Which Food & Wine event?

[CarolMN]

If you've been to any Food & Wine Festival events, what would you recommend for first timers?

My DH & I have been to WDW many times, but never during the Food & Wine Festival. I'd like to do one (may two) special dinners or events. Which would you recommend to F&W "newbies"? We'll be staying at the BWV and are in our fifties (well my DH is actually in his 60s, but we don't talk about that much, LOL). We'll be there 10/27 - 11/2.

TIA for any comments and suggestions.

 

[Figment2]

Carol - Friends and I love the Party of the Senses (held on Saturday nights). I'm hoping they don't raise the price again (it was $125 last year and about $95 the previous years). I'm not a wine drinker (ususally have one beer from the Sam Adams booth) but if you are adverturous where food is concerned, it's great. If for the non-adventurous - one friend is very particular about food and she goes and we just don't tell her what she's eating. It's amazing how much you can eat in 2 hours. Plus Cirque usually performs a few times (and walks among the crowds). I'm not sure I'd go if they raise the price again. Maybe try one of the specialty dinners instead (see below).

Last year we tried a couple Sweet Sundays. One was outstanding and one was just okay. For the sweet sundays, you can either attend a breakfast presentation or lunch. It's the same presentation, but Disney either serves lunch or breakfast.

A couple we know attended one of the specialty dinners (Mexican Day of the Dead dinner) and absolutely loved it.

Not much help am I?

Cyn

 

[oybolshoi]

We really liked the Food and Wine Pairings that are offered on various days at the different restaurants at Epcot. They were fairly reasonable, too, compared with some of the other festival events.

I think we paid $45 per person (pre-tax) for F&W pairings last year; we did one at Coral Reef that was excellent and another at Restaurant Marrakesh which was good...I'm not crazy about Med. food, but others in my party were and they really liked it.

We also thought Sweet Sundays was a pretty good deal for the money... $65 per person (pre-tax) and it included a light breakfast buffet and three desserts which the chef demonstrated on stage. I believe Epcot usually gets a "celebrity" chef for each Sweet Sundays...ours was Warren Brown from the Food Network.

We're hoping to do a signature dinner this year, depending on the price and the available options on our trip.

I'd also recommend that you just allow plenty of time to wander the World Showcase and sample at the various food booths - there are usually about 25 of them. My hubby and I break it up over about four days so that we don't over-eat. We stay at BCV and love being able to walk in and out of Epcot for the festival - it's so much more relaxing that way.

Have a lovely time!

 

[TDC Nala]

I would do the pairings - they're not that expensive - and then you can decide if you like that kind of event. My favorites are Le Cellier (VERY popular and must be booked ASAP), Coral Reef (they have lots of these and they're easier to book) and I love the sushi/saki pairings they've been having on Mondays at Matsunoma Lounge.

Party for the Senses is a big event with lots of people attending and is different from the sit-down dinners but with all the fancy food and wine you can scarf down, it's quite an experience.

This time I am actually considering doing an Exquisitely Expensive Evening at Epcot if they have them again...no doubt they will be even more exquisitely expensive than they were last year...but I really had to work up to doing that one.

My mother likes the Wine Schools and we'll probably go to another one if we can get to one that isn't Italy, we did Italy last year. We're hoping for South Africa or Australia.

I was at the Mexican Day of the Dead dinner. I happen to have the menu.

Escabeche de Camaron (marinated shrimp)
Burritos con Mole (Chili Burritos with mole sauce)
Huachinango (Snapper with Roasted Garlic)
Carne Asada con Salsa (Beef Bruschetta with Cactus-Chipotle Salsa)
Tequila Dreams
L.A. Cetto Chenin Blanc, 2005

Ensalada de Berros con Pera y Coulis de Mango
(Watercress Salad with Pear and Mango Coulis)
L. A. Cetto Private Reserve Chardonnay, 2004

Crema de Pimiento Morron con Cuitlacoche
(Cream of Red Bell Pepper and Corn Fungi Soup)
L. A. Cetto Petite Syrah, 2004

Filete en Salsa de Chile Negro
(Tenderloin of Beef with Black Chile Sauce)
L. A. Cetto Private Reserve Cabernet Souvignon, 2003

Atole de Zarzamora
(Mexican Blackberry Custard)
Coffee

 

[CarolMN]

Thank you all - are any events available to be booked yet?

How do you all find out when they are available - assume you just keep an eye on the boards, right?

 

[ImprovGal]

Thank you all - are any events available to be booked yet?

How do you all find out when they are available - assume you just keep an eye on the boards, right?

Nearly all F&WF ticketed events open for booking at the same instant. (There are a couple of signature dinners at Jiko that have started taking reservations already.) In the past, it's been sometime around mid-late July. Expect the boards to "leak" the information first, usually a few weeks before the big release date.

My pick for a good intro event would be the Food & Wine Pairings. The lower price makes them a good way to test the waters without hefty investment. Book one for the start of your trip and then if you like it, pop by the Festival Information station to see if other events have openings later in your trip. (Yes, many events will sell out QUICKLY on the release date, but frequently cancellations happen and seats open up at the last minute.)

 

[jimwebster]

also, party for the senses rarely sells out, so that is almost always available at the last minute.

 

[Eeyore2003]

Last year we finally tried a couple of the events and they were great. We did Party for the Senses, Sweet Sundays and Kitchen Conversations.

This year we are doing Party for the Senses and Sweet Sundays again. If we were going by ourselves we would try a few more, but we're going with my sister and friend and want to keep the price reasonable-ish and still do some events. We thought both were worth the money.

BTW, we are a "tad" younger, early 50's. This is a great "new level" of Disney for us to keep exploring. My advice would be to read all the descriptions of the programs that will be available when you're there and decide what interests you within your budget. Look for more info about events in July I believe and you can make reservations mid to end of July. We will be there October 25 - November 2!!!

 

[CarolMN]

You all are just the best! Thanks for all the suggestions and hints.

I did think about the signature dinner at Jiko on 11/2, but I'm pretty sure my DH will veto that - he's not the most adventurous eater. Reading about that (elsewhere on this forum, lol) is what got me wondering what else might be out there. Think I'll start him out at the EPCOT booths and see if I can convince him to do one of the wine pairings.

I'll definitely read up and watch for the reservation info.

I'll keep checking back in case anyone has anything else to add.

Thanks so much!

 

[dash]

We've done Party for the Senses the past two years. Both times, we found it very good. Last year, we also did the food and wine paring offered in the French Pavillion. We found it disappointing since all the wines were from Georges Duboeuf. We will probably do the Party for the Senses again, but stick to the free wine seminars or just snacking around the world instead of doing the parings again.