Disney's CA F&W Fest - Final wrap up for 2010 see you next year!

[thmar]

franandaj...the food looks wonderful!! I'm looking forward to more. I'll definately have to try the Beef Carpaccio from Naples Ristorante. I love this dish, and Chef Greg Stilman's looks wonderful!! Thanks for sharing.

 

[franandaj]

franandaj...the food looks wonderful!! I'm looking forward to more. I'll definately have to try the Beef Carpaccio from Naples Ristorante. I love this dish, and Chef Greg Stilman's looks wonderful!! Thanks for sharing.

I think that was a special Taste exclusive. I just checked allears.net menu and it's not on there. Too bad. I've never eaten at Naples Ristorante, but that's something I might have tried it for!

 

[thmar]

I think that was a special Taste exclusive. I just checked allears.net menu and it's not on there. Too bad. I've never eaten at Naples Ristorante, but that's something I might have tried it for!

I've never eaten there either, but thought if they had this...I give it a try. Darn! Oh well...maybe I'll have to check them out someday anyway. Again, thanks for the photos!!

 

[franandaj]

After sampling everything on the far side of the room, our tummies were definitely getting full, but we persevered! Our first stop was the House of Blues, they were the very first table once you got in the door and were mobbed when we came in, but by this time things had calmed down quite a bit and everyone was slowing down. HOB did a bonus offering not only were they serving their dish that was listed on our lanyard, the Crab Cake Slider with smashed lemon caper tartar sauce, but they also had a plate of home made potato chips.





OK, now this is becoming a problem, perhaps we should have been splitting these dishes! That crab cake was big enough for a serving for me! How the heck am I going to get through the rest of these dishes? Next stop the Chicken & Waffle Roulade with Vermont Maple Syrup Ice Cream and Raspberry “Caviar” from Chef Sean Layne of Celebration Ranch. This was the perfect balance of sweet and savory, for those who have been to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles, imagine a kicked up gourmet version. Yummmmm! This was so good! Good sized portion too, it didn’t break the belt!



Moving on right next door was Chef Jason Martin of Steakhouse 55’s Mediterranean Macaroni & Cheese with Hanger Steak. Now I don’t know what made this “Mediterranean”, to me it tasted just like good ole Mac-n-Cheese. The steak was cooked excellently, but no matter how much I was going to try, there was no way I would be able to finish it



But still….had…to….try….every…thing…one…more…bite. We stopped at the end of the row and watched Nanta give a performance. They were highly entertaining. The first performance they gave was using knives and cutting boards, they performed rhythmic dance, and the cutting boards were filled with vegetables. Chef Sutton warned us not to get too close, the veggies were flying! The second performance was with pots and pans as drums (I think), no food was involved. That gave us about a 20 minute breather from eating, and a second wind!

This next item was from Chef Jaime Gwen, on the lanyard, it said that it was supposed to be a Pork Belly Slider, but I distinctly remember that it was a Meatloaf Slider, or at least that’s what she called it. Slider! HA! I’d call it more of a boulder. I couldn’t eat this and not because I was too full because there was WAY too much cumin in there. No way in heck, too much spice and besides I couldn’t hardly get my mouth around it. We were sure glad that we started on the side with the little plates!



Now this is where things get blurry, by process of elimination, I’m going to have to say that this is the Spinach and Goat Cheese Stuffed Artichoke Heart from Chef Darrin Finkel at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen, but I don’t remember eating it. If I did I’m sure it was good. The one thing I don’t seem to have is a picture of the Roasted Monkfish Cake with charmoula from Chef Moizes Carranza at the Blue Bayou. Unless this is the elusive Avocado and Dungeness Crab Roll from Catal. I really need to take better notes and pictures this year! I promise I will!



This is it for the savories…next up sweets and end of evening.

 

[PinkPrincessZ]

Awesome review of Taste!

 

[franandaj]

Awesome review of Taste!

Thanks, I'm getting so excited, three weeks to go!

 

[OurDogCisco]

Just finished reading all 4 pages... great reviews... Once my kids leave the nest, I can't wait to try this. TFS...

 

[anthonut]

Thanks for posting these pics. I don't know when I would be able to make DLR's Food and Wine fest, but these sure make me willing to try Also makes me wish I could get more than the few days I am able to get for the WDW F&W

 

[aspen37]

Thanks, I'm getting so excited, three weeks to go!

It is going to be here before we know it.

 

[franandaj]

This is my final installment of Taste for this year, so I’ll wrap it up with Dessert! By this time I was so overstuffed that I wasn’t thinking very well about the pictures. In fact it wasn’t until after dessert that I realized I should have been taking pictures all along! After taking the pictures you see here I went around to all the other tables and took all the pictures that I posted previously!

As I mentioned in the first Taste post, I had been hesitant to sign up for this event due to the limited seating. We created our own tables right on the front of our scooters.

I can’t tell you what any of these desserts were, but they were all really good, here are some close ups.

This is us in our scooters with our tray tables attached. You’ll see us again in 2010 with the same set up, but I’ll take more pictures!

 

[aspen37]

This is my final installment of Taste for this year, so I’ll wrap it up with Dessert! By this time I was so overstuffed that I wasn’t thinking very well about the pictures. In fact it wasn’t until after dessert that I realized I should have been taking pictures all along! After taking the pictures you see here I went around to all the other tables and took all the pictures that I posted previously!

As I mentioned in the first Taste post, I had been hesitant to sign up for this event due to the limited seating. We created our own tables right on the front of our scooters.

I can’t tell you what any of these desserts were, but they were all really good, here are some close ups.

This is us in our scooters with our tray tables attached. You’ll see us again in 2010 with the same set up, but I’ll take more pictures!

I hope I see you two in a couple of weeks!

Those desserts look yummy! You guys did a great job adding the trays on the scooters!

 

[franandaj]

I hope I see you two in a couple of weeks!

Those desserts look yummy! You guys did a great job adding the trays on the scooters!

I'm sure we'll run into each other...It's a small hotel after all...

Couldn't resist a silly pun!

 

[franandaj]

Our last official event of the F&W Festival 2009 was Sweet Sundays with Keghan Gerhard. We started off the morning at 10AM with a lovely buffet style breakfast with sausage, potatoes, muffins, croissants, fruit and I’m sure there was other stuff like juice, coffee, and more importantly sparkling alcoholic beverages of a tasty sweet nature!

Once we were finished with the savory portion of our breakfast Keeghan Gerhard came out to demonstrate some yummy pastries that we got to eat for dessert. You can see his darling wife in the background performing as sous chef of this occasion.

This first item was a chocolate crepe filled with passion fruit puree (I think) and topped with whipped cream and some kind of chocolate sauce.

The next one was a waffle with fruit topping and ice cream, I know they made these waffles the night before because when I met up with Keeghan (next post) the night before he mentioned (to another chef) that he had “just finished making X (X = a lot) of mini waffles for the presentation tomorrow”

By the time I got to this last dessert, I was sooooooo full, I don’t even remember what it was. It was good and I was going to try and force it down, but I wised up and decided better not to completely stuff myself so that I could enjoy the rest of my day.

So that’s it for my Food pictures from the 2009 Food & Wine Festival. Next up Celebrity Chefs, and in just about a week 2010 pictures!

 

[kaoden39]

Oh my gosh. I think I gained 10 pounds looking at those sweets. I can hardly wait to see this years pictures.

 

[franandaj]

So they finally posted the schedule for the demos and tastings! There are a lot of Food Network Personalities, plus a few that they are really scraping the barrel but whatever, check it out! I'm going to see how many I can get out and see without too many trips outside of what I already have planned. A lot depends on DP, she's not nearly as into this as I am so we'll see what happens.

 

[onelilspark]

I've been reading each installment, but for some reason I keep neglecting to comment Sorry! But I'm here, and reading!!

 

[franandaj]

I've been reading each installment, but for some reason I keep neglecting to comment Sorry! But I'm here, and reading!!

Cool, I'm glad we're reading into each other's posts, I need to subscribe to your WDW F&W thing, but haven't done it yet.

I have a neat surprise that until it's for sure, I don't wan't to announce it, but come Monday I might have an other addition to my F&W adventures!

 

[tinkermell]

I just read your whole report, and it was just wonderful. Thanks!

I was there last year during the festival. So much fun stuff, but didn't get to do much except try some extra goodies.

I'm with you on the posting of the schedules and visiting chefs. I have been looking and looking, and finally found the something of a schedule yesterday. I was so discouraged, cuz the one chef both my DH I wanted to see is Guy Fieri. He is already scheduled for this weekend, and we can't make it work. How is one supposed to plan? And I only found the schedule for this weekend. Nothing else is listed yet.

You are lucky that you live close by. For us, it needs to be a little more planned.

Hope you have a wonderful time this year. Looking forward to your report.

 

[franandaj]

Here is a link where you can download the full schedule: Schedule

I agree, it really should have been posted sooner. I've only looked at this weekend in detail. Mostly I want to know when the celebrity chefs are there. I'll see if we can see Guy Fieri this weekend. I'd also like to see Sunny Anderson and Anne Burrell, but we'll see if I can get out there that often. I do have three weekends planned to stay over, but can't remember if any of the chefs I want to see are there those weekends.

 

[franandaj]

One of my favorite things about the F&W Festival is all the Food Network Chefs that we can meet up with over the course of the Festival. Over the past years I’ve had the good fortune to meet up with some great chefs at the Food and Wine Festival. Here are some people I’ve met up with over the past couple years.

This was in 2008 when Guy Fieri did a dinner at the Napa Rose restaurant

This is Chef Marcel St. Pierre the executive Chef at Club 33

This is Chef Andrew Sutton from Napa Rose

This is Keeghan Gerhard from Food Network Challenge

And here’s me with Iron Chef Cat Cora

And Hunky Chef Robert Irvine from Dinner Impossible