Friday, October 19th - A Food & Wine Pairing at Le Cellier a/k/a A Passage From the Book of Puke
Allow me to explain a little something ... participating in a F&W pairing at Le Cellier is a goal for just about everyone who likes to attend the Festival's "special" events. Actually nabbing a reservation takes ruthless cunning, nerves of steel, readily available credit card funds, mulitple phone lines, and plain dumb luck.
The other F&W junkies out there can attest to what I am about to tell you ... if there is an event you want to attend during the festival you must call and make your reservations on the very first day that WDW Dining opens up the Festival hotline ... and you must call as soon as the phones open, or your golden moment will have passed like so much fart gas.
Over the years, planning for the festival has become an excruciating game of "guess the release dates and program details." Every year it seems like the booking window gets pushed further and further back ... last year WDW didn't start taking reservations until the first Monday in August and only released special program details one week prior to that. I'm sorry, but for a company that has forced me to make dinner plans six months in advance of my trip, a single week is not nearly enough time to decide among dozens of special programs all with price tags that seem to be increasing exponentially.
Somehow we made our pre-selections for the events we wanted to participate in; I set my alarm for the butt crack of stupid on August 6th and was up early enough to brew some coffee, crank up the computer, and flex my dialing fingers before the 7AM EST/6AM CST phone race began. I started calling about 2 minutes early and then just kept hitting the re-dial button on the cordless phone. I also had my cell phone and Jay's cell phone standing at the ready should we have need of them.
Plain dumb luck shone down on me and I was into the dining cue on my first try faster than you could say "charge it!"
I also lucked out by getting an "old shoe" Cast Member who knew exactly how to book F&W events while wasting as little precious time as possible. First Choice: Le Cellier, 10/19 .....
She shoots... she scores!!!!
I was beside myself with excitement, especially when the CM told me that pairing was already 2/3 full. It's unbelievable just how quickly some of this stuff fills up, but you have to remember that seating is limited for a lot of these events. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say there were about 30-35 people at the Le Cellier pairing we attended, so now you have a better idea of what people are up against when trying to snag some of these events.
Within fifteen minutes I had booked all of the events that Jay and I wanted and my credit card was smoking.
**Handy F&W tip #647: All special events are pre-paid and non-refundable** I kid you not, I leapt from my chair and capered around the computer room. Not being a particularly graceful person, however, I proceeded to trip over the cat and fall into a bookcase, sending a shower of WWII volumes cascading down around my head. But who cares? We're going to Disney World!! We're going to the F&W Festival!! We got all of our special dining program choices!! We're going to grow large with food!! We're going to have an obscene credit card balance on our next statement!!
Flash forward two-and-a-half months, and the day of our Le Cellier pairing has arrived! We had breakfast at the Kona and then played around in Downtown Disney for a bit before heading back to the hotel to clean up for our 3:30 event. It was while we were at Downtown Disney that I noticed something seemed to be a little off with my man. He said he thought the heat was getting to him, so when we got back to the villa I encouraged him to take a nap while I went for a swim in the bathtub. The weather all week had been growing more and more oppressive...hot, humid and thick, so I wasn't surprised that he was starting to feel it.
And as bad as Jason may have felt, he still tried to tough it out because he knew just how much I was looking forward to this pairing and he also knew that the reservation was non-refundable. I'm not sure at the 11th hour if we could have convinced WDW that we deserved a refund due to illness, short of Jay blowing chunks on the restaurant manager.
Enough about that ... for now.
Would you believe me if I told you that Jason and I have never eaten at Le Cellier? We may be the only two people on the DIS who haven't tried it, but the fact of the matter is that we have a hard time going to steakhouses on vacation because we live in the Midwest where cow is king and it's un-American not to eat three times your body weight in red meat on an annual basis.
One of the things that I liked about Le Cellier is that it's out of the mainstream Epcot traffic. You have to follow a winding path through a garden before arriving at the pseudo-chateau that houses the restaurant.
Follow the path to meaty goodness
If we were gnomes, Jay and I would live here...
The inside of the restaurant is really cool, resembling the basement or re-furbished dungeon of a castle that I've never actually visited. There was a sizeable crowd gathered near the check-in desk, so I parked Jay against a wall and went poking around for a moment or two. During F&W pairing events the restuarants are still open for business, which is one reason that event availability is so limited.
Have a seat with 30 of your closest as yet unknown friends
I must give a shout out to a young lady who was waiting to be seated with the rest of the crowd for this event. I had come back from my exploratory mission to check on Jay when this young woman suddenly said, "Are you Brenda and Jay?"
She had me at a disadvantage because I didn't know who she was, but she turned out to be Yearbook50, who we were supposed to meet up with the following day at Party for the Senseless. We didn't get much of a chance to talk before they started seating people ... by party.
Thank you Epcot, for listening to this old Crohn's complaint about seating arrangements last year!!
It turned out that Miss Yearbook50 was supposed to have taken part in Le Cellier's pairing one week prior to this one. Due to nasty weather and no fault of her own, she missed the event by hours. The manager at Le Cellier showed wonderful compassion and professionalism by adding her into the event on the 19th - no mean feat because it was completely sold out on the first day that they started taking reservations in August.
I'm so glad that we had the chance to meet Meli that afternoon because we totally missed each other the following night. D'OH!
She's a lovely person and if you see her around the DIS or the blog give her a shout out because she's also a newlywed!!
Jay and I were seated near the end of the table closest to the fireplace. At most of these events there is a place setting with a program / menu so that guests have an idea of what's coming during the event as well as a keepsake for afterwards.
Programs! Get yer programs!!!
I wasn't smart enough to take a picture of the inside ... probably because I thought Jay would scan it once we got home. But he didn't and I forgot to ask him to and now here we are ...
So, I'll do my best to describe it for you all. Fold the front and inside covers back and it opens up to three sections; on the far left is a list of the three wines that we will be sampling, with brief descriptions of each; on the center page is the three-course menu we will be served during the event; and on the far right page, blank space for us to take notes or doodle or play hangman.
Place setting ... note it well, Restaurant Marrakesh!
It was about this time that I noticed Jay was ... glistening. The restaurant was cold, dark, and cave-like and he was sweating like the room temperature was 150 degrees. I knew we were headed for trouble and I asked him if he wanted to leave, but he shook his head and sipped some water. Sometimes he's too tough for his own good.
I must now give another shout out to several people who were seated near us at the table. But first I have to apologize because I've forgotten every single one of their names ... D'OH!
They were some of the nicest people, many of whom were veterans of F&W events who were able to give me some great advice. It also turns out that a few of those same people actually have read some of my stuff here at the DIS which I was flattered and humbled by, to say the least. This may sound dumb, but I never really expected to meet anyone face-to-face who had invested time in reading my silliness here. As someone who really enjoys writing this stuff, it was extremely gratifying and humbling to hear from people who've found the reviews and trip reports entertaining and even useful. The DIS-community has helped me rediscover something that I thought I'd lost forever (no, not my appetite you silly people!) and I will always be grateful for that. And I know I've said this before, but I think it bears repeating: the fact that you take the time to read these reviews means a lot to me... I know I have chronic diarrheal keyboard-itis and wading through my threads can be a chore, but you're here and you're reading and you think it's worth spending at least a little of your time on and I appreciate that more than you will probably ever know.
Thank you.
**End self indulgent love-fest**
At most of these events, the restaurant manager or someone along those lines will welcome everyone to the establishment, give a brief overview of the pairings that will be served, and introduce the guest winery representative. The featured winery for our tasting was Chateau Ste. Michelle, which was founded in 1934. According to propoganda provided us at Le Cellier, it is Washington State's oldest and most acclaimed winery.
For our first course we were served
Duck Two Ways with Apple Gastrique and Slaw. The wine pairing was
Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay, Columbia Valley, 2005.
Let this be a lesson to all WDW ducks...
I am not a fan of duck and I never order it, but the duckstick was pretty darn tasty. Leaner than a chicken drumstick and with much darker meat, I thought this actually had a good flavor. The apple gastrique reminded me of a very light balsamic and I even liked the slaw, although for some reason the vinegar struck me as much stronger than it needed to be. The second piece of duck was pate' and I have already figured out that I don't like cold, pressed liver regardless of which animal it's been harvested from.
Yummy and smooth
Ahhh, Chardonnay ... still one of my favorite wines as long as it's not too bitter. The tasting notes indicate that this wine is a soft, creamy Chardonnay with hints of apricot, papaya, and lemon zest accented by subtle oak nuances. All I can tell you is that the color was gorgeous, the aroma was light and fruity, and the taste was smooth and clean. I find that many Chardonnays are too harsh for my tastes - either they are bitter or they taste like oak. This was lovely and I would buy a bottle right now if there were room in our wine rack.
The second course was
Fresh Horseradish Crusted Prime NY Strip, Dauphinoise Potato with Mushroom Ragout. The wine paired with this course was
Chateau Ste. Michelle Syrah, Columbia Valley, 2003.
Next time less 'shrooms and more meat and taters, precious...
Where do I start? The meat was very good ... melt-in-your-mouth tender and very flavorful with just a bit of a kick thanks to the horseradish. There were two different sauces on the plate that I remember nothing about, and the potatoes were totally ruined by all that mushroom-ey stuff. I can perhaps be forgiven for not being as attentive to this dish as I normally would be, but just as a plate of food was placed before him, Jay went procol harem on me and turned a whiter shade of pale.
Blood? Ewwww, I hate that...
The tasting notes for this wine say that it has exotic spice aromas and rich flavors of ripe plum and berry. It has a complex, full mouth-feel balanced by soft tannins for a supple finish. Hey, whatever they want to say say is fine by me, because as far as I'm concerned that's a headache in a glass if I ever saw one.
I can't even offer you Jay's opinion because by this time he'd bolted from the table and disappeared into the restroom. He was gone and gone and gone and I finally asked the manager if they would box up his food and I was just getting ready to ask someone else to to check on him when the incredibly kind couple seated to my right asked if Jason was alright. This wonderful man left the table and made sure that Jay hadn't accidentally given himself a swirlie. He and his wife were so so thoughtful and even now I feel so much gratitude towards them - if you're reading you know who you are and I hope the next time we run into you at F&W Jason is feeling better so that we can both thank you properly.
Jay popped back out and told me he was leaving and in no way was I to come with him. I was to stay and enjoy the rest of the event.
Enjoy?
Without my hubba?
There's no joy in Mudville or Stinktown or Gastroland without the hubba.
But I stuck it out through the final course, which was a
Plum Tarte Tatin with Cardomom Ice Cream and Caramel Spice Sauce. The wine pairing was
Horse Heaven Late Harvest Chenin Blanc, 2005.
It's full of plummy goodness
I liked the ice cream a lot and I liked that funny looking wing-shaped cookie a lot, too. I didn't like the tart, or tarte, or tatin ... I didn't like that at all. Plums just don't do it for me. I couldn't help but think how much Jay would have enjoyed this dessert on a different day, and how much he would have enjoyed finishing mine, too.
Mmmmm....it's good!
The wine tasting notes for this indicate that it is a complex wine with aromas and flavors of honeydew, lime, and orange marmalade. The palate is enhanced with sweet fruit and natural acidity with a smooth finish.
Call me uncouth, but I guzzled this really quickly, gathered up my stuff, bade a hasty farewell to our neighbors and pretty much ran all the way back to the Beach Club to check on my lovey. Bless his heart he was already in bed half asleep. He said he managed to make it back to the room before experiencing a full reversal of fortune - one good thing about being at the Beach Club is its proximity to Epcot. I tremble to think about what might have happened if Jay had had to wait on a bus or the monorail before getting back to the room.
So, in rather hasty conclusion I would say that the jury is out on the pairing at Le Cellier only because neither one of us were able to experience the food or wine the way we had planned. I think the service and presentation and creativity were exceptional. The food was good, just not so much to my taste. Jay and I are both looking forward to a Le Cellier do-over in 2009 as long as the stars fall into alignment for us one more time.
Thanks for reading!!
Obviously we've taken too many pictures of food in the past year. 
Jay's mom and dad were actually good sports about the whole thing. 
