**2010** Epcot Food & Wine Festival ENDED 11/14. 2011 FESTIVAL 9/30-11/13

[oybolshoi]

personally I would use the money for the wine view lounge, especially if you were already lukewarm about Jiko to begin with.

We fell into the "just have to try something" trap and ended up disappointed. That's the risk you take with Epcot now ... the price you pay for an event is no longer an indicator of the quality of said event. It's a crapshoot.

The best hands down events and value for our money have always come from the F&W pairings at various Epcot restaurants. Sadly, they only offer them now at three locations. But every single one that we have attended over the years has been worth it. The French Lunch we attended in 2008 was terrific and we are hoping to nab one this year, too.

We just added another night (oh how I my DVC) and booked our air.

So here is my next question for all of you FW Festival veterans ...

The only Signature Dining Event we could possibly make is at Jiko the night of our arrival. I have read the reviews from last year and the one and only time we at at Jiko we were underwhelmed. Do you think we should roll the dice or save our dollars for the PFTS (with the Wine View Lounge)?

We have NEVER done a Signature Dining Event and I really would like to try one ... but I am not feeling the love for Jiko.

Suggestions?

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

We are planning to get every passport stamp as well!

I think as far as events go we're going to do 2, which ironically appear to be on the same day:

Taste, Shake & Indulge like the French
3D Disney's Dessert Discovery

 

[DisneyJen]

personally I would use the money for the wine view lounge, especially if you were already lukewarm about Jiko to begin with.

We fell into the "just have to try something" trap and ended up disappointed. That's the risk you take with Epcot now ... the price you pay for an event is no longer an indicator of the quality of said event. It's a crapshoot.

The best hands down events and value for our money have always come from the F&W pairings at various Epcot restaurants. Sadly, they only offer them now at three locations. But every single one that we have attended over the years has been worth it. The French Lunch we attended in 2008 was terrific and we are hoping to nab one this year, too.

Thanks so much for the info ... as well as all the info I gleaned from your trip reports

Perhaps we will try to grab the French Regional Lunch on the a Friday and the 3D Desert Thing

I am leaning toward the Food and Wine Pairing at Tutto on Saturday and the PFTS on Saturday night. So many choices!!

 

[oybolshoi]

Glad to hear those reviews were a little helpful!

We really enjoyed the tutto pairing last year that we did - and only one dish was pasta, in case anyone thinks they will be pasta'd out. Granted, the menu will change from week to week, but I'm just saying - they did a nice job of doing more than boiling noodles and drenching 'em with sauce when we were there.

 

[Dancind]

Glad to hear those reviews were a little helpful!

We really enjoyed the tutto pairing last year that we did - and only one dish was pasta, in case anyone thinks they will be pasta'd out. Granted, the menu will change from week to week, but I'm just saying - they did a nice job of doing more than boiling noodles and drenching 'em with sauce when we were there.

That's good to know. We are only there for one Saturday, so it's a choice between the Tutto pairing at 2-4 or the PFTS at 6:30. We could not do justice to both.

 

[DisneyJen]

If you are staying at Boardwalk, I wonder if the add-on night you got was part of the cancellation we made yesterday. We canceled one of our preferred garden view studios for October 20-24 because one couple in our party is no longer able to attend F&W. It'd be great if another DIS'er got it! I tried to just post the reservation here on R/T for someone to get before we canceled, but I was told that I would have to wait until 30 days in before I could post. =(

As for Jiko... I am certain that the F&W office got an earful of complaints about that dinner last year. It's hard to imagine they would let it be a disaster two years in a row. But, you never know...

Our dates are earlier in the month so I wasn't able to benefit from the cancellation. We actually will be at SSR for Thursday night and then at the BW for Friday and Saturday nights

Jiko didn't impress me the one time that we ate there a year or two ago ... service was horrible and the food was, in our opinion, just okay. I'll probably flip flop 100 times between now and the morning of July 20

Glad to hear those reviews were a little helpful!

We really enjoyed the tutto pairing last year that we did - and only one dish was pasta, in case anyone thinks they will be pasta'd out. Granted, the menu will change from week to week, but I'm just saying - they did a nice job of doing more than boiling noodles and drenching 'em with sauce when we were there.

They were EXTREMELY helpful!

I didn't think about the Tutto pairing being so close the PFTS as Dancind mentions

That's good to know. We are only there for one Saturday, so it's a choice between the Tutto pairing at 2-4 or the PFTS at 6:30. We could not do justice to both.

We are only at the festival for one Saturday as well ... Excellent point on the PFTS coming so close on the heels of the Tutto pairing.

Time to work on the old spreadsheet

 

[lurkyloo]

OK, here's a question for you vets...

Are any of these special dinners, French Regional Lunches, or other $$$ special events worth the moolah if you don't drink?

We are big foodies and love fine dining in LA and on vacation, but we always nix the wine pairings. I'm thinking PFTS might still be worth the price because of the variety of food offered, but it seems to me that, say, $180 for dinner at Jiko is mostly going to go toward wine we won't be drinking.

 

[Dancind]

I think you are right, the prices are based on the quality of wine being served and it's pricey for just food. We took our daughter, then 17, to a pairing at Tokyo Dining because she loves sushi. They put sake in front of her, but we drank it for her. Got quite sloshed.

If you haven't been to Victoria & Alberts, that would be my choice. Same fine dining experience, and they have a "without wine" price.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

OK, here's a question for you vets...

Are any of these special dinners, French Regional Lunches, or other $$$ special events worth the moolah if you don't drink?

We are big foodies and love fine dining in LA and on vacation, but we always nix the wine pairings. I'm thinking PFTS might still be worth the price because of the variety of food offered, but it seems to me that, say, $180 for dinner at Jiko is mostly going to go toward wine we won't be drinking.

I think you are right, the prices are based on the quality of wine being served and it's pricey for just food. We took our daughter, then 17, to a pairing at Tokyo Dining because she loves sushi. They put sake in front of her, but we drank it for her. Got quite sloshed.

If you haven't been to Victoria & Alberts, that would be my choice. Same fine dining experience, and they have a "without wine" price.

I would agree with Dancind. Even Party for the Senses is pricey for the food. I have done PFTS twice and V&A twice. I heartily recommend the regular dining at V&A over PFTS anyday.

The food, the service and the overall experience at V&A is worth every penny

 

[Laurabearz]

We just added another night (oh how I my DVC) and booked our air.

So here is my next question for all of you FW Festival veterans ...

The only Signature Dining Event we could possibly make is at Jiko the night of our arrival. I have read the reviews from last year and the one and only time we at at Jiko we were underwhelmed. Do you think we should roll the dice or save our dollars for the PFTS (with the Wine View Lounge)?

We have NEVER done a Signature Dining Event and I really would like to try one ... but I am not feeling the love for Jiko.

Suggestions?

Thanks so much for the info ... as well as all the info I gleaned from your trip reports

Perhaps we will try to grab the French Regional Lunch on the a Friday and the 3D Desert Thing

I am leaning toward the Food and Wine Pairing at Tutto on Saturday and the PFTS on Saturday night. So many choices!!

You are going when I am going, staying where I am staying and thinking about booking what I am booking...



I am really looking forward to the FRL. Desert Combo and the PFTS on Saturday Night. It lists Taylor Hicks as the Eat to the Beat musician that night... not sure how I feel about that. lol

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

I think you are right, the prices are based on the quality of wine being served and it's pricey for just food. We took our daughter, then 17, to a pairing at Tokyo Dining because she loves sushi. They put sake in front of her, but we drank it for her. Got quite sloshed.

If you haven't been to Victoria & Alberts, that would be my choice. Same fine dining experience, and they have a "without wine" price.

I'm really surprised they served sake to your daughter. During our first Tokyo dinner, we went with our son who was almost 21 at the time. He's also 6'3" and looked very much like an "adult"... but they would not serve him any alcohol even with our permission. The law is different in Louisiana than in Florida. Here, someone over 18 but under 21 can consume alcohol if a guardian or spouse is present and grants permission. In Florida, it's a strict 21, guardian or not. That's one reason why daughter's wedding did not take place at Disney. She wasn't 21 yet and definitely wanted champagne at her reception!

 

[TDC Nala]

Wouldn't part of the problem be that they don't actually have a kitchen in the Wonders pavilion?

They do have a kitchen in the Wonders pavilion.

I wouldn't call the food at that event "average" but I wouldn't call it spectacular either. The canapes were the same snails in brochette they serve at the France booth (of course you could eat as many of them as you wanted though)

I was going to sign up for that again because the wine was fabulous but I'm thinking of skipping it to do the Fultons dinner...

Found my review and photos from the Wonders dinner last year, it's here
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2289501&page=10

I also think a great deal of Jiko's problem last year was due to the fact that the guest chef cancelled at the last possible minute due to a family emergency, but I do have local friends who won't even attend the regular Jiko wine dinners anymore so I don't have that on my food/wine radar either for this year. Now if they'd do a wine dinner at Sanaa I'd be all over it.

 

[NejTheLion]

Third weekend in October.

Hmm, we were there that weekend, too, and none of us remember any stairs into the wine view lounge.

 

[NejTheLion]

Honestly, I think they're over-charging for most of these dinners now. More than $400 per person for V&A? Seriously? What can they possibly do there that would warrant that price tag? Jay and I paid $385 per person for 16+ courses at Joel Robuchon in May and I'm telling you there is no way that Victoria and Albert's could match that kind of dining experience ... ever.

I certainly can't knock Joel Robuchon. Which restaurant did you eat at?

I can tell you from last year's V&A Signature Dinner, which featured white truffles that were flown in from Alba, we easily ate $50-100 worth of truffles alone. A one-inch diameter truffle costs at least $50, and we had more than that over the course of the evening. And you're drinking wines that are all well over $100 a bottle.

 

[NejTheLion]

Our V&A signature dinner a few years back was good, but the best courses came from the guest chef.

Interesting. The one a few years back with the chef from Cafe Boulud in Miami? With that dinner, we were rather unimpressed with the guest chef's courses and were happy with last year's dinner being only chef Scott.

 

[TDC Nala]

A copy of the preview booklet has been added to the first post. It will be easier to find there than if I posted it here.

 

[oybolshoi]

We dined at The Mansion in Las Vegas. Maybe some day we can try it in Paris.

And I agree with last year's dinner at V&A - I think it was priced fairly for the menu and ingedients from everything I saw / read about it. I would never have booked it, though, because I don't like the shrooms!

But having said that ... when they start pushing $400+ per person at a restaurant that barely changes its menu any longer on a seasonal basis and which is not allowed to utilize ingredients such as foie gras or veal then I have to question how it's justifiable when there are many other better places around the country that would charge less for more and would use a full range of ingredients that you might never otherwise come across.

We have loved V&A every time we've dined there, but this year's price tag seems utterly ridiculous to me. Even Guy Savoy's signature dinner with Vegas Uncorked wasn't as expensive as this proposed V&A dinner. So I'm just baffled as to their rationale, which from what I heard was "really good food and really good wine."

I'm sure it will be wonderful and if it were held while we were going to be there and we had money to burn I might be tempted to book it. But since that's not the case ... well, we're just a lot more picky these days about where we want to have those once-in-a-lifetime kind of meals.

I certainly can't knock Joel Robuchon. Which restaurant did you eat at?

I can tell you from last year's V&A Signature Dinner, which featured white truffles that were flown in from Alba, we easily ate $50-100 worth of truffles alone. A one-inch diameter truffle costs at least $50, and we had more than that over the course of the evening. And you're drinking wines that are all well over $100 a bottle.

 

[oybolshoi]

A copy of the preview booklet has been added to the first post. It will be easier to find there than if I posted it here.

Thanks Catherine!

 

[mef78]

Thanks for the link mef78 .... no one discussed the 15 beers booth, that we heard ...

No problem! I'm glad to find a kindred spirit on the Cava del Tequila side!

 

[Inkmahm]

Hmm, we were there that weekend, too, and none of us remember any stairs into the wine view lounge.

Maybe I'm crazy then but I swear I remember small stairs at the entrance.