2008 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Reviews

[Tinker_Belle]

Thank you, CarolA! I am very disppointed to hear about the crab cake! I was really looking forward to that one.

I can't wait to try the rest! Thanks for posting!

BTW, your spelling wasn't bad at all (and I'm a teacher )

 

[TigerKat]

Thank you jadedbeauty14304 for your pics and reviews!!!

The Grilled Lamb Chops with Caramelized Onion Jam looks amazing!! I can't wait to try it.

I agree, thanks so much! Looks like Australia will be my first stop, lamb & shrimp.....

 

[Shelton123]

Here is more of an indepth look at some of the food I enjoyed at F & W. Three of us shared one order each of:

Canada, Cheddar Cheese Soup. I suppose this is the same stuff that is served at Le Cellier. Very delicious, intense and rich. A small cup, to be sure, but if all you want is a taste of everything, can be shared by 3 or 4.

France: Escargot in Brioche. Three tiny broche, oh so cute, with the top removed, stuffed with a tiny escargot portion, and the top placed back on. Brioche is exceptional, and garlic/butter combo is perfect. Snail too small to taste, really, so this is a good choice for someone curious about escargot but have always been too timid to try.

Morocco, Spicy Chicken Roll. Avoid. Tasteless and dry. Pastry coating not half bad.

Ireland, Boxty. This is a tiny crepe filled with onion and bacon. What's not to like? No structural integrity, but delicious. Potato and Leek soup also delicious.

San Francisco: Seared beef medallion with polenta. One piece of beef, not terribly large, make sure to grab your own knife if you want to share this. Rich, winy, intense gravy. Everything a small taste should be.

Australia: Barramundi. A chilled piece of dense, smoked fish. Both tasty and chewy. Very satisfying.

Chile, Empanada. Simple and nice. Won't ring any bells. Shrimp in cilantro salsa is pretty nice. Not really in a sauce but with some tiny choppings of peppers, cilantro, and onion.

Argentina, Beef and corn casserole. served truly steaming hot, this was great. Salty, as it should be.

Mouse Catch, a cheese trio. You can't find cheeses milder than this, even though the tasting includes cow, sheep, and goat. Still, it's a nice choice, and trying a goat cheese so mild was new for me.

Spain, Tomato and garlic soup. Wow, maybe my single favorite taste. I expected this to be the best booth, and it exceeded my expectations. Seared tuna with red peppers. Another winner. Nice sear and appropriately rare on the inside.

Austria, beef goulash with bacon dumplings. Another great gravy, fine spicing.

South Africa, Durban Spiced Chicken and Bobotie with Mango Chutney. Chicken was not spicy, but the accompanying vegetables had a kick to them. Bobotie is like a beef and lamb knish. Both of there were great choices if you don't mind fruity flavors.

Japan, spicy tuna roll and california roll. Spicy tuna roll was slightly above average. California roll was typical. Since sushi is available everywhere nowadays, why bother?

New Zealand: Lamb slider and scallops with balsamic vinaigrette. Lamb came on a delicious bicuit and had an excellent gravy. Both lamb and scallops took a backseat to the other ingrediants .

Pearville Festival. Ask for which pears are ripe to eat immediately. Tried one red and one golden bartlett. Wow. The pear tart was served too cold, was leaden, and had very little pear. A bad surprise.

So there you have it. Share tastes if you can so you can get more in. Lots of fun for all.

 

[Tatania]

Another friend had the Pepperberry prawns on the Barbie with Sweet Potato Hash. These things were huge!! She said that it was the highlight of her day. Great flavor. I tried the sweet potato hash and it was well seasoned and the potatoes were nice and firm. Very good all around!

Loving the reviews and pics. Is a Pepperberry prawn a type of prawn or is it just something you put on the prawn? Several of the dishes must be repeats as they are in last years recipe book but there are enough new ones to make it interesting. Are they handing out any recipe cards esp. for some of the new dishes (like the tomato garlic soup or the goulash)?

 

[ghidorah97]

Loving the reviews and pics. Is a Pepperberry prawn a type of prawn or is it just something you put on the prawn? Several of the dishes must be repeats as they are in last years recipe book but there are enough new ones to make it interesting. Are they handing out any recipe cards esp. for some of the new dishes (like the tomato garlic soup or the goulash)?

Pepper berry is the native pepper of Tasmania. It is hotter and more intense than the pepper that we are used to. They didn't use much on the prawns, but you could detect the spice. I just uploaded the following pics to my review on the Dining Reviews board, but I'll add them here as well:

Tafelspitz - Austria

Beef Goulash - Austria

Grilled Lamb Chop w/Caramelized Onion Jam - Australia

Chilled Barramundi w/Fennel Slaw - Australia

Pepperberry Prawns w/Sweet Potato Hash - Australia

Bay Scallops w/Baby Greens and Cranberry Vinaigrette - New Zealand

Lamb Slider on Brioche - New Zealand

We had many others, but these are the only ones I remembered to take pics of. Sorry!

 

[jadedbeauty14304]

Loving the reviews and pics. Is a Pepperberry prawn a type of prawn or is it just something you put on the prawn? Several of the dishes must be repeats as they are in last years recipe book but there are enough new ones to make it interesting. Are they handing out any recipe cards esp. for some of the new dishes (like the tomato garlic soup or the goulash)?

I don't really know if that is the seasoning or not. I copied the name from the Food and Wine Fest. Festival Guide I picked up at Epcot.lol

 

[buenavista]

Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised at this, but did anyone see the Brothers & Sisters "theater" setup at the Wonders Pavilion? I like the show, but I thought it was just unseemly "synergy" to have those wine barrels stamped with Walker Landing Winery and an ABC flag planted on top. But, maybe they actually will have a nice presentation - has anyone seen what they do there?

As for the Kiosks around WS, I thought Ireland's potato soup and boxty were pretty good, but the waiting in line was almost unbearable. Too many glitches, maybe not enough training for the Cast.

 

[dannigrace]

I read somewhere it might be more beneficial to use gift cards at the Food and Wine booths. First, not carry so much cash and the lines could possible go faster. Sorry, to attach this to this particular thread. I'm having a moment on how to start a new thread. He-he its been awhile since I've posted on here.

Oops, one more ? You know the green cards you get in the mail when you order tickets? Then you have to exchange them for your actual tickets... well is there a place at downtown disney to exchange them?

Thank you sd much
Dawn

 

[TreesyB]

Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised at this, but did anyone see the Brothers & Sisters "theater" setup at the Wonders Pavilion? I like the show, but I thought it was just unseemly "synergy" to have those wine barrels stamped with Walker Landing Winery and an ABC flag planted on top. But, maybe they actually will have a nice presentation - has anyone seen what they do there?

That's kind of cool. I love the show! Can't wait to see it next week.

 

[Forever Fairy]

After taking a break at the American Experience for a while to soak up some air conditioning and allowing our food to digest, we made our way over to Montreal, Canada. We had some Cheddar Cheese Soup and Maple Custard topped with Almond Crumble. The soup was very good, very rich. And the Maple Custard was nice and sweet, and the almond crumble added texture to the gelatinous custard. It was yummy yummy.

There were so many more things that I had wanted to try, but we ran out of time and lines were long. Hope you enjoy!

Thank you sooooo much for posting your reviews with all the pics. I am going in a couple of weeks and hope by then all the kinks in the lines get sorted out. I so want to try the food from Canada. It sounds spectacular!

 

[BriarRosie]

I read somewhere it might be more beneficial to use gift cards at the Food and Wine booths. First, not carry so much cash and the lines could possible go faster. Sorry, to attach this to this particular thread. I'm having a moment on how to start a new thread. He-he its been awhile since I've posted on here.

Oops, one more ? You know the green cards you get in the mail when you order tickets? Then you have to exchange them for your actual tickets... well is there a place at downtown disney to exchange them?

Thank you sd much
Dawn

I'm sure you can find the gift cards either in the Festival Welcome Center, or at one of the festival stores that line up on the way to World Showcase.

However, that being said, it was mentioned many, MANY times to always keep some cash on you, because there are times when the card readers at the kiosks "crash".

And the Exchange Vouchers for annual passes, I'm assuming? You can exchange them at the Guest Relations in Downtown Disney (there's one in the Marketplace and one on the West Side) or at any of the the ticket or Guest Relations areas outside the parks. Just give them the vouchers with your IDs, and you'll get your annual pass. I've never heard of getting the Exchange Vouchers for regular park tickets.

 

[webray]

So is it just me, or is anybody else really wanting to see more food reviews from the festival? So far there haven't been a ton and I am ready for some in depth reviews with photos (please) so I can sit and drool over my keyboard! So, please indulge me and take time out of your busy schedule and post some reviews!!

We are heading back up on Thursday...so will do more reviews on the boothes, another special event, and whatever else we can find when we get home this weekend.

 

[Tatania]

Pepper berry is the native pepper of Tasmania. It is hotter and more intense than the pepper that we are used to. They didn't use much on the prawns, but you could detect the spice. I just uploaded the following pics to my review on the Dining Reviews board.

I'm so impressed with the beautiful pictures some of you take. It's magazine quality and it makes me more determined to start saving more a newer and better camera. The Tafelspitz looked fabulous.

We are heading back up on Thursday...so will do more reviews on the boothes, another special event, and whatever else we can find when we get home this weekend.

Please, please, please Webray, see if you can get recipes for a few of the new items like Tafelspitz, Goulash, Bay Scallops, Beef and Corn Casserole and/or the San Francisco booth stuff.

 

[TxDsnyGrl74]

We are heading back up on Thursday...so will do more reviews on the boothes, another special event, and whatever else we can find when we get home this weekend.

Awesome!! Thanks webray!

 

[madcoco]

Met up with friends this morning and attended a few wine seminars.They were going to the POTS. Called Dining at 3PM and was able to get a spot. Thought for sure it would be sold out. They still had many openings. Ran home took a shower and changed and came back. Great time. Lots of wine and food. Would have had some great pictures to share but dummy here charged his battery while taking a shower, left the house, got to the valet, grabs his camera and guess where the battery is? How does Homer Simpson say it? D'oh! So if you are looking to attend on short notice, you may be in luck. I really felt the economy is affecting this year's festival. Things have changed but still had a great time today.

 

[betterbutter]

Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised at this, but did anyone see the Brothers & Sisters "theater" setup at the Wonders Pavilion? I like the show, but I thought it was just unseemly "synergy" to have those wine barrels stamped with Walker Landing Winery and an ABC flag planted on top. But, maybe they actually will have a nice presentation - has anyone seen what they do there?

I noticed that the first time I walked in that building. I haven't seen that area used yet except for a few people sitting inside just resting or enjoying a glass of wine--nothing structured by Disney though. I was joking wiht my husband that I'm surprised that Disney hasn't begun to have wines produced for them under the "Walker Landing" label.

My husband and I went to "Napa Wine School" yesterday. It was somewhat interesting, we didn't care for any of the whites except the Mondavi fume blanc. The presenter (Karen MacNeil) seemed a bit out of sorts and confused as to how much time she had. So the first hour was relaxed, the second hour was rushed, and then she found out there wasa third hour. There was supposed to be a "reception" at the end, but it turned into some servers passing a few small canapes. It would have been better to have them passed a few times during the three hours. She knows her stuff, but we felt that the whole timing problem took away from the overall quality of the presentation.

 

[betterbutter]

Met up with friends this morning and attended a few wine seminars.They were going to the POTS. Called Dining at 3PM and was able to get a spot. Thought for sure it would be sold out. They still had many openings. Ran home took a shower and changed and came back. Great time. Lots of wine and food. Would have had some great pictures to share but dummy here charged his battery while taking a shower, left the house, got to the valet, grabs his camera and guess where the battery is? How does Homer Simpson say it? D'oh! So if you are looking to attend on short notice, you may be in luck. I really felt the economy is affecting this year's festival. Things have changed but still had a great time today.

We've been able to get several last minute reservations. This is our first year at Food & Wine, and our neighbor had cautioned us that we needed to get all the reservations first thing the day they opened. We decided to play it by ear and take our chances, and we've gotten into two things with 24 hours notice so far. One was Wine School yesterday. It was fairly full, but not sold out.

 

[Kteacher]

Any reviews of the PFTS on 10/4? Thanks for all the reviews and pictures from the booths

 

[Bordeaux Babe]

Just got home from the Food & Wine Fest. Went to PFTS last night and had mixed emotions. After the chaos getting your glass/plate, I thought there were pages missing when they handed out the menu for the night. For the past several years the chef and menu had been listed by color coded station so you knew where to find it. The same with the wineries-the wines being poured were listed. For some reason this year (cost?), it only listed the name of the chef and winery. I always save my menus for momentos so was disappointed. The food, as always was very good, I just found it very confusing and wondered if anyone else did also? The area is so vast, I missed trying some things that I didn't find until I was already full. Wide variety of foods from scallops, crab, duck, veal, pork tenderloins, beef, etc. Somthing for all tastes.
It also seemed like there were fewer low tables and maybe more high tops. I'm still glad I went, but probably won't do another this year.

 

[TxDsnyGrl74]

Thanks Bordeaux Babe for your review of PFTS... I'm really interested to see what others peoples views are also. I guess I'm not surprised that they had to trim costs givent that the events aren't selling out.