2016 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival: September 14 - November 14, 2016

[YodasMom]

Attended the Italian lunch at Tutto Gusto yesterday. Amazing.

1. Lobster salad with caviar dressing
2. Egg pasta with mushrooms & white truffle
3. Pork with brussel sprouts
4. A cheese selection - i do not eat cheese. I was presented with a beautiful fruit plate. That was so nice and very applicated.
5. Tiramisu - the best I ever had. And huge.

Wines perfectly paired and flowing

Edited to add - they were also pouring bottled still & sparkling water. Easy to stay hydrated! Very nice touch!

Lasted just over 2 1/2 hours. We were seated with one other couple and had a blast!!

If this lunch is in your plans you are lucky! Go hungry & thirsty

Very well done!

Pictures below

Did you request the substitution for the cheese plate when you got to the event, or before you left for vacation? Just wondering since I may do that. Glad you had such a good experience!

 

[simnia]

If the bottle of water counts as a snack (there should be a snack logo beside it on the menu), then yes, so long as you get it at the same booth where you get the food.

It is counted as a snack, so this is perfect. Thanks!

 

[JerseyJanice]

Attended the Italian lunch at Tutto Gusto yesterday. Amazing.

1. Lobster salad with caviar dressing
2. Egg pasta with mushrooms & white truffle
3. Pork with brussel sprouts
4. A cheese selection - i do not eat cheese. I was presented with a beautiful fruit plate. That was so nice and very applicated.
5. Tiramisu - the best I ever had. And huge.

Wines perfectly paired and flowing

Edited to add - they were also pouring bottled still & sparkling water. Easy to stay hydrated! Very nice touch!

Lasted just over 2 1/2 hours. We were seated with one other couple and had a blast!!

If this lunch is in your plans you are lucky! Go hungry & thirsty

Very well done!

Pictures below

Awesome report and pictures, Teresa! Thank you.

Your lunch at Tutto looks and sounds fabulous. Does someone talk to you about the wine pairings? That is, how they made their selections?

 

[loves to dive]

Totally agree about the pre-mixed expectations. Wouldn't expect different.

I'm just wondering if it's the same ingredients used at the food booth as it is in La Cava for the Margarita. If so, that's a great 2 birds, 1 stone time save, since we will be getting food from the booth anyway.

I would go with the food booth. I dropped by the Mexico pavilion on Friday and the line for La Cava was snacked around about 4 times and up the ramp. In all fairness this was while all the booths were shut down because of the storm and it was Friday evening around 6 maybe.

 

[loves to dive]

Awesome report and pictures, Teresa! Thank you.

Your lunch at Tutto looks and sounds fabulous. Does someone talk to you about the wine pairings? That is, how they made their selections?

While I haven't done that one I've done the one in Morocco and the one at Spice Road Tables (twice) and yes they talk to you about the wines they have selected and why they selected them. The chef also came out and discusses the menus at all of them I've been at.

 

[backformore]

Teresawen, thanks for the report, it sounds and looks like a wonderful meal. Was that last photo the tiramisu? In the shape of a stove? Cute!
We weren't planning on any of the special meals, but I might have to change that now.

 

[supersnoop]

In all fairness this was while all the booths were shut down because of the storm and it was Friday evening around 6 maybe.

I'm confused by this point. Do the booths typically shut down when it storms? Last year, there was a bit of a downpour and nobody was in line at the booths, but I threw on a poncho and walked up to a few, and they were all ready, willing, and able to serve. That was one of the highlights of our trip; we visited four booths in 10 minutes. Do the booths actually close, or do people just assume they're closed?

 

[patster734]

I'm confused by this point. Do the booths typically shut down when it storms? Last year, there was a bit of a downpour and nobody was in line at the booths, but I threw on a poncho and walked up to a few, and they were all ready, willing, and able to serve. That was one of the highlights of our trip; we visited four booths in 10 minutes. Do the booths actually close, or do people just assume they're closed?

I think they close for lightening, but remain open if its just rain.

 

[mommyrosa2]

Attended the Italian lunch at Tutto Gusto yesterday. Amazing.

1. Lobster salad with caviar dressing
2. Egg pasta with mushrooms & white truffle
3. Pork with brussel sprouts
4. A cheese selection - i do not eat cheese. I was presented with a beautiful fruit plate. That was so nice and very applicated.
5. Tiramisu - the best I ever had. And huge.

Wines perfectly paired and flowing

Edited to add - they were also pouring bottled still & sparkling water. Easy to stay hydrated! Very nice touch!

Lasted just over 2 1/2 hours. We were seated with one other couple and had a blast!!

If this lunch is in your plans you are lucky! Go hungry & thirsty

Very well done!

Pictures below

Thanks for sharing! We will be attending the luncheon again this year on 10/14 and cannot wait.

 

[bcarey2k]

I think they close for lightening, but remain open if its just rain.

Correct - Lightning will close the world showcase.

 

[loves to dive]

Correct - Lightning will close the world showcase.

Pretty sure it was lightening although I was in my room when they actually closed. By the time I got into Epcot it was just a pretty good rain, they reopened them after about 45 min. It also rained Sat. evening and they left the roll up shades where you walk up open but the registers were closed. I don't think they stayed closed for longer than 5 or 10 min. that time. It was around 4:45 or so and I was on my way to a seminar at the Festival Center, they were open by the time I got out. Friday everything outside was closed except places like Mexico QS, Saturday the carts were open but booths registers closed.

 

[TeresaWen]

Did you request the substitution for the cheese plate when you got to the event, or before you left for vacation? Just wondering since I may do that. Glad you had such a good experience!

No I did not request it. I figured I would just eat around anything I did not like. I have a lot of food adversions

I asked our server to not bring me the cheese plate. It looked way to pretty to waste it. They offered to bring me something else. So thoughtful.

 

[TeresaWen]

Teresawen, thanks for the report, it sounds and looks like a wonderful meal. Was that last photo the tiramisu? In the shape of a stove? Cute!
We weren't planning on any of the special meals, but I might have to change that now.

Yes. A stove. Very cute. And incredibly delicious. So light!

 

[TeresaWen]

Awesome report and pictures, Teresa! Thank you.

Your lunch at Tutto looks and sounds fabulous. Does someone talk to you about the wine pairings? That is, how they made their selections?

Yes. Each wine was introduced. They did not really talk about why they chose the wine. But each did pair perfectly.

 

[damskipi13]

I'm confused by this point. Do the booths typically shut down when it storms? Last year, there was a bit of a downpour and nobody was in line at the booths, but I threw on a poncho and walked up to a few, and they were all ready, willing, and able to serve. That was one of the highlights of our trip; we visited four booths in 10 minutes. Do the booths actually close, or do people just assume they're closed?

Correct - Lightning will close the world showcase.

Most of the F&W booths and F&W shops were closed for lightening Friday evening, but everything else in WS remained open. Someone at the New Zealand booth told me it was dictated by Disney for safety reasons, but they left all of the Joffreys/Joy of Tea/Funnel Cake/etc booths open during this time. And for some reason the France booth and Islands booth got to stay open. These pictures were taken at about 6pm Friday evening.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

They don't close the permanent kiosks (the enclosed ones) for lightning in the area. Just the carts, and the temporary ones. Don't know what the deal is with France though. Maybe it is more enclosed than the others.

 

[rachdd]

Does anyone know if the jalapeño margarita at the Mexico booth is the same as the one they serve at Cava? I saw someone report, can't recall if it was on here or on twitter, that they witnessed someone blow up because the drinks at the booth were pre-mixed. Truth be told, I have been to Cava and they had them pre-mixed there too, so that doesn't seem to shock me.

They are not the same... had them both on Wednesday. The La Cava was SOOO good. The one from the booth was not bad and I probably would have thought it was better if I had not had the one from La Cava first. Our experience last week is we were able to get into La Cava easily during the week but Saturday the line was outrageously long! We were there from Wednesday to Sunday and the only time we felt that it was crowded was on Saturday at Epcot. With that said, there was more people but the longest we waited in line was around 5 minutes or so in France on Saturday. We had an excellent time.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Friday nights and anytime on Saturday are not the best times to try and get into La Cava during the Food & Wine Festival. Should also be noted that La Cava and some of the other bars in Epcot have procedures when they are anticipating F&W weekend crowds - La Cava will serve everything in plastic, even if you are sitting inside, and Rose & Crown removes the tables and chairs (except the standing tables) and serves all drinks in plastic cups - Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Mon-Thurs is the time to go if you want the full experience of these places like you'd get on most days that aren't Festival weekends.

 

[jerseygal]

I thought that I read that at San Angel Inn the margaritas are ftom.LaCava? Is this correct? THANKS, have an ADR there.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

San Angel and La Cava are run by the same company. Yes they are the same margaritas.