Completed all 30!!! Food and Wine Extravaganza

[Tinkfan10]

Got back last week from a great event filled trip.
What you can expect: Dinner at Citricos and Victoria/Alberts
All 30 (yes we did them all) Booths at the Food and Wine
Many Snacks
2 Dinners and a Breakfast at Wolfgang Puck Express
Lunch at Be our Guest (with Fastpass + preorder)
Breakfast at Ohana (no pic sorry; they are all the same)
Dinner at the Plaza prior to Not so Scary
Dinner at Via Napoli
Special event of Mixology seminar and the Kitchen Memories event with Andrew Zimmern
Many breakfasts and a lunch at Port Orleans French Quarter

And important note: we paid OOP- No Dining Plan
See ya soon

 

[dawnmichele]

Can't wait to hear all about it - especially ALL the food and wine choices!

 

[wiigirl]

Awesome!

 

[Tinkfan10]

Once we arrived by Magical Express we met up with my mom and dad who arrived prior to our flight. My mom's favorite Disney snack are the beignets at POFQ. They are made fresh in front of you and are a yummy airy treat. We had a dinner ADR at Citricos for that night so we just wants a small treat. We decided since we were paying out of pocket to only get 2 cups for the time there to share (mom/dad and me/husband). My DH drinks mostly water and I am all over the coffee and tea so the cup was more for me. I am so glad the coffee changed from the not so good Nescafe, the new type is strong and great for that morning pick me up. Interesting that the cups with the chip in them are needed for only the pop machine; not the coffee or tea (makes me wonder things.......)


I personally think that 6 is too many and that 3 are plenty to share with another person; my mom would argue and say 3 are for just her


As you can tell she is very happy to be in Disney

 

[TigerKat]

Your Mom needs to come to New Orleans and get the real beignets! So much better. Can't wait for your F&W reviews!

 

[Tinkfan10]

I spent alot of time looking for reviews for this restaurant prior to the trip as we have never been. There were a few and often it was of dessert so I knew that without thought involved I was getting the banana chocolate tart. The reviews read were hit or miss either people really loved it or they didn't. After dining here I can say that this is my favorite "signature" dining experience at Disney and my parents agreed (not including the neighboring V&A as they are in a class all of their own). To show that I can easily compare... On our honeymoon we ate at Cali Grill, Jiko, Flying Fish, Cinderella's Royal Table, Le Celliar and Artist Point. My mom and dad have been to Narcoossee, Jiko, Le Celliar, Cinderella's, the old Bistro in France (new name now) and Artist Point. We have not been to Yachtsman Steakhouse or Brown Derby or the ones at Swan/Dolphin. Walking in the windows in the restaurant show a fabulous view of the ground of Grand Floridian and you can get a partial view of Wishes fireworks. The open feel was amazing and we got a window seat. The kitchen was open which I really like and the chef was more than willing to pose for a picture.

There is nice seating at the front of the restaurant for the bar area to just have drinks and small bites....may have to do this in the future. When we got to our table there were personalized menus waiting for us with our names and "Happy Anniv." My parents sharing 48 years of marriage and while we have been married for 4 years my husband and I were celebrating our 11 years together (we started dating on Oct. 6th and have always celebrated this, yes we are those people ).
Center piece
Wade was our server and he was amazing taking the time to discuss the menu, make recommendations and his service made the night. I will admit to other reviews that this dinner is longer....having been to France that is how dinner is there as well and we really liked having a bit of space between courses and never felt that we were bored or asking "what is taking so long" but for others this may be a deterrent. Wade brought our drink orders and with it an amuse bouche of minestrone soup.

This was yummy but not the highlight...it was hard to eat with the little spoon in the tiny bowl and cold by the time it reached us due to the small size (as a result my father did not eat this). Served hot and in a better serving dish this would be an amazing soup.
My mom and I spent alot of time discussing the menu and I reminded her to think of dessert and that we always make errors in appetizers that spoil the meal because you have no room left. As a result my husband and I shared the beet salad which was plated like a painting and the flavors were out of this world. My husband does not like beets and agreed to share this not thinking he would get past a bite and we found ourselves fighting over this.

This was Roasted beets with cumin scented goat cheese, applewood smoked bacon lardons, and crisp arugula.
My mom got the Crispy Fried Yellow Tomato and Buffalo Mozz. salad with heirloom red romaine, green goddess dressing and anchovy filet (she told them to keep the tiny fishy).

She loved it, I had a bite and agree this was a tasty dish and just the right size.
My dad got the sauteed shrimp with lemon, white wine, tomatoes, and feta

My mom, dad, and husband all took turns fighting over this and if not held back I think my dad and husband would have licked the bowl as they all commented on the amazing broth.
Next came bread and butter that was crystallized with salt and citrus zest.
WOW and this could easily ruin your meal if not careful.

 

[Tinkfan10]

Time for the main event.....My mother and I both got the Madeira Braised short ribs with hominy cheddar potato puree and wild mushroom ragout
This was amazing, the short ribs were fall apart tender and my mother does not like beef short ribs but Wade and I talked her into trying them; she was making noises while eating this dish that were questionable

My dad goes to a restaurant and for whatever reason always seems to get the stake and then complain when it is not cooked right As predicted he asked Wade about the filet and that was what he got. This filet was textbook perfect medium rare as ordered, full of flavor, not running yucky juices and earned the chef a personal compliment from my hard to please father. It was served with potato gratin, vidalia onion, balsamic caramelized onion, peppadew peppers, arugula greens, and cabernet demi glace.

My husband went with the Monkfish and really enjoyed it. I tried the risotto and it was amazing, if that came with out fish I would have loved that as a dish. The details are: Butter poached monkfish with pea risotto, sauce americaine, and black sturgeon caviar with preserved meyer lemon.

On to dessert.... I had read in a review about a cart that offers table side after dinner drinks and then called prior to see if this was something they still did as I wanted to surprise my dad who loves French Cognac. My dad has a pain condition and took medication during dinner so sadly he was not able to part take (they only bring the cart when asked) but I was able to get a picture of it and know this would be really neat.

My mother saw that there was a Grand Marnier Flight (1/2 oz pour of each) for $33. This included the regular, a 100 yr, and 150 yr. A full pour of the 150 yr is $37 just to compare. Having never experienced aged Grand Marnier this was a must try and she like a fabulous mom let me have sips as well. This was so good and the presentation was cool. There really is a truth that good things get better with age.

I got the personalized Coffee served in a mini press and oh was this good.

As detailed above I had already planned to get the signature dessert: Warm Chocolate Banana Tart with vanilla ice cream and handcrafted belgian couverture chocolate crown. This is above words and if you love chocolate it is a must. I thought it would be heavy but found it to be just right, not overly rich and simply perfect

My husband is so cute and easy to please asking Wade if he could just have vanilla icecream with some strawberries even though nothing on the menu was like this. To his happy surprise he got a fruit and chocolate sundae and was in heaven Proof that at Disney the staff will aim to please.

My Dad was more adventurous then usual and got the Gelato tasting served in an original way of mini cones. Flavors were Vanilla Bean, Cappuccino and Raspberry and he loved them. But you have to eat them quick.

To go with her Grand tasting my mom paired it perfectly with the seasonal berry gratin with a champagne grand Marnier sabayon. This was light and she raved about it.


You will remember that I explained we were paying out of pocket this trip and I had budgeted $300 for this meal: paying for the four of us. My mom explained she would pay for the alcohol and tip. Her and I each had a glass of red wine to pair with our main dish and my dad got ice tea, husband drinking water. Grand total including alcohol was $314 So really I came in under budget because of her paying for the drinks. If on the dining plan this is a great use of 2 Table service credits. I felt this dinner was well worth the price in taste, service, and overall experience. This will be a must for the next trip and I highly recommend it
Next up is day 1 of food and wine (18 of the 30 booths) yes we were crazy!

 

[Tinkfan10]

For the first day of our trip we planned to do the food and wine festival midweek. There are no ADRs for this day (Oct 1) and we decided to sleep a bit even though Epcot was doing EMH for the morning. My husband and I decided to split the Western Omelet with potatoes and then I got us a Cinnamon roll as well. I think the bill was around $11-12 if I remember correctly. This was plenty of food to start the day knowing how much we were planning to eat when we got to Epcot. The omelet was cooked great (I like done eggs). The Cinnamon roll was just okay nothing special. My mom and dad got their own entrees of the ham and egg omelet and breakfast platter; plus a small order of yep you guessed it Beignets. It was here my mother understood that splitting a breakfast is the better choice for both budget of out of pocket and tummy room. In addition she saw the crazy price for a small coffee of 2.99 (yes the mugs are worth it especially for sharing......bring the same small cup from our rooms coffee bar, fill the special rapid fill cup then split the coffee between you and refill...again coffee is not on the chip to activate so you can get away with sharing cups if on a budget and not drinking soft drinks). Sorry I failed you all with no pictures from breakfasts at the food court.

 

[DisneyMommy9]

I'm in! Enjoyed reading so far! Can't wait for more.

 

[Tinkfan10]

We got to Epcot and headed straight to the Food and Wine Festival Center to get our Passports, look at the shop, get my mom and dad's tickets for their Mixology event that night and experience the Chocolate. The plan was to divide and conquer the booths. I had originally wanted to taste the things that stood out but realized how much fun it would be to try them all. My husband and I decided to split most things at the booths including drinks and make one or two a "main course" where we each got something. Important note is that I do not eat any seafood so there was compromising involved. We wanted to get the wrist band card for ease of access and our gift card saving backfired as a gift card can not be used to load a gift card. This is important for planning in the future.




The Drinking Chocolate was thick and rich and delicious. This was split with my mom and when I tried to get it again on day 2 it was too much to drink by myself. I don't know if is something I would buy to make at home but they were selling it. The sparkling wine was nice and refreshing.

By this time we were getting really hungry so it was time to head to the world showcase. Scotland was the first booth we came across and this one I was very interested in.


We got the Veggie Haggis and the tart. I wanted to come back later for one of the scotch drinks as it was over 90 degrees. Understanding the heat and humidity is key to understanding our choices as we went on. IT WAS HOT! We always traveled in the summer when it is hot but it rains everyday to cool things down. This time there was no rain....NO RAIN and no clouds so the humidity was there with no relief. I think I would have enjoyed the tart more later in the day had I not been so hungry and hot. The haggis cake reminded me of a bad veggie burger patty; I was not a fan but the mashed sides were very nice and much preferred to the later tasted potatoes in France.

Next up was Hawaii were we decided to each have our own item and no sharing. My husband had the Tuna and enjoyed it. I loved the slider and will plan to make this...full of flavor and the perfect size.


I was supper excited about the Refreshment post as my favorite Disney Treat is Dole Whip. We decided on the Fritters which are served HOT; my Dad burnt his tongue so please be careful. They were good but the star were the drinks. My husband got the Dragon Berry and I think he drank it in one sip he loved it. I got the Orange Dole with Creme Caco and it was so refreshing and yummy but strong This was a great treat to cool us down and I felt the price worked well.





Next up is Greece, Canada, and more

 

[Tinkfan10]

Greece and Canada were right by each other. Behind the Canada booth was a perfect shaded spot with benches where we sat. At Canada I wanted to try the Ice Wine and Soup but those got taken out for budget and the heat (again the weather helped make decisions easier). The filet was yummy so much in fact that my Mom and Dad split one then got a second one. My husband and I split this and it was the perfect little bite. The sauce was so good and it was loaded with mushrooms.


At Greece I wanted to try the cheese that other bloggers rave about and my husband wanted the sample dips....we met in the middle and got the chicken gyro. It was good but nothing you can't get at your local Mediterranean hot spot. That said this booth was one of my favorites as the staff was so funny and animated.


After going through the Canada Pavilion it was the heat of the day and mood was starting to decrease. I made an executive decision that we needed air conditioned attractions before we got too far into the showcase. We went to the front of the park to experience Figment Tempers were back in check and mood improved with a little imagination. From there we spent time in Innoventions, got our Chase Visa picture and opted to separate for a bit from the parents. My husband and I started at the other side with Terra.

I am a skeptical person when it comes to "fake" meat (carnivore to the core) so this booth brought doubts. What a surprise! The watermelon juice was refreshing and a new experience: how have I never thought of this. The flavor of the Trickin Chicken was out of this world and what sold it was the consistency it felt like chicken in my mouth. I wish we would have tried the beef choice, but we had to keep things for next time.

The size was also nice to share where as at some of the booths sharing was hard if given too small a dish.
Brazil was next and I had this decision made before we got there
Pork Belly and the Frozen Drink (I was told this drink is the best at the festival and had to try it by a great friend) I love my Friend
OMG was this drink good and one of my favorites: Thank you for bringing this booth back for us to try at our first festival and please never take it away again!!!!


Brazil was having a Party like Greece

The pork belly did not picture well but it was oh so good and again a good portion to share without feeling like we were fighting over it.
Argentina was next and I let my husband pick this one (I would have tried both lol)

We went with the skewer and again one of our favorites. The flavors exploded and all around this was an amazing dish.

Off to the other side of the world with Australia: This was a 2 dish location

I thought my husband would pick the shrimp but he went with the chop (something we both love)

This was far too tiny to share; was so yummy and lean not fatty at all and the potato chips on it gave a nice twist.
I wanted something sweet and went with the berries in the shell.

This would have been great out of the shell with just the custard as the shell was hard and difficult to cut and eat. We both enjoyed it but it did not leave a lasting impression.
Up next was Mexico:

As you can see we followed the map around the sea this was the strategy which I would do different as it was hard to go from savory to sweet to savory as we went but lesson learned Back to Mexico


Beef taco: again poor picture (sorry new at this). I did not think I would like this but wow was I surprised. The flavor as amazing, the lime made it pop and it was the again a great size for sharing. This was great street taco and a hit.

Time for another attraction and break More to come!

 

[Tinkfan10]

We continued on our way and made a pit stop in Norway. I have been reading the food reviews on this board for years and one thing in Disney I have never had is the schoolbread. This trip I made it a goal to grab one. I just don't get this treat.....it is a very dry roll with a thick custard inside and coconut on top. In theory it sounds good a spiced bread with custard yum almost like a dense cream puff but no it just did not do it for me. The bun was soooo dry and the custard overly thick for my taste. To those that love them to each their own and it further supports my belief: while I live by these reviews I don't die by them because everyone has a different taste, perspective, and experience.

 

[Tinkfan10]

Interestingly Singapore was located right by Norway and was definitely one of the favorites, we had no trouble deciding on the choice which was the delicious Chicken Curry


It does not look like much but wow was the flavor amazing
Next we journeyed to Germany and skipped several booths with the plan to eat at them on our next day at the food and wine festival. We stopped in the Carmel store and I had planned to get something later but regret to report I did not this trip....number one location that I want to try on our next trip.


The one stop on the journey to make all 30 complete that I did not partake in was Japan as I don't eat sea food and while I know they had the chicken one it still had sea weed and well I can't stand that either. Tofu is not my thing and I avoided that as well. My husband on the other hand loved the hand roll.


I must say that it looks yummy but then I remember what is it.
Morocco was next

We had the Harissa roll and it was literally an egg roll with Moroccan taste and while it doesn't look like a whole lot it was filled with flavor and was easily shared.


New Zealand was another I wanted to try with the Lamb Meatball.

I have heard so much about it but must say it was tricky to eat. Flavorfull but for as much as people comment on it it was not a stand out for me.

 

[Tinkfan10]

At Belgium I could have eaten all three waffles and the iced coffee. But remember we were doing so many booths and I let my husband pick this one. The berry compote was yummy and rich with flavor but it really was at the end of the day just a tiny waffle. I wanted this to be my favorite dessert but there are better ones to come.


This booth was booming and they were all working very hard.

Off to France were we each had to have our own choice. My husband loved the escarcot. The beef was one of the expected desired dishes but left me wanting. The mashed potatoes were too thick and the flavor was just alright. What was correct in the reviews was the slush..OMG this was so good and we fought over sips...very hard to share.

Time for more dessert......

This was no question: the cheeses we get at home all the time and love them but we knew we wanted the warm pudding.

The picture does not do it justice....the Baileys custard was so amazing and this tiny bite was just not enough.
We finished the night back where we started in Scotland. At this point it was much cooler and I was greatly looking forward to a drink. I could not decide if I wanted the Loch Drink or the flight. I asked what the staff thought and it was recommended to do the flight to really experience the differences and for the money it was the better value.


Very nice and it true things that are great get better with age.
This first day we completed 18 of the 30 and I still can't believe we did all them. What a great first day.

 

[Tinkfan10]

We spent half a day at Magic Kingdom the next day. Breakfast was at the POFQ food court....this time we split and if was the perfect idea. First up was my favorite snack in all of WDW....The Dole Float! Nothing like Pineapple and Vanilla swirl with Pineapple juice on a hot day!

For all those that have never had one and want to know the must do...this is it! Located right inside Adventure Land across from Swiss Family Tree House it is so refreshing and yummy.
After more touring we headed to New FantasyLand for lunch at Be our Guest. We arrived early for our fastpass + reservation so I journeyed around the corner to check our the Lafou's Brew....wow was this good. I had no idea what to expect. It was an Apple Cider slush with this amazing foam on top that was marshmallow goodness. We were so hot by this point and this was such the perfect cool down. For those who are curious I would definitely give this a try

We checked in at the side area for the Fastpass + and were easily found on the system. Yes I took the advice of the disboard posting and was able to follow the link without the invite with no issues. We did the preorder and then I printed the copy just in case. There was no need as we were on the list and taken right in. It was a bit confusing going in to find a table and realize that we get our own drinks. We sat in the main ballroom and I wish we had ventured into the other areas as they were less crowded but oh well. Our food "magically" found us and was supper yummy. My mom and dad had to try the soups so they got one of each...I tried both to be able to report and I must say the potato leak was amazing and if it was not what felt like 100 degrees outside I would have gotten a bowl.


The three of us all got the pork dish and wow was it so much food for the price. The flavor was amazing and I would definitely go back for this.

It was lean and the sides were a perfect pair. This was a lot of food and my parents realized they did not need the soup with the entree and they got full quick. My husband got the Tuna dish and loved it.

For dessert my husband and I split the Master's Cupcake that had the grey stuff on top. Boy oh Boy was this good and yes the grey stuff is delicious. I am so glad they added the desserts with the grey stuff on it so that everyone has the chance to try it.

My mom and dad got the Strawberry one and said it was yummy as well.

Up next is dinner at Wolfgang Puck express

 

[jerseytinkerbell]

Loving all your reviews! My husband and I hit up all 30 booths in October too. It was such a fun experience. You both tried a lot of items that I didn't get to eat, so I love seeing all of your pictures. I had the same issue with the heat affecting my choices. It's too hard to drink alcohol or eat anything heavy when it's that hot out.

My husband and I have been married for 4 years as well and our dating anniversary is October 7, one day after yours. We usually celebrate that more than our actual wedding anniversary.

Looking forward to more reviews!

 

[Tinkfan10]

So glad you are enjoying and I love how alike we are There were so very many amazing choices and I can't wait to share part two. We celebrated our Anniversary on Oct 6 with Victoria and Alberts and that was the best of the trip so stay tuned

 

[disneynan]

Looking forward to your V&A review.

 

[davale4]

V&A review .

 

[phabric]

Enjoyed your review with pictures.