Ooh-de-lally! A dining heavy October '13 Trip Report *update 2/23-We're Going Back!*

[JulieODC]

Great review of the wine seminar -- I love wine tastings like that...I mean, I love wine in general, but having someone walk you through the experience is always so interesting!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

It's good to know that John Lasseter is a man of many talents. I may have to enjoy a glass of his wine while watching his Pixar productions - now that's really being a fan.

I'm a full bodied red gal so typically Cabs and Zins are my preference although I'm experimental and indulge in Merlots and Pina Noirs too.

Thanks for sharing that nice wine deminar review. And even better for Judi winning the pin and purse holder.

He is clearly a man of many talents - entertaining being his foremost.

You probably would have liked both the reds then - they weren't too big but not light either. Glad you enjoyed the review

Great pics!

Thank you!

I'd be pretty excited about winning that purse holder, also!

Your report is making me want to book a deminar next time I'm there for the Food & Wine Festival.

It was just kinda funny that she's been wanting one and that is what she won so definitely worked out.

Definitely thinking about one of the deminars next time if there is anything that even remotely interests you. We've enjoyed all the ones we have gone to and they are fairly low cost and just feel like doing something a little special.

 

[missangelalexis]

I'm glad the deminar was a success and almost like a date for you two! Awesome that Judi won the purse holder, sounds like a good prize to me

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I'm glad the deminar was a success and almost like a date for you two! Awesome that Judi won the purse holder, sounds like a good prize to me

We were very glad to have done it - it's not like the most amazing thing ever but is something different to do and fairly inexpensive.

Just was very happy and has used it several times since she won it!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Day 7 - Part 8: EPCOT - The last princess is in sight and a camel shows us the way​

Following our wine demo we headed back to join the rest of our group that was in the Moroccan pavilion. Fortunately, when we got there, this fellow was there to point us in the right direction:

or, you know, the sign behind him helped as well.


Where they were was on line to meet Aladdin and Jasmine ... or as Olivia saw it - Jasmine and that guy with her.

This was definitely a fun meet and greet. They were both very sweet and took time with Olivia. I do have to say, we were probably spoiled by our outstanding meeting the previous day with Tiana and Naveen and this meet & greet didn't meet that high bar, but it was still good.

Plus, after Jasmine signed on the dotted line, it meant that we had finished our quest to get the signatures for all of the specific princesses outlined in Olivia's autograph book!

To celebrate, we told Olivia that she could pick a gift - and she selected this bracelet, which was one of the smallest we could find. Maybe it will fit her in like 10 years.

After a little more posing around Morocco ....

... we were back out on the Food & Wine Festival trail.

First up was the Florida Local stand:

Where we got the:
Florida Grass Fed Beef Slider with Monterey Jack and Sweet & Hot Pickles - $3.75
Florida Shrimp Ceviche with Fire Roasted Vegetables and Micro Cilantro - $4.25

When the list of marketplace items first came out I was planning to skip the slider - nothing against it but it didn't seem that special compared to other offerings, but I had read really positive reviews of it so I decided to give it a try and I am glad I did. It wasn't that different or anything, but was a really solid slider and the pickle did add a little something. The ceviche was quite nice which a good amount of shrimp, though they were quite small. Fairly tame by ceviche standards, but good.


We also stopped at the Hops and Barley booth and picked up a:
Lobster Roll with Lemon Herb Mayonnaise - $7.50

We enjoyed this as well. Nothing over the top and, while it was a bit on the pricey side, we definitely got a good amount of lobster which is never a bad thing.


Then, after some more posing, this time around the American pavilion ....

... we decided to check out the Chase Lounge.

Here are a few picks of the lounge:

Then we checked out the Coke Freestyle machines which this blurry picture proves:

We are not big soda drinkers so we mostly took the sprite and then added different flavors to it ... and obviously also checked out the Disney memory game which Olivia had fun with.

They also did have a coffee bar for those that prefer their caffeine in that format:

They also had a bar where you could purchase beer and wine but there wasn't anything super interesting there and we figured we would stick with items from the booths.

Lastly, they had the most important item for most of us - a recharging station:

After recharging (both our phones and ourselves) we were off to further explore the festival ... more next update

 

[TheMaxRebo]

so apparently the pictures in the last update weren't showing up - I've moved them to a new hosting site so hopefully everyone can see them now

 

[annie170]

Olivia is such a cutie! Glad you got your photos to show up.

I love the Food & Wine Festival and enjoy seeing what others choose to snack on.

 

[emmysmommy]

I see photos!! And cute ones of Olivia with Jasmine and that guy.

That bracelet that Olivia picked out in Morocco was hilarious! I agree, give her a few years to grow into it.

If that shrimp ceviche is anything like what I had at San Angel Inn, I agree, very tame. No kick. I have to say that lobster roll definitely looks awesome.

 

[JulieODC]

Olivia is adorable!! Her bracelet choice is too cute!

 

[missangelalexis]

Love the pics of Olivia with Jasmine..oh and Aladdin I wanted to try those items at Florida Local but never got the chance, glad to hear they were good though!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

LOOK... NOW WITH PICTURES!!!

Hmmm, good thing the sign was there as it looks like the camel is pointing up a little bit. I'd hate to see you climb up a wall for nothing.

Wow, Olivia sure does love Jas. Super cute.

And she gets a present for finishing something she wanted to do. Can you adopt me?? I like the way you work.

Mmmm, that slider looks GOOD.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Olivia is such a cutie! Glad you got your photos to show up.

I love the Food & Wine Festival and enjoy seeing what others choose to snack on.

Thank you! I also enjoy seeing what others get and when I see so many things we didn't get makes me realize just how many options there are

I see photos!! And cute ones of Olivia with Jasmine and that guy.

That bracelet that Olivia picked out in Morocco was hilarious! I agree, give her a few years to grow into it.

If that shrimp ceviche is anything like what I had at San Angel Inn, I agree, very tame. No kick. I have to say that lobster roll definitely looks awesome.

Yeah, Olivia had a good time Jasmine and that guy - which is good since it is one we had to wait a bit for.

In her defense about the bracelet we went through and tried to find the smallest one we could - it wasn't like she "had to have" the biggest one or anything - but I agree, it is pretty funny

yeah, the civiche was ok, but no kick - we usually put some jalapeno, etc. in when we make it.

Olivia is adorable!! Her bracelet choice is too cute!

Thank you! she was quite happy with her choice

Love the pics of Olivia with Jasmine..oh and Aladdin I wanted to try those items at Florida Local but never got the chance, glad to hear they were good though!

Thank you! The Florida Local was one of the areas I wasn't originally going to make a point of going to but glad we hit it up. Not the best of the booths, but solid at least

LOOK... NOW WITH PICTURES!!!

Hmmm, good thing the sign was there as it looks like the camel is pointing up a little bit. I'd hate to see you climb up a wall for nothing.

Wow, Olivia sure does love Jas. Super cute.

And she gets a present for finishing something she wanted to do. Can you adopt me?? I like the way you work.

Mmmm, that slider looks GOOD.

Hey, just consider that post like the new version of the iPhone or something "look, now the headphone jack is on the top!"

Orlando Sentinel Headline: "Tourist arrested trying to break into 2nd story window in effort for 'meet and greet' with a woman named Jasmine"

Ok, when you put it like that it does seem like we spoil her, but, um, yeah I got nothing

The slider was quite good. Nothing super special but a really good example of a solid slider

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Day 7 - Part 9: EPCOT - More Food & Wine at the appropriately named Festival​

After resting up and cooling down inside the Chase lounge we were off to explore more treats - both culinarily and beverageily

First up was was Italy where we procured:

Ravioli de formaggio all’emiliana - $5.75
Italian Margarita – $10.00

The Ravioli was really quite good - very cheesy on top and then the meat sauce below - and super substantial ... a couple of those would be a meal, so definitely good value for the money. The Itialian Margarita - flavored with limoncello and a punch from grappa - was super refreshing (had I mentioned it was hot?). This was definitely a tasty treat and one of the highlights from a beverage standpoint (non-beer division)


After that we checked out one of my favorite things to do - the model train layout! I think the combination of knowing what a place model trains held in Walt's heart plus the fact that my father was really into them and that was something we did together makes this exhibit extra special for me - especially being able to share it with my kids and see their exicted faces.

But enough sentimentality - there was beer to be had! Bob and I shared both flights from the Brewer's Collection Booth:

Beer Flight 1: - $13.00
- Schöfferhofer Grapefruit
- Altenmünster Oktoberfest
- Warsteiner Premium Verum
- Warsteiner Premium Dunkel

Beer Flight 2: - $13.00
- Radeberger Pilsner
- BraufactuM Palor
- BraufactuM Roog Smoked Wheat Beer
- BraufactuM Darkon

I love flights! Beers, wine, whatever ... so I was very excited to try these. They were both very good and filled with fairly interesting beers, so great to try. In the first flight, the Schöfferhofer Grapefruit is a great example of a Shandy (you definitely have to be ok with fruit juice in your beer) and the Altenmünster Oktoberfest is one of my favorite beers.

To be honest though, I was most looking forward to the 2nd flight largely because the BraufactuM beers are actually not that easy to find around. The Roog Smoked Wheat Beer was one of the more interesting beers I had at the festival. It was very smokey and that overpowered the wheat nature of it. Wasn't super drinkable in my mind, but if you like smokey beers you would enjoy it. The Darkon was definitely my favorite - nice malty dark beer with some bready aroma. Definitely light on the hops - but that is ok with me (if you are a huge IPA person this is probably not the beer for you).


After our purchases Olivia just had to rock out with her bad self:

We then purchased some food from before sitting down to relax for a bit. First from the Africa booth:

Berbere Style Beef with Onions, Jalapeños, Tomato, Okra and Pap - $4.25

This was really good (actually, Bob first got one and then I went back for a second). Tons of favor and quite a bit of heat, but not so much that it overpowered everything. One of the standouts of the festival for me

Then we hit up China:

Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles - $5.50
Chicken Potstickers - $4.00

Mongolian Beef in a Steamed Bun - $5.00
Silky Spun Ice with Toppings (we got Strawberry but they also had Mango available) - $3.95

The Shrimp and noodles were solid, but not spectacular. This did help feed the kids as they liked the noddles and they filled up quite a bit on the amble portion we received. The Potstickers were a bit of a letdown - not a ton of flavor and you only got two. Not terrible but not a "must get" either.

The Mongolia Beef in a Steamed Bun was THE BEST thing I got all festival. It was so good. Tons of flavor in the beef and the bun adds a little sweetness and starch to the meal. It had a little bit of spice to it but not a crazy amount. Just loved it.

The Spun Ice Cream was really interesting. I liked the texture and the flavor was good. It wasn't totally amazing or something everyone needs to experience in their lifetime or anything, but was fun to get and was a nice "dessert" to this sampling of food.


We manged to find a nice spot to sit and enjoy the food and the view for a while:

Given the weather we have had all winter (seriously, I give - Elsa, you win!) that view is making me remember it all fondly and I wish I was there right now.

Up next: Another boat ride, more food and some other playing around EPCOT

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Mmmm that Margarita looks good.

I can still remember the first time I saw that train setup. Such an amazing display.

I too am really missing the Showcase right now. Just to casually wander and look at the various views would be heaven right about now. Plus the Showcase itself is pretty nice too.

 

[JulieODC]

The Mongolian steamed bun was our absolute favorite item at F&W too!! I crave it on a daily basis...and need to find a way to recreate it at home, or find a restaurant nearby that does steamed buns.

Those beer flights look quite refreshing as well!

 

[annie170]

The Italian Margarita and ravioli are my favorites! I could definitely make a meal off that ravioli.

I love that model train, also. My grandfather and great uncle were locomotive engineers and I enjoyed hearing their stories.

Many of my family members would agree that there's nothing like a good beer flight!

 

[wiigirl]

Great update!

 

[ragel1023]

Great trip report! I've really enjoyed reading it.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Mmmm that Margarita looks good.

I can still remember the first time I saw that train setup. Such an amazing display.

I too am really missing the Showcase right now. Just to casually wander and look at the various views would be heaven right about now. Plus the Showcase itself is pretty nice too.

It may have been the heat that made it seem so amazing, but we were a big fan of that Italian margarita.

I love that they do things like the train display to keep that part of Walk alive and going strong.

I agree about missing the World Showcase and those views right now ... though that might partly be due to the fact that I juts shoveled/snow blowed for well over an hour and then helped Olivia (and by "helped" I mean I did 98% of it) make an igloo so some warmer weather sounds nice. Wish Disney would get cracking on releasing "Unfrozen"

The Mongolian steamed bun was our absolute favorite item at F&W too!! I crave it on a daily basis...and need to find a way to recreate it at home, or find a restaurant nearby that does steamed buns.

Those beer flights look quite refreshing as well!

I was so not expecting to like the Mongolian steamed bun as much as I did but it was just the perfect mix of meat and carbs and spice and sweet and was large enough to be satisfying - definitely a great addition

I love trying crazy and different craft beers so love beer flights. The grocery store near us that has a bar in it (yes, it is real and it is spectacular) that has 28 taps of craft beer and they will periodically have a brewery night where you can get a sampler with 12 beers from the same brewery - really doesn't get any better than that for me

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The Italian Margarita and ravioli are my favorites! I could definitely make a meal off that ravioli.

I love that model train, also. My grandfather and great uncle were locomotive engineers and I enjoyed hearing their stories.

Many of my family members would agree that there's nothing like a good beer flight!

The ravioli seemed to be hit or miss with people - you either loved it or hated it. While it didn't look huge is was so dense and so cheesy that you could definitely make a meal out of it!

That's so cool about your grandfather and great uncle - those must be some great stories with trains playing such an important role in our nations history.

haha - seem my response above with the 12 sample beer flights I get at the grocery story near me. We did one for Dog Fish Head and the first was their 120 min IPA that was 19% alcohol and the 2nd was their Imperial Stout that was 20% alcohol .... glad Judi was there to split it with me or I would have had to call a cab!

Great update!

Why thank you - I aim to please!

Great trip report! I've really enjoyed reading it.

Thanks for your comment - glad you have been enjoying it! I've enjoyed reading so many other TRs I am always super glad to hear when people enjoy mine!