10 Days in October: Argle-Bargle or Foofarah? UPDATED: POSTS #984 & 995!!!

[oybolshoi]

Thursday, October 19th - Food, Wine, and Heat Prostration Await You!

Today we're headed to EPCOT to scope out the F&W Festival before the parents show up and ruin everything. We have "free" single-day admission to the theme park of our choice. When we added on to our SSR ownership back in March we received these two complimentary passes - but it does not do to dwell overlong on just how much these "free" passes really cost because that would ruin the mood. Check your reality at the gates, please, and would you like that pixie dust in traditional powder-form or the new, easy-to-inject saline-based solution?

Now, before we go any further, I must confess...for someone who thinks she's soooooo clever I can be irritatingly dense and short-sighted sometimes (cross reference: Pedometer, Washing machine, Ruined...Twice; and Chappelle's Show, Lil Jon, That other guy is the real Lil Jon; wow, this sketch is much funnier now, isn't it? )

I mention this because I was woefully unprepared for the challenges of staying somewhere other than the Beach Club Villas during this leg of our visit. Jason relies on me for vacation preparedness, and I did not fail him when it came to packing, choosing Halloween costumes for his mother to make for us, plotting our daily theme park itineraries, booking F&W events, and reviewing menus, making ADRs, canceling ADRs, and then re-booking canceled ADRs ad nauseum.

But I failed completely when it came to WDW transportation. I mean I didn't even think about it...until 9AM Thursday morning when we were trying to figure out the best way to get to EPCOT from Saratoga Springs. For some reason, probably because we're so accustomed to walking to EPCOT from the BCV, we decided that it made more sense to walk over to the Downtown Disney busstop, catch a ride to a monorail resort, and get to the park that way. Looking back on it, this was a rookie mistake on par with the freshman year brush with alcohol poisoning and the infamous why do you want me to pull your finger? incident.

It is also important to point out that we had no food in our vacation villa which means we had no food in our respective bellies. Staying at SSR is like camping in the wilderness compared with the relative ease of a stay at the Beach Club Villas: We can't find the gift shop / food mart / snackie-place...the resort doesn't offer room service...and worst of all - there's not a bar within easy walking distance of our swimming pool!

Oh, the humanity!!!!!!

Enough whining...where was I? Ah, yes: transportation. There was only one other person waiting when we reached the DTD busstop around 9:15AM. It was nice sitting there in the warm shade listening to each other's tummies gurgle while we waited for a bus.

Fifteen minutes and four buses later we were beginning to worry. I turned to Jason, squinted, and said, "I see you. Do you see me?"

He looked me over and nodded. "I'm pretty sure we're visible to the world at large."

We decided to take a picture, just to be on the safe side. In a situation like this it never hurts to have photographic evidence of your corporeal existence.

 

[oybolshoi]

Thursday, October 19th - Food, Wine and Heat Prostration Still Await You!

We are further reassured of our existence by the only other person hanging out at the busstop this morning. Judging from the way he is pacing around the seating area and looking at his watch I'd say he's been here a long time. And considering the strange look he just shot our way, I'd say he's not used to seeing tourists take self portraits with their digital cameras, especially at busstops.

He sits down on the bench next to ours and asks, "Where are you trying to get to?"

"EPCOT."

He nods. "Me too - I work there."

He has an accent that to our ears, accustomed as we are to the flat voice of the Midwest, sounds very heavy. It's either New York or New Jersey and I can't decide if I should be impolite enough to ask. If I do ask, then he's likely to answer, which means that the sneaking suspicion I have that he's a Mets fan will likely be confirmed. Upon answering my inquiry he will no doubt want to know where we are from, and when we tell him St. Louis he will know we're Cardinals fans. And then there will probably be baseball-related carnage the likes of which has never been seen at the Downtown Disney Marketplace.

Oh well, might as well ask - I've never been one for missing a chance to stir the pot a bit.

Turns out he's recently relocated from New York, lives in Orlando, and is definitely a Mets fan; more importantly, he's a baseball fan. That means we can have an intelligent conversation about the NLCS, which has certainly been much more entertaining and well-played than any of the so-called experts predicted. Before we can do much more than congratulate each other on a great series there is a rumble of noise followed by a whiff of exhaust...

Is this a bus which I see before me, the door opening toward my feet? Come, let us board it!

Our new buddy talks to the driver and asks the best way for us to get to EPCOT from DTD - the driver offers to take us over to the Contemporary Resort so that we can hop the Monorail from there. This sounds like a good plan to us because we're not making any progress at all just sitting here on this bench.

We climb aboard our refrigerated chariot and are on our way...after a stop at Pleasure Island and Typhoon Lagoon where we are joined by no one.

Jason and I play the "What-does-EPCOT-stand-for" game on the ride over to the Contemporary to kill time and distract ourselves from the increasingly agitated sounds eminating from our stomachs. At one point mine grumbled so long and so loudly that Jay asked me if I had a baby pterodactyl tucked into my large intestine.

If I did, I sure as heck wouldn't be hungry right now.

So, What Does EPCOT Stand For?

I get to guess first: Experts Predict Cardinals On Top!!

Jay scoffs. "Dreamer!"

And then he ventures a guess: Eggs Poached Cavier On Toast.

I hold my stomach and groan. "Stop, you're making me even more hungry."

He then takes another turn: Every Person Comes Out Tipsy.

Not bad! But before I can respond, our new friend ruins the fun by giving the correct answer, which is expressly forbidden by the rules of the game (see Section IV, Sub-Section IX, Part H - Making up Rules on the Fly).

By now we've made it to the Contemporary and it's a good thing we've got a guide because otherwise we wouldn't have a clue as to where to find the monorail. We know it cuts through the hotel but that's about the extent of our knowledge. We wind our way through the lobby, up an escalator, turn sharply to the left, see Chef Mickey's on the periphery, go through some doors (I think), and take another escalator to the monorail queue. Whew!

The rest of the journey to EPCOT was relatively uneventful. I will say that this guy stuck with us to the bitter end when we had to join the huddled masses at the front gate to clear security and deposit a DNA sample at the ticket turnstile. I wish I could remember his name - shame on me - but I don't. He wasn't a front-line CM but a behind-the-scenes worker and I just have to say he really went out of his way to make sure we made it to the giant golfball. So, wherever you may be Nameless-Mets-Guy, thanks for your kindness. We really appreciated it!

Before I end this segment can I just say...I can't remember the last time Jason and I entered EPCOT through the main entrance. I love the International Gateway entrance and I highly recommend that you take advantage of it whenever possible. The good thing for us today about going into EPCOT in the front is that once we're finally through the gates we get to have a picture taken and we learn all about this Photopass thing I've been reading about on the DIS. We like this waaaay better than those old slips of paper that always ended up getting lost.

Here's a picture of us after finally reaching our destination:

It's hard to tell, but the topiary behind us is Beauty and the Beast, Mrs. Potts, and Lumiere. Truth be told, I much preferred the topiary they had the last time we were here, which was Goofy standing at a BBQ grill while Donald and Pluto (I think) were just hanging out adding color to the scene. The F&W Festival topiaries left a lot to be desired this year, but I'll talk about that in the next segment.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Lindy Loo]

Brenda............... top trippie !!!

Now wheres the bit about meeting this WONDERFUL English couple ???

Seriously I think for the cruise, you should just do one TR for both of us. Im just not nearly as funny as you, well not intentionally anyway!!

Linda

 

[Karen Mouse]

Another Konked Kruiser subscribing. Theres nooooo waaayyy I'm doing a trippie this Oct if it has to live up to yours

I agree with Lindy - you can do the next one for all of us

Looking forward to reading more about Plankton - he's a cute little fella!

More please........

 

[S.Poppins]

Just thought I would pop in and sub. so I can read tonight when everyone heads to bed!!! Can't wait. Brenda, I have endometriosis too - so I feel your pain!!

 

[oybolshoi]

Thursday, October 19th - Food, Wine, and Heat Prostration are Just a Free Beer Away...

The more I think about it, the more those topiaries at EPCOT's front entrance bother me...what do Beauty and the Beast have to do with the Food and Wine Festival? Is EPCOT's implied message Be Our Guest or is it Beast: Tastes Great...Less Filling?

Jay prevents this unproductive and ridiculous train of thought from gaining further steam by reminding me that, thanks to the DIS, I need to stop in at Guest Services and nab a birthday button. Guest Services at all four theme parks apparently has a wide array of buttons that they hand out indiscriminately to attention seeking freaks like me who may be celebrating anything from a birthday to the recent removal of gallstones to the annulment of that impulsive drive-through marriage in Las Vegas after one-too-many Spikey Cactus drinks.

I hope for the sake of those of you with children and those of you like me, with deeply sensitive psyches, that you get a more personable CM than I did. Seriously, the guy didn't even look at me. He just handed me the button, rolled a marker across the counter, and told me to write my name in the blank space on the front of the button. He didn't even wish me a happy birthday.

OK...so today isn't actually my birthday, but I couldn't get here any sooner! Should I be penalized for that...made to feel insignificant, pathetic and needy?

Jay steps in, "Take a deep breath...your hormones are just going wonky again...we'll go get a cheeseburger and chase it with some booze and you'll feel all better."

I'm married to such a great guy, aren't I? He cheered me right up and here's the result: I call this pose Look at Me, Just not too Closely.

Ladies, let's talk candidly about these buttons for a moment, shall we? Our options for attaching them to our persons are somewhat limited, especially in warm weather, and the buttons definitely attract attention: other guests...CMs...nursing infants. As long as you don't mind the occassional stranger addressing a happy birthday to your breasts as opposed to you, I predict you will get days of unmitigated enjoyment from wearing your button.

After a not very good lunch at the Electric Umbrella, Jason and I decided to wander over to the F&W Festival Welcome Center and see what there was to see.

There were two large areas roped off from the general public with rows of tables and lots of stemware...we assumed that this must be where the wine seminars take place. There was also an area referred to as the Merchandise Hall...I'm not sure I agree with that terminology but regardless, there was some stuff available for purchase: the F&W Festival Cookbook, some shirts, random tools that most people already have in their kitchens at home, spice packets...things of this nature. There was also a separate area that was selling different wines, ports, and champagnes that were being featured throughout the duration of the festival.

This shop was a bit of a sore point for us. Why offer to sell us all this great booze (at highly marked up prices I might add) if we can't get it home? That's right...we don't want to pack it in our suitcases and thanks to the FAA it's no longer allowed in our carry-on bags. Seems like the reasonable thing to do would be to offer to ship it home for us.

Oh, I see. EPCOT won't ship alcohol (EPCOT probably can't ship alcohol, just to clarify..I think you have to be a distributor in order to legally ship booze out of state).

Huh. Well, I guess we'll just write down the name and pertinent information of those items we're interested in and have the Wine Merchant order them for us when we get home. Friendly tip to all you F&W junkies - you'll save money if you purchase these items at home or order them on-line. For example, there was a bottle of Sake that we really wanted to buy but there was no way for us to get it back to St. Louis. EPCOT was charging $85 for a single bottle; I got it for $43 on special order from a store here in town.

We leave the air conditioned comfort of Innoventions West and find ourselves outside in the bright heat and humidity of the day. Our F&W program indicates that there is a "free" beer seminar over in Rose & Crown's garden...these are being offered daily by InBev at 1, 2, 3, and 4. We have a Food and Wine Pairing scheduled at Coral Reef at 3PM, so if we're going to enjoy some hops and barley we'd better do it early.

I was distracted by Ireland on the way to Great Britain...that sounds like the tagline of a really bad joke, doesn't it?

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure I offer this image of Ireland's food booth:

It's really cute, especially the thatched roof.

So, what taste treats are my Irish forebears offering for our delectation this year?

Potato Leek Soup with a Dubliner Irish Cheese Crisp
Lamb, Bacon, and Cabbage Stew with a Kerrygold Butter Scone
Raspberry Irish Cream Trifle

Need a Drink? Try one of these: Guiness, O'Mara's Irish Cream, or Bunratty Meade Honey Wine

I proceed to make my first food-related mistake of the day...I ordered the trifle and the Irish Cream. My reasoning went something like this: It's too hot for soup or stew, so that leaves the trifle. And we've both had Guiness and Bunratty before, so it appears that we should give the Irish Cream a chance.

These were both very good in terms of taste - Jason and I were in total agreement on that point. But probably not such a great option at noon on a really hot day, especially when you're planning on chasing that treat with a mixture of other alcohol.

Live and learn.

We had to stand in line for about 30 minutes before they handed out the tickets to the 1PM beer seminar and then we were told to come back and line up about 15 minutes before it was scheduled to begin. If you want to attend one of these you usually have to wait in line for the tickets because it's first come first serve and the number of seats are limited. Once we had our happy little tickets we wandered over to France and further beverage related joy in the form of...a Lemon Citron Squishee!

Once again I must offer my thanks to you, the DIS community, for alerting me to the existence of a small stand in France that sells Lemon Citron Squishees and Grand Marnier Squishees. They also sell champagne but I only had eyes for the frozen lemonade...liberally infused with Grey Goose Citron Vodka.

Another friendly tip - this booth only accepts cash. There is a big, easy-to-read-in-plain-English sign on the register that points this out, but if you're overcome with excitement (as I was) your brain may not immediately process that information. First I tried to use a credit card, then I tried to use a gift card, and then Jay whispered loudly in my ear, "Cash only...that means paper not plastic."

Have I mentioned that I think all those hormone treatments have resulted in a permanent loss of IQ points on my part?

 

[pixiesrule]

I was so excited to see your trip report started I can't wait to see more of the adventures of Grimace - I met her on your dining review and your writing style had me laughing out loud My husband thinks I'm insane to spend so much time on the Boards, but he really worries when I start laughing at my computer screen

Thanks for grins

 

[S.Poppins]

"The Grimace" ! That still cracks me up!

 

[oybolshoi]

Thursday, October 19th - Food, Wine, and Heat Prostration are Just a Free Beer Away...

Squishee in hand we decide to kill some time before our beer seminar by wandering around the world showcase checking out the different food booths and their tasty offerings.

The theme of this year's F&W Festival is Exploring Regional Flavors which doesn't really do much for me; then again I'm not much of a theme person so it really doesn't make much difference anyway. But let's discuss this particular theme for a moment...isn't each year that EPCOT hosts the Food and Wine Festival an exploration of regional flavors? If so, doesn't that make their precious theme somewhat redundant? I was going to make one more devastating comment to drive my point home but I suddenly noticed how hot it was while we happened to be strolling past the cardboard cutout of Turkey (the country not the bird) and just then a smiling woman waved us over and invited us to watch a cooking demonstration and I forgot whatever it was I had planned to say.

The demonstration took place outdoors underneath a canvas tent with the sides rolled up to allow for cross ventilation. In theory this is a fine idea but in practice, at least today, it doesn't work. The hot sun is beating down on the tent and a very pretty young girl is making some sort of salad with pomegranate seeds and not a hint of a breeze is stirring inside or outside of the tent. Jay and I finish our squishee in record time and, not wanting to appear rude, sit through the rest of the demonstration with rivulets of sweat pouring down our faces. And after all that suffering would you believe that no one even got to sample the salad?

I am outraged, not for myself because I would never have eaten that stuff, but for Jason and the six other people who sweltered through 15 minutes of pomegranate propaganda only to be told they could look but not taste. How are we supposed to explore regional flavors at a Food and Wine festival if we aren't going to be allowed to taste anything??? After all, it's not called the International Food and Wine Observation Festival. If we want to spend time admiring beautifully prepared food we'll buy a copy of Epicurious, it'll last longer.

Jay and I think it's time to go back to Great Britain where the rules are simple and easy to understand: have ticket, will drink. Besides, there were some nice shady benches outside the Rose & Crown beer garden and right about now that sounds pretty good. That, and a couple of bottles of cold water.

Sadly, by the time we made it back to R&C all the benches were occupied by a large group of sweaty older men who sure as heck weren't going to make room for anyone else. Normally I wouldn't comment on this, but I will this time for two reasons:

1) I know it's the 21st century and most men won't give up their seat for a woman any longer, but I was brought up with that example before me and in certain situations I still look for it;
2) A woman who is obviously struggling not to pass out from the heat qualifies as one of those situations (other qualifying situations include the elderly, disabled, or women with small children or infants).

Jason had no choice but to prop me against a wrought iron fence while he went in search of some water. I ended up sitting on the cobblestone sidewalk under a tree near the beer garden because I was seeing those bright heat spots dancing in front of my eyes and we all know what usually happens after that. Luckily for me, and those around me, a breeze kicked up and by the time Jason got back my vision had cleared, my pulse had slowed considerably, and my sense of humor was bubbling back up to normal levels.

I looked up and smiled when I saw him. "Is that a bottle of water in your pocket or are you glad to see me?"

Jay gave me a very arch look and said, "There are two bottles of water in my pocket which means you're glad to see me."

Silly husband...I'm always glad to see you!

Soon they are collecting tickets and ushering us into the teeny tiny beer garden with marble-topped, iron tables set up primarily for parties of four. A few lucky people end up at tables for two or three which means they get more beer than the rest of us, but honestly at this point I've sort of lost my interest in wheat, hops, barley, and yeast.

Here's what awaited everyone at their respective tables:

Ice, glorious ice! Seriously, everyone was so warm that they started pulling ice cubes out of the buckets to run over their forheads and necks. It might have been a thoughtful touch if InBev, which was sponsoring the seminar, had thought to include some water at each table. And actually, considering that we were going to be sampling five different beers, I just assumed that there was going to be water so that we could cleanse our palates between samples. I guess I confused the beer tasting with a wine tasting!

This was actually a pretty interesting session - the InBev representative gave us a history lesson about beer and then took us through the color, scent, and taste of each beer, one at a time. We tried Becks Premium Light, Brahma, Hoegaarden, Stella Artois, and Bass Ale.

I did have a taste of each beer but played it safe and stuck with water for the most part - I let Jason finish most of my portions. Each seminar lasts about 30 minutes and they are a great way to introduce yourself to some beers you might not otherwise have a chance to try, especially if you live in St. Louis and people think Bud Light is the end-all be-all of the brewery trade.

Once the seminar was over I asked Jason if we could slowly wander through the shops in Great Britain so that I could enjoy some air conditioning. He agreed - he was pretty warm, too. We strolled over to the toy shop...The Tin Soldier...is that what it's called? Well, we were the only two people in the entire place and it was so cool and dim in there that we must have looked at every single item for sale. The CM behind the counter wished me a happy birthday and I thanked her and then she said, "Have you received your phone call from Goofy yet?"

I'm puzzled by her question because I'm pretty sure I haven't told Goofy it's my birthday (or that it was my birthday two days ago, but that's irrelevant at this point). Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I haven't even seen Goofy.

"No, Goofy hasn't called me; uh, I didn't know he was planning to."

She reaches under the counter, pulls the receiver off the telephone, dials a number, and then hands it over to me.

And I stood there in the middle of the store with the biggest, stupidest grin on my face while I listened to a pre-recorded version of Goofy singing the birthday song. It's too bad Jason had wandered off to another section of the shopping area so there is no picture of the phone call, but look at what that sweet CM gave me as a memento...

A Magical Moment for me - I almost started bawling right there in the toy store. It was a small thing but it just made my day, in part because Goofy is my favorite of all the characters. I left the UK with Jason feeling refreshed and just a little bit special...my second wind was kicking in and I was ready for a food and wine pairing!

 

[zweihund]

I love the phone call from Goofy; that's so cute!
Enjoying the trippie, keep it up!

 

[jknepfle]

Lovin the trip report ALMOST as much as the restaurant report. If only it had food porn....

 

[oybolshoi]

Hi everybody! (Can you please find me a Dr. Nick icon???).

Jay and I are headed to the symphony and dinner with his parents today...I should write about that, especially if the aftereffects of that peanut butter and salmeonella sandwich I had a few days ago don't wear off. It could make for a real interesting voyage of self discovery, don't you think?

I wanted to respond to everyone for a moment - it really does mean a lot to me that you guys take the time to read our report and post your responses and / or encouragement. This is a tough board and I know that there are lot of great trippies out there competing for your attention.

Sunnyo4 - thanks for coming over to check us out from the food report!

Starrzone - thanks for reading and whatever happens, don't run away from the dogs!

Lennon2004 - thanks as always for stopping by - we'll try to keep the laugh quotient as high as we can!

jknepfle - Maaaaaatlock! I'm going to tell Jason to wear an onion from his belt today because that used to be the style in Grandpa Simpson's day! As for the food porn - I promise to have more of that in June once we get back from our anniversary trip at the end of May. Can you say Chef's Table?

DisneylandMama - Thanks for reading and don't worry...the Parental Unit will be making an unforgettable appearance verrrrrry soon.

Deide71 - Evil Plan Z actually has more of a seaweed scent - I wish I could convince Plankton to switch to lavender. Thanks for reading!

MAPiglet - Plankton thanks you for your admiration. And for what it's worth, we harbor no ill will over the 2004 world series. Cardinal fans apprecite good baseball history.

Saffy, Hannahsmom, and Timon - Thanks again for reading!

WDWPolyPrincess - Plankton also thanks you for your admiration and I thank you for taking time away from your own trippie to read ours. Your photos are just stunning!

2BusyPlanning - thank for for taking the leap from the restaurant boards with Jason and me!

Kevin!!!! Thanks so much for taking a read and your continued kindness. You're going to make my head swell up if you keep saying nice things like that.

Jusmom - Thank you for popping in! We'll do our best to keep the Simpsons references rolling when appropriate.

Disneyanajc - I thought Jay and I were the only people complaining about the lousy Smarch weather this week! Thank you for reading and hopefully this next batch is acceptable.

Jennifer48 - I'm not trying to string you along, I just don't want to disappoint you with an inferior product.

Linda and Karen - thanks for disembarking from the cruise thread to check out the trippie! Linda...I cannot talk about you and Wayne out of sequence but I'm sure I can find something good to say about you guys! And Karen...you guys don't want me writing a group TR about the cruise because it will just be all about mochaccinos, booze, and the spa - just ask Nancy!

Stacey - thanks for stopping by...I feel your pain, too. I hope you start feeling better soon (the Grimace says hi!)

Pixiesrule - many thanks for following us over from the restaurant boards! I promise you will not be disappointed in the antics of the Grimace.* BTW, my husband also thinks I spend too much time here, but he doesn't mind taking advantage of the great info I find from you guys!

Erica - thanks again for stopping by. That Goofy moment was one of my favs from the entire trip.

*Not a guarantee*

I'll see if I can't manage to finish day two this evening or tomorrow. It's taking long enough, isn't it?

 

[mlill]

Hi everybody! (Can you please find me a Dr. Nick icon???).

Here ya go!

Made just for you, Brenda! You're not the only Simpsons zealot!

My Simpsons shrine... it's a sickness... I know...

Your kindred spirit,
Michelle

P.S. I'm still catching up on your TR...

 

[cntkg1]

Yet another Konked Kruiser enjoying her Sunday afternoon reading your TR and keeping one eye on skating.

Enjoy the Symphony today and return quickly with more for us!!

 

[disgrits]

Yet another Konked Kruiser enjoying her Sunday afternoon reading your TR and keeping one eye on skating.

Enjoy the Symphony today and return quickly with more for us!!

DITTO!

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

Hehe, I love the Dr Nick icon!

I had a similar transportation mishap day! Getting from Epcot to DD one night- if I hadn't been stupid, it would have been easy, but oh boy, it was a LONG journey!

Lovin your report!

 

[jdkdorn]

small stand in France that sells Lemon Citron Squishees and Grand Marnier Squishees.

As a northern Midwestern I have to know what this is. I am guessing it is what we call a slush. My favorite would have to be the rum slush:

bottle of rum poured in large glad bowl, freeze, scrape & enjoy with 7up.

Love your post so far, I have some lovely pictures of my family member (who will remain nameless because she may read this) with the "grimace" attitude. We are lucky each trip if we get one picture with a smile, but being the loving person that I am we keep inviting them back with us.

Great story, keep it up

Judy
(another Konked Kruiser)

 

[oybolshoi]

Here ya go!

Made just for you, Brenda! You're not the only Simpsons zealot!

My Simpsons shrine... it's a sickness... I know...

Your kindred spirit,
Michelle

P.S. I'm still catching up on your TR...

Wait until Jason sees that shrine....he will be green with envy. And I love the Dr. Nick icon... I'm going to try to add him to my signature!

 

[Jennifer48]

Jennifer48 - I'm not trying to string you along, I just don't want to disappoint you with an inferior product.

I think you'll have a difficult time with that one. You crack me up regardless if it was mindless drivel. Keep up the awesome work! This is great! Just wish I watched Simpsons more to catch your references!

 

[oybolshoi]

Thursday, October 19th - A Food & Wine Pairing AKA You Went to a Theme Park and Didn't Go on a Single Ride?

I feel honor-bound to alert those of you who may have read my food report that there will be some overlap in this section...I just don't see how I can't talk about the food and wine pairing since it was one of the primary reasons we ended up at EPCOT on this day.

So if you're not interested in a reprise, I'll understand completely.

And now...on with the day, which must seem like it's never going to end.


We love the Food and Wine Festival and we've always enjoyed snacking around the World Showcase. In years past we've never had the time to try anything else - this was the first year that we were finally able to get ourselves into some of the extra events that are offered during the Festival.

For our very first foray into the world of F&W Festival extra-dollar-sucking delights I chose a Food and Wine Pairing at Coral Reef. You might be asking yourself, "Why Coral Reef?"

The answer is simple - it was the only F&W pairing being offered at EPCOT that day.

I think these pairings are still a pretty good deal for the price - $40 per person plus tax, gratuity included, and you get to sample three different wines paired with a three-course tasting menu from the restaurant.

We arrived at Coral Reef about 10 minutes early and checked in at a podium outside the restaurant. The CM crossed our name off the list of desirables and directed us through a door reading "authorized personnel only." Oooooohhhhhh, I feel special already. There was a private waiting room filled with close to 20 other guests and a very nice surprise - the restaurant manager and the winery representative were handing out flutes of ice cold sparkling cider to everyone. A very thoughtful gesture on their parts considering how hot the weather was that afternoon - by providing all of us with a cool drink and a comfortable waiting area to relax in prior to the start of the event, Coral Reef's management really helped to set the mood. A lot of people were wilting when they first walked in but after about 15 minutes I think everyone looked refreshed.

The winery representative for this pairing was from Merryvale - this was very exciting to many people waiting with us as evidenced by the ripple of "Ooooos" and "Ahhhhhs" that went through the room. I've heard of this phenomenon before but have never really experienced it, especially in regard to wine. Apparently this is a very well respected California winery - we've never heard of it before but that doesn't mean anything - Jay and I are not wine experts by any stretch of the imagination.

The restaurant's head chef also came out and spoke with us for a few moments to give us an idea of what he was planning to serve. I had my fingers crossed that the menu wasn't going to be too funky and luck was with me - all three courses sounded yumtastic!

For those of you who have never been inside Coral Reef, it's actually very pretty - one entire wall is an aquarium. The restaurant is also very dim, as you will see from this picture...

Here's a not-very-good picture I took of the table just to give you an idea of what the place settings looked like:

Our photographic skills tend to improve as we progress further along in our vacation. And at this point I still felt a little conspicuous taking pictures at the table. Those of you who have read our food report know that it didn't take long for that to wear off!

As a souvenir, everyone also received an event menu that was signed by the Winery rep. and the Head Chef.

Menu Cover:

Inside:

One other thing that Coral Reef did during this event, which made perfect sense, was that they seated people by party size. They brought us all into the restaurant together and then asked how many people were in each party so that patrons could enjoy the pre-paid event together. I mention this only because we thought that was the way it was going to be at every F&W event that we attended (all of which must be pre-paid, by the way)...oh can you imagine the fun awaiting us in the future when we find out that common sense and F&W Festival event planning do not go hand in hand?