Figment’s Villainously Good Food & Wine Festival, 2014

[figment_jii]

Figment’s Villainously Good Food & Wine Festival, 2014
Figment was lucky enough to visit Walt Disney World in October of 2014. This is his favorite time of the year at WDW because of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival. He had a villainously good Food & Wine Festival and trip. He got to do four different special events during his trip; two were new and two were long-time favorites.

• Party for the Senses
• Disney “3D” Dessert Discovery
• Parisian Breakfast
• Villains' Sinister Soiree: A Wicked Takeover of Cinderella Castle

He also stayed somewhere new: Port Orleans Riverside – Royal Rooms. POR Royal Rooms were a lot of fun and the interior décor was amazing. The light-up headboards were his favorite and he thought the Mickey shampoo bottles were very cute. After a few nights at POR, he transferred to the Boardwalk Inn for the rest of his stay (to be close to Epcot and the Food & Wine Festival).

 

[figment_jii]

Party for the Senses - Featuring Disney Chefs From Around The World
Figment attended the Party for the Senses for the first time in 2014. He went on October 25, 2014, which featured Disney Chefs from Around the World. There were chefs from Disney World, Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disney Cruise Line, and Aulani.

Guests could check-in starting in the mid-afternoon in front of the World ShowPlace Events Pavilion. We got our wristbands and instructions on when to return to the pavilion.

There were signs inside the waiting area to tell guests where to wait. The Wine View Lounge and Reserved Seating guests were in separate lines to the left, while General Admission guests waited in the open area to the right. While we waited to enter the main room, representatives of the DVC had a trivia game where you had to guess which DVC resorts were represented by each drawing. The prize was a pin; it was a fun way to pass the time.

Figment had reserved seating for the event, so he was in the second group to enter the pavilion's main room. We were escorted to our table, which was located towards the center of the room. The Wine View Lounge was located in front of the main stage (same location as the Sweet Seats for the "3D" Disney's Dessert Discovery). The Reserved Seating area is located across the walkway from the Wine View Lounge.

Upon arriving at the table, there were menus and souvenir wine glasses. Each guest was handed a glass of champagne as they were taken to their tables.

After getting settled at the table, it was time to look around the dining room and see all of the amazing offerings from each of the featured chefs. Overall, Figment really enjoyed the Party for the Senses. The food was very good and quite varied. The atmosphere was lively and festive.

 

[figment_jii]

Figment's Villainously Good Food & Wine Festival, 2014 - Party for the Senses - Featuring Disney Chefs From Around The World, Continued

Some of his favorite dishes were the Braised Pork Belly with Chinese Herbs in "Far Dew" Wine (Tony Leung and Jason Ho, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort), Deep-Fried Mille-Feuille of Scallop and Mushrooms Duxelles with Nori Sauce and wasabi Oil (Masayoshi Suzuki and Junichi Miyazono, Toyko Disney), Braised Short Ribs with Porcini Port Wine Sauce, Parsnip Puree, Crispy Shallots, and Baby Radish Greens (Steve Walker and Brian McLaughlin, Disney Cruise Line), and the Braised Veal Cheek and Butter-Poached Lobster, Carrot Puree and Port Wine Glaze (Christine Weissman, Disneyland Resort).

Braised Pork Belly with Chinese Herbs in "Far Dew" Wine
Tony Leung and Jason Ho (Hong Kong Disneyland Resort)

"Duck, Duck, Duck, Goose" Roasted Duck Dumpling, Duck Broth, Duck Chicharrones, and Goose Egg Royal
Greg Hannon and Al Youngman (Epcot, Walt Disney World)

Braised Beef "Steak & Eggs"
Anthony DeLuca (Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Walt Disney World)

Sweet Corn Mousse with Milk Chocolate Gelato and Bacon Crunch
Deran Lanpher (Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, Walt Disney World)

Deep-Fried Mille-Feuille of Scallop and Mushrooms Duxelles with Nori Sauce and wasabi Oil
Masayoshi Suzuki (Tokyo Disney Resort) and Junichi Miyazono (Toyko DisneySeas Resort MiraCosta)

Quattro-Formagi Ravioletti (Arugula Pesto with Confit Sweet Pea Tomatoes, Cherry-Tomato Reduction, Petite Basil, and Balsamic Vinegar Pearls)
Tony Marotta (Disney's Port Orleans Resort: Riverside, Walt Disney World)

Braised Veal Cheek and Butter-Poached Lobster, Carrot Puree and Port Wine Glaze
Christine Weissman (Disneyland Resort)

Club 33 Traditional Opera Cake with Gianduja Chocolate Curl and Mecker Raspberry Coulis
Jean-Marc Viallet (Disneyland Resort) and Jorge Sotelo (Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Disney California Adventure Park)

Warm Florida Shrimp Salad with Tomato-Tupelo Honey Sorbet
Robert Gilbert and Matt Maslowski (Walt Disney World Events Catering)

Seared High Plains Bison Tenderloin with Chanterelle Tamale and Goat Cheese Cream
Robert Adams and Joey Gullia (Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World)

More to come!

 

[ibcindyb]

Loving your review. Figment has a great palate!

 

[figment_jii]

Figment’'s Villainously Good Food & Wine Festival, 2014 - Party for the Senses - Featuring Disney Chefs From Around The World, Continued

The rest of the food offerings from the Party for the Senses!

Seared Mushroom Terrine with Vegetable “Couscous” and Three Olive-Preserved Lemon Salsa
Michael Pythoud and Michael Thompson (Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World)

Baked “Salibut” Paupiette with Fennel Confit, Saffron Pearl Potatoes, and “ink’d” Pinot Noir Sauce
Michael Phythoud and Craig Schleider (Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Walt Disney World)

Peruvian Chocolate Timbale with Raspberry Foam
Erich Herbitschek (Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Walt Disney World)

Spicy Ahi Poke Stuffed with a Yuzu Crab Salad, Puffed Furikake Rice, Avocado Mousse, and Ponzu
Kevin Chong (Aulani)

Butter Mochi Cake with Pineapple
Ron Viloria (Aulani)

Char-Crusted Venison Tenderloin with Salsify Silk, Cracked Black Pepper Jam, Smoked Mushrooms, and Echo Mountain Blue “Strudel”
Tim Oakley (Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Walt Disney World)

Tuna with Sumac, Black Radish, and Celery Root
Scott Hunnel and Tom Hill (Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Walt Disney World)

Braised Short Ribs with Porcini Port Wine Sauce, Parsnip Puree, Crispy Shallots, and Baby Radish Greens
Steve Walker and Brian McLaughlin (Disney Cruise Line)

Braised Pork Belly Steam Bun with Green Papaya Salad
Peter Bruenen (Disney’s Polynesian Resort, Walt Disney World)

Fragrantly Blackened Wild Oceans Day-Boat Fish Taco with Poblano-Tomatillo-Cilantro Salsa, Pickled Onions, Epcot Cucumbers, Jalepenos, Hearts of Palm, Queso Fresco, and Crema Mexicana
Tim Keating and Tim Majoras (Disney’s Boardwalk, Walt Disney World)

Brown Butter Fiancier, Crème Fraiche Panna Cotta, and Sous Vide Seckel Pear
Matt Avery (Disney’s Boardwalk Bakery, Walt Disney World)

5 Senses Crab (Dungeness Crab with Sea Urchin Mousse and Monk Fish Liver au “Torchon”
Lenny DeGeorge, Roland Muller, and Christopher Maggetti (Concept Development, Walt Disney World)

Marscarpone-Lemon Cremeux, Honey Crisp Apple, Beet Meringue, and Cassis Glaze
Stefan Riemer (Concept Development, Walt Disney World)

Lamb Two Ways (Spiced Sausage with Natural Reduction and Seared Loin over Heirloom Eggplant Bolognese)
Brian Piasecki and Mark Donovan (Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Walt Disney World)

Assorted Chocolates
Chocolate Accents

Loving your review. Figment has a great palate!

Thanks!

 

[goodeats]

Great pics! Is this a bunch of stations/buffet? For people who do not have reserved seating do they eat standing up? I'm going to F&W for the first time and need to figure out what "extras" are worth it to me. It looks amazing though.

 

[figment_jii]

Great pics! Is this a bunch of stations/buffet? For people who do not have reserved seating do they eat standing up? I'm going to F&W for the first time and need to figure out what "extras" are worth it to me. It looks amazing though.

Each chef had their own station; with multiple stations generally "clustered" together.

There were three entrance categories: wine view lounge, reserved seating, and general admission. The wine view and reserved seating had tables reserved for them. General admission guests were not assigned a table, but there were tables scattered throughout the room. Some were high tops and some were regular tables. Some guests also just opted to eat as they walked from station to station.

 

[figment_jii]

Figment’'s Villainously Good Food & Wine Festival, 2014 - Party for the Senses - Featuring Disney Chefs From Around The World, Continued

About half way through the evening, La Nouba Cirque du Soleil, presented a contortionist and some acrobatic acts. It was not a long performance, but enough to give you a sense of what Cirque de Soleil is about. The contortionist was a quieter performance (but impressive), while the acrobatics were much more high energy (they used a trampoline a lot). Figment had never seen a Cirque de Soleil performance in person before and enjoyed it a lot (somehow things always seem more impressive when you see them in person opposed to on television).

The banners around the room were very colorful.

As the Party for the Senses ended, cast members came around with wine glass boxes for each guest so they could take their souvenir wine glass home with them. The wine glasses said “Epcot Food & Wine Festival, 2014” on them and were very nice (Figment liked them better than the ones that were being sold in the stores!).

Overall, the Party for the Senses was a lot of fun. Having Reserved Seating was nice because Figment didn't have to worry about whether he’d find somewhere to sit and eat (although, it looked like there were enough tables scattered around the room). Cast Members circulated through the Reserved Seating area to clear away dishes and refill water glasses. The table had a good view of the Cirque de Soleil stage. Figment would quite happily go back to Party for the Senses again!

 

[figment_jii]

Figment’s Villainously Good Food & Wine Festival, 2014, Continued...

“3D” Disney’s Dessert Discovery
Figment attended his second “3D” Disney’s Dessert Discovery Party on October 17, 2014. The event was held at the World ShowPlace Events Pavilion. This time, he had the Sweet Seats, which meant early entrance into the main room and a reserved table!

Upon arriving at the table, there were menus and Mickey Vision Glasses at each place. The Sweet Seats are located directly in front of the main stage. It meant he had a great view of the band, but it was also very loud (almost too loud to talk while the band was performing).

Sweet Seat guests had a few exclusive desserts and early access to the other sweets (and savories). Within the Sweet Seats area were a few exclusive desserts.

S’Mores and Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Mickey Brie Cheese

Hot Chocolate

Throughout the main room were various dessert stations. Most all items were available at more than one station, which helped keep lines short(ish) and moving quickly.

Signature Doughnuts - Flambeed Doughnuts with Whiskey, Coffee and Vanilla Ice Creams Topped with choice of Caramel, Chocolate Sauce, Whipped Cream, Toasted Almonds, and Cherries

Teeny Weenie Hot Dog- Mixed Berry Ice Cream "Hot Dog" served in a "Cake Bun," Topped with Whipped Cream, Raspberry "Ketchup," Mango "Yellow Mustard," Green Cherry "Relish,", and Slivered Almond "Onions"

Bites of Cake - Butter Pecan Cupcake with Buttercream, Chocolate Ganache Bar with Candied Bacon Crumbles, Salted Caramel Calvados Bar, Crispy Bon Bons (Yellow Swirl and Sprinkles Tops), Red Velvet Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Chocolate Chip Cookies

No Sugar Added Lemon Cookies

More "3D" Dessert Party photos to come!

 

[vettegirl]

Loving the review

 

[disneyobsessed808]

Great review! Wish they had similar food parties here at DLR

 

[figment_jii]

Figment’'s Villainously Good Food & Wine Festival, 2014, Continued...
More from the "3D" Dessert Discovery Party...

Charcutiere, Cheeses, and More - a wide assortment of savory items, including Pretzel Rolls, Hummus, Chips, and Cheeses

Popcorn - Blue Raspberry, White Cheddar, and Caramel (middle photo, left to right) and Chocolate, Watermelon, and Butter (bottom photo, left to right)

Champagne

After the party ended, all guests were invited to view IllumiNations from a special reserved area between the two gift shops at the front of World Showcase. The Mickey Vision Glasses turned the firework bursts into Mickey heads! The viewing area had an excellent view of the show; it was so close you could feel the heat from the fire bursts!

Overall, Figment had a really good time at the “3D” Dessert Discovery Party. There was a nice variety of sweet and savory items. Having multiple stations throughout the room seemed to have improved the lines throughout the evening. Figment really enjoyed the Sweet Seats. Cast Members cleared dishes and kept water glasses full and there was even a goodie bag at the end of the evening (with candies)!

Next up: Parisian Breakfast!

Loving the review

Thanks!

Great review! Wish they had similar food parties here at DLR

Thank you. I also wish they had more special dining events at DLR!

 

[cynditech]

OMG, everything looks delicious! Your pictures are fantastic Now I'm hungry, LOL!

 

[figment_jii]

Figment’'s Villainously Good Food & Wine Festival, 2014, Continued...
Parisian Breakfast
Figment rounded out his Food & Wine Festival experiences by attending the Parisian Breakfast on October 25, 2014 (yes, the same morning as the Party for the Senses!). The breakfast is held at Les Chefs de France in Epcot’s France pavilion. Figment was staying at the Boardwalk Inn, so he entered Epcot via the International Gateway. He was a little unsure about how the process would work, but he had faith that it would be okay.

When he got to the International Gateway entrance, he saw that there were lines of guests. A security Cast Member was telling folks that the line to the right (heading to bag check) was for guests of the Parisian Breakfast and the line to the left was for everyone else. Figment got in line and a little before the event was slated to start, they started letting guests into Epcot. The bridge that leads from the UK to France was still roped off, but that is where the guests entering from International Gateway and from the front of the park met up. Once the rope was opened, we headed to Les Chefs de France. There was a long line to get into the restaurant, but it moved quickly.

As Figment’'s family was escorted to table for six, we were handed champagne glasses filled with mimosa. We were the first ones to our table, but another party of three joined us. As soon as we got to the table, we were invited to head to the buffet line (making sure to take our plates with us because there were no plates at the buffet!). The buffet had a nice variety of items and there were multiple stations.

Tomato Cheese Tartine

Croque Monsieur

Bacon Cheese Bechamel

Charcuterie

Cheese

Frangipane Triangle and Pumpkin Danish

Pain au Chocolat

Croissants and Baguettes (not pictured)

And of course, the endless Mimosas. The first mimosa was already made and in the champagne glasses they handed us as we entered Les Chefs. The rest were “made” by pouring champagne (from the bottle) into the glass and then topping it off with orange juice (or vice-a-versa, depending on the cast member). So, the ratio of champagne to orange juice varied by glass! There was also straight orange juice, coffee (café), and water to drink.

Figment happily tried everything! His favorites were the pain au chocolat, the charcuterie, and the brie cheese.

Figment really enjoyed the Parisian Breakfast experience. Everything was tasty and the cast members made sure the mimosa glasses were full (along with the orange juice, water, and café glasses). The line was long for the buffet at first, but after the first wave finished, it was fairly easy to get more items. The charcuterie were the most popular and ran out first (Figment did notice that they did not refill the buffet towards the end of the event – about the last 30 minutes). They did keep refilling the mimosas until the end!  Figment would happily return to the Parisian Breakfast in future years!

OMG, everything looks delicious! Your pictures are fantastic Now I'm hungry, LOL!

Thanks!

 

[figment_jii]

Figment’'s Villainously Good Food & Wine Festival, 2014, Continued...

Villains' Sinister Soiree: A Wicked Takeover of Cinderella Castle
To go along with all of the Food & Wine Festival events, Figment also went to the Villains' Sinister Soiree: A Wicked Takeover of Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. Figment has been to MNSSHP in the past and was looking forward to trying something new.

Guests could check-in before MNSSHP started or at the reserved viewing area before the first Boo-To-You Parade. Figment picked up his credentials at the parade viewing area. Each guest was given a lanyard with a large tag on it that indicated we were attending the Villains’ Soiree that night. (Aside: the tag made it really easy for the cast members to see who should be in the reserved viewing area, unlike when it was used for FP+ viewing of the parades.)

Figment picked a spot in the reserved viewing area that faced the bridge leading from Liberty Square to the hub. So he had a great view of the Boo-To-You Parade (his favorite parade!). The weather had been good (i.e., no rain), so the Headless Horseman rode!

After the parade, some of the guests headed off, but others (like Figment) remained to watch HalloWishes from the reserved viewing area. Figment moved so that he was directly across from the castle. Initially, most folks were as close to the castle as possible, but the cast members suggested everyone move as far back as possible because the view would be better. It was a good piece of advice and while the castle was still very close and some of the fireworks were obscured, it was still a fun view! Everyone was asked to sit on the ground, so we all had a pretty good view.

Before the fireworks started, the Celebrate the Magic show was presented on the castle. The show features a variety of characters and music (not quite sure about a storyline). Figment liked how the castle looked kind of spooky with the flame lighting (top), the Cheshire Cat was cute (middle), and, of course, Frozen was included as well (bottom).

A little after the show concluded, HalloWishes began! HalloWishes is one of Figment’s favorite fireworks show and his favorite one at Disney World.

 

[figment_jii]

Figment’'s Villainously Good Food & Wine Festival, 2014, Continued...

Villains' Sinister Soiree: A Wicked Takeover of Cinderella Castle, Continued....

Figment had a reservation for the second seating of the night (11:45 pm or so). So he spent some time soaking up the atmosphere at MNSSHP and trick-or-treating before heading to Cinderella’s Castle. There were signs about the castle the clearly indicated the villains had taken up residence!

Everyone waited downstairs to be taken up to the dining room. While waiting downstairs, the Queen of Hearts mingled with the guests, posing for photos and random dancing.

Once upstairs, Figment handed his Queen of Hearts card to the cast member that took him to his table.

The table was already set with the Dragon (Maleficent) cups, the autograph card, the menu, and the charcuterie board.

The charcuterie board included a nice selection of items: Dungeon-aged blue cheese with honeycomb and Meyer lemon, triple cream cheese with raspberry habanero sauce, walnut-toasted bread, black diamond cheese fondue, fresh fig, and aged salami sausage.

At the same time, Figment was given a glass of the Captain’s Not-So Poisoned Potion. It was green and foamy on top! There was also a glowing poison apple glow cube and a glowing Maleficent stir rod. The punch had a slightly sour apple flavor and Figment loved it! The servers kept the glasses refilled throughout the event.

 

[vallerii]

Totally adoring Figments special outfits. Everything looks DELICIOUS!
Please do tell us of all which you thought was the best value overall. (And which ones let you have seconds...and thirds...lol)

 

[MamaJessie]

Glad you recommended this thread in the food pic thread, these are great. Love getting to experience these events vicariously.

 

[figment_jii]

Figment’'s Villainously Good Food & Wine Festival, 2014, Continued...

Villains' Sinister Soiree: A Wicked Takeover of Cinderella Castle, Continued....

At this point, Captain Hook and Jafar began greeting the guests at each table. Jafar didn’'t seem too impressed to meet Figment, but at least he didn’'t turn into a snake!

Lady Tremaine was the host for the evening and introduced each of the other villains as they entered the dining room. There was the Evil Queen (from Snow White), Dr. Facilier (from Princess & the Frog), Cruella (from 101 Dalmations), and Maleficent (from Sleeping Beauty). Lady Tremaine’s two daughters were also present (and relatively hyper and comic!).

Figment had a special hat for each of the villains (well, he didn'’t have one for Captain Hook or Jafar). The stepsister and Lady Tremaine liked Figment’s hat (Lady Tremaine even said Lucifer would have enjoyed coming to the Soiree). Cruella loved her hat and showed it to Maleficent (who was appropriately haughty).

Totally adoring Figments special outfits. Everything looks DELICIOUS!
Please do tell us of all which you thought was the best value overall. (And which ones let you have seconds...and thirds...lol)

Thanks! I'll be sure to summarize Figment's thoughts at the end.

Glad you recommended this thread in the food pic thread, these are great. Love getting to experience these events vicariously.

Thanks!

 

[DLFan123]

What a cool event, getting to meet all the villains! Looking forward to seeing the photos of dinner.