's restaurant was vegan, I believe. So Amy managed to book this because others have canceled their meals. She led me to believe she might try to get in, but the joke was on me that she was already booked all along. ;)

Oh, I should also mention that the person who sent us the menu in advance gave us the opportunity to put a fish course in our menu, and I opted in for that action.

Anyway, I cleaned myself up, took a bus to the Magic Kingdom and transfered to the resort monorail. I still had been early, so I checked in at the California Grill check in at the Contemporary, and I went to the bar to wait for the event to start. I saw that one of the Adventurers Club regulars was there for the event, so I sat there to chat with him until Amy arrived.

Soon after, we were ushered into a small room where wine and hors d'oeurves were being served. This was the Reception portion of the evening, where we got to taste our first wine and sample the bite-sized offerings to whet our appetites.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1160.jpg

Rudd Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1159.jpg

The wine was not too dry, and it fit pretty well with all the offerings.

Chardonnay Cheese with Endive, Poached Pear and Candied Walnuts
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1165.jpg

Spoon of Arborio Rice-encrusted Oyster Mushroom with Bouillabaisse Broth en Gelée
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1163.jpg

Truffle and Potato Croquettes with Vichyssoise
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1167.jpg

These were my three main winners of the Reception. All three had good repeatability. The mushroom on the spoon thing was especially nice, because it had a lot going on with flavors and textures. I did have these at least twice, but I wanted to try the other things, too.

Black Bean Cakes with Spicy Tomato Compote and Avocado Espuma
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1166.jpg

Yoshie's Vegan Sushi Bites
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1162.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1164.jpg

I am not a big fan of the black bean item. The sauce flavored it enough, but it didn't do much for me. Yoshie is a whiz at sushi, but I am not a big fan of vegetable sushi without any fish in it. :)

The theme for the evening was "An Artful Table", and we came into another private room, this time with 5 large round tables set in it. Each table had place cards and menus at each setting:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1168.jpg

The nice thing was that each table had a representative of the wineries represented, as well as Disney bigwigs. I wish I could remember the names of our Disney bigwigs at our table, especially since I sat next to the same guy a couple of years ago at the Exquisite Evening at Epcot a couple of years ago with him. I may not remember his name, but he was the head of all food and beverage at WDW. And I saw Brenda and Jim (thought he was a Jay like oybolshoi's Jay, but he's not) from the same event at our table, too.

First Course:
Cherry Wood-smoked Portabella with Yukon Gold Blinis, Cucumber Dill Sauce and Wasabi Caviar (served with Rudd Bacigalupi Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River, 2005)
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1174.jpg

Not only was this presented beautifully, it tasted wonderful. But I happen to love portabella mushrooms, so when the chef jazzed it up in this way, I was cleaning my plate.

Second Course:
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Grilled Porcini Mushrooms, Black Perigord Truffles and Arugula (served with Merryvale Reserve Merlot, Napa 2003)
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1175.jpg

First, I'm sorry that I have been getting blurry photos again!
I have never been a huge fan of sweet pototoes, but the gnocchi was tasty. And those are honest-to-goodness slices of black truffle on my plate. This alone made an event like this a special treat.

Third Course:
Halibut (substituted fish course - was supposed to be Crispy Celery Root Schitznel) with Endive Meuniere, Baby Carrots, Turnips and Red Wine Reduction (served with Rudd Oakvale Estate, Napa 2004)
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1176.jpg

You can tell that the chef worked as the chef at Flying Fish just before taking over the duties as the head chef at California Grill. Just by this dish alone! The halibut had a light crust to it, and the red wine reduction went really well with it. I noticed that most people at the table had requested this fish dish in advance, as well. And if the expressions of the other diners were anything to go by, everyone really enjoyed this dish!

Fourth Course:
Pan-seared Seitan with Ragout of Braised Root Vegetables, Brussel Sprouts, Parsnip Puree and Leek Brown Butter Sauce (served with Merryvale Profile, Napa 2003)
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1177.jpg

Seitan, for those who don't know what it is, is a vegetarian staple for a meat substitute. It's basically wheat gluten. And it takes on a texture similar to meat. I wasn't fond of this dish, because of the lemon flavor used. I'm not a big fan of most lemon flavored dishes, so I knew it wasn't the seitan itself.
The veggies were good, though.

Fifth Course:
The Chocolate Tasting Palette: Chocolate Torte, Yuzu Sorbet in a Consomme of Lemongrass, Tapioca Pearls with Rum-roasted Pineapple (served with Edge Hill Estate Vintage Port, 2002 AND Merryvale Antigua Muscat de Frontignan, St. Helen, NV)
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1179.jpg

Yum! The chocolate torte was on the left, then the tapioca thing, followed by the sorbet. Because I wanted to save the chocolate for last, and sorbet would melt fast, I started on the right and worked my way left. The sorbet was refreshing, and I liked the lemongrass "broth" it was in. The tapioca dish was really tasty, and I am a fan of tapioca to begin with. But I had loved the chocolate torte in a glass, and the gold leaf on top was very elegant.

I'm not a vegetarian. I'm fond of my corn-fed midwestern beef products. But I must say, I was really impressed with the overall meal and presentation of the dishes. I went outside my usual norm and would do it all over again if I was given the chance. At the end of the meal we had a couple of surprises.

First, they gave us chocolate picture frames with the menu on edible paper:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1184.jpg

And I didn't eat it until a few days ago! I am surprised I waited that long to devour it!

The other surprise was that we were able to see Hallowishes fireworks with the music piped into the room we were in. The room is actually behind the outdoor platform that people at the California Grill use to watch the fireworks. So we had a good view of the castle and the music.

After dinner, I went to the Adventurers Club with Amy and the regular we knew who ate with us. And we closed the place, as usual.

Next: RADP meets at Epcot and Food and Wine kiosk noshing!

[taylorl25]

Wow that menu looks fantastic. My DH is vegetarian so we've never been able to sign up for the F&W festival Signature Dinners, but he's so jealous now he's seen they actually did a vegetarian one!

[BriarRosie]

Wow that menu looks fantastic. My DH is vegetarian so we've never been able to sign up for the F&W festival Signature Dinners, but he's so jealous now he's seen they actually did a vegetarian one!

It was a last-minute surprise to those of us who got contacted by Disney, but I was willing to give it a go. My friend told me others from Chicago (like me, probably big carnivores/omnivores) decided they didn't want to try it.

I did see quite a few vegetarian offerings around the festival kiosks, too. I bet if they advertised in advance that a specialty dinner was vegetarian, many people like your DH would jump all over that in anticipation. Maybe they should sprinkle some vegetarian options throughout the speciality bookings.

[BriarRosie]

Day 5: Monday, October 15, 2007:

No, I didn't fall off the face of the planet! I'm back with more than just food reports. But that's not to say most of my report isn't food reports. It mostly is. The only downer now is that all my special events were finished after the Califoria Grill, and the rest of my Larded and Loaded Tour would be grazing the kiosks around World Showcase and dining with the Trio arriving on Day 6.

Again, this was taken verbatim from my trip report (minus the stuff I did without food being involved.) I was at Epcot from early that morning with my RADP friends, and we started our noshing tour on the Canada side when World Showcase opened.

Let the grazing commence! :banana:

I skipped the Dominican Republic, and I was keeping a wide berth from Peru and the crab dish that made me pucker up. While I would have gotten a spanikopita (spinach puff pastry) from Greece, I wasn't in the mood. I had already gotten soup from Canada and wasn't in the mood for the salmon, either. It wasn't until New Zealand that I got the Lamb Slider.

Lamb Slider
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1185.jpg

This was excellent. The bun was soft, and the lamb was juicy, tender and full of flavor. I would get this item again. :thumbsup2

Next, we stopped in France, where I got both escargot in cute li'l brioche cups, and the goat cheese tart. (If you want to be fancy, the names were Escargot Persillade en Brioche and Quiche au Fromage de Chevre.)

Escargot in Brioche cups
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1186.jpg

I tried to get a pic of the top of the brioche off to show the escargot inside, but it came out blurry. Huge shock, I know. ;) The snails looked like mushrooms, basically. I like escargot, but I really liked them served this way in buttery brioche! :love:

Goat Cheese Quiche
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1187.jpg

This was da bomb. Cheesy and creamy and ready to clog some arteries, I'm sure! But I was feeling the love again. :cloud9:

Next was the great country of....Oklahoma? :confused3 Ok, the state was celebrating a milestone birthday and ponied up some cash to be included, I guess. I needed more meat, since I did without my meat intake the previous night, right? Of course. So I had me some rootin' tootin' good ol' buffalo.

Seared Buffalo with Scalloped Wild Onions
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1189.jpg

I am so glad I got this, because it was going to be the only buffalo I'd eat during this trip. The buffalo had a good flavor and I enjoyed the carmelized onions with it. I skipped a lot of the food offerings because I was starting to get full.

Soon we were near the Sam Adams beer tasting area in the US pavilion, and the first scheduled tasting was in about ten minutes from our arrival. Some of the group split up to meet back after the tasting. Now, I've done this before and knew that we weren't going to get a lot of beer. But I enjoyed trying the different kinds for free. And I added another Sam Adams beer opener keychain to make it a pair. ;)

Sam Adams Beer tasting
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1191.jpg

We tried the usual Sam Adams Original and Light, along with Octoberfest and the Festival Anniversary special, now I think in its 12th year. My clear cut favorite was Octoberfest, but my RADP friends were split. Some liked the Festival beer better. Our presenter was fun and this was a nice way to pass the time.

What do you eat after sampling beer?

Debrinzer Sausage with Sauerkraut in a Pretzel Roll
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1192.jpg

This was my last offering to graze, and surprise, more meat! :lmao:
The pretzel roll really made a simple German sausage dish really interesting!

Ok, now I was full and just had water while the rest of the group and I made our way to Mexico. The heat was taking its toll, and I welcomed going into the Mexico pavilion. Our group had a fun time riding the boat ride, and soon I was saying goodbye to make my way back to the Beach Club Villas to relax.

(Note: I am including this next part because those who read food reports will probably know the people I refer to in my chance encounter.)

As I made my way back through the International Gateway, I began to take my shortcut back towards the pool area elevator when I saw a familiar couple soaking up some rays by the BCV pool. It was "oybolshoi" Brenda and her DH, Jason. Because they had no freaking clue what I looked like, I decided to approach them and asked Brenda, "Hey, aren't you the freaks that like to take a stuffed Plankton to WDW to pose him for photos?" :laughing:

Brenda did not attack me or run for Security. Instead, she seemed to know it was me (since she knew I would be staying at BCV too) and we talked for quite a while. After assuring her that I wasn't an axe murderer (and assuming she wasn't either), I went up to my villa to nap.

Also, I took the opportunity to take a pic of the gift I was surprising Brenda with for her birthday. Here's the birthday card and the Toblerone I purchased earlier:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1193.jpg

While you can see the outside of the card: "It's your birthday. You should be wined and dined." The inside said: "Or at least beered and cheered."

I found that card before my trip and thought it would be perfect for her food and wine birthday trip. :goodvibes After my nap, I cleaned up and grabbed a beef and brie sandwich for dinner from the Beach Club Marketplace. I didn't take a photo of it. :rolleyes:

[TigerKat]

Jumping in a bit late here, looks like you started your report while I was in Disney ! Great report and pics!!

[PrincessTiff]

Excellent reviews.:thumbsup2

[BriarRosie]

Jumping in a bit late here, looks like you started your report while I was in Disney ! Great report and pics!!

Yes, I've bene slooooooooowly posting. Thanks for jumping in! :)

Excellent reviews.:thumbsup2

Thank you. :)

[BriarRosie]

Day 6: Tuesday, October 16, 2007:

Earlier in the morning I did the Segway Around the World tour. I went back to World Showcase later for lunch, starting on the Mexico side.

I stopped at the Argentina kiosk for one of my favorite items, the beef empanada. But I decided the empanada wasn't the only thing there I wanted, so I got some Dulce de Leche. Yum.

Spicy Beef Empanada and Dulce de Leche
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1199.jpg

Don't let the spicy part fool you. I can't handle overly spicy "oh my lord, my mouth is in fire!" foods, but I do like a little heat, and in a hot pocket? Even better. The empanada was as good as I remembered it, and I was happy. And the dulce de leche was sweet and creamy, and I wished I could buy a regular sized version of it. It wasn't too overpowering in caramel or sweetness, either.

Next, I went to the Mexico kiosk to get another favorite, Chilaquiles.

Chilaquiles
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1200.jpg

Meat and tortillas are a staple of many dishes, but it's the tomatillo sauce that really makes this dish. And that giant glop of sour cream doesn't hurt, either.

I skipped a few kiosks and stopped at India to try a couple of items. I've never really had much Indian food before, so I was willing to give it a go.

Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Paratha Bread
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1201.jpg

I love soup, but I didn't love this soup, and I think the curry is to blame. I make my own butternut squash soup that I enjoy better, sad to say. I didn't finish it, but I liked the crisp bread that was used for dunking. My friends who've tried it loved the soup.

Samosa with Tamarind Sauce
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1202.jpg

I went into this dish knowing that I like tamarind flavor, and I liked this much better than the soup. However, it didn't wow me, so I probably would pass on it next time if they offered it again.

I had left Epcot to relax and clean up before heading to the Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party.

My first order of business was to grab a bite to eat, but when I wanted to get something at Columbia Harbor House, I was denied. They closed early due to the party, so I went to the closest place I knew would be open...Pecos Bill's.

Now don't get me wrong. I like Pecos Bill's and its Toppings Bar as much as anyone, but I wanted my Anchors Aweigh (aka tuna salad sandwich). Adding insult to injury, I will swear that my cheeseburger exploded. I mean it just seemed to fall apart a bit as I was eating, making it one of the messiest burgers I've eaten. And I managed to get some mustard on my shirt while I was eating. For some reason I tend to attract stains upon my built-in shelf. :rolleyes: But the good news was that it fell on the transfer part of my shirt and wiped off easily. Yay!

All in all, I was glad to get more food kiosks visited for lunch, and dinner was just the typical average "ok" counter service meal. And I realized while copying and pasting most of this from my trip report, I called Columbia Harbor House.....Liberty Tree Tavern. I know the difference between the two, so I'm going to blame that mind poot on posting after 1am. :)

Now I'm going to have to edit my trip report. :laughing:

[honeybee30]

Great reviews! All the F&W fest events look like fun, especially PftS.

[kabuki]

Thanks! I enjoyed your West Coast reports of the DCA events. :)
I would have had my next installment today had I not closed the window while composing a good chunk of the Signature Dinner event. :rolleyes:

OK Lori I showed my husband your reports on the special F&W events and I think we stalked each other the whole trip! You even have the back of my head in one shot! :rotfl:
I am happy you still went to the Veggi Rudd event! Your pics are amazing and the night looked fantastic. I think I will have to book a wine dinner for this year! Thanks for the reviews!

[BriarRosie]

Great reviews! All the F&W fest events look like fun, especially PftS.

Yes. If you're going to do only one food and wine special event, it should be Party for the Senses. It's the easiest event to book without worrying about it selling out to capacity on the first day of booking. And it's a great way to try a lot of different foods and wines.

OK Lori I showed my husband your reports on the special F&W events and I think we stalked each other the whole trip! You even have the back of my head in one shot! :rotfl:
I am happy you still went to the Veggi Rudd event! Your pics are amazing and the night looked fantastic. I think I will have to book a wine dinner for this year! Thanks for the reviews!

ROFL! That's too funny! Now I'll get a reputation as a stalker! :eek:
Definitely book different events. I highly recommend trying as many as you can book, as long as they don't sell out in the first 10 minutes. ;)

[oybolshoi]

I agree 100% about the curry butternut squash soup ... we tried it last year and I hated it, and was really disappointed to boot.

We've started making our own here at home (thank you V&A for showing us the light) and I realized it was the curry that mucked things up for me during F&W.

The bread was tasty. ;)

And thanks again for the birthday giftie ... you know it's something special when someone cares enough to send Toberlone. :lmao: :rotfl2:

[BriarRosie]

I agree 100% about the curry butternut squash soup ... we tried it last year and I hated it, and was really disappointed to boot.

We've started making our own here at home (thank you V&A for showing us the light) and I realized it was the curry that mucked things up for me during F&W.

The bread was tasty. ;)

And thanks again for the birthday giftie ... you know it's something special when someone cares enough to send Toberlone. :lmao: :rotfl2:

That's it, I guess we need to stay away from curry. And it seems we need to do an Iron Chef: Butternut Squash Soup battle, too. I still have a batch in the freezer...

And Brenda, nothing's too good for your birthday, like Toblerone! I could have gotten the large, economy size. That might have made a better joke.

[BriarRosie]

I updated Day 7 of my report in two segments on the Trip Reports board, but my food report really should be our dinner at Kona Cafe. It's redundancy time over here, but there is more to my report over there. Just sayin'. ;)

Day 7 - Part 2: Wednesday, October 17, 2007:

When last I left off on our Magic Kingdom day, we left to relax, have some chocolate gelato at the Beach Club Marketplace, and clean up before returning for our ADR at Kona Cafe for dinner. Little did we know that the gelato would come back to haunt us later at dinnertime.

After we cleaned up, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom, and then took the boat to the Polynesian. I thought the boat ride would be a nicer ride than the monorail. Soon we were checking in for our ADR, and as we discovered, the effects of the gelato hit us. Let's just say we needed to excuse ourselves to the restroom next to 'Ohana to "decompress". :rolleyes1 Lucky for us, our game of musical chairs didn't last very long during dinner.

As we looked at the menus, we decided to forego appetizers because we probably wanted dessert. Soon our server brought over some sweet Hawaiian bread and took our drink orders. I didn't take pics of the pull apart bread-y goodness because I was too busy slathering macadamia nut butter over it and shoving as much of it into my face as humanly possible.

However, I do have some booze photos! :banana:

My mother ordered the Island Sunset:

Welcome to Fantasy Island!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1217.jpg

I ordered the Malibu Macaw. I love Malibu and pineapple juice, so this drink was a no-brainer for me:

I'm trying to meet my Booze Quota for the day
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1218.jpg

And my sister had the Mai Tai:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1219.jpg

We enjoyed our drinks, but Sharon didn't want one. Her loss, I say!

I ordered the Slow Roasted Prime Rib with mashed potatoes and broccoli florets.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1220.jpg

Glutton that I am, I cleaned my plate. I ordered it medium-rare, but I think it's more medium. But that's ok. I want pink in the meat, or I consider it too well done. The mashed potatoes were addictive, and the broccoli was neither mushy nor crunchy. I like it when it's just got a little bit of bite to it. Can we use the phrase "al dente" for veggies or will the Pasta Police come after me for hijacking their phrase? Oh, and the horseradish sauce was awesome with the steak. I love it.

Mom actually had two dinners that night. She didn't like her original choice, and being the way she is, she would suffer and eat it, but make sure we knew she didn't care for it. It was the Bamboo Steamed Ono served with watercress salad with warm shiitake soy vinaigrette and sticky rice. And here's what it looked like:

Ono! It's fish you don't wanna order!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1221.jpg

What's wrong with this picture? Well, it's in focus, so that's a refreshing change of pace, don't you think? But the fish is just....white. And the rice....white. And Mom's comment? It's bland. I translated that as, "It's blahhhhnd. Emphasis on the blah." Sure there is some sauce on the bottom of her plate, but this just didn't thrill her.

So I took matters into my own hands because I knew she would not ask for a different meal. I knew she liked pork chops, and she almost ordered it if not for trying to branch out into different culinary territory. As it turned out, she should have gone for her first choice. So she got her second dinner when I told the server that she wasn't enjoying the fish. She got the Pomegranate Barbecued Pork Chop served on pan-roasted fingerling potatoes and applewood smoked bacon braised Swiss chard.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1224.jpg

It was a hit. Not just a hit but the best, most tender pork chop Mom ever had in her life. She did make good use of hyperbole, but after I tasted it, I had to agree that it was delicious, and a much better choice than the "Ono! I can't believe it's fish!"

My sister got a different cut of steak, but with similar sides as mine. She ordered Beef Teriyaki (sirloin strip steak) served with mashed Yukon gold potatoes, and those yummy broccoli florets.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1222.jpg

This was another hit, and the teriyaki glaze made her love the dish.

Sharon decided to have the Coconut Almond Chicken - sauteed chicken breast served with Asian greens tossed with honey-lime dressing, golden pineapple, strawberries, and toasted almonds.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1223.jpg

Look how beautiful this is? The chicken looks crispy, golden brown and delicious! And the salad looked so refreshing. Sharon is a picky eater, but this dish got the thumbs up from her, too!

And then it was time for dessert and hey?? What's this? Why are they bringing a plain icky birthday cake to the table? Well, while I was visiting nature, Mom told the hostess at the podium that it was Cari's birthday, thinking they might give her a dessert. Since I wasn't there while this was going on, I don't know if the hostess suggested the cake and Mom blindingly agreed to it. I know that she did not order the cake (which they charged $12.50 to the bill), and I was disappointed. The cake wasn't inedible, but Kona has way better desserts to choose from! To be fair, it wasn't bad for a cake we didn't order. ;)

I didn't take a photo, but it was a white cake with white icing, which insults my chocolate-lovin' soul down to the core. :furious: Yes, I'm a chocolate snob! :snooty: Ok, it did have chocolate Mickey faces as decorations. It's a shame that my Mom's comment ended with us being dumped with something we didn't really want. We felt it would come across as rude to tell the server to take it back.

Still, birthday dessert confusion aside, I think Kona Cafe is one of the most underrated restaurants at WDW. It's an underdog, like the Rodney Dangerfield of WDW restaurants. How many times when people ask, "Where's a great place for dinner at one of the resorts?"

People will usually answer with some of the pricier signature restaurants, like California Grill, Jiko, Narcoosee's, Artist Point, Yachtsman Steakhouse. Not many people suggest Kona Cafe right away, and it's a shame. The most expensive item on the menu was still under $30, and the quality is still wonderful.

Next: Artist Point dinner

[kabuki]

Looks great! And don't we all need to meet a booze quota for the day?! :cool1:

[BriarRosie]

Looks great! And don't we all need to meet a booze quota for the day?! :cool1:

Yes, I think the Booze Quota will always be a factor in a Disney trip. Just ask Brenda. ;) Oh, I've noticed you had your ticker for next year's food and wine. I'm going to a DLR food and wine weekend this year, but probably will not go to food and wine at WDW this year.

[kabuki]

Yes, I think the Booze Quota will always be a factor in a Disney trip. Just ask Brenda. ;) Oh, I've noticed you had your ticker for next year's food and wine. I'm going to a DLR food and wine weekend this year, but probably will not go to food and wine at WDW this year.

Have you been to the DLR Food and Wine event? We try and go as many weekends as time possible but WILL be at the TASTE event. I am excited to see what they do this year with it all because we saw the person in charge of last years Food and Wine weekends from DLR at some events at last years Food and Wine Fest in WDW including PFTS!

[Angelrose]

I had the coconut almond chicken when we were there in December. Oh my, how wonderful it was. It was so good, I asked our server Donna to tell the chef how much I enjoyed it. My DH got the Pan Asian noodles with just the veggies and asked for some broccoli too. It was AMAZING. Kona is a wonderful restaurant. But please let's just keep it our little secret. ;)

[bkhibiscus]

The F & W fest photos look good. It would be nice if they had some permanent type of F& W fest where a country doesn't need a whole pavillion.

BTW- While sampling the coke products did you have any of the yummy Beverly?:headache:

[arieljasmine]

I am so enjoying your reports, thanks for sharing. I loved reading about PFTS, as despite being around WDW for several F & W festivals, I have never thought about attending one of these events.

Laur's princess:

[BriarRosie]

Have you been to the DLR Food and Wine event? We try and go as many weekends as time possible but WILL be at the TASTE event. I am excited to see what they do this year with it all because we saw the person in charge of last years Food and Wine weekends from DLR at some events at last years Food and Wine Fest in WDW including PFTS!

No, this will be my first Disneyland food and wine weekend. My friends and I will be there April 17-21. I had hopes that there would be more info forthcoming. The only thing I know if that we can start booking the event dinners on the 15th, but I don't know much about them.

I feel like a fish out of water, here. :)

[BriarRosie]

I had the coconut almond chicken when we were there in December. Oh my, how wonderful it was. It was so good, I asked our server Donna to tell the chef how much I enjoyed it. My DH got the Pan Asian noodles with just the veggies and asked for some broccoli too. It was AMAZING. Kona is a wonderful restaurant. But please let's just keep it our little secret. ;)

Oops, I seem to have let the cat out of the bag about Kona. :blush: While I liked what I ordered, I now have other dishes I know I'd want to try. Well, until this menu changes. ;)

The F & W fest photos look good. It would be nice if they had some permanent type of F& W fest where a country doesn't need a whole pavillion.

BTW- While sampling the coke products did you have any of the yummy Beverly?:headache:

I need to figure out why I kept getting blurry or overexposed photos. Maybe I need to invest in a better camera, since my 4.0MP camera is now considered ancient. I don't know how they can keep up a permanent kiosk setup for all those different dishes. I'm sure it's quite an undertaking for a 6-week event.

No, I didn't have any Beverly during this go-round at Club Cool. But I can let you in on a secret. When I tasted Beverly for the first time, I thought, "What's the big deal? I thought it was supposed to be disgusting." Yep. I'm immune to the effects of Beverly, so I make the perfect shill to dupe the ininitiated into tasting it in huge gulps. :stir: In fact, back when I cohosted some Epcot events for the RADP and MouseFest meets, I hosted a Beverly meet that the MouseFest pocket guide described as a "test of endurance and carbonation." (Thank TDC_Nala for the great ad copy!)

I am so enjoying your reports, thanks for sharing. I loved reading about PFTS, as despite being around WDW for several F & W festivals, I have never thought about attending one of these events.

Laur's princess:

Aww thanks. Since these reports are embedded as part of my trip report, it's been pretty easy to share the food parts (of which there were many!) for the people who never venture out into the Trip Reports board.

It's pretty interesting that I discovered the food and wine festival in 1997, but I really didn't know much about booking the special dining events until around 2003. I had been perfectly happy to graze my way around the food kiosks. It was actually some Disney friends I met online that really opened the door for me to enjoy these, and I'm hooked. Party for the Senses was really worth it for me.

[oybolshoi]

Some day we will try Kona for dinner ... some day. And nicely done on the Booze Quota ... it's really the most important part of any vacation meal. ;)

[BriarRosie]

Some day we will try Kona for dinner ... some day. And nicely done on the Booze Quota ... it's really the most important part of any vacation meal. ;)

Yes, but the Booze Quota is even better when you can get your Mom and sister to join in with you! :banana: And sissy drinks get extra bonus points. ;)

Did you notice that my Mom actually smiles? You can still borrow her for your trips if you want. ;) Oh, she's going to Florida today, for TWO WEEKS...without me. I'm a tad jealous. :rolleyes1

[BriarRosie]

Day 8: Thursday, October 18th, 2007:

We were hot and we were hungry, so I took them to Flame Tree BBQ for lunch after I whined that I don't want to go to Pizzafari. Ok, I probably should have just bitten the bullet, but I don't like it there much. Yak and Yeti wasn't open or I would have tried it. Sure, I ate at Flame Tree already a few days earlier, but I really like Flame Tree more now because of the view:

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1274.jpg

I didn't take any photos of the food, but I had the BBQ pork sandwich and they had chicken. Sadly, I think the food quality at Flame Tree isn't what it used to be. I used to prefer Tusker House, and I'm willing to give its new format a try sometime.

I didn't go into much detail with Flame Tree, but it's become pretty average over the years. I liked it much better a few years ago.

So I'll skip to the dinner portion of the program. I have my food porn, complete with at least one blurry shot! :laughing:

Again, we repeated the same strategy to get to Wilderness Lodge as we had for Kona Cafe. We bussed over to the Magic Kingdom, then took the boat to the resort. We noticed a lot of guests were raring to go for the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party, and a poor pirate left his saber onboard the vessel. So far, on this trip, I took a lot of boat rides. I don't ride the boats much, but I managed to get on the MK ferryboat, the Friendship boat back from the Studios twice, and two different MK resort boats. Not too shabby!

After checking in at Artist Point for our ADR, we were seated within about 5 to 10 minutes. I ordered a Northern Exposure, a sort of mudslide drink, but I didn't take a photo of it. It was on the drink menu at the restaurant, but not at the Territory Lounge next door. I didn't quite understand why they did that. Do they think the booze hounds in the bar don't want frothy drink goodness? :confused3

Anyway, we all decided to go for the fixed price menu, which included a couple choices for starters, entrees and desserts. We all started with the soup:

Smoky Portobello Soup with Shiitakes and Chive Oil
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1277.jpg

Don't look into the Eye of Mara! :rotfl2: Sorry. These bowls look like the soup is looking at me, and I just couldn't resist the Disneyland reference. ;) I love this soup. This ain't your ordinary mushroom soup! This is soup heaven, and the consensus was that this soup rocked our socks. :thumbsup2

I wish my entree wasn't blurry, but it was the beef filet. However, we all didn't care for some salad-y thing they were going to serve with it, so we asked if we could substitute the sweet potato-hazelnut au gratin. And they were very accommodating!

Blurry beef...it's what's for dinner!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1280.jpg

I order my steak medium rare. My sister likes hers medium. However, Artist Point cooks their steak under what most places do, which isn't a bad thing. If you're the type that can't get your rare steak still moo'ing, Artist Point will make sure it's perfect for you. I thought my sister's medium was pretty darn inviting, but even though my steak was rarer than I order, it was still excellent. And the sweet potatoes? Since they were doctored up, I eat them. And they were like dessert! The crunchy texture of the streussel-like nutty topping was a good compliment to the sweet potato.

And we still had room for dessert!

Coffee Two Ways: Mochaccino Bread Pudding and Vanilla Latte Creme Brulee
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1281.jpg

Coffee brings out the flavor of chocolate, and this was no exception! I felt that there was more chocolate-y goodness going on than what I expected! Did I mind? Are you crazy? Of course not! Woot for chocolate! :yay:

I would totally order that again. I'd like the entire dinner again. I never had a bad meal at Artist Point. No wonder it's still on my top choices. There was, however, a bit of bad news during dinner. Sharon's daughter called, because someone tried to break into her house while she was gone. Her daughter had been in the house only a couple hours earlier. So Sharon's daughter was surprised to get a phone call from the home security company. The alarm scared away whoever broke in, and we were thankful the daughter wasn't at the house when it happened.

So Sharon was on the phone throughout dessert, finding out about the break in, and her damaged door. Mom pulled out her phone to check how Dad was. So if you were at Artist Point that night and saw what appeared to be two rude women on their cell phones at the table, both were dealing with emergencies of sorts. Dad was ok and Sharon was making arrangements to get her door replaced.

After that drama, we all decided to take it easy and head back to the Beach Club Villas.

[KayleeUK]

More please :)

[lajones81]

YUM!! The food looks amazing! I mean the rest of the details are nice and all, but I do love the pictures of the food! :)

[arieljasmine]

I am definitely thinking I need to make a trip to Artist Point now - that soup looks amazing! Sorry to hear about the attempted break in, I hope you were still able to enjoy the meal.

Laur's princess:

[kabuki]

No, this will be my first Disneyland food and wine weekend. My friends and I will be there April 17-21. I had hopes that there would be more info forthcoming. The only thing I know if that we can start booking the event dinners on the 15th, but I don't know much about them.

I feel like a fish out of water, here. :)

If I see anything a head of time I will pass it your way! I am hoping somthing will show soon. My husband and I will be at Disneyland so as soon as I have info you will also.

[BriarRosie]

More please :)

I'm afraid I only have a couple of food reviews left! :eek:
Thank you for the polite request for more, though. ;)

YUM!! The food looks amazing! I mean the rest of the details are nice and all, but I do love the pictures of the food! :)

Well, that's why I have these on the Restaurant Reviews board. Granted, I copied them from the Trip Reports posts I've made. It's funny that my trip report was mostly about the food. After all the trips I've taken, there really isn't much else to talk about, right? :laughing:

I am definitely thinking I need to make a trip to Artist Point now - that soup looks amazing! Sorry to hear about the attempted break in, I hope you were still able to enjoy the meal.
Laur's princess:

The soup was special. I'm a "soup person", so any place that has really good soup is ok in my book! :thumbsup2

Sharon was able to keep in contact with her daughter to make arrangements to fix the door, and it was all taken care of before we left Orlando.

If I see anything a head of time I will pass it your way! I am hoping somthing will show soon. My husband and I will be at Disneyland so as soon as I have info you will also.

I keep checking the site link that was quoted here on the DIS, but the page was still remarkably empty as of a day or so ago. I haven't checked it today yet. I hope we get more info soon!

[oybolshoi]

I can't see your pictures while I'm here at work, but I have to say you make Artist Point sound very tasty. Having said that, I don't think we'll ever go back and give it a second try. It just wasn't our night when we ate there.

Totally off topic ... did you ever finish reading The Thirteenth Tale? I enjoyed it for the most part but I thought it dragged a bit in places (namely the subplot with Aurelius). Lemme know what you thought when you have time.

I'm off to lunch where I am going to buy cheese for dinner .... mmmmm, cheese! :lovestruc

[BriarRosie]

I can't see your pictures while I'm here at work, but I have to say you make Artist Point sound very tasty. Having said that, I don't think we'll ever go back and give it a second try. It just wasn't our night when we ate there.

Totally off topic ... did you ever finish reading The Thirteenth Tale? I enjoyed it for the most part but I thought it dragged a bit in places (namely the subplot with Aurelius). Lemme know what you thought when you have time.

I'm off to lunch where I am going to buy cheese for dinner .... mmmmm, cheese! :lovestruc

Yeah, I can understand that Artist Point traumatized you enough to cross it off your list. :hug:

Uhm...I read about half of the book and sort of lost momentum. I really ought to finish it sometime. ;)

[kabuki]

Hey Lori -
It's 9:30am California time and still no events. I have a friend working for Disney and he said they haven't even put the events on the hub to check out for them. He said the web page is ready but they are not saying when the events will go up! I hate this!:headache:

[BriarRosie]

Hey Lori -
It's 9:30am California time and still no events. I have a friend working for Disney and he said they haven't even put the events on the hub to check out for them. He said the web page is ready but they are not saying when the events will go up! I hate this!:headache:

The registration link is up!

http://www.register123.com/event/profile/form/index.cfm?PKformID=0x5013736247

I'm hijacking my own thread to say that I booked the Winemaker Dinner for 4/18 and the Festival Wine Reception for 4/19. :banana:

[BriarRosie]

Day 9: Friday, October 19, 2007:

This will be short and sweet. I didn't take a photo of the pot stickers or chicken sha cha from the China festival kiosk. And dinner plans at Bistro de Paris were scrubbed at the last moment like a shuttle launch, due to Sharon's lack of interest at the menu posted outside the restaurant.

So after a meltdown, I left The Trio to their own devices, and I got myself some dinner at Beaches and Cream.

Nothing fancy here.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1286.jpg

What can I say? It's a hot dog. I do prefer the burgers, but I didn't want to fill up too much for dessert!

Now it's time for the No Way José sundae! :banana:

No Way José? I say, Yes Way!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1287.jpg

I think the picture speaks for itself. Yum!

I really wanted to go back to Bistro, and I was really upset that I didn't get to go. Maybe when I have my next solo trip, I'll go there. I already have bluezoo scoped out on the horizon.

Next: Yacht Club Galley breakfast, and goodbye, WDW!

[TDC Nala]

Day 9: Friday, October 19, 2007:

This will be short and sweet. I didn't take a photo of the pot stickers or chicken sha cha from the China festival kiosk. And dinner plans at Bistro de Paris were scrubbed at the last moment like a shuttle launch, due to Sharon's lack of interest at the menu posted outside the restaurant.

So after a meltdown, I left The Trio to their own devices, and I got myself some dinner at Beaches and Cream.

Nothing fancy here.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1286.jpg

What can I say? It's a hot dog. I do prefer the burgers, but I didn't want to fill up too much for dessert!

Now it's time for the No Way José sundae! :banana:

No Way José? I say, Yes Way!
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b255/BriarRosie/Food%20and%20Wine/DSCN1287.jpg

I think the picture speaks for itself. Yum!

I really wanted to go back to Bistro, and I was really upset that I didn't get to go. Maybe when I have my next solo trip, I'll go there. I already have bluezoo scoped out on the horizon.

Next: Yacht Club Galley breakfast, and goodbye, WDW!

Holy crap. Is that a WHITE bun?

And I think The Blob is trying to ooze out of that sundae. Actually if you look really close, it looks like a face with one of Queen Elizabeth's hats.

[oybolshoi]

Sorry about the busted Bistro plans ... you'll get there on the next trip. :hug:

Mmmmm.... the No Way Jose. I wish I was eating it right now. :lmao:

[arieljasmine]

Wow, that is some sundae! :goodvibes

Laur's princess:

[BriarRosie]

Holy crap. Is that a WHITE bun?

And I think The Blob is trying to ooze out of that sundae. Actually if you look really close, it looks like a face with one of Queen Elizabeth's hats.

BWAHahahahaha! :rotfl2: I saw the "face" in the peanut butter after I posted, and leave it to you to find it. Although I thought it was more like a fedora than a QE hat. A very strange fedora.

Sorry about the busted Bistro plans ... you'll get there on the next trip. :hug:

Mmmmm.... the No Way Jose. I wish I was eating it right now. :lmao:

Yeah, I wanted Bistro, and my inner Veruca Salt came out because I was hot, tired, and hungry. The No Way José helped. Next time, I hope. :)
Do you like your No Way José with or without a face? :laughing:

Wow, that is some sundae! :goodvibes
Laur's princess:

Yes, it's quite tasty, but it usually doesn't have a face on it. (I can't let the face thing die quite yet!)

[TigerKat]

The face is creeping me out....:laughing:

[BriarRosie]

The face is creeping me out....:laughing:

I'd like to blame TDC Nala for pointing it out to the masses. ;)

ETA: Crap, she's a moderator on this board. Now I have to take that back.
She's used to my snarkiness, though. So I might be ok.

[TigerKat]

I'd like to blame TDC Nala for pointing it out to the masses. ;)

ETA: Crap, she's a moderator on this board. Now I have to take that back.
She's used to my snarkiness, though. So I might be ok.

:rotfl2:

[kabuki]

The registration link is up!

http://www.register123.com/event/profile/form/index.cfm?PKformID=0x5013736247

I'm hijacking my own thread to say that I booked the Winemaker Dinner for 4/18 and the Festival Wine Reception for 4/19. :banana:

Hey Lori,

All that waiting and we didn't book anything! We were in for TASTE until we saw the line up and it's THE SAME AS LAST YEAR! Even the special guest! We are so disappointed! I thought they would have gone bigger this year! :confused3 I think I compare too much to PFTS! Your Winemakers Dinner looks great! I hope you will do reports on it all!;)

[BriarRosie]

Hey Lori,

All that waiting and we didn't book anything! We were in for TASTE until we saw the line up and it's THE SAME AS LAST YEAR! Even the special guest! We are so disappointed! I thought they would have gone bigger this year! :confused3 I think I compare too much to PFTS! Your Winemakers Dinner looks great! I hope you will do reports on it all!;)

Well, that's a bummer. Did you at least book anything? I would have wanted to do the Guy Fieri dinner. I like how he's got a twinkle in his eye, but I want to take away the sunglasses he always puts behind his head.

As for documenting the events I'm doing in DLR...I'm still on the fence. I'll probably take more blurry photos of food. :)

:idea:

I just realized I hadn't commented on the WHITE BUN for the hot dog I ate at Beaches and Cream. I didn't realize that hot dog buns have been a recent controversy until I saw the outcry of Casey's fans who had wheat buns for their hot dogs. I'd be curious to find out if I got the last white hot dog buns. :)

[oybolshoi]

BLECCCCCCCHHH!!!! Who wants a wheat bun for a hotdog? That's like drinking diet coke with a big mac ... stop trying to pretend that it's healthy. ;)

OK ... on with the show! :goodvibes

[kabuki]

Well, that's a bummer. Did you at least book anything? I would have wanted to do the Guy Fieri dinner. I like how he's got a twinkle in his eye, but I want to take away the sunglasses he always puts behind his head.

As for documenting the events I'm doing in DLR...I'm still on the fence. I'll probably take more blurry photos of food. :)

:idea:

I just realized I hadn't commented on the WHITE BUN for the hot dog I ate at Beaches and Cream. I didn't realize that hot dog buns have been a recent controversy until I saw the outcry of Casey's fans who had wheat buns for their hot dogs. I'd be curious to find out if I got the last white hot dog buns. :)

Nothing booked yet. I know we will be going to as many F&W Weekends as possible and do the free stuff. Our problem is the drive home to San Diego.
I know we will do something..

[BriarRosie]

Day 10: Saturday, October 20, 2007:

It's the last day of the trip. Cue the violins. :charac2:

We were going to have breakfast at the Yacht Club Galley (now called Captain's Grille), then I would show my Mom, sister and Sharon the Magic Kingdom area resorts. Who knew that there would be such a long wait for breakfast? The restaurant didn't even have a lot of people in it, and we had to wait about 30 minutes to get in.

What's for breakfast? Well, you won't get any pictures, but we all had the buffet, along with a pot of the swill that passes for coffee. I like the buffet at this place, but I seem to remember that they used to have a Japanese breakfast. I don't recall seeing it there now. The best part of the buffet were the blintzes. When a new batch was about to come out, a herd of us were moo'ing around the buffet waiting for them to be served. We did the same for the chocolate croissants, too.

The buffet had your basics, with eggs, a frittata, breakfast potatoes that were not hash browns. I have issues with hash browns. Most places don't seem to crisp them up enough for me, so they are almost raw potatoes inside. Blecch. Breakfast potatoes are usually diced/cubed/wedged, mixed with onions and/or peppers. I like those way more than hash browns.

Ahem. And there were the usual items like Mickey waffles, pancakes, pastries. And those cheese blintzes I liked very much! There were bagels with lox, but I thought the lox looked like it had been sitting around for a few days. Just not appealing visually enough for me.

If I didn't order the buffet, I really wanted to try the crab cakes benedict. I just like having a smorgasbord of choices. Cari likes to call it a "smorgie" for short. She and my mom are also big "smorgie" fans, so it must run in the family. :cutie:

Now, about our server...what can I say...
The server we had was a bit of an oddball. He seemed to be trying to be funny, but it came across as stilted and just plain odd. It's like someone you know who tries to say something funny, but it comes out like a non-sequitor. You could almost hear crickets chirping after his attempts of witty banter.

Well, since we had a large breakfast, we were not going to need another meal, but we definitely wanted something to eat at the airport. So we had sandwiches from the Beach Club Marketplace. I am stodgy. I always get the roast beef with brie, and today was no exception. It was way better than anything I could have gotten at the airport, and I was really happy to have that while I was waiting at the gate. The sandwich was enough to get me through the flight without being hungry.

I guess I can do a summary next to recap! Hope you all enjoyed my food report, blurry pics notwithstanding. :)

[FoundMyPrince]

Maybe the face is Jose'?

Thanks for the reviews and photos - very enjoyable!

[BriarRosie]

BLECCCCCCCHHH!!!! Who wants a wheat bun for a hotdog? That's like drinking diet coke with a big mac ... stop trying to pretend that it's healthy. ;)

OK ... on with the show! :goodvibes

I always get a diet Coke with my fast food. If I'm going to buy the fast food, might as well cut back somewhere. :angel: Yeah, I'm a food hypocrite.

Nothing booked yet. I know we will be going to as many F&W Weekends as possible and do the free stuff. Our problem is the drive home to San Diego.
I know we will do something..

I don't know how fast the Disneyland food events sell out, but I wish they could have gotten that web based system for the Florida event. So quick, so painless. And more good news: I booked a reservation for Vineyard Room for our Sunday night. :cloud9:

Maybe the face is Jose'?

Thanks for the reviews and photos - very enjoyable!

:rotfl2: I never thought I'd say, "No way, who put José in my sundae!" :laughing: Thanks for de-lurking.

[lajones81]

ROFL about the Jose as the face!

Thanks for the reviews!! :)

[arieljasmine]

Great final review, thanks for sharing with us, I have really enjoyed reading your reports.

Laur's princess:

[ImprovGal]

Maybe the face is Jose'?


I think it's Elvis Presley.

Lori, you should have saved the sundae and put it up on ebay.

"Oh look, it cries real vanilla tears!"

[BriarRosie]

ROFL about the Jose as the face!

Thanks for the reviews!! :)

Great final review, thanks for sharing with us, I have really enjoyed reading your reports.

Laur's princess:

I think it's Elvis Presley.

Lori, you should have saved the sundae and put it up on ebay.

"Oh look, it cries real vanilla tears!"

Oh you all are killing me with the "face in the sundae" comments! :rotfl2:

[BriarRosie]

Final Thoughts

When I book a trip during the Food and Wine Festival, I realize that it's usually a "Salute to all food, but mostly Food and Wine Festival Events". I try not to book ADRs, mostly because I'll be shelling out loads of cash to attend some of the pricier events. The trade off is that I'll be eating food I wouldn't normally get here on a regular basis.

But, since I picked ADRs because my Mom, sister and family friend were going to want, I was happy I was able to get some old favorites in. It was fun sharing places I enjoy with my usually non-Disney visiting family.

Let's start with my overall thoughts of the festival this year. I can't believe with all the time I had, I never made it into the Festival Welcome Center. And I only went to one food demo, no wine demos. The beer demo doesn't really count, since I've been to it before. But it's the only demo I know that gives you a parting gift of a keychain bottle opener! I did make a pretty good attempt at sampling the various kiosk foods, but I think I would have been able to visit more had I still been solo for the rest of the trip.

And the special dining events? I would say they were mostly a success. The only change I'd want to see is a new food setup for the South African Wine event. It was pretty disastrous. And I'm still cheesed off about the lack of dessert. :furious: I was mostly surprised at how much I enjoyed the Signature Dinner at California Grill. I'm a meat eater who enjoyed a vegetarian menu. Of course, the fish course helped, but if I didn't have the fish, I still would have enjoyed it.

Party for the Senses didn't disappoint. Granted, the price went up drastically, but I think when you realize that other parts of the country hold similar tasting events for the same cost, Disney is pretty much catching up with the rest of them. It's still a good value for the money.

Kona Cafe is still a great underrated restaurant. Most people overlook this place, but I always have had a great meal there, and this dinner was no exception. I'd stay away from the Ono, though. That fish looked pale and tasteless. :)

Artist Point is still good, and they don't overcook their meat! If anything, they cook more to the red side. If you are the type that hates overcooked steaks, this place will do you justice. And I was happy they allowed us to substitute a side dish from another entrée for ours.

The only place I felt the quality went downhill a bit for me is Flame Tree BBQ at Animal Kingdom. I still like the food, but it seemed it used to be better than it is now.

Thanks for joining me on my food intensive "Larded and Loaded" tour. I'm going to attempt a "Larded and Loaded - West Coast Style" report for the food and wine festival they are having soon in California. I'll be going April 17-21, and I already have my two events booked.

[oybolshoi]

Thanks for the reviews, Lori - informative and entertaining as always! :thumbsup2

I, for one, will be looking forward to a DL review ... more food and wine means good times indeed! :goodvibes