Pie That Brownie, Fruitcake! Updated Post #1832 - The End

[Linda67]

That's a lot of bubbles to pack in before 1pm -

 

[woodleygrrl]

Hey there Bendy,

I hit you up on the Twitter the other day. I am Jennifer, nice to meet you!

I was there the weekend after you all went and I have to say that the lines only got worse at the booths. Many times we waiting over 20 mins in a line just to get something. If we go again I am definitely going to plan for some middle of the week F&W fun, not the weekend.

Anaway, enjoying your report and looking forwad to reading the rest.

 

[MomsOf2boys]

Love the little nappy on the chairs...with the empty glass in hand! I am hoping you make it to 40 drinks for your 40th birthday!

 

[cntkg1]

After we saw people being admitted we joined the line, and as we handed our tickets over to Bud, who was there that day lending a helping hand, he looked at my button and said, "Happy birthday Barbara."

I smiled as I handed him my ticket and said, "Thanks, Spud!"

You're just too quick Barbara.

 

[onelilspark]

Bubbly times three!

^your champagne...

my champagne:

No wonder you liked the seminar better Jeez, my pours look so meager!

 

[eliz991]

Yay, champagne! I bought myself a lovely bottle of Veuve Cliquot Le Grande Dame (1998) for my 40th which was in September. Tony and I went through Champagne on our honeymoon and did a lot of cellar tours - it was awesome. After I told the Veuve people in Reims how much of a fan I was they even gave me free stuff and offered me a job as a tour guide. I would move there in a minute if I thought they were serious!

 

[ChelleinNC]

Saturday, October 17th - Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams, Without the Caviar: Moet & Chandon Seminar



After we saw people being admitted we joined the line, and as we handed our tickets over to Bud, who was there that day lending a helping hand, he looked at my button and said, "Happy birthday Barbara."

I smiled as I handed him my ticket and said, "Thanks, Spud!"

Bubbly Birthday self-portrait.

You can tell from this picture that Jay was still feeling a little rough - he doesn't have quite the smile and camera-glow that he usually does. The only good thing about his lingering queasiness was that I got to drink most of his champagne as well as mine!

Poor Jay

Bubbly times three!

Bubble Math! Finally a math subject that I can excel at

Each place setting included a sample of Moet & Chandon Rose' NV; Moet & Chandon Imperial; and Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial. The seminar was led by a company representative named Seth Box - from what BriarRosie tells me he was the winery guy at the Flying Fish signature dinner on the 15th - he was not only very informative and funny, but one of the more comfortable speakers that we saw during our Festival stint. Rather than standing up on the stage and hiding behind the platform like many of the other speakers, he delivered his talk right there on the floor with us potentially stinky theme park guests and enjoyed drinking the bubbly as he did so!

Seminar stage

Moet & Chandon Rep - Seth Box

So what did we learn?

We learned that on average there are 250 million bubbles in a bottle of champagne. We also learned a bit about the labeling process ... standard champagne, the kind that most of us buy, is non-vintage. A vintage champagne is typically a special bottling and will include a date on the label ... and as you've no doubt guessed, it will also be significantly more expensive. And then there is the Prestige Cuvee which is considered the finest, most expensive champagne available - think Dom Perignon or Cristal.

As for the Moet & Chandon varieties that we tried, the Rose' was the dryest of the three and my least favorite. It's a blend of three wine varieties with an emphasis on pinot noir. I suppose it should have been fruity but to me it seemed like I was drinking carbonated, red wine vinegar.

The Imperial was an extra-dry champagne that's a blend of three wine varieties: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Muenier. Although it was more dry than the previous champagne, the Imperial was softer and more typical of the kind of bubbly that Jay and I tend to purchase.

My favorite, surprisingly enough, was the Nectar Imperial which had the highest sugar content of the three. I don't usually like sweeter wines and champagne but this didn't strike me as overly sweet perhaps because it was also semi-dry. I would like to get my hands on a bottle of this for the holidays - that's how much I enjoyed it.

Six glasses later and someone needs a nap!

We really liked this beverage seminar and felt like it was definitely worth the price of admission. I especially enjoyed it since, as I said earlier, I was able to drink all of my bubbly and most of Jay's. I am not the kind of person to pass on extra champagne unless it's really really bad. And the best news was that Jay was really feeling better by the time this was finished - we had about 90 minutes to kill before our F&W pairing at Tutto Italia and decided to brave the Festival crowds for some snackables and drinkables.

I love Moet & Chandon! I'll usually only spring for the White Star, but the Imperial and the Nectar Imperial are yum!

So stay tuned for eating and more drinking!

Keeping score? My drink total for the day by 1PM was 1 mimosa and 6 small glasses of Moet & Chandon champagne. Bendy's 40 and she's feeling fine!!

I'm lovin' bubble math

 

[Tinkerbellie16]

I am one of those culinary snobs that must have - a Mickey Waffle with Bacon I love that you got that for your room service entree but am bummed that it wasn't it's usually light and fluffy self. Bummer. But I'll still dream about that culinary delight

 

[oybolshoi]

Mmmmmm.... Champagne! That's MY kind of seminar! How lucky for you that you got to take Jay's samples off of his hands! Sorry he wasn't feeling well... which is odd... 'cause it's usually YOU!

Hi Michelle! I thought of you while we were doing this - I knew you would have loved it! It was kind of odd for Jay to be feeling sub-par but it was all wine-related from Bluezoo. He was good once we left the welcome center and then it was FEED ME!!

The F&W rope drop crowd is pretty amusing! Glad you got your B-day Mickey card to spend! Guess who forgot to buy the cookbook this year? Oh well... I was too busy having fun...

I sound like a broken record but honestly ... we've never seen a crowd like that in Epcot. Wait until you see some of the pics we took later in the afternoon. At least they were a well-behaved, friendly lot. The projectile pukers and flowerbush fornicators must not come out until after susnet.

If I don't get a chance to come back here and wish you Happy Holidays before we leave, I'll send my Best Wishes now! Here's to a fabulous 2010!

Cheers!
Michelle

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Happy Holidays to you and yours, too!

Great birthday review so far.

I cant wait to see what the final drink score ends up being.

Hi Bridget! Nice to see you! The final drink score ... I think it may be close to twenty.

Great birthday updates! I agree, I can't wait to see the final tally.

Hiya Kat!! Thanks for reading ... see above response!

Hi! It's me- your Tokyo Dining Sake friendie! This sounds like it was a fabulous birthday!! I can't wait to hear about the Tutto pairing- I would have LOVED to do that one, but I think we went home the day it was offered. I am really looking forward to spending my birthday in WDW one day. Mine is November 29th, so it would be PERFECT for Christmas festivities- I really gotta get on that!

Hi there!! I did have a terrific birthday ... it will just keep getting better; it really will! And the Tutto paring was very very good ... we actually got four courses and some Rosa Regale and some other things that will have to wait. We've never dined there before and thought the food was pretty darn tasty.

Happy belated birthday, by the way!

And if you liked my Tokyo TR, come read my (almost done) TR from F&W- it has a TON of food porn! It's the VB OKW TR in my sig. I'm going to update it with links to all the posts later tonight- after I bake some cookies.

Excellent! I really enjoyed your F&W pairing review so I'm sure I will like the rest as well. Thanks!!

That's a lot of bubbles to pack in before 1pm -

Yes it was ... but it all tasted so good!!!

Hey there Bendy,

I hit you up on the Twitter the other day. I am Jennifer, nice to meet you!

I was there the weekend after you all went and I have to say that the lines only got worse at the booths. Many times we waiting over 20 mins in a line just to get something. If we go again I am definitely going to plan for some middle of the week F&W fun, not the weekend.

Anaway, enjoying your report and looking forwad to reading the rest.

Hi Jennifer! Nice to "meet" you too and thanks for reading! Pardon me for showing my age, but when you say you hit me up on twitter what do you mean? I'm not really with it anymore ... like Grampa Simpson, I used to be with it; then they changed what it is. Now what I'm with isn't it, and what is it seems weird and scary to me.

We were there on the 23rd of October and it was super crowded again at Epcot and this time the crowds seemed pushy and surly and like they could vomit randomly on anyone and enjoy doing so. I'm kind of glad we left when we did. Middle of the week and middle of the day is definitely the best way to go with F&W.

Love the little nappy on the chairs...with the empty glass in hand! I am hoping you make it to 40 drinks for your 40th birthday!

Hey there! Thanks for stopping in. I did not make it to 40 drinks although I do wish I'd thought of that. If we count drinks for the entire trip I'm sure I surpassed 40 ... would that be acceptable?

You're just too quick Barbara.

Not always, Goose; but this time I was quick-draw McGraw! I really shouldn't have been so snarky ... poor Bud must be something like 147 years old and he's the nicest F&W cast member ever, but I couldn't resist! You know me.

^your champagne...

my champagne:

No wonder you liked the seminar better! Jeez, my pours look so meager!

No wonder you were disappointed in yours! You guys got a raw deal.

 

[oybolshoi]

Yay, champagne! I bought myself a lovely bottle of Veuve Cliquot Le Grande Dame (1998) for my 40th which was in September. Tony and I went through Champagne on our honeymoon and did a lot of cellar tours - it was awesome. After I told the Veuve people in Reims how much of a fan I was they even gave me free stuff and offered me a job as a tour guide. I would move there in a minute if I thought they were serious!

YUM! I bet that was fantastic! And how can you beat free stuff?

Maybe you should call them up and ask about that job ... just for giggles.

Poor Jay


Bubble Math! Finally a math subject that I can excel at


I love Moet & Chandon! I'll usually only spring for the White Star, but the Imperial and the Nectar Imperial are yum!

I'm lovin' bubble math

Hiya Chelle! Glad you liked this update ... and thanks for the great idea about drink counting: bubble math!!!

I am one of those culinary snobs that must have - a Mickey Waffle with Bacon I love that you got that for your room service entree but am bummed that it wasn't it's usually light and fluffy self. Bummer. But I'll still dream about that culinary delight

Hi there! I almost always order bacon with my waffles ... something about the bacon in the residual maple syrup that just sets my toes a curling!

Thanks for reading!

 

[woodleygrrl]

Hi Jennifer! Nice to "meet" you too and thanks for reading! Pardon me for showing my age, but when you say you hit me up on twitter what do you mean? I'm not really with it anymore ... like Grampa Simpson, I used to be with it; then they changed what it is. Now what I'm with isn't it, and what is it seems weird and scary to me.

We were there on the 23rd of October and it was super crowded again at Epcot and this time the crowds seemed pushy and surly and like they could vomit randomly on anyone and enjoy doing so. I'm kind of glad we left when we did. Middle of the week and middle of the day is definitely the best way to go with F&W.

"hit you up"= replied to your tweet re: how many trips you have made to WDW this year. you had said 3 times and I replied that I have done 4 in 18 months. And just by writing that I now realize that I need help. maybe some talk therapy. and lithium. because 4 times= excessive, yo.

 

[oybolshoi]

"hit you up"= replied to your tweet re: how many trips you have made to WDW this year. you had said 3 times and I replied that I have done 4 in 18 months. And just by writing that I now realize that I need help. maybe some talk therapy. and lithium. because 4 times= excessive, yo.

Ahh, I see. But I'm still confused because I don't use twitter and have only been to WDW one time in the last twelve months.

Perhaps there is another oybolshoi out there? Hmmmm, that's interesting ... and a little scary.

 

[PNO4TE]

Ahh, I see. But I'm still confused because I don't use twitter and have only been to WDW one time in the last twelve months.

Perhaps there is another oybolshoi out there? Hmmmm, that's interesting ... and a little scary.

I looked for an oybolshoi and also someone with your name and couldn't find anyone on Twitter, Brenda.

 

[MomsOf2boys]

Hey there! Thanks for stopping in. I did not make it to 40 drinks although I do wish I'd thought of that. If we count drinks for the entire trip I'm sure I surpassed 40 ... would that be acceptable?

That is very acceptable! Perhaps next year you have a new title... 41 drinks for my 41st birthday... complete with many "napping" photos throughout the lands...

 

[woodleygrrl]

I looked for an oybolshoi and also someone with your name and couldn't find anyone on Twitter, Brenda.

lol...my bad! I think I have you confused with someone else, but still nice to meet you!

 

[kabuki]

Six glasses later and someone needs a nap!

I miss you so much!!!! This is exactly how I remember you!

Great update Brenda! I'm with you -the scary french chef guy did nothing for us! Oh I can see the top of Jason's head at Epcot France -land rope drop!

 

[fadingnebula]

Brenda,
I've been lurking for months, and am coming out of hiding to say that you inspire me. I'm a nerdy bookworm too, as well as a grammar queen, and it's nice to know someone shares my quirky sense of humor! I'm reading your old dining and trip reviews and they make me smile. I am 25, and have had my own share of digestive, and other health problems, so just know I'm rooting for you!

BTW, Gone With the Wind is on Turner Classic Movies right now (at least in Eastern Time Zone)

 

[oybolshoi]

I looked for an oybolshoi and also someone with your name and couldn't find anyone on Twitter, Brenda.

Thanks for taking the time to check, Elin.

That is very acceptable! Perhaps next year you have a new title... 41 drinks for my 41st birthday... complete with many "napping" photos throughout the lands...

I love the "napping" around Epcot idea. That would sure make for some interesting pictures.

lol...my bad! I think I have you confused with someone else, but still nice to meet you!

I thought maybe you were mixing me up with someone else but that's OK. It gave me something new to think about for the last day or so. By all means stick around - we like to have fun on this thread and there will be much more food porn and general hilarity to come.

I miss you so much!!!! This is exactly how I remember you!

I miss you too! But oh my ... what does it say about me that my friendies remember me best "pretending" to be passed out after too much alcohol?

Great update Brenda! I'm with you -the scary french chef guy did nothing for us! Oh I can see the top of Jason's head at Epcot France -land rope drop!

Thanks for taking a read - glad you enjoyed it! The scary chef guy was just scary ... I hope for 2010 they come up with something that's more aesthetically pleasing whilie making sense. I havent yet figured out how he played into the Festival's theme for the year.

Brenda,
I've been lurking for months, and am coming out of hiding to say that you inspire me. I'm a nerdy bookworm too, as well as a grammar queen, and it's nice to know someone shares my quirky sense of humor! I'm reading your old dining and trip reviews and they make me smile. I am 25, and have had my own share of digestive, and other health problems, so just know I'm rooting for you!

BTW, Gone With the Wind is on Turner Classic Movies right now (at least in Eastern Time Zone)

Welcome to the DIS and the general madness that is one of my review threads - and thanks for de-lurking to let me know you're here. Thanks so much for reading - I'm glad you've enjoyed everything so far!

I'm rooting right back atcha - it's no fun to deal with this stuff, so take good care of yourself and if you ever need someone to talk to about it all feel free to send me a PM.

Missed GWTW last night ... we were watching Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

 

[TDC Nala]

I still think the chef looked too much like Ted Kennedy with a moustache.

 

[oybolshoi]

I still think the chef looked too much like Ted Kennedy with a moustache.

Oh dear heaven, you're right!