ghidorah97
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2002
- Messages
- 227
Just as a reminder, the players are:
Me - Brad, loves to eat and drink but gets full way too fast
DW - Lisa, short & skinny but can eat me under the table
Our stay:
10/24 - 11/4 @ POR
Day 8 (10/31):
Another sleep-in and I was feeling a bit better. It was late morning by the time we got moving and decided to skip breakfast in favor of:
Lunch of Sci-Fi Dine In Restaurant (no PS) -
This was probably our longest wait at any restaurant. We got there at 12:30 and waited about 20-25 minutes. No big deal. I love the atmosphere of this place, I think it's really cool. Jorge was our server and took our orders:
For Lisa - All-American Burger with Cheddar Cheese, sauteed onions and mushrooms, plus a water
For Me - All-American Burger with Cheddar Cheese and sauteed onions, plus a Cookies and Cream milkshake
The Cookies and Cream milkshake was awesome! Lisa loved it so much that she drank more than half of it!
Ah, well.
Both burgers took a really long time to come out, but they eventually did and both were cooked well and very tasty. We were happy with this lunch excluding the waits for seating and our food.
Our grade for Sci-Fi Dine In - 6 out of 10
Our total bill (not incl. grat.) - $29.30
Now, to the Reserve Dinner!
We retired back to POR to get ready as the Reserve Dinner required a jacket for men and evening attire for the ladies. We were picked up by a limo (Lincoln Town Car to be exact) at 5:00 and taken to the back entrance of Epcot. This was very cool as I had never seen this before. We were escorted into the private dining area located in the Wonders of Life building (it's on the 2nd floor, looking out over the 1st floor where all the attractions are located). Pretty cool! The theme for this Reserve Dinner was:
"The Great Reserve Wines of the Pacific Northwest"
We began the evening with a reception prior to the sit-down dinner. The reception consisted of:
Wine - Argyle Extended Tirage Brut 1989
Hors d'Oeuvres - Ahi Tuna Cones with Wasabi Cream
Kumomoto Oysters with Blue Glacier Sorbet
Dungeness Crab Fritters with Tillamook Fondue
Smoked Scallops with Butternut Mayonnaise
The sparkling wine served was exquisite. Easily one of the finest champagnes I have ever tasted. I am not normally a big fan of champagne, but I had two glasses of this -- it was that good! The hors d'Oeuvres were prepared by Lenny DeGeorge from Artist Point (if I remember correctly, he is the executive chef for AP). My favorite was the Ahi Tuna, Lisa loved the scallops. Every one of them was fantastic.
At this point, curtains were pulled back revealing our dining arrangement. A large round table (seating for approx. 30-35), with a smaller table in the middle (where the winery representatives were seated). Seating was pre-assigned, and each seat had a personalized menu plus a bio for each of the evenings chefs (which, unfortunately, I can no longer find
Sorry).
During the reception, Lisa and I met a wonderful couple from New Canaan, CT (only a few towns south of where we live), and requested that we "shuffle" seats so we could sit next to each other. Everyone was VERY pleasant in letting us do so. On to:
Course 1:
Wine - King Estate Reserve Pinot Gris 2001
Food - Foie Gras with Bacon, Chanterelles and Arugula, roasted Fig Puree (prepared by Brian Piasecki, Le Cellier Steakhouse)
As with the Jiko Signature Dinner, each course was introduced by the winery representative and the chef. The Pinot was decent, though not to my personal taste (Lisa felt it was very good). The foie gras, however, was superb. I've had foie gras many times, and this may have been the best preparation I have ever experienced. The Fig Puree was such a perfect accompanient (I've always believed that figs are the best pairing with foie gras). Lisa has always refused to taste foie gras in the past -- she thinks it's disgusting (honestly, when you think about what it really is, she's right). Well, I convinced her to give it a taste, and she LOVED it. Still wouldn't finish it though.
Course 2:
Wine - King Estate "Domaine" Pinot Noir 1999
Food - Ginger-Curry Pumpkin Soup (prepared by John Sarich, executive chef for Chateau Ste. Michelle winery, Puget Sound, WA)
The Pacific NW specializes in Pinot Noir, and we were lucky to try two different examples of the best. This first was very good. Bright garnet in color and loaded with cherry fruit. As I've mentioned previously, both Lisa and I love root vegetable soups, and this was no exception. We are also both big fans of curry, so the combination perfectly fit our tastes.
Course 3:
Wine - Argyle "Nuthouse" Pinot Noir 2000
Food - Seared Salmon with Yukon Potato and Walla Walla Onion "Risotto," Pinot Noir Reduction (Chef Piasecki)
Another wonderful Pinot, which I preferred to the first. A long finish with lots of plum and mild spices. The salmon was excellent as well, and using the Pinot Noir reduction helped the pairing work very well together.
Course 4:
Wine - Col Solare 1998
Food - Marinated Rack of Lamb with Gorgonzola Mashed Potatoes (Chef Sarich)
The Solare is a joint venture between Chateau Ste. Michelle and Marchesi Antinori. They have used four different varieties in creating the wine (Cab. Sauv., Merlot, Syrah and Malbec -- no Cab. Franc.). I loved this! So did Lisa. Full bodied, exploding with flavor and long-lasting. Wow.
The lamb was perfectly prepared and marinated with a dry-spice rub which accented the wine very well. Neither of us are big fans of gorgonzola, but we loved the potatoes. I couldn't detect any of the unpleasant aroma or flavor I normally attribute to that cheese.
Course 5:
Wine - Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 1999
Food - Grilled Benedictine Brioche with Mushroom Rillette, Aged Balsamic and Cassis
To me, the Solare was a hard act to follow. This Cab was very good, but I had already been blown away. The brioche was, basically, a big old grilled cheese.
Pretty funny, actually. I wasn't a big fan of this course, but it served as a good lead-in to dessert.
Course 6:
Wine - Chateau Ste. Michelle Late Harvest White Riesling 2000
Food - Cristion of Apple with Olive Oil Ice Cream, Blood Orange Granita and Creme Fraiche (prepared by Keegan Gerhard, Four Seasons Hotel, Chicago, IL)
We both really enjoyed this Riesling. A perfect dessert wine.
Chef Gerhard was, by far, our favorite chef of the entire festival. We had the very good fortune to taste his desserts three days in a row. This was day one. He presented this dish in an incredibly entertaining manner (very self-deprecating as he discussed the olive oil ice cream -- "let me know if this is a disaster"). Every bit of this dessert was unbelievable. The olive oil ice cream, which sounds a bit strange, was delicious. By far my favorite dish of the entire dinner.
To top everything off, Chef Gerhard then presented all of us a collection of various hand-made, flavored chocolates. WOW, oh WOW! These were decadent. We had: PB&J chocolate, Raspberry chocolate, Pineapple chocolate, Coconut chocolate, Pistachio chocolate and two or three others I can't remember any more.
Following dinner, each of the ladies received a single red rose. We were then all escorted over to the VIP viewing area for Illuminations. Very, very cool.
Our grade for the Pacific NW Reserve dinner - 100 out of 10
Our total bill (incl. grat.) - $300 (prixe fix) & worth every penny
Comparing this meal to the Jiko dinner, I would say that they were very comparable. I definitely felt that the wines were on par, and the food as well. Honestly, prior to Keegan's dessert, I may have given the edge to Jiko. It's my understanding, however, that the Jiko Signature Dinner was really something special (above and beyond other SDs). I certainly felt that this dinner was worth the price, and Lisa agreed.
Only three more reports to go - two days tasting at the F&W festival, one Signature Dinner, one Party of the Senses, and one HUGE mistake!
Me - Brad, loves to eat and drink but gets full way too fast
DW - Lisa, short & skinny but can eat me under the table
Our stay:
10/24 - 11/4 @ POR
Day 8 (10/31):
Another sleep-in and I was feeling a bit better. It was late morning by the time we got moving and decided to skip breakfast in favor of:
Lunch of Sci-Fi Dine In Restaurant (no PS) -
This was probably our longest wait at any restaurant. We got there at 12:30 and waited about 20-25 minutes. No big deal. I love the atmosphere of this place, I think it's really cool. Jorge was our server and took our orders:
For Lisa - All-American Burger with Cheddar Cheese, sauteed onions and mushrooms, plus a water
For Me - All-American Burger with Cheddar Cheese and sauteed onions, plus a Cookies and Cream milkshake
The Cookies and Cream milkshake was awesome! Lisa loved it so much that she drank more than half of it!
Ah, well.Both burgers took a really long time to come out, but they eventually did and both were cooked well and very tasty. We were happy with this lunch excluding the waits for seating and our food.
Our grade for Sci-Fi Dine In - 6 out of 10
Our total bill (not incl. grat.) - $29.30
Now, to the Reserve Dinner!
We retired back to POR to get ready as the Reserve Dinner required a jacket for men and evening attire for the ladies. We were picked up by a limo (Lincoln Town Car to be exact) at 5:00 and taken to the back entrance of Epcot. This was very cool as I had never seen this before. We were escorted into the private dining area located in the Wonders of Life building (it's on the 2nd floor, looking out over the 1st floor where all the attractions are located). Pretty cool! The theme for this Reserve Dinner was:
"The Great Reserve Wines of the Pacific Northwest"
We began the evening with a reception prior to the sit-down dinner. The reception consisted of:
Wine - Argyle Extended Tirage Brut 1989
Hors d'Oeuvres - Ahi Tuna Cones with Wasabi Cream
Kumomoto Oysters with Blue Glacier Sorbet
Dungeness Crab Fritters with Tillamook Fondue
Smoked Scallops with Butternut Mayonnaise
The sparkling wine served was exquisite. Easily one of the finest champagnes I have ever tasted. I am not normally a big fan of champagne, but I had two glasses of this -- it was that good! The hors d'Oeuvres were prepared by Lenny DeGeorge from Artist Point (if I remember correctly, he is the executive chef for AP). My favorite was the Ahi Tuna, Lisa loved the scallops. Every one of them was fantastic.
At this point, curtains were pulled back revealing our dining arrangement. A large round table (seating for approx. 30-35), with a smaller table in the middle (where the winery representatives were seated). Seating was pre-assigned, and each seat had a personalized menu plus a bio for each of the evenings chefs (which, unfortunately, I can no longer find
Sorry).During the reception, Lisa and I met a wonderful couple from New Canaan, CT (only a few towns south of where we live), and requested that we "shuffle" seats so we could sit next to each other. Everyone was VERY pleasant in letting us do so. On to:
Course 1:
Wine - King Estate Reserve Pinot Gris 2001
Food - Foie Gras with Bacon, Chanterelles and Arugula, roasted Fig Puree (prepared by Brian Piasecki, Le Cellier Steakhouse)
As with the Jiko Signature Dinner, each course was introduced by the winery representative and the chef. The Pinot was decent, though not to my personal taste (Lisa felt it was very good). The foie gras, however, was superb. I've had foie gras many times, and this may have been the best preparation I have ever experienced. The Fig Puree was such a perfect accompanient (I've always believed that figs are the best pairing with foie gras). Lisa has always refused to taste foie gras in the past -- she thinks it's disgusting (honestly, when you think about what it really is, she's right). Well, I convinced her to give it a taste, and she LOVED it. Still wouldn't finish it though.
Course 2:
Wine - King Estate "Domaine" Pinot Noir 1999
Food - Ginger-Curry Pumpkin Soup (prepared by John Sarich, executive chef for Chateau Ste. Michelle winery, Puget Sound, WA)
The Pacific NW specializes in Pinot Noir, and we were lucky to try two different examples of the best. This first was very good. Bright garnet in color and loaded with cherry fruit. As I've mentioned previously, both Lisa and I love root vegetable soups, and this was no exception. We are also both big fans of curry, so the combination perfectly fit our tastes.
Course 3:
Wine - Argyle "Nuthouse" Pinot Noir 2000
Food - Seared Salmon with Yukon Potato and Walla Walla Onion "Risotto," Pinot Noir Reduction (Chef Piasecki)
Another wonderful Pinot, which I preferred to the first. A long finish with lots of plum and mild spices. The salmon was excellent as well, and using the Pinot Noir reduction helped the pairing work very well together.
Course 4:
Wine - Col Solare 1998
Food - Marinated Rack of Lamb with Gorgonzola Mashed Potatoes (Chef Sarich)
The Solare is a joint venture between Chateau Ste. Michelle and Marchesi Antinori. They have used four different varieties in creating the wine (Cab. Sauv., Merlot, Syrah and Malbec -- no Cab. Franc.). I loved this! So did Lisa. Full bodied, exploding with flavor and long-lasting. Wow.
The lamb was perfectly prepared and marinated with a dry-spice rub which accented the wine very well. Neither of us are big fans of gorgonzola, but we loved the potatoes. I couldn't detect any of the unpleasant aroma or flavor I normally attribute to that cheese.
Course 5:
Wine - Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Cabernet Sauvignon 1999
Food - Grilled Benedictine Brioche with Mushroom Rillette, Aged Balsamic and Cassis
To me, the Solare was a hard act to follow. This Cab was very good, but I had already been blown away. The brioche was, basically, a big old grilled cheese.
Pretty funny, actually. I wasn't a big fan of this course, but it served as a good lead-in to dessert.Course 6:
Wine - Chateau Ste. Michelle Late Harvest White Riesling 2000
Food - Cristion of Apple with Olive Oil Ice Cream, Blood Orange Granita and Creme Fraiche (prepared by Keegan Gerhard, Four Seasons Hotel, Chicago, IL)
We both really enjoyed this Riesling. A perfect dessert wine.
Chef Gerhard was, by far, our favorite chef of the entire festival. We had the very good fortune to taste his desserts three days in a row. This was day one. He presented this dish in an incredibly entertaining manner (very self-deprecating as he discussed the olive oil ice cream -- "let me know if this is a disaster"). Every bit of this dessert was unbelievable. The olive oil ice cream, which sounds a bit strange, was delicious. By far my favorite dish of the entire dinner.
To top everything off, Chef Gerhard then presented all of us a collection of various hand-made, flavored chocolates. WOW, oh WOW! These were decadent. We had: PB&J chocolate, Raspberry chocolate, Pineapple chocolate, Coconut chocolate, Pistachio chocolate and two or three others I can't remember any more.
Following dinner, each of the ladies received a single red rose. We were then all escorted over to the VIP viewing area for Illuminations. Very, very cool.
Our grade for the Pacific NW Reserve dinner - 100 out of 10
Our total bill (incl. grat.) - $300 (prixe fix) & worth every penny
Comparing this meal to the Jiko dinner, I would say that they were very comparable. I definitely felt that the wines were on par, and the food as well. Honestly, prior to Keegan's dessert, I may have given the edge to Jiko. It's my understanding, however, that the Jiko Signature Dinner was really something special (above and beyond other SDs). I certainly felt that this dinner was worth the price, and Lisa agreed.
Only three more reports to go - two days tasting at the F&W festival, one Signature Dinner, one Party of the Senses, and one HUGE mistake!
. I won't ask any more
.
