I got back on Wednesday night from 8 days at WDW - of which 2 were spent at the Food and Wine Festival (Sept. 28/29). It was my sister's first visit to Disney World and the idea was for her to get an overview of all the parks. We also went to the first Party for the Senses (Spanish theme) and I'll start with a review of that event before I give my impressions of the Festival. I can't believe it's been almost a week since we attended that PFTS.
We started the evening by going to the “Eat to the Beat” concert featuring Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. The people with PFTS tickets were given pink wristbands and sat in a special section. As most of you know, this band plays 30s/40s type big band/jazz music and they are very good at what they do. My sister and I aren't huge fans of this genre but it was a good way to start the evening. We then trooped through a very crowded World Showcase to the event location and were handed our plate and wineglass. The people who had paid the $75.00 extra were allowed to enter the venue as soon as we got there (about 6 pm) while the rest of us stood around for 30 minutes waiting for the doors to open. I think there were still tickets available and I wasn't too worried about having the kind of situation that I've heard about in the past - where there aren't enough places to sit and where you practically get trampled in the crush to get in.
When the doors open, our strategy was to get a table right in the first section - whereas other people ran to the back and worked their way to the front of the room. When we had tried all the dishes in the front section, we changed location to the back of the room. In any case, the lineups to get food were minimal. The lineups for the wines were longer. My sister, who managed a wine store, told me that one of the brands was extremely good and that I should try it. I can't remember which one it was - it was either Cupcake or Caymus Vineyards - but the lineup was always so long that I didn't bother. Below are some of the individual reviews, but all in all it was an incredible event. One of the highlights of our entire visit. The music was good, the food was spectacular and beautifully presented, the people we met were terrific - I sat with one of the Food and Beverage managers of Epcot, and the rep from Igourmet cheeses was at our first table - and having all you could drink was a huge hit with my sister. She weighs about half what I do and generally eats very little, but she actually managed to try everything on the menu. I was impressed, because I threw in the towel leaving about three entrées untried. I was so full at the end, I was literally staggering back to the Coronada and carried the chocolate truffles with me. I fell onto the bed and could barely move. I couldn't eat another thing and thought I might never eat again but by morning I finished the chocolate truffles, LOL.
Rioja Briased Veal Cheeks with Calypso Bean Cassoulet (Wes Willard - Yachtsmen Steakhouse). I wasn't crazy about the texture of the Veal Cheeks - I'm not really sure what it's supposed to be like. It just gave me the feeling that I was eating a lot of soft fat - kind of like a pork belly.
Syrah Beef with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and Beet Salad with Manchego and Serrano. (Debra Vale - Saratoga Springs Resort). This was one of my favorite dishes. The beef was fabulous and perfectly done. I asked Debra if she could mail me the recipe but probably won't hear back from her.
Seared Day Boat Scallops with Fall Asparagus Salad and Romesco Sauce (Ron Duprat and Adam Savage). Another beautifully prepared dish. The scallop was plump, bursting with flavor and perfectly cooked. As you can see, there wasn't much asparagus in the salad, and I don't really remember what it tasted like. The scallop was the star of this dish!
Plantain Pastel Stuffed with Wild Boar, Black Beans and Escabeche Onions, Peppers and Garlic Sauce, Pork Crisp and Micro Cilantro (Omar Harris - Events Contemporary Resort). A very interesting pairing. The crispy pastel with the soft black beans worked superbly.
Latin Style Lasagna (Jarrod Pearman - Disney's Boardwalk Catering).
I noticed that many of the booths had very little “action”. The chefs were plating their dishes and nobody was picking them up. This was one of those booths, and perhaps it was because lasagna wasn't visually “stunning”. That's a shame because it was one of the best dishes of the night. Another foodie I talked to put the Empanada from Aimee Rivera (Victoria and Albert’s) in first place, with this dish second, but I disagree. The empanada had a wonderful smoky filling - but it didn't have the unique texture and taste of this dish. It was an absolute revelation and I've never had a lasgana like it. I'm hoping very much that Chef Pearman will send me the recipe.
Lamb Lollipop, Garbanzo - Chorizo fries and Romesco Sauce. (Adrian Mandry - Hollywood & Vine). Not as exciting as some of the dishes but can't fault the preparation of the lamb.
Duck Croquettes with Garlic Aioli, Smoked Date Puree and Duck-ham Salad. (Douglas Rodriguez - OLA). The Croquette texture was spot on – crunchy coating and wonderfully prepared filling. I'm not sure what a Duck-ham salad is because I didn't see either of those ingredients, but the smoked date purée is a great idea to pair with duck.
From Left to Right: Chilled Almond Gazpacho, Drunken Sponge Cake with Tamarind Ice Cream, Almond Tuille with Creme Catalan.
Back Row: Raspberry Chocolate Silk and Coconut Green Tea Yogurt, Chocolate Truffles.
The clear winner in our tables opinion was the Raspberry Chocolate Silk and Coconut Green Tea Yogurt. The bottom layer was a mango puree (despite the name of the dessert) and it was an intense, fruity dream. My least fave was the Boardwalk Bakery entry (Drunken Sponge Cake) as it was too sweet and the Almond Gazpacho as it had little taste.
The other memorable dish was a Warm Octopus Salad from the Barcelona Kitchen. The texture and flavour were better than any Octopus dish I've ever had. This event is worth every dime and was the best value of anything we did at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival - where things are generally overpriced for what you get.
) at Whole Foods. I am SO getting some this weekend!
It was served with Buta no Kakuni (Kurobuta pork belly that has been slowly simmered with ginger, sake and soy sauce. Served with spicy yellow mustard)-
I know it's bad - we did the same thing!
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