Saturday 8th October 2011 Part Four
Following our rainy day in Epcot we were happy to get back to The Boardwalk to dry out and relax for a while
Today was certainly going to be a snack filled day as tonight we had tickets for the Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic
For those who are unfamiliar with this event here is a little background:
I believe this is the second year that the Swan and Dolphin has ran this event and it runs for two nights; Friday 7th of October and Saturday 8th October
The food stations are representative of the many dining establishments within the Swan and Dolphin Resort
We had bought an all inclusive ticket for the event which from memory cost around $70. When you check in you are given a wristband which entitles you to unlimited food and drink samples so no scrambling around for credit cards/gift cards/cash etc
At check in you are also handed a bamboo tray with a clever little cut out for the plastic wine glass they also provide; so once you are all checked in you are good to go!
From what I can gather the rain had started half way through the Festival on the Friday night so they had made the decision to bring all of the food and wine stations into the resorts ballroom for the Saturday night guests; it was a good job that they did as the rain was still pouring down outside
The whole set up here was fabulous; lots of tables to either sit or stand, live music, free bottled water, a huge amount of beverage stations
and really knowledgeable and helpful staff
I would highly recommend this event to anyone and I honestly believe that they could and should run this for more than two nights
So lets get this party started
Right there are 26, yes 26, beverage stations with wines from across the World; California was particularly well represented but there were also a wide array of French, Spanish, Italian and Argentinean wines to name but a few!
As well as wine there was Beer, Sake, Champagne and even Moonshine available
Lets not forget people that this is UNLIMITED!!; needless to say I saw a few casualties before the end of the night
Sooooo, I had a little word with my liver
something along the lines of "hey Im on vacation and I promise when we get back to England it will be OJ and Green Tea all the way!"
and off I went
Im a big fan of Napa Valley wines having visited that area a couple of years ago so my first stop was a sample of a rather nice Sauvignon Blanc (St. Supery) and a Beringer Chardonnay
All of the wines stations had one white and one red but in the interest of not waking up on a Boardwalk bench I stuck to white wines
I sampled a couple more Sonoma offerings before my non-drinking DH started to get restless and his stomach started to grumble
Ahh yes food, I suppose we should
There were 10 food stations and I am fairly sure we hit every one, some more that once
First up
Cibs Smoke Shop Smoked Pork Belly, Texas Toast, Baked Bean Foam
DH absolutely loved this and once he had cleared his plate he went right back in line for another helping. He tells me that all of the flavours worked wonderfully well together and the Pork was delicious and tender
Next we headed to the Todd English station
Todd Englishs Browned Butter Lobster Roll
Neither of us was terribly keen on this believe it or not; we found the butter and bread combo was a little too sweet and made the whole dish a little sickly
Everyone else around us seemed to love them though so I think its just personal taste. They were packed full of lobster pieces; very generous
Next a vegetarian treat for me
The Fountain Falafel: Chick Pea Fritter, Tahini, Traditional Garnish
Mmm, yummy
DH didnt try this, he just looked at me and said chick peas??!!
Next a dish that we both enjoyed
Cabana Bar And Beach Club Crab Eggroll: Blue Crab, Cabbage, Ginger, Sweet Thai Chili, Soy
DH likes Eggrolls much more than I do so this was a bigger hit with him than me but they werent at all greasy (one of the reasons I often dont like them) and were full of delicious crab
The little pastic container had a soy sauce that you could "inject" your crab roll with; very cool
After all that food it was time to take some more liquid on board so we headed to one of the free Cocktail 101 sessions
This was a lot of fun; a live demo ran on stage whilst servers brought samples round to the tables
Cocktail 101 Samples
The three drinks we were given to try were a Holiday Sangria which had a little pinch of Cinnamon in it to give it a holiday feel; a Caipirinha and some kind of Margarita
I literally took a tiny sip of each as these were big samples!; I loved the Sangria and the Margarita but found the Caipirinha far too sweet for my taste
Back to the food:
Shulas Steakhouse Carved New York Strip, Creamed Spinach
DHs verdict was that it was OK but he much preferred the Pork; he just kind of pushed the spinach round his plate like it was some kind of alien life-form
Garden Grove Rock Shrimp Po Boy, French Bread, Tomato, Old Bay Remoulade
Ooh we have a winner, I loved this and much preferred it to the Lobster Roll.
Lots of perfectly cooked crispy shrimp and just the right amount of remoulade to lift the flavours
Bluezoo Heirloom Beet Salad, Goat Cheese Fondue, Candied Walnuts, Ice Spinach
This sounded right up my street but unfortunately I really didnt like it; I couldnt taste the goat cheese at all and the beetroot had been turned into a foam which again lacked any taste
Next one for DH to sample
Il Mulino Hand Cut Tagliatelle, Braised Lamb Ragu, Pecorino Romano
He loved this and the plate was empty in no time
Its worth pointing out that all of the food we were served was hot and freshly cooked; they certainly didnt leave food sitting out and the presentation was beautiful
Phew, we are nearly there; our penultimate station was one I had been looking forward to:
Kimonos Spicy Yellow Fin Tuna, Nori, Seasoned Rice
This was very good sushi and if I had found this station early in the night I would have no doubt gone back for more
I finished the evening off with a glass of Champagne and a plate full of desserts (we shared I promise!)
Laurent Branlard Desserts
There is no description in the brochure as to what these all were but I don't remember being 'wowed' by any of them; I do remember that the cake like dessert on the left had a rum sauce to "inject" it with but neither of us enjoyed it
Our second plate was much more sucessful
These were a chocolate and peanut mouse type dessert and a bananas foster coconut bread pudding and both were delicious
All in all we had a wonderful night and I wouldnt hesitate to return if we were visiting at the right time of year
It was still raining hard when we left so it was a very quick and soggy walk back to The Boardwalk before turning in for the night with very full tummies
Next Up
. The Breakfast Of Champions
. Cupcakes!
Sunshine Seasons!
Welcome and thanks for joining in
I hope you get chance for a quick breakfast stop at Sunshine Seasons
