What Would Mr. Creosote Do? 4 Weekends at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival
- Thread starter TDC Nala
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TDC Nala
1937, what a year that was
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CALIFORNIA GRILL SIGNATURE DINNER OCTOBER 29, 2009
I’m excited to be writing from Old Key West on a Friday morning while enjoying a Diet Coke and a chocolate truffle. The acquisition of the truffle will be discussed in this post.
For those of us foodistas and vinophiles who wanted to see a return to the old Signature Dinners, which Disney saw fit to take away from us for awhile, were likely not disappointed by Chef Brian Piasecki and his team at California Grill.
To get the non-food-related out of the way first, this dinner was in a private room, one side of which has an MK view. Guess which side I was seated on. Luck-ee. The dinner was also coincidentally capped by a viewing of Hallowishes on the observation deck with perfect weather and a glass of dessert wine. How great was that. It was actually worth it just to hear the disco version of Grim Grinning Ghosts.
Foodwise, this was a very ambitious lineup, perhaps too ambitious in scope. Not talking about the food itself – all this was not a problem. The ambitiousness came in the size of the offering, it was just too much food, including almost every traditionally edible critter imaginable. That isn’t generally complaint-worthy unless you have to send your Kobe short rib home with your local friend and explain to poor Chef Brian why you’re not inhaling his masterpiece.
RECEPTION CANAPES
These are not just canapes. Some of them are canapes on steroids. Big tasty fried things that you can’t eat just one of. And there were FIVE to choose from. Plus a glass of Heidsieck & Co Blue Top Brut Champagne NV, Epernay.
CANAPE ONE: Lobster Beignets with Spicy Remoulade.
The ones in the photo score lower than the ones that were brought around by a cheerful server a bit later – brand new hot out of the fryer ones with powdered sugar on them. So, eating two of these was necessary. They needed to be cooled a bit but the sugar, savory filling and spicy sauce worked so WELL together.
CANAPE TWO: Gruyere Cheese Gougeres with Rabbit Confit and Huckleberry Gastrique
Immediately dubbed “Bunny Burgers.” Tasty, but too heavy for a canape.
CANAPE THREE: Chickpea Fritters with Curry Yogurt
Nice and spicy and crunchy. And small.
CANAPE FOUR: Roast Suckling Pig “Tacos” With Avocado and Margarita Crème Freche
The tacos are sitting on a scattering of coarse salt, so you picked up a bit of salt with the taco. I would consider this an example of how chefs SHOULD use salt. See Bluezoo Review above for reference.
CANAPE FIVE: Spicy Ostrich Spring Rolls and Sweet Soy Glaze
My fave. Part of my downfall may have been eating three of these.
AND NOW…THE DINNER
SALAD COURSE
Bitter Winter Green Salad with Wild Boar Pate, Crispy-glazed Wild Boar Belly, Organic Pears, and Aged Sherry Vinaigrette
Wine: Selbach-Oster Bernkasteler Badstube Spatlese Riesling, Mosel Saar Ruwer ‘08
This salad was a boar, but not a bore. There may have been a touch too much spice in the pate – it tasted like strong pepperoni. There are also candied pistachios on the plate – some of those worked to cut the spice a little with some sweetness. They also served a sweet wine with it (although it took me two minutes just to type the name of it). The boar belly was lovely with the pear butter – no argument about that at all.
SEAFOOD COURSE
Sushi Duo of Hiramasa and Toro-Citrus, Micro Wasabi, Ginger-lime Vinaigrette, and Sake Martini
This came from the imagination of Chef Yoshi, the sushi maven.
I’ve just finished reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and this looks like something his protagonist would try to translate – gorgeously symbolic-looking plate. There’s also some stuff in the base of the plate that you swish the fish around in and it had a bit of chili pepper bite in places. Some of my tablemates said they couldn’t detect any chili though. I should say that the pretty tuna tower disintegrated rather easily and turned into a bunch of little cubes impossible to pick up with the provided chopsticks. For my taste there was also a little too much gelatinous stuff included. Some of it was jello-ized soy sauce, which I think was a way of providing soy sauce and wasabi without having separate bowls for those. That’s handy with something that couldn’t be picked up and dipped, and was unusual, but it was too much jello. It was ambitious and tasty though.
The sake martini, a creation of Ray the bartender (not sure, it’s either Ray or Roy) was sake with an infusion of ginger, yuzu and cucumber – awesome. I wish he could make that at the bar, I’d be up there all the time.
POULTRY COURSE
Seared Breast of Squab with Grilled Matsutake, Veal Cheek Agnolotti, Watercress, and Pinot Noir Reduction
Wine: Williams Selyem Pinot Noir, Russian River ’07
This is where I began to crash and burn. I finished the squab (tasty – had a little bit of fat that had to be removed – my friend had a little more fat on hers than mine had) but managed only one of the pastas. Tablemates were happy to gobble them up.
INTERMEZZO: Roasted Quince with Apple and Pear Sorbet and Minus 8 Syrup
Lovely little palate cleanser, welcomingly light and fruity.
MEAT COURSE
Eight-Hour Braised Kobe Beef Short-Rib, Potato Canneloni, Ragu of Autumn Vegetables, and Natural Reduction
Wine: Opus One, Oakville ’97
(I don’t know why it looks like it’s iridescent in this picture – it didn’t look that way until I uploaded it and it didn’t taste weird or anything.) I managed only a couple of bites of this beautiful meat and some mini veggies but I did finish the ultra-classy wine. Maybe if I’d eaten fewer canapes I could have managed to finish it. It was beautifully tender and tasted great. Ate half a potato canneloni. Chef Brian said what he wrapped them in but I have forgotten what he used. (Edit - He used potato, actual sheets of potato.)The potatoes inside are finely diced. A fascinating way to serve potatoes, I thought.
CHEESE COURSE
Epoisses, Black Olive, Mushroom and Tomato; Bijou, Fennel and Beet; Oregon Blue, Pear and Balsamic
Wine: Klein Constancia Vin de Constance, South Africa ‘04
Sounded like regular cheese, but it wasn’t. It was an example of “playing with your cheese.” The Epoisses was presented as – wait for it – CHEESE ICE CREAM.
Holy Iron Chef, Batman! Cheese freakin’ ice cream? You betcha. I have to say I was rather excited to get cheese ice cream. And yes, it tasted like cheese. The mushrooms were presented as a “chip” that was stuck into the ice cream – which melted so fast you had to inhale it. The diagonally cut "sheet" is olive. Daubing the cheese in the smear of “ketchup” as one of my friends immediately named it made a difference in the taste.
On the far right there is blue cheese presented as a creamy, foamy mass with pear discs and a daub of balsamic vinegar. Mixing this all together was good too.
In the middle was the least effective presentation – the Beet Bomb. What looks like a bit of beet on the cheese turned out to be beet juice contained in a skin made of beet. When you cut into it beet juice ran from it and bled all over your plate. Great for Halloween, but the beet juice got into everything, including the blue cheese that I hadn’t yet eaten. But altogether this was a fun presentation and they get points for innovating – however I do think I might have been happy with a couple of bits of regular cheese. Plus there was this beautiful dessert wine served with it.
DESSERT COURSE
Triple Chocolate Hazelnut Bar with Cappuccino Gelato and Hazlenut Syrup
Wine: Clos de Paulliles Banyuls Remage ’06
Chocolate lovers take note: The chocolate hazelnut bar is lined on the bottom with tiny malted milk balls. It’s like Halloween candy goes upscale. A lot of people were not into the wine. I liked it with the chocolate. Not only that, but the cappucchino ice cream did not taste too much like coffee - it was very creamy - so I could finish it. I am not a coffee fan.
AND THAT’S NOT ALL!
We also have the reinstatement of a Signature Dinner favorite – The Chocolate Party Favor (background dish provided by Old Key West).
We took home a pretty chocolate box filled with four truffles.
At the end, Chef Brian and his team received much applause. (Brian is on the right of the photo, almost between the two pictures on the wall.)
Now THAT was a signature dinner.
I’m excited to be writing from Old Key West on a Friday morning while enjoying a Diet Coke and a chocolate truffle. The acquisition of the truffle will be discussed in this post.
For those of us foodistas and vinophiles who wanted to see a return to the old Signature Dinners, which Disney saw fit to take away from us for awhile, were likely not disappointed by Chef Brian Piasecki and his team at California Grill.
To get the non-food-related out of the way first, this dinner was in a private room, one side of which has an MK view. Guess which side I was seated on. Luck-ee. The dinner was also coincidentally capped by a viewing of Hallowishes on the observation deck with perfect weather and a glass of dessert wine. How great was that. It was actually worth it just to hear the disco version of Grim Grinning Ghosts.
Foodwise, this was a very ambitious lineup, perhaps too ambitious in scope. Not talking about the food itself – all this was not a problem. The ambitiousness came in the size of the offering, it was just too much food, including almost every traditionally edible critter imaginable. That isn’t generally complaint-worthy unless you have to send your Kobe short rib home with your local friend and explain to poor Chef Brian why you’re not inhaling his masterpiece.
RECEPTION CANAPES
These are not just canapes. Some of them are canapes on steroids. Big tasty fried things that you can’t eat just one of. And there were FIVE to choose from. Plus a glass of Heidsieck & Co Blue Top Brut Champagne NV, Epernay.
CANAPE ONE: Lobster Beignets with Spicy Remoulade.
The ones in the photo score lower than the ones that were brought around by a cheerful server a bit later – brand new hot out of the fryer ones with powdered sugar on them. So, eating two of these was necessary. They needed to be cooled a bit but the sugar, savory filling and spicy sauce worked so WELL together.
CANAPE TWO: Gruyere Cheese Gougeres with Rabbit Confit and Huckleberry Gastrique
Immediately dubbed “Bunny Burgers.” Tasty, but too heavy for a canape.
CANAPE THREE: Chickpea Fritters with Curry Yogurt
Nice and spicy and crunchy. And small.
CANAPE FOUR: Roast Suckling Pig “Tacos” With Avocado and Margarita Crème Freche
The tacos are sitting on a scattering of coarse salt, so you picked up a bit of salt with the taco. I would consider this an example of how chefs SHOULD use salt. See Bluezoo Review above for reference.
CANAPE FIVE: Spicy Ostrich Spring Rolls and Sweet Soy Glaze
My fave. Part of my downfall may have been eating three of these.
AND NOW…THE DINNER
SALAD COURSE
Bitter Winter Green Salad with Wild Boar Pate, Crispy-glazed Wild Boar Belly, Organic Pears, and Aged Sherry Vinaigrette
Wine: Selbach-Oster Bernkasteler Badstube Spatlese Riesling, Mosel Saar Ruwer ‘08
This salad was a boar, but not a bore. There may have been a touch too much spice in the pate – it tasted like strong pepperoni. There are also candied pistachios on the plate – some of those worked to cut the spice a little with some sweetness. They also served a sweet wine with it (although it took me two minutes just to type the name of it). The boar belly was lovely with the pear butter – no argument about that at all.
SEAFOOD COURSE
Sushi Duo of Hiramasa and Toro-Citrus, Micro Wasabi, Ginger-lime Vinaigrette, and Sake Martini
This came from the imagination of Chef Yoshi, the sushi maven.
I’ve just finished reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and this looks like something his protagonist would try to translate – gorgeously symbolic-looking plate. There’s also some stuff in the base of the plate that you swish the fish around in and it had a bit of chili pepper bite in places. Some of my tablemates said they couldn’t detect any chili though. I should say that the pretty tuna tower disintegrated rather easily and turned into a bunch of little cubes impossible to pick up with the provided chopsticks. For my taste there was also a little too much gelatinous stuff included. Some of it was jello-ized soy sauce, which I think was a way of providing soy sauce and wasabi without having separate bowls for those. That’s handy with something that couldn’t be picked up and dipped, and was unusual, but it was too much jello. It was ambitious and tasty though.
The sake martini, a creation of Ray the bartender (not sure, it’s either Ray or Roy) was sake with an infusion of ginger, yuzu and cucumber – awesome. I wish he could make that at the bar, I’d be up there all the time.
POULTRY COURSE
Seared Breast of Squab with Grilled Matsutake, Veal Cheek Agnolotti, Watercress, and Pinot Noir Reduction
Wine: Williams Selyem Pinot Noir, Russian River ’07
This is where I began to crash and burn. I finished the squab (tasty – had a little bit of fat that had to be removed – my friend had a little more fat on hers than mine had) but managed only one of the pastas. Tablemates were happy to gobble them up.
INTERMEZZO: Roasted Quince with Apple and Pear Sorbet and Minus 8 Syrup
Lovely little palate cleanser, welcomingly light and fruity.
MEAT COURSE
Eight-Hour Braised Kobe Beef Short-Rib, Potato Canneloni, Ragu of Autumn Vegetables, and Natural Reduction
Wine: Opus One, Oakville ’97
(I don’t know why it looks like it’s iridescent in this picture – it didn’t look that way until I uploaded it and it didn’t taste weird or anything.) I managed only a couple of bites of this beautiful meat and some mini veggies but I did finish the ultra-classy wine. Maybe if I’d eaten fewer canapes I could have managed to finish it. It was beautifully tender and tasted great. Ate half a potato canneloni. Chef Brian said what he wrapped them in but I have forgotten what he used. (Edit - He used potato, actual sheets of potato.)The potatoes inside are finely diced. A fascinating way to serve potatoes, I thought.
CHEESE COURSE
Epoisses, Black Olive, Mushroom and Tomato; Bijou, Fennel and Beet; Oregon Blue, Pear and Balsamic
Wine: Klein Constancia Vin de Constance, South Africa ‘04
Sounded like regular cheese, but it wasn’t. It was an example of “playing with your cheese.” The Epoisses was presented as – wait for it – CHEESE ICE CREAM.
Holy Iron Chef, Batman! Cheese freakin’ ice cream? You betcha. I have to say I was rather excited to get cheese ice cream. And yes, it tasted like cheese. The mushrooms were presented as a “chip” that was stuck into the ice cream – which melted so fast you had to inhale it. The diagonally cut "sheet" is olive. Daubing the cheese in the smear of “ketchup” as one of my friends immediately named it made a difference in the taste.
On the far right there is blue cheese presented as a creamy, foamy mass with pear discs and a daub of balsamic vinegar. Mixing this all together was good too.
In the middle was the least effective presentation – the Beet Bomb. What looks like a bit of beet on the cheese turned out to be beet juice contained in a skin made of beet. When you cut into it beet juice ran from it and bled all over your plate. Great for Halloween, but the beet juice got into everything, including the blue cheese that I hadn’t yet eaten. But altogether this was a fun presentation and they get points for innovating – however I do think I might have been happy with a couple of bits of regular cheese. Plus there was this beautiful dessert wine served with it.
DESSERT COURSE
Triple Chocolate Hazelnut Bar with Cappuccino Gelato and Hazlenut Syrup
Wine: Clos de Paulliles Banyuls Remage ’06
Chocolate lovers take note: The chocolate hazelnut bar is lined on the bottom with tiny malted milk balls. It’s like Halloween candy goes upscale. A lot of people were not into the wine. I liked it with the chocolate. Not only that, but the cappucchino ice cream did not taste too much like coffee - it was very creamy - so I could finish it. I am not a coffee fan.
AND THAT’S NOT ALL!
We also have the reinstatement of a Signature Dinner favorite – The Chocolate Party Favor (background dish provided by Old Key West).
We took home a pretty chocolate box filled with four truffles.
At the end, Chef Brian and his team received much applause. (Brian is on the right of the photo, almost between the two pictures on the wall.)
Now THAT was a signature dinner.
disneyfav4ever
No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2005
- Messages
- 15,113
California Grill looks wonderful. 
BriarRosie
<font color=blue>Creator of Tag Fairy Haiku:<br>Cl
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Damn, I think Brian put my Flying Fish dinner to shame, which I think was difficult to do! It totally blew away the Todd dinner, which sadly, was quite easy to do.
The hoover doovers looked amazing, and yes, you did get a lot of food.
I was going ga-OOH-ga eyes at the food, and that you were served Opus One wine! That alone is worth the cost of the dinner, IMHO.
Loved the cheese ice cream and chocolate dessert. That made me jealous! The chocolate truffle goodies just pushed me over the edge.
The hoover doovers looked amazing, and yes, you did get a lot of food.
I was going ga-OOH-ga eyes at the food, and that you were served Opus One wine! That alone is worth the cost of the dinner, IMHO.
Loved the cheese ice cream and chocolate dessert. That made me jealous! The chocolate truffle goodies just pushed me over the edge.
redzinner
Me Wants the Medianoche!
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- Oct 2, 2007
- Messages
- 1,564
Looks like another scrumptious evening! I'm glad to see Brian in a restaurant where he can spread his wings. Jiko was too confining for him and something just didn't click there.
I recognize several 'foodies' in that last photo (with Brian) from Exquisite Evenings of days gone by.
Thanks for the review and photos.
I recognize several 'foodies' in that last photo (with Brian) from Exquisite Evenings of days gone by.
Thanks for the review and photos.
TinkerBelle_325
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2001
- Messages
- 4,267
OH YES I want to go back – but I want the Chef’s Table. Who do I have to bribe to get that?
Not anytime soon though - next week for my final food & wine festival weekend I have two signature dinners (California Grill and Wonders of Life - Epcot chefs) and the Party for the Senses (Fall Harvest theme on Halloween) plus Andrew Zimmern and more sausages
You know, both times that I have called to book V&A (main dining room) I've been offered the Chefs Table
Once was a 7am call, the other was a 11am call. Keep trying
TDC Nala
1937, what a year that was
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2001
- Messages
- 59,190
2:45 OCTOBER 30 ANDREW ZIMMERN CULINARY DEMONSTRATION
Because everyone probably wants to know if he served scorpions or bird intestines or the naughty bits of some quadrupedal animal, here's the food first.
This is a Sweet and Sour Bangkok Style Quail with Red Chiles.
Quail is about as exotic as he could probably get without giving Disney apoplexy. The quail was cooked pretty well and I love the sauce. The rice was a bit undercooked.
Guess what they served it with? A thimbleful of our old friend Rosa, Rosa Regale. It's supposed to go well with spicy food.
Andrew says you can throw pretty much any type of critter you like into this sauce and it'll turn out fine. He also told us some stories, like the worst thing he ever ate - 14 day old stinky tofu.
Here are Pam and Andrew checking out some Thai chiles.
Pam looks like she is wondering where they can get some stinky tofu for the party for the senses.
LUNCH BY SPECIAL REQUEST
Beef "flautas" from La Cava del Tequila. These just turned up on the menu.
My knowledge is limited to what I can buy at Trader Joes but I am pretty sure these are taquitos, not flautas. The tortillas are corn. At any rate they're filled with shredded beef and have some black beans, guacamole sauce and Mexican queso. I would have loved some salsa with them too so next time will order them with chips and salsa.
Because everyone probably wants to know if he served scorpions or bird intestines or the naughty bits of some quadrupedal animal, here's the food first.
This is a Sweet and Sour Bangkok Style Quail with Red Chiles.
Quail is about as exotic as he could probably get without giving Disney apoplexy. The quail was cooked pretty well and I love the sauce. The rice was a bit undercooked.
Guess what they served it with? A thimbleful of our old friend Rosa, Rosa Regale. It's supposed to go well with spicy food.
Andrew says you can throw pretty much any type of critter you like into this sauce and it'll turn out fine. He also told us some stories, like the worst thing he ever ate - 14 day old stinky tofu.
Here are Pam and Andrew checking out some Thai chiles.
Pam looks like she is wondering where they can get some stinky tofu for the party for the senses.
LUNCH BY SPECIAL REQUEST
Beef "flautas" from La Cava del Tequila. These just turned up on the menu.
My knowledge is limited to what I can buy at Trader Joes but I am pretty sure these are taquitos, not flautas. The tortillas are corn. At any rate they're filled with shredded beef and have some black beans, guacamole sauce and Mexican queso. I would have loved some salsa with them too so next time will order them with chips and salsa.
ImprovGal
<font color=green>No animals were harmed in the ma
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2004
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... and here's what you missed by going out to that observation deck to view Wishes.
Why did the trespassers try to cross the private event?
Why, to get to the other side for the less crowded observation deck.
Those wonderful servers who had been refilling our glasses all evening had to multitask and perform the role of bouncer to usher out the dozen guests who decided to try to cut through the private room to get to the less crowded observation deck. If the guests had been more persistent, the situation may have gone all WWE.
BriarRosie
<font color=blue>Creator of Tag Fairy Haiku:<br>Cl
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kabuki
<font color=green>It's free if you pass out in the
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2:45 OCTOBER 30 ANDREW ZIMMERN CULINARY DEMONSTRATION
Because everyone probably wants to know if he served scorpions or bird intestines or the naughty bits of some quadrupedal animal, here's the food first.
This is a Sweet and Sour Bangkok Style Quail with Red Chiles.
Quail is about as exotic as he could probably get without giving Disney apoplexy. The quail was cooked pretty well and I love the sauce. The rice was a bit undercooked.
Guess what they served it with? A thimbleful of our old friend Rosa, Rosa Regale. It's supposed to go well with spicy food.
Andrew says you can throw pretty much any type of critter you like into this sauce and it'll turn out fine. He also told us some stories, like the worst thing he ever ate - 14 day old stinky tofu.
Here are Pam and Andrew checking out some Thai chiles.
Pam looks like she is wondering where they can get some stinky tofu for the party for the senses.
LUNCH BY SPECIAL REQUEST
Beef "flautas" from La Cava del Tequila. These just turned up on the menu.
My knowledge is limited to what I can buy at Trader Joes but I am pretty sure these are taquitos, not flautas. The tortillas are corn. At any rate they're filled with shredded beef and have some black beans, guacamole sauce and Mexican queso. I would have loved some salsa with them too so next time will order them with chips and salsa.
Your are correct sir, these are taquitos! Flautas would have a flour tor-tilla for starts! They look fun though?!
oybolshoi
DIS Legend
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- Aug 16, 2004
- Messages
- 11,879
Not saying how but we've got an advance menu for the PFTS tonight - and we're getting the Ditch's crab tostadas
the real question is will you be getting unlimited samples of the Ditch's margaritas to wash them down?
PNO4TE
I used to be the DIS Musician and a Jamborini...
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2001
- Messages
- 31,531
Not saying how but we've got an advance menu for the PFTS tonight - and we're getting the Ditch's crab tostadas
I sure am glad it's not their flautas... or taquitos.
TDC Nala
1937, what a year that was
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2001
- Messages
- 59,190
the real question is will you be getting unlimited samples of the Ditch's margaritas to wash them down?
Actually...WE DID GET MARGARITAS. Teeny margaritas (the jalapeno ones) with salt and everything. I had four.
The time change is playing with me. Waiting for noon to get out and conquer the world in the World Showcase Snackdown. I do not think I will bring the camera though. Things could get ugly.
disneyfav4ever
No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep
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Can't wait to hear about the party last night!
oybolshoi
DIS Legend
- Joined
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- 11,879
Kudos to someone for thinking about serving the margaritas!
Have a good afternoon with those snacks ... sure wish we were there, too.
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