Food & Wine & Feeling Fine: An October 2015 Dining Report (COMPLETE!)

[DisneyCoasters]

Welcome, Dis’ers, to my very first dining report! I spent six delightful days in the World last month with my husband and a few friends. We celebrated birthdays, went to our first MNSSHP, tried a bunch of new restaurants, enjoyed a few F&W events, and ate our way around (and around and around...) the Food and Wine Festival. I’ve really loved reading all of your dining reports, so figured I would give it a try myself!

First, a little about your dining companions. My name is Nicole and I’m a 33 year old Disney fanatic from Boston. I went to Disney World for the first time when I was ten years old. Like most ten year olds I thought it was pretty amazing, but I wasn’t able to make it back until I was an adult and earning my own vacation money. I went with some friends for New Years 2008-2009...and I completely fell in love! I’ve been a number of times since then and got my husband hooked too. This year we decided to really treat ourselves and got annual passes.

Nicole’s Disney Favorites
Favorite Park: Magic Kingdom
Favorite Ride: People Mover (or any of the Disney coasters!)
Favorite Movie: Tangled
Favorite Character: Ursula
Favorite Song: Be Prepared
Favorite Hotel: Yacht Club
Favorite Disney Snack: Popcorn
Favorite Quick Service Restaurant: Flame Tree BBQ
Favorite Table Service Restaurant: Narcoossee’s

Melsen is also 33 and a recent (but dedicated!) Disney convert. Here’s a pic of Melsen and I:

Melsen’s Disney Favorites
Favorite Park: Magic Kingdom
Favorite Ride: Tower of Terror
Favorite Movie: Mary Poppins
Favorite Character: Cinderella
Favorite Song: You’ll be in My Heart
Favorite Hotel: Boardwalk
Favorite Disney Snack: Mickey Caramel Apple
Favorite Quick Service Restaurant: Columbia Harbour House
Favorite Table Service Restaurant: La Hacienda de San Angel

We also traveled with two of our closest friends, Stacey and Lindsey. These girls are two of my friends from college, and it was Lindsey who got me back into Disney as an adult. Now we travel together (both to Disney and elsewhere) all the time! We hope you'll join us on our October adventure!

 

[DisneyCoasters]

Arrival Day:
Airport snacks and drinks
Boardwalk Pizza Window & Joe’s Marvelous Margaritas

Day 1:
Boardwalk Bakery
Tutto Gusto Regional Food & Wine Pairing
Delicato Family Vineyards Wine Tasting and Food & Wine Festival Part I

Day 2:
Belle Vue Lounge
Hollywood Brown Derby
Visit to France and Trattoria al Forno

Day 3:
Belle Vue Lounge & Sanaa
Grgich Hills Wine Tasting and Food & Wine Festival Part II
Food & Wine Festival Part III

Day 4:
Main Street Bakery
Be Our Guest Lunch
Trader Sam’s Patio
Citricos

Day 5:
Kona Cafe
Food & Wine Festival Part IV
MNSSHP

Day 6:
Captain Cook’s
Food & Wine Part V
Airport dinner

Wrap-up Post: Final Thoughts

 

[DoBug]

LookS like a great line up. Can't wait to see your reviews!!!

 

[Vernie822]

Hi Nicole, looks like an awesome lineup! Can't wait to read about all of the yummy things you tried.

 

[pumba]

sounds good to me too

 

[chocolateMinnie]

sounds like some great destinations - nice intro - looking forward to the rest

 

[PghPiratesGirl]

Looks like some great choices! Can't wait to read all about them.

 

[DisneyCoasters]

Let me start with a little bit more background about our trip:

In April of 2015, Mel and I traveled down to Disney with our good friends Lindsey and Stacey. We were planning to spend five park days that spring and knew we’d want to come back for Food & Wine this fall. Even though we all live in Boston--about 1300 miles from Orlando--we decided to go big and get annual passses. From there, our plan for the fall trip was born!

All four of us have birthdays between 10/21 - 11/7, so we figured that was a great excuse to travel. We got great deals for a split stay at the Boardwalk and Poly Villas. Mel wasn’t able to take time off from work, so while the girls and I traveled on Tuesday evening, he didn’t join us until Friday night.

We all arrived early for our 5pm flight out of Logan Airport. (To tell the truth, I arrived VERY early. I missed a cross-country flight by two minutes in August and had to rebook at great expense. Now I’m obsessive about getting to the airport on time!) We had some time to grab a few snacks for a sort-of-weirdly-timed pre-dinner.

There aren’t a ton of options in the Jetblue terminal, but we decided on Boston Beerworks so the girls could grab a drink. We shared the boneless buffalo wings and chicken quesadilla. I got a seltzer (not much of a drinker on travel days) and the girls both got a blueberry ale. The food was nothing earth shattering, but it was pretty tasty for an airport bar. Of course it was also very entertaining to watch the blueberries rise and fall in the beer glasses! I usually just grab food from a counter service restaurant at airports, and it was nice to sit down and chat. I would recommend Boston Beerworks if you’re ever looking for a quick bite in Boston’s airport!

After an uneventful flight with a gorgeous sunset, we arrived in Orlando around 8pm. We excitedly boarded the Magical Express and then had a bit of a wait as the bus filled up. We finally got to the Boardwalk around 9:30. We had a bit of trouble with the check in process; though we’d booked the Villas side (cheaper when we booked), we were assigned a room in the Inn side. Apparently they weren’t as far along with room refreshes as planned, so no Villas rooms were available. The cast member at the front desk assured us we would be charged the lower rate, so we went with it. (We were actually charged a higher rate than promised, but I called guest services when I got home and they refunded the charge very easily. Great customer service, Disney!)

Once we got settled in, we decided to go find a late dinner out on the BoardWalk. We discovered you could order a full pizza from the BoardWalk Pizza Window. While “Slice Combos” (whatever that means?) are $6.69, a whole pepperoni pizza is $22.99. Seemed like a great deal to split between the three of us.

We also decided a drink was in order, so stopped at BoardWalk Joe’s Margarita Stand. I believe all three of us chose the Superfruit Margarita ($11.25/each).

As most dining reviews agree, the Pizza from the BoardWalk Pizza Window was nothing to write home about. It was tasty enough and filled our need for a late night dinner. I think my friends liked the margarita, but I wasn’t a huge fan. I would give the pizza/margarita combo a 3 out of 5 stars. But I would give the view from our table 5/5!

I honestly didn’t feel great after this meal, but it might have been partly due to the travel and weird eating schedule. When we finished eating, we headed back up to wait (and wait, and wait) for our bags to arrive via DME. We learned the important lesson that “up to three hours for delivery of luggage” = “count on three hours or MORE.” We were pretty crabby by the time we finally got our bags. Note to selves...pack PJs in carry-on next time! We got over it pretty quickly though...we were at Disney!

One other quick story from that first night: Stacey realized around midnight that she forgot her contact solution. All of the stores in the hotel and on the BoardWalk were already closed, but the front desk cast members totally helped her out. They found a manager to unlock the gift shop, got her some contact solution, and charged it to her room, no problem. So amazingly helpful!

Once all that was settled, we were off to sleep in preparation for a big first day...

Up next: Quick breakfast at BoardWalk Bakery

 

[DisneyCoasters]

Welcome DoBug, Vernie822, pumba, chocolateMinnie, and PghPiratesGirl! Glad you guys are reading along!

 

[samsteele]

Following along! You have a great restaurant line up happening Re the luggage, if I land at 5pm or later, I just don't do it. I spend the extra 20 mins and get my luggage from the carousel & then head to DME. Its always a bit confusing as my flight inevitably lands in the other terminal, but a long travel day plus waiting until dark-thirty for luggage isn't fun. ps those margaritas on the Boardwalk are mucho expensive. I've walked by that kiosk and wondered about them so good to know my money is better spent at La Cava in Epcot. However, that view is priceless!

 

[AllyinWonderland]

Looking forward to following along I love that view from the Boardwalk, it is one of my favorite spots on property.

 

[Jerusalem Gal]

Following. Sounds awesome!

 

[DisneyCoasters]

Following along! You have a great restaurant line up happening Re the luggage, if I land at 5pm or later, I just don't do it. I spend the extra 20 mins and get my luggage from the carousel & then head to DME. Its always a bit confusing as my flight inevitably lands in the other terminal, but a long travel day plus waiting until dark-thirty for luggage isn't fun. ps those margaritas on the Boardwalk are mucho expensive. I've walked by that kiosk and wondered about them so good to know my money is better spent at La Cava in Epcot. However, that view is priceless!

I think that will be my new plan. I've never had an issue before but that long grumpy wait for bags after a long travel day is NOT something I want to repeat! And definitely recommend the La Cava route for margaritas. Though I tried the avocado margarita last spring and didn't really see what all the fuss is about. Maybe I'm more of a traditionalist? Then again their cucumber margarita really intrigues me too...
Welcome, Jerusalem Gal and AllyinWonderland! Glad to have you here!

 

[samsteele]

And definitely recommend the La Cava route for margaritas. Though I tried the avocado margarita last spring and didn't really see what all the fuss is about. Maybe I'm more of a traditionalist? Then again their cucumber margarita really intrigues me too...

Ha! Ha! Love the avocado margaritas. When I was there last month, I lined up before opening and was the only woman in line. The men around me looked a little, shall we say, like serious day time imbibers. Oh well. Its a vacation and who knows when I will be back? I kept saying to myself, I am not a lush, I am not a lush . . . They have taken the avocado off the printed menu so I was a bit worried (but had the traditional in my back pocket as a backup choice) but when I got to the bar, they made one for me when I asked nicely. So that was a little pixie dust right there. But one is good for me. Lots of tequila in those babies.

 

[vettegirl]

Looks like a fantastic lineup. I agree their pizza at the window is nothing to get excited about.

 

[DisneyCoasters]

Hello again, Dis dining friends! I hope everyone had a really great Thanksgiving! I had a nice holiday but then at the end of the weekend got pretty sick and couldn’t stand to think about food for a few days. I’m feeling much better so now getting back to the trip report!

Before I launch into a short breakfast update, wanted to mention that I updated my intro post to include more information about the friends I traveled with. I got permission from Stacey and Lindsey to include them in the report, so expect to see/hear more about them soon!

When last we left off, the three of us girls had finally settled in for the night. We woke up bright and early to get ready for our first day in the parks! Our destination was Epcot for some rides and a whole bunch of F&W fun.

Like I mentioned earlier, the group of us travels together a lot, so we’ve got a pretty good system down. On vacations, Mel and I like to take showers at night before bed. Lindsey and Stacey prefer to just grab a coffee and something small like a granola bar or banana for breakfast, while Mel and I prefer to have something more substantial. This all works out really well; in the mornings Mel and I usually just get dressed and go find breakfast while the girls get to take their time getting ready. (This allows the four of us to share one hotel room pretty easily...which in turn means we get to stay deluxe instead of having to spring for two cheaper rooms!)

I left the girls to do their thing and wandered downstairs to find breakfast. My plan was to get some oatmeal at the Belle Vue Lounge. This was my favorite easy breakfast destination when I stayed at the Boardwalk in 2014, and the cast member who usually does breakfast here is totally delightful! (I am sorry I can’t remember her name at the moment, but if you’ve met her you definitely know who I mean!) When I got to Belle Vue, though, I learned that they’ve taken oatmeal off the menu. Sad! The cast member told me I could get some at the BoardWalk Bakery, though, so off I skipped.

I made the quick walk to the Bakery and got in line. I couldn’t find oatmeal on the menu, but when I asked at the counter the cast member assured me it was an option. I ordered and took my food out to sit at a table on the BoardWalk.

I brought my own fruit from home and got an ice water, so my only expense for this breakfast was the oatmeal. I can’t find the price listed anywhere online, but it’s super cheap (like $3 bucks-ish). You can get it topped with brown sugar or dried fruit, and I just chose raisins. I also brought a little trail mix from home, so stirred some nuts in for protein. I realize this is kinda boring, but this is seriously so cheap, easy, and tasty and it really keeps me full for a morning of Disney adventures. I give this combo a 4/5 stars and highly recommend it as a quick breakfast option.

I love the view on the BoardWalk at night, but I SUPER love it in the early morning. Everything is so peaceful and fresh and the day feels so full of possibility! I really enjoyed my little solo morning time. I ate, people watched, tried to escape from some overly friendly Disney birds, texted a little with Melsen, reveled in the fact that I wasn’t at work, and enjoyed some more of this gorgeous view:

Soon after, I met up with the girls and we walked over to the International Gateway to start our day.

Coming up next: Tutto Gusto Regional Food & Wine Pairing Lunch

 

[chocolateMinnie]

can't beat a quiet WDW breakfast before a manic day in the parks. Looking forward to the rest.

 

[DisneyCoasters]

The girls and I were so happy to be back in the Disney bubble and we had a great morning at Epcot! We rode Soarin’ and Living with the Land and took some amazing photos at the Character Spot.

We did some more wandering and shopping and eventually made our way back into the World Showcase. We were headed to the Italy pavilion for our very first F&W event (of the 2015 festival and also of all time! I never knew about all of the amazing options until I read about a bunch of them on the Dis!): the Italian Regional Food and Wine Pairing Luncheon at Tutto Gusto! This five course meal and wine pairing was $94/person.

It took us a little poking around to find where we were supposed to check in. We first asked the very tall and handsome gentleman working at the host stand of Tutto Italia. (Hello, fine sir!) He directed us to the Wine Cellar where check in was quick and easy. The host brought us through the VERY crowded restaurant and showed us to our seats at the end of a large table. There were three or four other parties at our table which probably held 14 people. Another party arrived at the same time as us, and the patriarch of the family gave the manager a MAJOR earful about how displeased he was with his family’s seats. The manager tried to placate him, but he was very riled up saying things like “Shame on Disney for this mess!” The manager came over right as the girls and I were sitting down and asked us to switch seats with part of this man’s party. As a result, the three of us were seated in a row in the middle of the table, and I was seated next to the grumpy dude. Ho hum.

We didn’t let it get us down because we were greeted with a pretty impressive sight. Check out all of these glasses! We knew we were in for an enjoyable lunch...

And here’s a closeup of the menu for those of you who would like more detail:

It wasn’t too much of a wait before the seats were all filled and we got started. The restaurant manager introduced himself and the event, then passed the show over to our host. Apparently an improvement to this event for 2015 was that they purchased a portable microphone for the host so she could talk about the wines and people could have a better time trying to hear over the crowded restaurant. Now obviously I can’t tell you what this was like before the microphone addition, but...it was still really hard to hear! I would estimate I caught about 50% of the remarks our hostess made to the group. I won’t add notes about most of her color commentary because I really couldn’t understand it.

While she told us about where in Italy she was from and what brought her to Disney, servers brought around the bread service. This included delicious red pepper focaccia rolls, crispy thin breadsticks, olive oil for dipping, and green olives. They were very generous with the bread and accoutrements, providing refills throughout the entire meal.

Next, servers poured our first wine (Gavi Batasiolo) and delivered our antipasti course (Prosciutto San Daniele, Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, and Handcrafted Dry Salami).

A really interesting part of this pairing was that each course was served as a trio. It was exciting to get to try so many things and to see how the different tastes paired with each wine.

Since I didn’t take notes on the meal, I’ll do a little googling to tell you about the wines. (Honestly, this is better for you anyway. I’m not great at describing wine. I can tell you if it’s dry or sweet and if I like it. That’s pretty much it!) The first wine, the Gavi Batasiolo, is a wine from Piedmont, Italy. A description from wine.com: “Delicate, straw-yellow with strong green reflections. Soft, characteristic aroma with scents of fresh fruit. Dry but refreshing, keen and well balanced. An ideal apéritif, it also beautifully accompanies hors-d'oeuvres and fish dishes.”

The wine paired well with the meats and cheese. I am not a huge fan of salami in general, but this one was not too bad. I enjoyed the rich prosciutto and the nutty, salty cheese. This was a great start to the meal.

My table finished the first course relatively quickly, then we waited...and waited...and waited. Honestly, this is my main complaint about the event. The staff was excellent and did their best, but service was sooooo slooooooow. The restaurant was packed and it seemed like there were possibly too many people/not enough servers to move the event along. While it was billed from 12-2:30, we weren’t even served the final course until after 3pm!

Servers poured our second wine (Barbera d’Alba Batasiolo) and delivered the first course (Risotto with Saffron and Porcini Mushrooms; Pumpkin Ravioli; and Ricotta and Spinach-filled Canneloni).

The wine was a red from the same region (Piedmont, Italy). A description from wine.com: “Intense ruby red with garnet reflections. Delicate, with a ripe fruit scent which harmonizes well with the aromatic notes from the wood. Warm, full and harmonious, delivering the typical freshness of Barbera. Ideal for accompanying white or red meats, meat with sauces and medium to mature cheeses.”

I thought the pairing was a bit strange; the wine seemed a little heavy for the dishes served. I didn’t dislike it, just wouldn’t have chosen it. I think I would have probably chosen another white, but I am no sommelier so you can take that opinion with a grain of salt.

The dishes were all really tasty! The cannelloni was very rich, filled with lots of ricotta and a bechamel-type sauce and topped with deliciously browned cheese. The pumpkin ravioli was topped with crispy strips of what I believe was more pumpkin. This stuffed pasta was really tasty and I enjoyed how the topping provided some texture to an otherwise mostly soft course. My favorite of the three was the saffron and porcini risotto. The texture was perfect; not too mushy and not at all underdone. The rice was creamy but still had a nice bite to each grain. The mushroom provided a really delicious umami flavor and I had to keep myself from licking the plate on this one. All three of us agreed this was the top dish of the day!

Servers (eventually) brought our second course trio (Herb-crusted Rack of Lamb, Duck Breast in Pomegranate Sauce, Pork Tenderloin with Rosemary Sauce, and an unnamed potato side) and poured our third wine (Chianti Classico Vescine Capotondo).

Wine Enthusiast tells me this wine is from Tuscany and can be described “A blend of 80% Sangiovese and 20% Canaiolo, this discloses aromas of red berries, wet leaves and balsamic herbs. The smooth palate offers sour cherry and black raspberry accented with notes of white pepper and clove.” Now that I read this description, I do remember talking with tablemates about the cherry flavors we recognized!

I’m not much of a meat eater, so this was definitely my least favorite course. Nothing was bad, just not to my tastes. My friends and tablemates all seemed very pleased! The duck was very rich and I found the sauce to be quite sweet. The lamb was...well...lamby. Not my favorite. The pork was cooked properly, very herby with the rosemary sauce, and my favorite of the trio. The potatoes were nothing special but provided an important non-meat compliment to the plate.

Our servers brought our next wine (Passito Montegrande) along with the trio cheese course (La Tur, Robiola, Asiago).

The wine was a light bodied white from Rovolon in the Italian region of Veneto: “Aromas are intense and intoxicating: Candied citruses, dry apricot, with honey and vanilla nuances. In the palate, it is sweet, soft, elegant, persistent, but not sugary, in a right balance between sweetness and measured acidity. It can be suggested for milk puddings and custards, millefeuille, assorted biscuits, cheeses, patè de foie gras, and at the end of a meal.” Note the beautiful yellow color of the wine in the photo above! I thought it paired well with the cheeses by offering a nice sweet/acid counterpoint to the bites. The robiola is a soft-ripened cheese reminiscent of the more-familiar brie. The La Tur is a dense, creamy, earthy cheese unlike anything I’d tried before. My favorite was the asiago which was the hardest of the three.

Finally, our servers poured our last wine (Corbinello Montegrande) and the dessert trio (Nutella Cake, Tiramisu, Panna Cotta al Pistachio).

This was a delightful red sparkling wine from the same municipality of Rovolon in the Italian region of Veneto: “In the sparkling version, it is a ruby red wine, from the red-fruit fragrance that recalls marascas (a sour cherry) and violets. It has a kind wrapping fresh and pleasantly tannic taste. To be served at the end of the meal, as a dessert, with fruit tarts, assorted biscuits and chocolate-based sweets.” This wine made for a very nice end to the meal.

When out to dinner I will only rarely order dessert, but I was so pleased with this course! The tiramisu (top right) was my least favorite of the three, though it was still enjoyable. I found the coffee flavor to be slightly bitter, but the sweet wine was a nice counterpoint. The nutella cake (bottom left) was very good, and I enjoyed the textural element of the crunchy pearls on top. The tart raspberry was also much appreciated to balance all of the rich sweetness. My favorite of the three was surprisingly the pistachio panna cotta (middle). I loved the tiny martini glass presentation, and the texture of the custard was perfectly creamy. The pistachio flavor really came through and I thought the green color was beautiful.

All in all, the girls and I really enjoyed this experience! The food and wine was delicious, and we felt we actually got a good value for the $94 price tag. Five plated trio courses and five decent pours of wine seems like quite a bargain in the Disney bubble. The service was attentive, but the pace of the meal was toooooo slooooooow. I believe that Disney oversold the event ($$$) which detracted somewhat from the experience. I would still recommend this event to others, but I would warn that you’ll be packed in and that you should expect to spend 3+ hours at the table!

Coming up next: Delicato Family Vineyards Wine Tasting and our first foray into the F&W booths!

 

[EvilQueensRock]

Following along! The food and wine pairing is a fabulous girls' day out!

 

[Vernie822]

I agree, if not for the Dis and other sites, I would have no idea that these great F&W events existed!

For starters, I am drooling at EVERYTHING. $94 isn't terrible, especially considering all of the alcohol and four courses. However I don't think I'd eat for 24 hours afterwards haha. I have noticed (at Via Napoli anyways) that the service is quite slow, I think maybe that's the nature of an Italian meal!? Like it's supposed to be slow paced and relaxed? I'm not sure but I've always noticed that about Via Napoli. Everything you ate looks delicious and I love that you get small portions of each thing. I've always been nervous to book something like that because while I'm not picky there are certainly things I don't like so I'd be nervous if it were full portions. Thanks for an awesome review, we may have to try one of those sometime! We just stuck w/ a wine tasting this year and an Eat to the Beat dining package.