Cy de Chantrer's (UPDATED through 9/26 PFTS!!) LIVE ALL-FOOD Burlesque Review

Hi Amy :wave:
Loving your reviews so far & your movie rating system. :thumbsup2
We will be there in a little over 3 weeks. :cool1:
 
This is GREAT!! I see you live right next door to me as well..Win WIN!! ;)
I am so happy you enjoyed the egg lemon soup! My fiance makes the BEST egg lemon soup ever. It was some family recipe and it is amazing, i would love to see how cat cora's version compares! YUM! nothing like a big steaming bowl of that with homemade drop biscuits on the side to warm the cockles of your heart during the new england winter! :thumbsup2
 
I am absolutely loving your report. Normally, I would tell my kids to only watch anything with the parental guidelines..NR, PG, PG13..etc, BUT with the exception of your food ratings, the more X's the better, hehe
 

Sorry for the delay... I came home and real life got in the way of proper updating. Here's a mini-update for now.

9/26/09

My Festival dining for the day started with a demo -- Chef Michael Jacobs of MediterAsia Catering. It was at this point that I realized that the theming of the Parties For the Senses spilled over to the culinary demos. I had always known that most of the chefs scheduled for a weekend would appear at that weekend's Party For the Senses. However, it didn't occur to me that their culinary demos that weekend would stick to the theme as well. I didn't mind, but by Sunday I was ready for non-Spanish cuisine.

But back to Chef Jacobs. How can you go wrong with Jamon Iberico Wrapped Spanish Cabrales, Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates, Grilled & Chilled Gambas, and a Spanish Jerez Vinaigrette? You can't. It was wonderful. The demonstration itself was entertaining, too, as Chef Jacobs brought up some slave lab..er.. volunteers from the audience to pit his dates and assist with the prep. A good show is fine, but I'm there for the taste.

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The vinaigrette was a bit mellower than I expected. When I prepare it, I'll use a bit more chili. There was a wonderful grilled flavor in the oxymoronic shrimp (no need for a food fluffer or trick photography, that shrimp was big on its own). The wine was S.A. Prum's Essence Riesling, fruity & crisp with tropical notes, although the presenter described it as being so crisp it was "like a mouthwash." That Listeriesling paired wonderfully with the salty-sweet combo of the blue cheese stuffed date wrapped in Iberico ham. It was also good with the shrimp, but I thought it would've been better if the shrimp had been spicy. I give this dish a late-night Cinemax "R". If it had been spicier it could've gotten an "X".

It was then time to return to the Showcase to take on more kiosks. I decided to break up the savories with a little dessert break and headed right to New Delhi for some Gulab Jamun, my Indian restaurant weakness.

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Yes, they look like little Dunkin' Donuts munchkins and they are soaking in a sugary rosewater syrup (for those who fear the flowery desserts, it really is more sweet than anything else and doesn't have much rosiness to it) and are dusted with some chopped pistachios.

It's a really tasty dessert, but I felt it lacked some depth in flavor compared to the gulab jamun that I'm used to. The cakes had a sort of spongecake consistency and didn't have the density or richness I'm used to from the inclusion of paneer cheese in the recipe. Also, while the pistachios were a nice texture contrast, I would have liked the spice of cardamom in there, too, to offset the syrupy sweetness a bit. For the excellent presentation that lacks depth and substance of the versions I know for comparison, I give it the "PG" of the new Fame movie.

Next, I needed some kind of hot weather savory. I couldn't resist Bangkok, Oriental city but the city don't know what the city has got. Well, the city had a bit of a run on their items. Three people ahead of me were awaiting the arrival of a fresh pot of chicken & coconut soup. I thought it was too hot for soup, but the green papaya salad with shrimp knew my name and was calling me. I was told it would just be a minute or two as they were grilling more shrimp. The toughest part about waiting was refraining from drooling all over the counter as the smell of ginger and sesame surrounded me. Here's my plate that was so very worth the wait:

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Wow! The shrimp were excellent and perfectly cooked with a strong ginger and sesame flavor and just a hint of chili. There was a nice crunch reminiscent of jicama in the slaw and the vinaigrette supported the shrimp nicely. This dish earned every bit of its down and dirty "X" rating right down to the tantalizing foreplay of aroma during the wait.

Coming up... that Spanish Party For the Senses that I keep promising...
 
I have been waiting and waiting for your next review....and oh! That shrimp dish! If there was a drooling emoticon I'd use it!
 
9/26 -- Party For the Senses!
The first change I noticed this year is that the stations are no longer color-coded. Instead, they've added giant shapes hanging from the decorative banners as an index for the program directory (yes, Virginia, there is a program again this year -- and keep that program handy, because if you tuck it away, you might miss something that should have been higher on the priority list). Combined with the color schemes, it felt like a cocktail party trapped in a box of Lucky Charms. The prize inside the box, though, was the wonderful Spanish food!

Here's my lineup for the evening before my contender for Best Supporting Digestive System bowed out of the competition:

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1. Seafood Paella -- My plate had a generous portion of saffron rice that was loaded with fresh seafood: clams, mussels, shrimp, and baby octopus. It was quite good but I feared it would be too filling right off the bat so I only ate a few bites. It's a solid PG-13.


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2. Pastelon de Verduras con Salsa de Tomatillo Y Culantro -- This dish was described as a sort of Spanish version of lasagna with tomatillo sauce. It was a bit mushy in texture but tasted great. If it had a bit more structural integrity, I'd have given it an R but it's another PG-13.


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3. Seared Day Boat Scallops with Fall Asparagus Salad and Romesco Sauce -- The scallop was cooked perfectly with a nice sear. The asparagus salad was quite tasty, as well. It's my first R of the evening.


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4. Beet Salad With Manchego and Serrano -- Here I did a bit of food editing. The advertised item actually featured beef with fingerling potatoes plated with this salad. I don't eat beef so I asked for just the salad. Yum! The combination of beets with manchego and the vinaigrette was amazing. It earned a late night Cinemax soft core R.


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5. Confit of Game Bird Leg with Andalucian Rice, Duck Pate, Drizzled with Sangria Glaze -- I thought there was a really good flavor to the confit (yeah, yeah... fat adds flavor...), but the accompanying duck pate and the sweet sangria glaze was the winning component. It's another strong R.


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6. Spicy Lamb Meatballs with Smoked Paprika Aioli on Baguette with Arugula -- This was my least favorite item of the evening, mainly for the design. The meatball was too big to be eaten in the same bite as the toast. It was also a bit greasy and really didn't benefit from the aioli. It's nudging a PG.


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7. Chilled Almond Gazpacho with Grapes and Sangria Jelly (also pictured, Spanish Vanilla
Cake, Almond Tuille with Crema Catalana and Candied Valencia Orange) -- I had this dessert as a little intermission break from the savories. It was nice and light and I enjoyed the treasure of crisp grapes within the sweetened almond milk. It's a strong PG-13.


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8. Plantain Pastel Stuffed with Wild Boar, Black Beans and Escabeche Onions, Peppers,
and Garlic Sauce, Pork Crisp and Micro Cilantro -- The pastel was tasty enough and I did enjoy the refried black beans that accompanied it. The pork crisp wasn't, though, and somewhere along the line there was a bit of oversalting. It's only a PG.


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9. Sea Bass and Shrimp Mousse -- This was such an interesting dish. I really loved the briney flavor of the mousse. It tasted better than fresh gefilte fish and was wonderfully smooth and creamy. (I think that's a tomato compote next to the mousse, but I somehow omitted it in my notes -- lesson learned, take better notes.) It's an NC-17 for it's sophistication and was easily my favorite savory of the evening.

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10. Coconut Green Tea Yogurt -- This dish was such a lovely surprise for me. The description intrigued me and I couldn't resist. It was so smooth and had a mild coconut flavor. At the bottom of the cup was the pleasant surprise of a tropical fruit (mango?) puree. It earned a nice R rating.

My final food item of the evening was "Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Food-Review" because it really wasn't very photogenic. One of the dessert pastries was plated with tamarind ice cream. The ice cream sounded so appealing to me, so I asked if I might have just a scoop of the ice cream. The chef filled a coffee mug with several scoops of the ice cream! Oh heaven! The tartness of the tamarind made for a delicious ice cream and the perfect ending to this most excellent meal.
 
I'm really enjoying your reviews and pictures!! Your descriptions are wonderfully informative!! :thumbsup2
 
I probably won't be able to post my reviews from 10/15-10/17, but no burlesque would be complete without a bit of a tease.

Debbie Does Montreal
The Best Piece of Ash I've Ever Had
The Soup That Eats Like a Meal
A Little Cup of Coziness
The Party For the Senses With An Identity Crisis
 
Hi Amy,
I just had to jump in and say Hi. I'm the Cathy that was sitting with your for Chef Dundon's demo. I can't wait to read your recap so that I can live through it again. It was so awesome.

Cathy
 







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