oybolshoi
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2004
- Messages
- 11,879
Thursday, October 19th - A Food & Wine Pairing and the First of Many Brendas...
I am impressed with the menu, especially by the statement that the chef thinks it is "most delightful." Not exciting or exotic or flavorful but delightful. That is a bold statement, but if anyone can prove him wrong, I can.
The servers are very efficient and are pouring wine and ice cold water for our drinking pleasure when the first course shows up.
Sauteed Shrimp served over Pasta tossed with a fresh Tomato Sauce with Kalamata Olives and Fresh Parmesan Cheese; paired with Merryvale Starmont Chardonnay.
Yummy!!! I love shrimp and I'm a big fan of pasta as long as the sauce is tomato-based and very light, like this one. I'm also very excited by the fact that the olives have been shunted off to the side and are barely contaminating the rest of my serving - I can't stand olives. This was a nice sized tasting portion and it paired really well with the Chardonnay. It might seem like an odd pairing considering that the prevaling wine wisdom says to pair tomato sauces with a lighter red wine, but the flavors of this dish were subtle and the wine really drew upon that. This was my favorite wine of the three we tried that afternoon.
I'd like to point out, too, that this was a very leisurely event - there was no rush to finish one course in order to move on to the next. And this would be a good time to mention that the couple who were seated with us were taking pictures of their food, too. Once I saw that I lost all photographic food inhibitions for the remainder of the trip.
And now, here comes course number two:
Paella; paired with Merryvale Caneros Pinot Noir.
I'm not as crazy about this dish as I was about the last one...for one thing I don't like clams, and for another overly spicy food and me don't mix (see Crohn's Disease, pain, bodily functions you don't discuss in polite company, and imminent vacation ruination). I did eat the shrimp and some of the chicken - I tried a bite of the chirzo sausage but it was just too spicy for me -and I even ate some of the rice but it was very thick and I don't really like rice that way. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Jay basically ended up with a second serving of paella. Everyone else at the table really enjoyed this, so while it was not to my taste, I think it's fair to say that it was still quite good. The wine was nice, too, but I'm not a big fan of reds - they tend to give me a headache.
You wanna hear something weird? The couple sitting with us are also a Jay and a Brenda...seriously. They live in Florida and are what I think of as F&W pilgrims - they come up for long weekends and attend all kinds of different events. They had been to a cooking event earlier in the day and told us so much about it that I wished we were signed up for one (maybe next year). They also do a lot of WDW dining and were able to offer us some great advice about the ADRs we had planned for the rest of our trip. They absolutely raved about Califorina Grill, which we were trying, and Jiko, which we were not.
And last but not least...course number three!!
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dried Cherries, Fresh Figs, and Ganache; paired with Merryvale Starmont Cabernet Sauvignon.
This was a fantastic dessert - dense, moist, and full of a rich, dark chocolatey flavor (Jay did not get a second serving of dessert - I ate all of this baby!). Again, the wine was excellent, but I couldn't finish it - it was too strong and heavy for my delicate taste buds.
This was a terrific F&W event as far as we were concerned. Granted, we didn't have anything to measure it against, but it was everything that we could have hoped it would be and we really thought it was money well spent. I guess the chef was right - the menu really was delightful!
Before leaving we exchanged email addresses with our future-selves so that we could try to hook up the next time we're all in Orlando. They even offered to take us to some good spots off property (I really need to email them...I'm such a slacker). You know, I never, ever come across anyone named Brenda - it's like my mom named me and then the rest of the world said, "Thanks a lot lady, you ruined it for the rest of us." It was just very odd, but it was destined to become even more odd as the week progressed.
The event was over around 4:30PM and we decided that we'd had enough EPCOT for one day - we were full of good food and wine and it seemed like the logical thing to do at this point was to head back to SSR and get some time in the pool before heading over to the Adventurers Club. The sky was looking a bit threatening and it did rain just a little on the bus ride back to the resort but that was it - the skies cleared soon after and we had a nice sticky humid night ahead of us.
Oh, can I share one other silly thing with you before I move on to the AC? I can? Thanks - you guys are great!
During our world showcase wanderings today we ended up in Germany - they have lots of dark, air conditioned stores to poke around in and we dropped in to cool off for a while. I had to take a picture of this while we were there:
It's the Tower of Toblerone! I imagine that anyone reading this who knows me at all, has got to be scratching his or her head right about now. If you think I don't like Toblerone you are correct! I'd give you a prize for being so perceptive if I had a prize to give, which I don't.
Anyway, this picture is a joke. And I'm going to share it with you and you'll probably roll your eyes and be like, "that's nothing, wait until you hear what my mother-in-law did..." but I really do think it's amusing so I'd like to tell you about it.
Rewind to the summer of 1997 - Jason and I have been dating for 2 years and while we're not yet engaged, we know and our families know that it's coming - the sound of wedding bells is already in the air. This was the summer that Jay's parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary by taking a 3-week trip to Germany and Switzerland. Upon their return one Saturday evening Jason asked me to come over and I did and there was much travel talk, and gift giving, and good cheer. It sounded like they really had a nice time and I was pleased for them. I wasn't looking for a gift and I wasn't expecting a gift but I think Jason's mom must have felt awkward because she was handing out sterling silver bracelets and hand carved wooden jewelry boxes to all the females in the room (well, except for me).
So she looks around her chaotic kitchen and then says, "Here Brenda, I got this for you."
And it was a single package of Toblerone.
Just like the one you can buy at the local grocery store for $2.50.
I thanked her of course. Despite what you may think about me after reading some of my posts I am relatively well mannered. And I was a lot nicer ten years ago than I am today.
But internally my response was something like this:
Wow.
I feel awkward for having made you feel awkward. And by us making each other feel awkward now everyone else feels awkward because you've just let the entire family know how much you don't think of me. Not that you really needed to think of me at all. But really, in this situation nothing at all probably would have been better than a triangle of chocolate that I can't eat anyway because there are nuts in it.
This event led to my personal copyright infringement of Hallmark - now, when a close friend is celebrating something or recovering from an illness I don't send flowers I send Toblerone...because I care enough to send the very best.
And that's why I had to take this picture.
In all fairness, however, I do have to say that relations between the MIL and me have improved considerably since this incident. I may be a disappoinment as a DIL on many levels but at the end of the day I love her sonny-boy more than anything else in this world and I think she's finally realized it.
Coming soon...Downtown Disney...the Adventurers Club...Kungaloosh...and VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am impressed with the menu, especially by the statement that the chef thinks it is "most delightful." Not exciting or exotic or flavorful but delightful. That is a bold statement, but if anyone can prove him wrong, I can.
The servers are very efficient and are pouring wine and ice cold water for our drinking pleasure when the first course shows up.
Sauteed Shrimp served over Pasta tossed with a fresh Tomato Sauce with Kalamata Olives and Fresh Parmesan Cheese; paired with Merryvale Starmont Chardonnay.
Yummy!!! I love shrimp and I'm a big fan of pasta as long as the sauce is tomato-based and very light, like this one. I'm also very excited by the fact that the olives have been shunted off to the side and are barely contaminating the rest of my serving - I can't stand olives. This was a nice sized tasting portion and it paired really well with the Chardonnay. It might seem like an odd pairing considering that the prevaling wine wisdom says to pair tomato sauces with a lighter red wine, but the flavors of this dish were subtle and the wine really drew upon that. This was my favorite wine of the three we tried that afternoon.
I'd like to point out, too, that this was a very leisurely event - there was no rush to finish one course in order to move on to the next. And this would be a good time to mention that the couple who were seated with us were taking pictures of their food, too. Once I saw that I lost all photographic food inhibitions for the remainder of the trip.
And now, here comes course number two:
Paella; paired with Merryvale Caneros Pinot Noir.
I'm not as crazy about this dish as I was about the last one...for one thing I don't like clams, and for another overly spicy food and me don't mix (see Crohn's Disease, pain, bodily functions you don't discuss in polite company, and imminent vacation ruination). I did eat the shrimp and some of the chicken - I tried a bite of the chirzo sausage but it was just too spicy for me -and I even ate some of the rice but it was very thick and I don't really like rice that way. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Jay basically ended up with a second serving of paella. Everyone else at the table really enjoyed this, so while it was not to my taste, I think it's fair to say that it was still quite good. The wine was nice, too, but I'm not a big fan of reds - they tend to give me a headache.
You wanna hear something weird? The couple sitting with us are also a Jay and a Brenda...seriously. They live in Florida and are what I think of as F&W pilgrims - they come up for long weekends and attend all kinds of different events. They had been to a cooking event earlier in the day and told us so much about it that I wished we were signed up for one (maybe next year). They also do a lot of WDW dining and were able to offer us some great advice about the ADRs we had planned for the rest of our trip. They absolutely raved about Califorina Grill, which we were trying, and Jiko, which we were not.
And last but not least...course number three!!
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Dried Cherries, Fresh Figs, and Ganache; paired with Merryvale Starmont Cabernet Sauvignon.
This was a fantastic dessert - dense, moist, and full of a rich, dark chocolatey flavor (Jay did not get a second serving of dessert - I ate all of this baby!). Again, the wine was excellent, but I couldn't finish it - it was too strong and heavy for my delicate taste buds.
This was a terrific F&W event as far as we were concerned. Granted, we didn't have anything to measure it against, but it was everything that we could have hoped it would be and we really thought it was money well spent. I guess the chef was right - the menu really was delightful!
Before leaving we exchanged email addresses with our future-selves so that we could try to hook up the next time we're all in Orlando. They even offered to take us to some good spots off property (I really need to email them...I'm such a slacker). You know, I never, ever come across anyone named Brenda - it's like my mom named me and then the rest of the world said, "Thanks a lot lady, you ruined it for the rest of us." It was just very odd, but it was destined to become even more odd as the week progressed.
The event was over around 4:30PM and we decided that we'd had enough EPCOT for one day - we were full of good food and wine and it seemed like the logical thing to do at this point was to head back to SSR and get some time in the pool before heading over to the Adventurers Club. The sky was looking a bit threatening and it did rain just a little on the bus ride back to the resort but that was it - the skies cleared soon after and we had a nice sticky humid night ahead of us.
Oh, can I share one other silly thing with you before I move on to the AC? I can? Thanks - you guys are great!
During our world showcase wanderings today we ended up in Germany - they have lots of dark, air conditioned stores to poke around in and we dropped in to cool off for a while. I had to take a picture of this while we were there:
It's the Tower of Toblerone! I imagine that anyone reading this who knows me at all, has got to be scratching his or her head right about now. If you think I don't like Toblerone you are correct! I'd give you a prize for being so perceptive if I had a prize to give, which I don't.
Anyway, this picture is a joke. And I'm going to share it with you and you'll probably roll your eyes and be like, "that's nothing, wait until you hear what my mother-in-law did..." but I really do think it's amusing so I'd like to tell you about it.
Rewind to the summer of 1997 - Jason and I have been dating for 2 years and while we're not yet engaged, we know and our families know that it's coming - the sound of wedding bells is already in the air. This was the summer that Jay's parents celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary by taking a 3-week trip to Germany and Switzerland. Upon their return one Saturday evening Jason asked me to come over and I did and there was much travel talk, and gift giving, and good cheer. It sounded like they really had a nice time and I was pleased for them. I wasn't looking for a gift and I wasn't expecting a gift but I think Jason's mom must have felt awkward because she was handing out sterling silver bracelets and hand carved wooden jewelry boxes to all the females in the room (well, except for me).
So she looks around her chaotic kitchen and then says, "Here Brenda, I got this for you."
And it was a single package of Toblerone.
Just like the one you can buy at the local grocery store for $2.50.
I thanked her of course. Despite what you may think about me after reading some of my posts I am relatively well mannered. And I was a lot nicer ten years ago than I am today.
But internally my response was something like this:
Wow.
I feel awkward for having made you feel awkward. And by us making each other feel awkward now everyone else feels awkward because you've just let the entire family know how much you don't think of me. Not that you really needed to think of me at all. But really, in this situation nothing at all probably would have been better than a triangle of chocolate that I can't eat anyway because there are nuts in it.
This event led to my personal copyright infringement of Hallmark - now, when a close friend is celebrating something or recovering from an illness I don't send flowers I send Toblerone...because I care enough to send the very best.
And that's why I had to take this picture.
In all fairness, however, I do have to say that relations between the MIL and me have improved considerably since this incident. I may be a disappoinment as a DIL on many levels but at the end of the day I love her sonny-boy more than anything else in this world and I think she's finally realized it.
Coming soon...Downtown Disney...the Adventurers Club...Kungaloosh...and VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Turns out we were there at the same SS with the sugar rush guys. Can't wait for more of your report.
