Free Dining and F&W Reviews - Olivia's, GF Cafe, Kona + Pairings & Sweet Sundays

[christygobar]

I was at WDW this past weekend Thurs-Sun night traveling solo on Free Dining. I also had booked 3 F&W special events. All were great experiences - some just better than others.

Thursday (It wasn't at WDW, but I thought I'd include it anyways):
Dinner@ Bubba Gumps at CityWalk (Universal Studios):
Entree: "I'm Stuffed" Stuffed Shrimp. Stuffed with crab & breadcrumbs and tons of monterrey jack cheese with jasmine rice.
Drink: Lava Flow

Yum! I have eaten here before at the location in Miami. It is not a bad chain seafood restaurant. Fun atmosphere and the food has been great both times I've been. The shrimp was very good and the drink was excellent. It was super rich though. And very overpriced (which I know they can do considering the location). I spent $30 on the entree, drink and tip for one person.

_____________
Friday! First day at WDW and POFQ:
Breakfast: Garden Grove Cafe at the Swan Resort (this is BEFORE I checked in to POFQ )

This was a simple breakfast buffet and when I went down there around 7:30 there were only about 3 tables of people. I grabbed your normal b-fast buffet fare (fruit, bacon, some casserole and cinnamon roll along with coffee and juice) and sat down with my newspaper. The food was good, warm and what I expected. The service was good as well. I think the whole thing was around $12.00 but off the top of my head I'm not sure.

Lunch @ Olivia's Cafe at Old Key West:
I had never been to this resort and I thought it was beautiful! The food was excellent and the server was great also.

Appetizer: Crab Cakes - possibly some of the BEST crab cakes I have ever had. My favorites are at Pappadeaux and I think these might have just given those a run for the money The sauces that complement them are wonderful (key lime mustard and a passion fruit jam) were sooo good.
Entree: Penne Pasta with Shrimp with Asiago Cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, asparagus, olive oil and garlic - This was really good. I expected a cream sauce, but when it came out I saw it was actually lightly coated in the garlic/oil and covered in shredded asagio cheese. I actually enjoyed that a LOT. It was a nice change from your typical cream sauce.
(FYI - the menu says spinach but they have substituted asparagus at the moment)
Dessert: Chocolate Cake - eh, this was fine. The icing was good, but the cake a bit dry. I ate the icing-ed edges and was done. I've had better desserts before.

"Dinner" - Many Leagues Under the Coral Reef Food & Wine Pairing/Tasting
This was the first of three F&W Special Events I purchased ahead of time. We were in a waiting room outside of the Coral Reef and offered sparkling cider prior to 3:00. At 3:00 on the dot, the chef and sommelier came in to talk about what our tastings were going to be and then we were ushered into the restaurant.

The wines were 3 Reislings and from a German vineyard. I loved all 3 of the wines!

Course #1 - Sterling Salmon Mousse wrapped with Grilled Jumbo Asparagus surrounded by Horseradish Cream Sauce & Crispy Capers
- Paired with the Johannishof "Charta" Riesling
Meh. I wasn't a fan of the food on this course. I am not a fan of cold seafood. It was very rich and had a great texture but I just wasn't loving it.

Course #2 - Tilapia Confit with Brunoise Mirepoix (it's a way of doing carrots & celery in case you were wondering) and Forest Mushroom Duxelles.
- Paired with the Johannisberg "V" Riesling Kabinett
This was much better. The tilapia was very good and so were the veggies around it.

Course #3 - Cheese Sampler with Tillamook Cheddar Strips, Herbed Sage something-or-other (not written in my menu) and curried goat cheese with dried apricots and tomato raisins
- Paired with the Johannisberger Klaus Riesling Spatlese
YUM. I love cheese. However, the curried goat cheese was SUPER spicy. It had great flavor but wow. I knew to expect spice (the chef had warned us ahead of time) but it was a shock to the system! But it was all superb.

My one complaint about this F&W pairing is the NOISE! The noise level in the restaurant is insane. I didn't realize we were going to be placed in the main dining room. The chef & wine rep walked around to all the tables during each course but it would be nice if this was taken to a standalone room for the pairing. It would seem more intimate.

I heard a lot of people the next day discussing the Le Cellier pairing (held at the same time the Coral Reef was) and they said it was wonderful. I might try that one next time instead of Coral Reef. But I had never been inside this restaurant and I enjoyed the atmosphere for the most part.

After the pairing I headed to MK for MNSSHP. I didn't grab any food here - only a chocolate croissant from the Main Street Bakery. That was a nice late treat for the parade

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I just looked at how long this got, so I will reply later on my other two days of reviews!

 

[luvpooh]

I really enjoyed your review, esp. the F&W event review. I'm assuming they change the pairings and wineries for each Coral Reef event? We LOVE Reislings (and fish, and cheese) and would have loved this event. I'm guessing they're not going to have the same wines and food when we're there in 2 weeks; was there any schedule posted as to the Coral Reef offerings?

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your reviews ~ Thanx for sharing.

 

[swankybeth]

Thanks for your reviews, looking forward to reading about the next 2 F & W events.

 

[christygobar]

Time for some more food stuffs!

Sooo, we come to Saturday, Sept 30th.

Breakfast @ POFQ Food Court:
I couldn't go this trip without getting beignets and a mickey belgian waffle with apples! They were definitely two of my favorite junk food items from last year So I decide to carb and sugar load up my breakfast this morning. Only they are out of the chopped apples I was very sad. So...
1 water bottle
1 mickey waffle w/ syrup
3 beignets (paid OOP)

Of course it's yummy but man I missed those apples

A couple of hours later....
Cheese & Wine Pairing at Ariel's (in the Beach Club)

I think this completely topped yesterday's F&W pairing at the Coral Reef!! Ariel's is a beautiful room. I think I heard that it used to be a restaurant and now it is just used for special events. I was thinking at this point that I was dissapointed I switched my ressie down from the BC because I fell in love with what I saw of the resort!

So we walked in and had 5 very small wedges of cheeses and two pretty full glasses of wine. The room was set up with tables facing a presenter's area. I am kicking myself because I forgot to save the placemat that had all the names of the cheeses! I can remember all but one.

We started out with a Triple Creme cheese (like a brie/camembert), then moved on to a swiss (or as we learned it is actually called an Alpine cheese), then the one I couldn't remember. It was a similar flavor to the swiss - a bit sharper and sweeter and I believe it was a french or italian name (sorry ). I think that one and the triple creme were my favorites. Then we moved on to a feta and lastly a roquefort bleu cheese.

The wines were a chardonnay and a cadet (a blend of merlot and cabernet - it's bordeaux).

The presenter was GREAT. I heard someone say they were a little dissapointed when they first walked in, but that he absolutely made the entire pairing. He was very knowledgable and personable (and cute!). The setting was run in a true tasting style. So we all learned the proper way to taste wines (swirling, sniffing, then tasting) first. Then we tasted each of the cheese on their own. Next we tasted each of them with the chardonnay and lastly with the cadet. He told us what to look for in flavor (wine not overpowering the cheese flavor in your mouth and vice versa) and we compared all of them.

I was standing around waiting for Ariel's to open (like everyone else) when I see a lady walk up with a Baggallini bag, Crocs on her feet and I notice the lime green paint sample mickey on her bag Even though I don't have many posts, of course i HAD to say something about the Dis. Michele is her username, so if you are reading this say hi!! We sat together with her husband and talked on and off through the tasting. It was great to meet another Dis-er

I went back to Epcot, but was nearly exhausted from all the walking/non-sleeping I'd been doing so far in the trip. (And it was HOT outside that weekend!) So I walked a bit around World Showcase, rode Spaceship Earth and then headed out for a few hours. Hey, I might be a solo traveler but even we need a break every now and then

Lunch @ POFQ
So I went back to POFQ (it was about 1:30 at this time) and thought that I wanted a homemade ice cream sandwich. The food court was busy at this time! I stood in line for an ice cream sandwich, but then realized i could get the same thing as a dessert on the meal plan vs. paying OOP. So I got some food to go with it
Cheeseburger w/ Fries
ice cream sandwich (made with 2 choc. chip cookies & cookies/cream ice cream)
bottled water

The cheeseburger was fine - nothing special. I really wasn't going after it anyways I had 2-3 bites, a few fries but I was really wanting to dig into the ice cream It wasn't QUITE as good as I remembered it but it's still really yummy. The cookies weren't quite as soft as I'd like them to be.

But hey - I'm working my way through on the lists of foods I wanted to eat this weekend!

Dinner @ the Grand Floridian Cafe
After a nap and then DiveQuest later that afternoon, I had an 8:30 ressie at the Grand Floridian Cafe. I showed up at 8:00 (just because it was after DQ and I immediately headed out) and within 10 minutes they were able to seat me. My server was excellent! She was so nice and prompt and attentive. I asked for her input to my appetizer and I am glad I went with it!

Appetizer - Spinach Dip
Entree - pasta w/ cream sauce, proscuitto, shrimp and asparagus
Dessert - chocolate fondue
And a glass of beaujolais wine.

The spinach dip was hands down the BEST part of the meal. Oh so good. Very garlicky, so keep that in mind. But I ate nearly the entire cup. Yum! It comes with garlic toasts and some sesame crisps. Yummy yummy yum. Highly recommended as an appy.

The pasta was also good but a little of a letdown after yesterday's pasta covered in asagio cheese. It was made a little differently. Very rich and still very good.

I wasn't a fan of the chocolate fondue. It was made with orange liqueor (of which I don't love). The texture was great and the foods paired with it were good too (you get marshmallows, pineapple, strawberries and bananas). I just didn't like the slightly citrusy undertones of the chocolate. But I know many people do. I am just a chocolate purist

Overall I loved the feminine atmosphere of this restaurant and the service. Don't get me wrong, the food was great and yummy and I left stuffed - I am just being picky.

Tomorrow I'll review Sweet Sundays, some food booths at the WS, and my dinner at the Kona Cafe (plus some final thoughts) before I left for the airport.

 

[christygobar]

I really enjoyed your review, esp. the F&W event review. I'm assuming they change the pairings and wineries for each Coral Reef event? We LOVE Reislings (and fish, and cheese) and would have loved this event. I'm guessing they're not going to have the same wines and food when we're there in 2 weeks; was there any schedule posted as to the Coral Reef offerings?

You're right. They alternate chefs and change wineries and menus with each of the food/wine pairings. You don't know what you're getting until you get there You walk in, sit down and there is your menu for the day. I don't think there is a way to find out ahead of time at all since it is all at the hands of the chef and the sommelier and could be changed at any moment's time (as it was, one of the cheeses served to us during the cheese platter at the Coral Reef wasn't listed on the menu because he had just added it. Same at the cheese & wine pairing - the wine served to us was different than was written on the menu).

 

[Schucraig]

Wow! Great reviews, thanks for sharing!

 

[christygobar]

Final reviews!

I think eating all over Disney World and staying in the resorts is almost more fun than the actual theme parks themselves Hee hee - not quite. But close!

So it's Sunday and my final day in Orlando. And I have so much to look forward to in Sweet Sundays and the Kona Cafe!

Breakfast & dessert - Sweet Sundays at Epcot (9am)

An added bonus of Sweet Sundays at 9am is the fact that they also serve you a nice breakfast buffet. Something to the effect of putting protein in your body before all that champagne and sugar .

This is a repeat experience for me since I did it last year. I couldn't wait to see what desserts were going to be made and what wines were going to be served.

For breakfast I ate a good portion of fruit, some bacon, some chicken & apple sausage and a bite of breakfast ham & cheese casserole. All very good!

But now - the reason we all came....the desserts!

The presenting chef was alright. I got the feeling this was a setting he had never done before. He seemed easily frustrated but covered it up by laughing it off The first two desserts were only "eh" for me but the final dessert sure made up for the other two!

The first dessert was a lemon tart. There were mixed reviews at my table on this dessert. I really think it has to do more with if you like citrusy desserts or not. I don't mind a lemon tart if it's the only thing available but I would never go out of my way to make one or choose one on a menu . This particular one was VERY good and VERY lemony but give me chocolate and I would have been a happier camper

I did get some great ideas for making pastry dough out of this though. The dough made for this tart was awesome.

The second dessert were pineapple tea cakes. The name was a bit misleading because it was more of an almond tea cake. It was very rich and dense....made out of a couple of pounds of almond paste before he ever put a little bit of flour in the dough. The chunk of pineapple on top was the reason for the name. I'd make these again but without the pineapple (don't love that either....haha). They seemed really easy.

But the LAST dessert was called Chocolate Pudding Cake. I'd call it a mix between a flourless chocolate cake and a chocolate mousse. OMG. This was absolute heaven. . I wanted much, much more He also did a really fun decorative idea up on stage with melted chocolate spread out on a frozen marble cutting board, molding it and then placing it on top of the cake. Doubt I will ever use this idea but it sure was new and innovative and looked pretty simple!

The champagne was fairly free-flowing and of course wonderful. I think I had about 3 glasses. During the chocolate cake, we were poured a Port wine which was also just amazing. I didn't realize I enjoyed port wines!

The statement heard both years at Sweet Sundays rings true....."Wine at 9 Makes the Day Fine"

Afternoon around World Showcase
I didn't eat as much here as I probably could have.....but I had 2 different foods, a dessert and 2 different types of wines.

At the Australia booth, I had some Shrimp on the Barbie. Nice smoky grilled flavor. I enjoyed it!

At the Canada booth, I had to try the famous Le Cellier Cheddar Cheese Soup. Definitely yummy. Perfect amount of soup in a small dixie cup size. It was definitely too hot for soup but I needed to try this

I also grabbed a taste of the Ice Wine here. Yummy.

Last I headed to Greece and grabbed some baklava. I quite enjoy any baklava given to me So this was no different. It was a great size as well! About 1/2 of a square a restaurant might give you. Here I grabbed a taste of the Boutari Samos as well and enjoyed the sweetness with the baklava.

I promise I am no lush in everyday life, drinking all this by noon

That, my friends, ended my day and my trip to WDW. I was exhausted and knew that i'd have to wake up at 3am to go back home. I went back to the room and decided to call AA about changing my flight. I managed to get on the 7:45 flight back home this evening. Ahhh, but wait! I have a ressie at Kona Cafe at 5:20! And I was NOT missing it. I called Disney Dining to see if I could get in any earlier than that and was told everything was booked. Oh well - I'll just get there around 4:30 and see if I can get in ASAP.

Dinner @ the Kona Cafe
I didn't realize they shut down between dinner and lunch No big deal though. She said she could get me in right at 5:00. And they did.

So under any other circumstance, I would spend some time enjoying my food, etc. But I actually wanted the server to rush me this time. And I let her know as nicely and as quietly as possible that I hated being rude but I had rescheduled to a 7:45 flight and if she didn't mind, here was what I wanted to eat and don't worry about taking her time between my courses.

I was out of there by 5:30! Impressive. She was a great server, and I appreciated the special request.

Appetizer - the Kona chowder. So good, as always! I loved it last year and wanted to get it again this year.
Entree - panko breaded shrimp, scallops w/ wasabi cream sauce and sticky rice. OMG, very very good. I was filling up by this point and wished I could have eaten more of it. The scallops were perfectly prepared and the breaded shrimp was very good.
Dessert - the Kailua torte. Yummy warm chocolate middle and yummy cake with some vanilla bean ice cream. This chocolate cake topped the one at Olivia's on Friday. I loved it too.

Kona - great as always.

I went straight to the car rental shop from the Poly and back to the airport....in perfect time to catch my flight and say "See you real soon" to WDW.

 

[christygobar]

Just some final thoughts:

- The menus do seem like there are fewer options now than there used to be. I wasn't too worried though because I always found something to eat that I wanted to have. Or more than one thing to eat and had to make a choice!

- For anyone who thinks portions are getting smaller, I still left incredibly full at every meal

- Service was great as usual. Dining solo is difficult, but I never felt like the odd one (unless you were the family staring at me through my whole meal at Kona!). They always made conversation and a book kept me company between courses (and signaled to the server that I was ready to move on).

- I'll continue to eat at the Kona, but have BTDT with Olivia's and GF Cafe and will try new restaurants again in the future.

- I used snack credits for my Shrimp & for my Soup walking around the F&W booths.

- And lastly, I left with one of my counter service meals un-eaten. There was obviously SO much food available to me I wasn't going to force it. I had halfway thought about getting several pastries at the Main Street Plaza and counting it, but thought against it. I didn't feel like I needed to.

- In all that? I gained only a temporary two pounds Guess that walking helped some!

 

[CarolA]

Thanks for the review. I was considering cancelling my Wine & Cheese, but based on your review it stays. I will try to post the chesse names for you!

 

[christygobar]

Oh! This was just posted on AllEars tonight...

http://www.allearsnet.com/tp/ep/fw06/winecheese.htm

Thank you, thank you to the person who reviewed this event (credit does not appear to be given on the page, so thanks whoever you are )! This was for the date I had this same event and I agree completely with the reviewer. It also shows pictures and the actual names of the cheeses and wines. A much better job than my review above

 

[abk96]

Excellent reviews. Thank you! I really enjoyed reading about your trip. I'm glad you had a terrific time.

 

[princesstigerlilly]

Great reviews!

 

[oybolshoi]

Thanks for sharing! I was really pleased to read that you enjoyed Sweet Sundays - we are scheduled for the morning session on October 22nd and I'm hoping that it lives up to my expectations (I'd say based on your report that it probably will).

May I ask a question? Since the event begins at 9AM, how were you able to enter the park prior to that time in order to make it over to the Oydessy? We will be staying at the Beach Club Villas and I'm wondering if we will be able to enter the park early through the International Gateway.

Thanks again!

Brenda

 

[dawgfan]

Thanks for the review!

 

[christygobar]

Thanks for sharing! I was really pleased to read that you enjoyed Sweet Sundays - we are scheduled for the morning session on October 22nd and I'm hoping that it lives up to my expectations (I'd say based on your report that it probably will).

May I ask a question? Since the event begins at 9AM, how were you able to enter the park prior to that time in order to make it over to the Oydessy? We will be staying at the Beach Club Villas and I'm wondering if we will be able to enter the park early through the International Gateway.

Thanks again!

Brenda

I entered through the front so I can't speak for the International Gateway entrance. That being said, it seemed those who DID enter through the gateway had it even easier than those of us coming through the front.

At the front, I checked in at Guest Relations. I waited a few minutes with some people going to the Segway tour. A CM came over, took our names and led us to the front of the line so we could swipe our park entrance passes. I walked until I got to the rope drop (the rest of those let in went a separate direction....never saw what happened to them). There, I told them that I had an event at 9:00 at the Odyssey building. I got a little grief about heading through the rope, but not much and they reluctantly let me go through (which I don't understand? Obviously I was let in earlier than the rest of the hoardes for a certain reason....but it all worked out ok).

Maybe there was another way in without hitting the rope? They seemed like I was the first and only person to have a special event that I needed in for. Maybe I just didn't do it correctly. All in the past though

I'd assume you would do similar through the International Gateway.