Redwitch & My F&W Adventure! Questing! The Worst Drink Ever! Sushi Rolling! Shochu! Help!!!

[Mikka]

Hello. My name is Mikka, and I have not been on the DISboards for almost a year now. Did you miss me?

Well, probably not. Still, my name is indeed Mikka, and I like food. I also like Disney. My mother's name is Redwitch (or occasionally Jenn), and she also likes food and Disney. This makes for a very nice combination, as we then go to Disney and eat food. It's a relatively simple arrangement, though we tend to over complicate it.

Back in late October and early November, we did a trip to the World. Unfortunately, complications- writing a novel in November and a death in the family in December- meant I didn't have time to start a food report, and I was honestly unsure if I was going to. But then I figured "Self, everyone likes talking about the F&W. F&W reports rule. Self, just make a darn report." And Self, for once, listened! I'm so proud of Self, everyone. Three cheers for Self.

We did two Food and Wine events, two more events over at the Swalfin's special F&W weekend and then also just generally ate and drank our way around the world- also trying some counter services this time. We had an extremely enjoyable time, and it's one I'd like to share with all of you. I'll put updates in the title when I update: I say I would like to make a post a day, but realistically, I know that's not going to happen. Sometimes I'm just lazy. I am going to try and post regularly, though, and get this post done with pretty quick.

And before I forget: this food review in general is dedicated to Emilyn, who really wanted to see one from this trip. Cheers to her! But not to my mom. Her nagging had nothing to do with this report. Nothing at all. :{ /insert various emoji angry faces


A review of everyone's favorite bar at the Polynesian coming in a few!

 

[Niki Andiokno]

Welcome back. Can't wait to read all about it. I think we might have been there during the same time.

 

[Mikka]

TRADER SAM'S​

If your favorite bar at the Poly is actually the Tambu Lounge, I plead the fifth by announcing that's a lounge, not a bar, and thus your favorite bar must be Trader Sam's by default. Unless you really like the Pool Bar. Then I just sort of lied to you. I'm so sorry.

On the way down to Disney, we ate at some odd health food sports bar (yes, seriously) during our layover, but it wasn't really interesting enough that I'm going to force you to read a review of it. We ended up getting there around threeish, and the day did not correspond to low crowds at any of the parks that were open late. We threw around Disney Springs suggestions, but mom was afraid of getting back to the hotel too late as we had opening planned at Eppycot for the next day. Thus, I suggested a bar.

You'll find that I generally suggest bars. It's a failing of mine.

We got to Trader Sam's a bit after they opened and were told we would have a thirty minute wait. Fine by us; we headed out to the lounge. Before we even were served our water, our pager beeped. It couldn't have been five minutes. We then went inside and stood around in the middle till two seats at the bar opened up (it didn't take long) and we snagged them.

Honestly, I have no idea why. Trader Sam's has THE most uncomfortable bar seats out of any bar in Disney I've ever sat at- actually, any bar period I've ever been to. Still, it gives you the best view of the action if you don't mind being sprayed with water whenever two different drinks are ordered.

Our bartenders for that night were Nathan and David. Both were excellent, friendly and extremely in to the spraying people with water and running around crazy deal.


In other news, here's Nemo drinking all the rum. He doesn't share. Nemo is a jerk.




Mom started off with a Dark and Tropical Stormy: black seal rum, lime juice, ginger beer and falernum (that's that almondy-syrup put in almost all Caribbean rum drinks). It was good, and sweeter then the typical dark and stormy you might get elsewhere (likely because of the falernum). I think the wrecked umbrella in the drink glass makes it, though.



I decided to be a bit odd and ordered a shot of ByeJoe Dragon Fire Spirit. It's used in the Tahitian Torch served at Trader Sam's, but it's mixed with so much fruit juice you can't really taste the liquor. I wanted to try it on its own after hearing it was actually spicy when drank neat.

It's somewhat hard to find information about this spirit, so excuse me from stealing from Wikipedia. Basically, ByeJoe is a US producer of baijiu which is sort of China's big drink (compare it to Sake in Japan, Rum in the Caribbean, Tequila in Mexico, Scotch in Scotland...). Baijiu can basically be made with almost anything, but ByeJoe makes theirs with sorgrum, which is actually a plant in the grass family. The Dragon Fire Spirit is their basically plain sorgrum baijiu infused with dragon fruit, lychee, and chilies. It's only available in four states, Florida being one of them. PA is certainly not.

"Okay," you may be saying, "Enough with randomly quoting Wikipedia and not even giving citations, how does it taste?" The answer is lightly spicy and lightly sweet, with a bit more of the spice then the sweetness. It's actually one of the more unique drinks I've ever tried: it was hard to define exactly how it tasted. Of course, I have very little experience with baijiu, especially baijiu infusions, so it may be relatively routine to some people. To me, though, it was something completely out of the ordinary. I'm glad I tried it, and I liked it. It was good neat, but some people may prefer it on ice. If you're at Trader Sam's and not in the mood for Rum but want some straight alcohol, I'd recommend trying it.



Pardon the darkness of the Nautilus: flash isn't really liked in Trader Sam's, and it was hard to get a good picture of it. This is indeed the five million dollar drink (okay, thirty something, but still) meant to be shared with four or so people. It has a long list of ingredients: Barbancourt Pango Rum, Appleton Estate Reserve Rum, Combier Creme de Peche de Vigne Liqueur, Tropical Juices (whatever that means) and Falernum.

So, in summary: it's a peachy rum punch. Mom was afraid she wouldn't like it, as she says rum punches aren't really her thing. But as I was fighting her for sips (she actually had the bartender tie a knot in my straw so I couldn't get any ), I think I could safely say she enjoyed this one. I sure did. We have a pretty high alcohol tolerance, but I don't see any reason why this couldn't be enjoyed by two instead of four. One may be pushing it, but, well, I'd personally give it my best try...



We also ordered a flatbread that they were serving but was not on the current menu. It had chicken, bacon, tomato, cilantro, green onion, cheese, carrots and peanut sauce on it. We both found it delicious, as well as surprisingly filling. I really hope they bring it (or already have) to the standard menu. I strongly recommend asking the bartender or server if they have any other food (or what food they recommend): they had three items off the menu that they were serving that night.


There was also some information slipped to us. When we walked in, I saw a young woman drinking out of a black pearl. I asked the bartender about the luck on that- wasn't it one in a hundred or so? "Something like that," was the cryptic answer I got. "Except for on Halloween. Shelly eats too much candy and gets a bit odd."

That influenced the first part of our vacation: The Hunt For The Black Pearl. The questing was indeed on.


Next: Epcot food.

 

[Redwitch]

this food review in general is dedicated to Emilyn,

Hi Emilyn! Wed love to meet up again some time!

I think we might have been there during the same time.

I think we were too! Thanks for joining us on this crazy food review!

(she actually had the bartender tie a knot in my straw so I couldn't get any )

It pays to make friends with your bartenders!

We also ordered a flatbread

The first of many. For some reason, we kept ordering flatbreads.

The Hunt For The Black Pearl. The questing was indeed on.

Yes, The Quest for the Black Pearl was on. Much to my dismay. Months of planning, down the drain.

 

[MinnieMama411]

Hello. My name is Mikka, and I have not been on the DISboards for almost a year now. Did you miss me?


And before I forget: this food review in general is dedicated to Emilyn, who really wanted to see one from this trip. Cheers to her! But not to my mom. Her nagging had nothing to do with this report. Nothing at all. :{ /insert various emoji angry faces

Yes, I missed you! i am honored to have this reviewed dedicated to me! Thank you! Your poor mom had to answer "not yet" whenever I asked. Kudos to her for her persistence. So excited you've started. Can I say...Finally!

That ByJoe Dragon Fire Spirit sounds intriguing and since we head to Puerto Rico for a wedding later this year, maybe I'll get to try it? I love flatbreads. Never had one with peanut sauce on it. Hmmm. You'd have it again?

Looking forward to reading more of your posts from this trip. Thanks for starting!

Hi Emilyn! Wed love to meet up again some time!

We'd also love to meet up again, especially since we missed each other by a week or two last October. Not going this year unfortunately.

 

[momof3princes]

Welcome back! Always love your reviews and you are off to a great start

 

[Mikka]

Welcome back. Can't wait to read all about it. I think we might have been there during the same time.

I think you're right! Thanks for welcome back; I hope you enjoy!

It pays to make friends with your bartenders!

Bo wouldn't have allowed you to tie my straw in to a knot. (We didn't get to go see our favorite bartender this trip, which was disappointing.)

Yes, The Quest for the Black Pearl was on. Much to my dismay. Months of planning, down the drain.

Everyday, I'd be all "IS IT HALLOWEEN YET? DO WE NEED TO GO TO TRADER SAM'S YET?" She enjoyed it, though.

Yes, I missed you! i am honored to have this reviewed dedicated to me! Thank you! Your poor mom had to answer "not yet" whenever I asked. Kudos to her for her persistence. So excited you've started. Can I say...Finally!

I'm glad you like it! I'm sorry we missed each other, too... maybe next year. Of course, right now we're saying that we're not going to Disney next year. We never seem to keep with that, though...

That ByJoe Dragon Fire Spirit sounds intriguing and since we head to Puerto Rico for a wedding later this year, maybe I'll get to try it? I love flatbreads. Never had one with peanut sauce on it. Hmmm. You'd have it again?

The ByeJoe Dragon Fire Spirit was definitely the most interesting thing I drank this trip, and, er, I may have drank quite a bit this trip. Perhaps not the most delicious, but definitely the most unique. Look for it if you can!

I wasn't sure if I'd like peanut sauce on a flatbread, either, especially with cheese (the two didn't seem to mesh well in my head- one or the other, I kept thinking) but it actually turned out very good. I would definitely order it again: it was very flavorful.

Welcome back! Always love your reviews and you are off to a great start

Thank you so much! Hope you stick around and enjoy!


A very quick review for today:

FESTIVAL CENTER/INTERMISSIONS CAFE​

We were in Epcot, I was hungry, and the booths weren't open yet. It was a sad time. So festival center it was.



The caprese salad was arugula, mozzarella and cherry tomatoes with a basil pesto. The basil pesto was very, very lightly applied. I don't think there was any really on the greens at all, which meant eating plain arugula. Plain tomatoes and mozzarella are one thing, but I generally prefer some sort of dressing for my greens. This was basically bleh, but it was food, and I was hungry.

The drink was Cigar City's Apple Pie Hard Cider. (The lady at the booth was like, "You know that's alcoholic, right?" I'm like, "I was sort of counting on it." She ID'ed me, needless to say.) This was actually fairly refreshing. There was a fairly prominent hint of cinnamon in it, which I guess is why it was 'pie' cider, not just apple. I liked it, and could have drank more of it.


...Yes, that was very short. Er. Well, more Epcot food coming tomorrow, hopefully over a few posts.

 

[Redwitch]

(The lady at the booth was like, "You know that's alcoholic, right?" I'm like, "I was sort of counting on it." She ID'ed me, needless to say.)

(no words needed)

 

[MinnieMama411]

Hard cider. Booth lady's question cracked me up. Your answer to her was perfect! LOL! I suppose if one isn't familiar with the term hard cider it would be a bit of a shock to one's system if you were expecting something non-alcoholic. Perhaps they've had complaints? Anyway... we had that cider and we really liked it. The salad is rather sad looking.

 

[Vernie822]

Welcome back! Sorry to hear about the death in your family. Hopefully you had a great trip. I have yet to get to Trader Sams but those drinks sound delicious. We generally stick to Tambu since I swear my husband is always trying to catch some sort of Nascar/football/baseball/hockey/sporting event while we're there. And that flatbread, mmmm. The peanut sauce sounds odd with the bacon but still sounds delicious.

 

[Mikka]

Hard cider. Booth lady's question cracked me up. Your answer to her was perfect! LOL! I suppose if one isn't familiar with the term hard cider it would be a bit of a shock to one's system if you were expecting something non-alcoholic. Perhaps they've had complaints? Anyway... we had that cider and we really liked it. The salad is rather sad looking.

I'm trying to figure out if there was complaints, or the booth lady thought I was too young looking for alcohol and was trying to warn mom. Hm. And yeah, that salad was depressing.

Welcome back! Sorry to hear about the death in your family. Hopefully you had a great trip. I have yet to get to Trader Sams but those drinks sound delicious. We generally stick to Tambu since I swear my husband is always trying to catch some sort of Nascar/football/baseball/hockey/sporting event while we're there. And that flatbread, mmmm. The peanut sauce sounds odd with the bacon but still sounds delicious.

Thank you; we appreciate it. It's been hard, but we're getting by.

Trader Sam's is really enjoyable, but warning: fairly loud. There's stuff going on constantly: water getting sprayed, someone running around with a cowbell, volcanos erupting, hippo's being hippoy... it's one of those places people either love or hate (or love for about 30 minutes, then hate). You can get almost all the drinks at the outside terrace, though, so if inside is too annoying, that's good. No TV's, though!

Personally, I'd leave the husband at Tambu and go sneak drinks downstairs, but, well, that's probably why I'm not married. ;;


So, apparently there was another reason why we were hanging around eating bad salad's...

FOOD DEMONSTRATION​

By celebrity chef G Gavin, at that! And we walked right in to it. We had a nice all gals table near the back but with a good view of the stage.

We were being served Pan Seared Alantic Salmon with Sauteed Cream Corn, Manila Clams, Arugula, Frisee, Onions and Fennel, with wine by Heitz Cellars.

We didn't take a picture of the wine: we often forget to do that. So I'll describe it: it was a Chardonnay, which is mom's least favorite grape and not one I'm that fond of either, butttt... it actually wasn't bad Chard! Actually, it was one of the best Chardonnay's we've ever had. There was a citrus note to it, and the presenter said there was pineapple, apple and honey. It spent eight months in French oak, then went and hung around in some stainless steel for an unspecified amount of time. I can't say it was a wine I loved, because it's just not the grape for me, but taken for what it was, I liked it well enough. It paired well with the food.



This was the wine presenter, Daniel Vu, and some nice woman who gave generic commentary and was not obnoxious at all unlike some people who have done this job that might sort of lean that way. Not that I'm naming any names...



And here's Chef G Gavin, being awesome.



And here is a picture of the most bored assistant cook on property. If I was assisting G Gavin, I'd at least be smiling!



Finally, here's the food.

You can't see the salmon or the creamed corn, but rest assured they're there, under the greens. The description of the dish really describes what it is. I was a bit concerned that so many flavors would end up overwhelming each other, but they didn't at all. Out of all the food demonstrations I've been to, this was probably my favorite. Now that I dug the recipe out, it may have to be cooked. The creamed corn was a particular hit. There's nothing like creamed corn made from real corn rather then a can. ^_^ A scoopful of it and the salmon together was fantastic.


Still sort of short, huh. Tomorrow's Lunar New Year, so I don't know if I'll be posting: I have desserts to make! But next is tequila. Mmm, tequila.

 

[Mikka]

So apparently you can't change the title on your phone. That's something I'll have to remember. Still, here's an... update!

LA CAVA DE TEQUILA​

We just refer to it as 'the cave'.

So, let me be blunt starting off: is this place really worth it? Not unless you get there at opening. If you get their at opening, you get lovely handmade margaritas. Any other time, they're basically premixed save for maybe the tequila. When you're paying premium prices for a drink, I can't really recommend the margaritas here. And there's not even a Tables in Wonderland discount! Yet somehow, we end up here every trip. Usually multiple times. Something about it just pulls us in and we go and pay ridiculous amounts for flavored margaritas that are, admittedly, ridiculously tasty yet not really worth fourteen or so dollars. I think it's Disney hypnotism. Bars can do that, right?



A somewhat blurred picture of the 'Twitter shot'. If you're not aware of this, if you're following La Cava on twitter, every Monday and/or Wednesday (someone told me they do it everyday now, but we haven't tested it), you can get a discounted shot of their choosing. Just make sure to have your phone ready to show, and load up twitter while you're outside the pyramid: once you get in, reception gets really bad. We once spent around ten minutes waiting for my phone to load twitter. Luckily, the cave was pretty much empty that day.

This was Casa Noble Blanco. It was actually just so-so, all things considered, but it was cheap. Tequila shots may actually be the way to go in La Cava, now that I'm thinking about it. Hm.



Here's a picture of the margaritas (and a bit better picture of the shot). Mom had the Minty Pineapple, and I had the Tamarind. Both were new since the last time we had come there- or at least, new to the menu. As we were at the bar, I didn't write down the ingredients that were in each (as I didn't want to take up too much time), so I can sadly only describe taste.

Both were as usual, delicious. The Minty Pineapple actually wasn't that minty: the pineapple flavor dominated, and it was very refreshing. The Tamarind was one of my favorites: very tasty, lightly spicy, very flavorful in general. If you like tamarind soda or the like, you'll love this.


Next, we're still F&Wing around Epcot.

 

[momof3princes]

Your cooking demonstration looked great, it did seem like a lot going on so I am glad it all worked together!
Good advice on La Cava, I will keep that in mind next trip!!

 

[Mikka]

Your cooking demonstration looked great, it did seem like a lot going on so I am glad it all worked together!
Good advice on La Cava, I will keep that in mind next trip!!

It was great! I was really surprised it all worked out too, though I had faith in the Chef, it just seemed like... a lot. But it was delicious, and I want to make it at home.
(If anyone wants the recipe, let me know- it's hanging out on my desk now.)
Definitely hit La Cava as soon as it opens for the best experience, in my opinion.


Okay, now for some...

FOOD AND WINE BOOTHS​

I thought of splitting them in to each separate post, but realized that would take forever.



South Korea's Korean-style BBQ Beef with Steamed Rice and Cucumber Kimichi, and Bohae Bokbunjajoo Raspberry Wine.

First, that was not kimichi. That was a few pieces of cucumber. Don't expect anything like any sort of kimichi ever. It was cucumber.

We couldn't figure out if we liked this beef dish because it was good, or because we were just hungry. The meat was nice, not stringy or tough at all. The BBQ sauce was relatively simple, but tasty enough. The rice was cooked well. This wasn't an amazing dish, nor was it particularly Korean, but it was still tasty.

As for the wine, I resorted to making dog 'so ras so wow' meme jokes in my comments, but I liked it. Very raspberry. It wasn't too sweet for the beef, though. I think I prefer the IChing Grapefruit 'sparkling rice brew', but I'd drink the wine again.



Germany's Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce.

This tasted good, but the bottom was impossible to cut through with a plastic knife. We ended up having to pick it up and eat it. So points off for that, but again: pretty tasty.

We stopped for a sake break here, but I'll put that in a separate post.



Belguim's Beer-braised Beef served with Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes.

We really just wanted to compare this to the previous waffle versions. It stood up well: the potatoes were the best part, so I guess I can approve of the change, though it's not as fun as eating off the waffle. The beef was very tender with a nice flavor and the potatoes soaked up all the good sauce. Probably a winner, though again, now authentic are these items really?



France's Crosissant aux Escargots.

I whined about ordering this: I liked escargots the first time I had them way back at Bistro de Paris, but I didn't like them the next two times. Mom basically told me to suck it up, buttercup, and eat. They actually... weren't that bad. I think I like them better when I can't see them. It was just salty garlicy goodness with parsley. I'd eat it again.



Finally, Joffrey's Spiked Chai Latte (I believe we did the Bailey's version). It tasted like an iced Chai Tea with Bailey's. Nothing to complain about here; I like Joffrey's Iced Chai.


We actually didn't eat at that many booths this trip: I think we did one more booth day. There's just too many repeats, it seems. Hopefully this F&G and F&W festival will have more new items.

Next, sake and a counter service. Gasp.

 

[Redwitch]

The salad is rather sad looking.

Sad salad indeed. They should have just made it tomatoes and mozzarella! Skip the greens!

Booth lady's question cracked me up. Your answer to her was perfect!

Our world is fun. We have sarcasm and smartasscasm down to a science. (Did that sneak through the filter?)

Sorry to hear about the death in your family.

Thank you! We have been struggling as my Dad was a big part of our lives.

We had a nice all gals table near the back but with a good view of the stage.

Even a mother daughter duo that appeared as Disney crazy as us!

it actually wasn't bad Chard!

Amazing. I rarely like Chardonnays. The wine rep told us some of their other wines were available on property.

And here's Chef G Gavin, being awesome.

He was a wonderful presenter, full of energy and really working the audience. Strangely enough, his restaurant, "LowCountry," is in the Atlanta Airport.

And here is a picture of the most bored assistant cook on property.

Something about it just pulls us in and we go and pay ridiculous amounts for flavored margaritas that are, admittedly, ridiculously tasty yet not really worth fourteen or so dollars. I think it's Disney hypnotism.

Yes indeed. Why to we continue to go? Made to order craft margaritas are one thing, but that price for pre-mixed is ridiculous!

As for the wine, I resorted to making dog 'so ras so wow' meme jokes in my comments, but I liked it. Very raspberry

So, Mikka had to explain "dog 'so ras so wow' meme jokes" to me.

Mom basically told me to suck it up, buttercup, and eat.

Would I say that????

We actually didn't eat at that many booths this trip

As much as I take childish delight in filling up my little book with stamps, they repeat too many dishes year after year. And changing one ingredient does not make for a new dish. We opted to focus our time and money on truly new items.

Thanks for reading along! And don't forget to post, Mikka thrives on feedback!

 

[Mikka]

Sake break! Sake break!

DEPARTMENT STORE BAR​

This is another place without TIW that we stop almost every trip and again I'm really not sure why. I may be addicted to sake. I like all sorts of sake, from the really expensive good stuff to the cheap stuff that comes in gallon jugs. I just like sake.



Sho Chiku Boi. Made with American rice. It was lightly sweet with an excellent finish. Oddly, it had a licorice smell to it, but it didn't taste like licorice in the slightest. I found that a bit interesting. I think this may have been one of their specialty sake (on it's own little menu), but they change those out so rarely that it's probably still there, honestly. I liked it.



Mom had the Gingo Kogen Beer (and a good bit of my sake), which has also been there on the specialty menu for- well, at least a year. Maybe it's gone now. It was a Hefewizen, if I spelled that correctly. It had a sweet smell and tasted light and maybe a bit citrusy. Sorry, I'm still horrible at beer: we're working at home on a beer-program for me to start to like it. This mostly involves going to breweries where the only thing to drink is beer and trying stuff randomly. Maybe by April I'll actually be able to review beers seriously rather then 'Uh, it tasted like beer. But light beer! Not dark beer' which is all I can really do now.


This place is always nice to go to because of how friendly the Japanese cast members are. Are you new to sake? They'll gladly explain things, and try to find the sake that's right for you to try. If you haven't tried sake, I really recommend going here to try some. It's in the back of the department store, where all the candy and alcohol is. Nice place.

Next... counter service. Dun dun dun.

 

[MinnieMama411]

Chef G Gavin's dish sounds and looks yummy. I tend to like my salmon plain. There is nothing better than simply prepared Alaskan salmon... which we get a lot of here in Washington State. That said, I only like certain types of wild salmon and I'l pass on the rest. Now I'm thinking some of those less favorable and buttery types can be prepared this way. I'd never given it a thought, really. Pass that recipe this way, please!

My experiences with The Cave are limited and not favorable. I love tequila. I have to agree with you on their margaritas.

I'm waiting for you to catch up to some F&W booths that we tried. Hurry up, Mikka! We seem to be eating less at the booths whenever we're there for F&W. I'm not sure why. We do prefer signature events if they coincide or dining at a restaurant we've been wanting to return to or try. It always comes down to, where should we spend our money this trip.

As much as I love Japanese food and sushi (which I can eat every day), I've never really gotten into sake until this year. Actually, the last two months. I love wine, but the sulfites can do a number on me. Sake doesn't have any! I am intrigued with the one you tried, Sho Chiku Boi.

 

[Niki Andiokno]

I love The Culinary demonstrations. That's salmon sounds good, since I can't see it under the greens. I will take your word for it. I am not a huge Chardonnay fan either, but I will check that one out.

 

[Mikka]

Chef G Gavin's dish sounds and looks yummy. I tend to like my salmon plain. There is nothing better than simply prepared Alaskan salmon... which we get a lot of here in Washington State. That said, I only like certain types of wild salmon and I'l pass on the rest. Now I'm thinking some of those less favorable and buttery types can be prepared this way. I'd never given it a thought, really. Pass that recipe this way, please!

I love Alaskan salmon. I don't find Scottish salmon too bad either. As long as it's cold water I'll eat it, though. It's when it starts getting southern that it doesn't do anything for me. I think this dish would overwhelm good Alaskan salmon, but it would definitely work for something less. I'll post the recipe in this thread tomorrow!

My experiences with The Cave are limited and not favorable. I love tequila. I have to agree with you on their margaritas.

I've been experimenting with making some of their popular margaritas at home for a fraction of the cost and only a little effort. I think that might be the way to go. My avocado one is pretty good!

I'm waiting for you to catch up to some F&W booths that we tried. Hurry up, Mikka! We seem to be eating less at the booths whenever we're there for F&W. I'm not sure why. We do prefer signature events if they coincide or dining at a restaurant we've been wanting to return to or try. It always comes down to, where should we spend our money this trip.

That's always the problem: money versus yummies! I'd eat at all signature events if I could. Especially the Japanese ones. But then I'd be sadly broke. I wish they kept changing around the booth menus more often... of course, eating at all the booths adds up, too.

As for hurrying... I'll try! Got to get this done before April and we go again, at least!

As much as I love Japanese food and sushi (which I can eat every day), I've never really gotten into sake until this year. Actually, the last two months. I love wine, but the sulfites can do a number on me. Sake doesn't have any! I am intrigued with the one you tried, Sho Chiku Boi.

We drank a ton of good sake this trip! I'll review each one the best as I can; sadly, the ones from the Dolphin event sadly sort of smushed themselves together as I couldn't take notes at the time. The Sho Chiku Boi was very nice.

I love The Culinary demonstrations. That's salmon sounds good, since I can't see it under the greens. I will take your word for it. I am not a huge Chardonnay fan either, but I will check that one out.

We should have taken a picture of the salmon and corn after we got the greens eaten; I don't know why we didn't. Well, we were probably hungry. It was very nicely prepared, though! As for the chardonnay, I would definitely consider trying it. It surprised us.

KATSURA GRILL​

If you've read my prior reports, you know we don't usually do much eating at counter-services. We were trying to save some money this trip, though, so a few counter services it was. I'm not sure why we ended up here instead of at Tangerine Cafe (the best in Epcot, in my opinion), but it actually wasn't a bad meal.



I ordered mom to order the Chicken Cutlet Curry, both because I'm bossy and because I had heard some decent things about it. What you see is what you get: chicken, a little salad, rice and a gloppy curry. The curry was a bit congealed, but it had a nice flavor to it. Mom said it was filling and that she was surprised at how much she liked it.



I went with the Spicy Miso Seafood Ramen, as I always order ramen if it's on the menu. The broth was very flavorful with nice spiciness and the vegetables were good. The fake krab and the shrimp were both a bit odd: the first was stringy, and the second was gummy, but that's really what I expected from counter service ramen. As an expert on cheap ramen, it's much better then the 25cent 'bags' you can get and better then all cheap 2 to 4 dollar ramen-like dishes I've ever had save for one specific brand that was more on the five dollar range. So I can't really complain; Disney is always going to be a bit expensive.

I find it amusing that DIS's spellcheck does not know what ramen is. Poor DIS's spellcheck never went to collage.

We just drank water and skipped dessert. Both dishes were enough to fill us for the night, so we headed back to the hotel to get ready for an MK rope drop the next day.


NEXT: Mac and Cheese.

 

[Redwitch]

Sake break! Sake break!

And boy did we have a sake and soju break on Sunday! Probably the only ones in the whole USA that did an Asian Fusion Super Bowl Party.

Mom had the Gingo Kogen Beer

I need to try the beers because I have the "untapped" app on my phone. It's just like Girl Scouts, you collect badges!

There is nothing better than simply prepared Alaskan salmon... which we get a lot of here in Washington State.

Quit bragging!!!!

I love wine, but the sulfites can do a number on me. Sake doesn't have any!

I've heard from reputable sources that sake won't give you a hangover. It has to be just sake, no mixer. But, sake makes such good cocktails!

I'm not sure why we ended up here instead of at Tangerine Cafe (the best in Epcot, in my opinion), but it actually wasn't a bad meal.

You picked it, not me.

The curry was a bit congealed, but it had a nice flavor to it.

I really thought the curry was going to cold when I looked at it. It wasn't, and didn't taste half bad despite the odd look.

I went with the Spicy Miso Seafood Ramen, as I always order ramen if it's on the menu.

True that! We actually have a ramen place in town, and Mikka always wants to go there.

Mac and Cheese.

Mac and Cheese? Hurry up and show us the Mac and Cheese!