SamSam
http://www.wdwinfo.com/dis-sponsor/index.
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2001
- Messages
- 6,669
I'v e always enjoyed reading the dining reviews posted here and have found them to be very helpful in planning future trips. IMHO the Wine Pairing dinners are the best deal of the festival. They feature wines which are usually picked by the winery, then a chef prepares several courses to compliment each wine. What a treat they usually are. I'm going to list two that were held at Coral Reef ($35 a person) and one from Le Cellier ($30.00 a person).
Nov. 5, Coral Reef, The wines were from the Guenoc Vineyards and the food was prepared by Chef Joe Klienschmidt.
We started with a Tomato and Melon Gazpacho w/Chiffonade and Basil paired with a Langtry Meritage White '01. Dh and I both gave this a big thumbs up. Delicious combination
Grilled Scallop over Lobster Spaezle with Black Truffle Sauce paired w/Guenoc Genevieve Magooon Chardonnay. What can I say, it was 'to die' for. I've never been a big scallop fan, but this was fantastic.
Next was Blackened Venison - Wild mushroom, sun dried tomato risotto, Currant syrah reduction. This was melt in your mouth delicious. Blackened did not mean too hot to eat, just a wonderful flavoring. This was paired with Guenoc Petite Sirah '00, both Dh and my favorite of the evening.
The finish was Chocolate five spice cake with white chocolate deco cherry ice cream and vanilla sauce paired with a Langtry Meritage Red '99. A perfect finish to a perfect meal.
Nov. 6, Le Cellier. Several of the Hartford Wine representatives were seated next to us, so we had a pleasant time visiting with them. So...it was teh Hartford Wines with Chef Brian Piasecki.
Selection 1 - Seared Scallop w/spicy green and citrus salad w/a mango syrup paired with an '00 Chardonnay.
Selection II - Sterling Salmon w/tomato, anchovy and olive puree over aged goat cheese mashed potato. Paired w/ 'Sonoma Coast' Pinot Noir '00.
Selection III - Beef Short Ribs Confit, dried mushrooms risotto, zinfindel reduction and truffle oil paired w/ 'Russian River' Zinfindel '01 (my favorite of the evening).
Every course missed the mark of being delicious only because I found each dish to be too salty. The pairings were good and the food would have been top rate with a little less salt.
Back to Coral Reef on Nov. 7. This was the Kenwood Vineyards paired with food prepared by Chef Dennis Thompson.
- Butter Poached Maine Lobster - lobster risotto with Mascarpone and English peas. This was melt in your mouth delicious, a fantastic blending of flavors . Paired w/Valley of the Moon Pino Blanc '02, worked well with the lobster but not something I'd care for without the right food.
- Heirloom Tomatoes - Opal basil, balsamic drizzle and asiago paired with Valley of the Moon Sangiovese '99. Delightfully refreshing; both the dish and the wine.
- Seared Atlantic Salmon - French beans, fingerling potatoes, watercress, mustard vinaigrette, olive emulsion. Paired w/Kenwood Pinot Noir '01. Perfect!
-Grilled Pork Tenderloin - creamy polenta, chantarelles, hen of the wood mushrooms and red wine reduction. Paired w/Lake Sonoma Dry Creek Zinfindel '00. Wow! What a blending of delightful flavors .
Typing this out, I am missing WDW soooo much. With the exception of too much salt at Le Cellier, the dished were prepared to perfection. In a way I really hope that the Wine Pairings remain a 'hidden gem', so I will be able to get ressies at the next Wine and Food Fest.
We also ate at many booths around the world, but those have been posted so I won't list them here. If you have any questons, please ask.
Nov. 5, Coral Reef, The wines were from the Guenoc Vineyards and the food was prepared by Chef Joe Klienschmidt.
We started with a Tomato and Melon Gazpacho w/Chiffonade and Basil paired with a Langtry Meritage White '01. Dh and I both gave this a big thumbs up. Delicious combination
Grilled Scallop over Lobster Spaezle with Black Truffle Sauce paired w/Guenoc Genevieve Magooon Chardonnay. What can I say, it was 'to die' for. I've never been a big scallop fan, but this was fantastic.
Next was Blackened Venison - Wild mushroom, sun dried tomato risotto, Currant syrah reduction. This was melt in your mouth delicious. Blackened did not mean too hot to eat, just a wonderful flavoring. This was paired with Guenoc Petite Sirah '00, both Dh and my favorite of the evening.
The finish was Chocolate five spice cake with white chocolate deco cherry ice cream and vanilla sauce paired with a Langtry Meritage Red '99. A perfect finish to a perfect meal.
Nov. 6, Le Cellier. Several of the Hartford Wine representatives were seated next to us, so we had a pleasant time visiting with them. So...it was teh Hartford Wines with Chef Brian Piasecki.
Selection 1 - Seared Scallop w/spicy green and citrus salad w/a mango syrup paired with an '00 Chardonnay.
Selection II - Sterling Salmon w/tomato, anchovy and olive puree over aged goat cheese mashed potato. Paired w/ 'Sonoma Coast' Pinot Noir '00.
Selection III - Beef Short Ribs Confit, dried mushrooms risotto, zinfindel reduction and truffle oil paired w/ 'Russian River' Zinfindel '01 (my favorite of the evening).
Every course missed the mark of being delicious only because I found each dish to be too salty. The pairings were good and the food would have been top rate with a little less salt.
Back to Coral Reef on Nov. 7. This was the Kenwood Vineyards paired with food prepared by Chef Dennis Thompson.
- Butter Poached Maine Lobster - lobster risotto with Mascarpone and English peas. This was melt in your mouth delicious, a fantastic blending of flavors . Paired w/Valley of the Moon Pino Blanc '02, worked well with the lobster but not something I'd care for without the right food.
- Heirloom Tomatoes - Opal basil, balsamic drizzle and asiago paired with Valley of the Moon Sangiovese '99. Delightfully refreshing; both the dish and the wine.
- Seared Atlantic Salmon - French beans, fingerling potatoes, watercress, mustard vinaigrette, olive emulsion. Paired w/Kenwood Pinot Noir '01. Perfect!
-Grilled Pork Tenderloin - creamy polenta, chantarelles, hen of the wood mushrooms and red wine reduction. Paired w/Lake Sonoma Dry Creek Zinfindel '00. Wow! What a blending of delightful flavors .
Typing this out, I am missing WDW soooo much. With the exception of too much salt at Le Cellier, the dished were prepared to perfection. In a way I really hope that the Wine Pairings remain a 'hidden gem', so I will be able to get ressies at the next Wine and Food Fest.
We also ate at many booths around the world, but those have been posted so I won't list them here. If you have any questons, please ask.