What Would Mr. Creosote Do? 4 Weekends at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival

[TDC Nala]

I wish you all were here too, I will have friends coming to tour with me but the more in your group, the better chance you have to offend other guests in true Festivalgoer style. Just kidding about that last part.

The camera will come along as I have a new idea about how to present the Snackdown. I have Wonders wine dinner photos uploading. Yes I will get something done soon.

 

[oybolshoi]

I wish you all were here too, I will have friends coming to tour with me but the more in your group, the better chance you have to offend other guests in true Festivalgoer style. Just kidding about that last part.

No offense taken! I'm pretty sure we offended someone staggering out of the Ditch that Tuesday afternoon ... we were all having way too much fun trying on nacho hats in the marketplace for one thing. And there is a disturbing stretch in my memory between France and Germany that is a total blank from that night. There are pictures documenting that we were there but I don't remember any of it.

The camera will come along as I have a new idea about how to present the Snackdown. I have Wonders wine dinner photos uploading. Yes I will get something done soon.

Is this your Axis v. Allies day? I can't wait to see who wins ... revisionist food history really melts my butter!

 

[BriarRosie]

I wish you all were here too, I will have friends coming to tour with me but the more in your group, the better chance you have to offend other guests in true Festivalgoer style. Just kidding about that last part.

The camera will come along as I have a new idea about how to present the Snackdown. I have Wonders wine dinner photos uploading. Yes I will get something done soon.

Have fun conquering the world. I do wish I was there to say hi to the usual suspects. Looking forward to the Snackdown photos.

 

[dizneykid]

Finally caught up!

Very nice take on bluezoo! We would have liked something other than Ruffino also. We do like those wines, but two years in a row, we had hoped for something else.

Wow - California Grill looked amazing! I like the selection of wines. Like Redzinner said, it's nice to see Chef Brian in an environment where he can excell.

Thanks for the recap of Zimmern - darn no scorpions.

They should put up a plaque with your name on it in the Tequila Cave! In honor of their most "frequent" guest! I'm very jealous! We love that place.

 

[TigerKat]

That CG dinner looked simply incredible!!!!

 

[TDC Nala]

THE BOISSET/DAHLMANN WONDERS OF WINE DINNER OCTOBER 30

This was billed as a “wine dinner” and they weren’t kidding as it was really more wine than dinner.

It was held in the Wonders of Life Pavilion VIP room. I’ve been to events held in Epcot before where park admission was not required to attend the event. At the past events, you’d be driven behind Epcot to the event venue in a towncar.

For this event, you were met at the gate (in our case the International Gateway) and asked if you needed to be escorted past security so you could WALK to the event.



It’s a very good thing I did not wear heels to this. Because walking from the International Gateway to the Wonders of Life was certainly not anticipated. The gal who was there checking us in, when asked about the change in logistics, said “It was assumed most people would be coming from the main entrance.” That’s Disney logic but it doesn’t make a lot of sense elsewhere. Upon finding out we had annual passes she didn’t even escort us in, so we had to get in the line to have our bags checked AND to put the passes through the turnstiles.

So after the long walk from the International Gateway to the Wonders of Life we then had to be checked in AGAIN before we were escorted upstairs to the VIP room.

There were canapes but I don’t have photos of those and they are not on the menu. There were four. One was the same “snail poppers” they’re serving at the France booth. There was also a slice of duck on toast, a leek quiche, and the Unknown Canape which must have been totally boring because I can’t remember it.

This dinner was well hosted by the indomitable Pam Smith who had something to say about each course and wine. The chef, Jens Dahlmann (he is in charge of the food at Epcot) also spoke about the food when he had the time (his kitchen was pretty busy).

Here is Jean Charles Boisset, the Hathaway Browne of vintners. He’s quite slick and suave. This is his show because we’re all here for the wine. Best photo I have because he would absolutely not stand still.

Here’s the deal with this event. Each course was accompanied by two wines – one Old World wine from France and a New World wine from California (Boisset has vineyards in both places). We were supposed to drink and compare the wines, along with the courses provided by Chef Jens. All the wines were based on Pinot grapes (except the dessert) so there will be serious cases of pinot envy.

I really do wish I’d taken photos of all the wines because having that much wine lined up on the table was interesting.

Wine pairing 1: No. 69 Rose 2007, JCB, California AND Meursault 1 “Les Charmes” 2005, JCB, Burgundy

Served with: Black Truffle and Fingerling Potato Rosage with Slow Poached Egg and Frisee

These actually may have been my favorite wines except for the dessert, or maybe it’s just that so much red wine later in the event made me remember having the rose and white more.

As for the food, the truffles and potatoes were EXCELLENT but it was accompanied by a whole poached egg which I gave away so I am not sure I got the intended effect from this dish. But it is still

Wine pairing 2: No 7 Pinot Noir, 2006, JCB, California AND Chambolle-Musigny, 2005, JCB, Burgundy

Served with: Roasted Rainbow Trout with Onion Saubisse and Caramelized Fall Vegetables

Who says you can’t have fish with red wine? The trout is kind of a rich oily fish and some thyme had been put inside of it while it was cooked, so it had a good strong flavor to go with the red wine. Plus Chef Jens said the sauce had pulverized snails in it as well as onions. Go figure.

Wine pairing 3: No 11 Pinot Noir, 2006, JCB, California AND Beune 1 Cru “Les Bressandes” 2005, JCB, Burgundy

Served with: Pave of Beef Sirloin with Braised Oxtail, Sweetbreads, Wild Mushrooms and Pommes Puree

Every part of cattle – the brain (oops, thymus), the tail and the sirloin. It was actually quite good. I’m not an enormous fan of beef. I did manage to finish the sirloin and the sweetbread (I think the Festival turned into Sweetbread City this year – maybe to make up for being unable to serve foie gras) but had a couple of bites of the oxtail.

Wine pairing 4: No. 22 Pinot Noir, 2006, JCB, California AND Echezeaux Grand Cru, 2002, JCB Burgundy

Served with: Epoisses de Bourgogne with Roasted Pears and Sourdough Bread

According to what Pam and Jean Charles were saying, this is highly expensive wine being served with the cheese course. Chef Jens said if you don’t like stinky cheese then don’t eat the rinds. I don’t mind stinky cheese, especially with expensive wine. Besides, this is the same cheese I got last night as ice cream, so now a chance to try it as actual cheese…

Dessert course: Crepe Souffle with Caramelized Apples, Green Apple Sorbet and Calvados Caramel Sauce

If you hated apples, you had a problem. This is like Johnny Appleseed’s wildest dreams. Apple crepe, apple sorbet, apple chip, apple liqueur in the sauce, and they served an apple cider ice wine with it. Why is it that I am giving desserts the Homer lately?

A lot of that Homer is for the apple cider ice wine which is not on the menu they gave us, so I can’t recall who made it.

And then after all that wine, Disney logistics raises its ugly head again because we were required to be escorted out of Future World because it was closed, so we were asked to wait until more people came down from Wonders VIP so they could walk us all out at once, and then once we got to Future World we were set off on our own to get to the International Gateway.

But they did provide us with some swag: a little book about Burgundy wines, some chocolate, and the menu holder.

I looked it up and this all-Burns and a Homer with loads of really excellent wine cost $150 as opposed to Todd English’s $185 in which he scored TWO Neds. Just for comparison

 

[BriarRosie]

Nice Wonders dinner, even if they made you walk there.

When I saw the egg, I wished I was there to take that from you.

When I saw the sweetbreads, I thought it was a Sweetbread City, too. I already had the trifecta on my trip.

When I saw the cheese, I thought it was your trifecta of Epoisses, since we did get little teeny pan of it at V&A. I liked it very much.

And yeah, it's a bummer that I paid the most for Todd's event and got better meals paying less elsewhere. And I didn't get any goodies from my signature dinners. You're hitting paydirt!

 

[norybell]

There needs to be a drooling smiley. Just for this.

 

[2xcited2sleep]

Wow! Sure does look like you've had a great time at F&W!! Loved all your reviews and the rating system!!

 

[oybolshoi]

When we get back to F&W in 2011 I'm only booking the events you and Lori choose because you two seem to have an instinct for the best that I'm sorely lacking.

Great update and I would have battled Lori for your egg or perhaps offered you some brains in payment.

I saw you had a starring role in a blog on All Ears, btw. Sounds like you had a great time yesterday.

 

[TDC Nala]

Don't forget that Lori and I chose Bluezoo. No really. We love Bluezoo. Just not doing the Leather Muppet Signature again.

Amy got the egg. It's fair as I'm always getting her sweetbreads.

I am sure I have some sort of role in my friend Laura's blog.

 

[BriarRosie]

When we get back to F&W in 2011 I'm only booking the events you and Lori choose because you two seem to have an instinct for the best that I'm sorely lacking.

Great update and I would have battled Lori for your egg or perhaps offered you some brains in payment.

I saw you had a starring role in a blog on All Ears, btw. Sounds like you had a great time yesterday.

Don't forget that Lori and I chose Bluezoo. No really. We love Bluezoo. Just not doing the Leather Muppet Signature again.

Amy got the egg. It's fair as I'm always getting her sweetbreads.

I am sure I have some sort of role in my friend Laura's blog.

Yeah, what Catherine said. As long as we stay away from Muppet Jerky events we should be fine. I plan on going to Todd English's bluezoo™ again in December. I won't let Dead Sea Pasta deter me.

 

[TDC Nala]

PARTY FOR THE SENSES 10/31

Themed “Fall Harvest.” Should have been themed “Ugly Gargoyles.”

Yeah that was it for the Halloween decoration – those, and a fountain with drooling pumpkins inside the Wine View Room which the rifraff like me couldn’t get in to see.

But there were treats and not many tricks. The only trick appears to be for the chefs to see just how much pumpkin they can work into pretty much everything.

First of all this place was so uncrowded compared to last year that there was no problem walking up to any of the stations to get anything. So the feast could commence. No use rating all this stuff so it will be just a Feast for the Eyeballs.

Nantucket Chowder, Pumpkin-dusted Scallops, and Spiced Potato Glass

Served by Brooke Vosika, Four Seasons Hotel, Boston, MA

Fall Harvest Risotto with Sage and Black Truffle

Served by Michael & Laura Kloeti, Michael’s on the Hill, Waterbury Center, VT

Harvest Vegetable and Shrimp Gazpacho with Tomato Vodka

Served by Chris Prosperi, Metro Bis, Simsbury, CT, who would put an extra shot of tomato vodka in if you asked

Pomegranate Glazed Lamb Chops, Celeriac, Parsnip and Fall Apple Puree with Syrah Pomegranate Reduction

Served by Kevin Downing, Disney’s Vero Beach Resort

Curried Vegetables with a Seared Chickpea and Peppadew Cake

Served by David Njoroge, Jiko – The Cooking Place, Animal Kingdom Lodge

Grilled Steak Tacos with Spicy Shiitake Mushroom Salsa

Served by Cat Cora, Food Network’s Iron Chef America (and Kouzzina)

Pumpkin-Seed Crusted Veal Loin with Fall Mushrooms and Squash

Served by Brian Bell & Jonathan Eismann, Pacific Times Restaurant, Miami, FL

Spiced Apple Cider-Brined Pork Sausage with Ancho Chili Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and Cranberries over Micro Greens, topped with Apple and Pear Chutney (whew)

Served by Tom Kelly, The Hollywood Brown Derby, Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Two I tried and didn’t photograph:
Vanilla-Infused Tile Fish on an Apple Pie Risotto, served by Katrina Van Oudheusen, Boatwright’s Dining Hall, Disney’s Port Orleans Resort

Salmon Corn Cake with Remoulade, served by Walter Staib, City Tavern, Philadelphia, PA

The ones I didn’t get to:
Seared Beef Tenderloin, Herb-Infused White Bean Mash, Braised Leeks with Apples and Cabernet Foam, served by Royal Donaldson, The Wave, Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Lamb Tenderloin with Eggplant Caviar, Goat Cheese and Toasted Pine Nuts, served by Artur Bukalo, Biergarten Restaurant, Epcot

Crispy Breaded Pork Belly with Winter Squash, served by Glenn O’Brien, Olivia’s Café, Disney’s Old Key West Resort

Desserts:
Pumpkin Mousse with Candied Walnut and Crumbled Shortbread; Riesling-poached Pear with Almond Brown Butter Financier and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Served by Alain Roby and Hagop Hagopian, Hyatt Hotel and Resorts, Chicago, IL

Chocolate Pumpkin Flan

Served by Nancy Ponce, Walt Disney World Park Event Operations

Caramel and Popcorn Panna Cotta with Ricotta Donut, Raspberry Sauce and Chocolate-Espresso Cookie Lollipop (shown here with Chocolate Accents – the one on top is a port truffle. Underneath is a cinnamon truffle)

Served by John Hui, Pebble Beach Resorts, Pebble Beach, CA

I missed the: Spiced Sweet Potato Tart with Rocky Road Ice Cream and Salted Caramel Sauce, served by James Rabb, Disney’s Contemporary Resort Bakery
Well, you can’t get to all of ‘em.

And finally, a study in the reasons why Elmer Fudd was always hunting:

Pumpkin and Rabbit Pozole with Candied Ancho and Queso Fresca

Served by Kurt Fleichfresser, The Coach House, Nicholas Hills, OK

Tabasco & Tasso Braised Duck, Smoky Bacon and Buttermilk Whipped Potatoes with Fire Roasted Mushrooms, Parmesan and Truffled Chestnut Butter

Served by Tory McPhail, The Commander’s Palace, New Orleans, LA

Rabbit and Pumpkin Stew, Under a Blanket of Sage Buttered Pasta

Served by Ron Cavileer, Turf Club Bar & Grill, Saratoga Springs Resort

Duck Pot Pie in Pumpkin Crust with Caramelized Apple and a Dusting of Walnut and Cranberry

Served by Damon Lauder, Walt Disney World Park Event Operations

 

[BriarRosie]

I enjoyed the Rabbit Season vs. Duck Season photos. But man, everything looked pretty damn tasty.

 

[kabuki]

Love the Bugs tribute! Everything looked good, was it?

 

[TDC Nala]

AND NOW the event of the season (loud sports channel music)

WORLD SHOWCASE SNACKDOWN!!

First off a primer on how to play World Showcase Snackdown.

Arm yourself with a bottle of water on a bottle holder for hands-free touring. Pick a kiosk, buy an item, walk while eating or drinking it, throw away the plate/cup and utensils in the nearest official waste receptacle. Once you have disposed of the refuse, walk to the kiosk closest to that waste receptacle (no backing up) and buy an item there (unless that country has already competed in a previous Snackdown- then go to the next kiosk). These two items go toe to toe in the WORLD SHOWCASE SNACKDOWN.

Assembled over two days (November 1 and 2)

ROUND ONE:
MOROCCO vs. AUSTRIA

Morocco put up its dukes with a Kefta Pocket ($5)

No, you can’t see the meat, but it’s in there. It’s like meatballs with a slightly spicy but flavorful sauce. The meat is hiding behind some ordinary lettuce.

Austria countered with the Goulash mit Servietten Knoedel (Paprika Beef Stew, Bacon Dumpling) $3.75

Which I only got because I had the mushroom soup and didn’t really like it. What a pinch hitter this turned out to be. The sauce was a little bit greasy but that was made up for by the nice chunks o' lovely tender beef.
Austria wins this one bullishly.

ROUND TWO:
INDIA vs. GREECE

Picked the least likely contestant from India: Mango Lassi ($2.75)

No, not Lassi as in “Timmy’s in the well” but as in a chilled mango and yogurt drink. I’ve had these before and I do not believe they are supposed to look like a glass of French’s mustard. And it wasn’t all that chilled. On the plus side it had a nice sweet flavor, but not too sweet.

Once finished with the Lassi I was scouting around the Greek Isles for a matchup. What goes up well against an Indian beverage? Well, Greece doesn’t have any beverages other than wine, and to me it isn’t fair for a non-alcoholic beverage to battle booze (the booze always gets the advantage – it’s that performance-enhancing chemical in there) so the most lightweight of the possible contenders was Greek Salad ($2.75)

Actually it’s a flavor-packing little salad with olives and feta cheese.

Sorry, Lassi – but the Greeks win this party.

ROUND THREE:
FRANCE vs. JAPAN

The French can put up snails, beef or dessert. Dessert sounds good right about now, so here is the French would-be champion: Chocolate Milk Crème Brulee ($3.95)

A perfectly nice little dessert but to me it has one downfall and that’s the word “milk.” This has the mildest chocolate taste. I like a little dark chocolate. On the plus side it has a very nice sugar crust for something served in a foil muffin cup.

It doesn’t take long to eat so it isn’t that far from France to Japan in Epcot mileage. Now, if the wimpy chocolate went up against the spicy tuna roll it doesn’t have a chance. So the best chance for a more even matchup is the California Roll (Crabmeat and Cucumber ($3.50)

Okay, it isn’t California Dreamin Roll, but it’s close enough – there’s even a bit of roe on it. Down go the French to the Japanese (there’s your revisionist food history right there).

ROUND FOUR
ITALY vs. POLAND

Ugh, Epcot Italy. Well, really, the pavilion itself is okay. Anyplace that sells limoncello and Rosa and real Italian chocolates and boasts a live show called “Romeo and Edna” can’t be that bad. But Epcot Italy Food…sigh. There are three choices – pizza, canneloni and meatballs. Yawn. At least the meatballs ($4.50) are veal (I’ll be here all week, try the veal). And they’re sold by an enthusiastic young Italian dude who will correct you when you ask for meatballs by yelling “POLPETTINI!!!!” so loudly that Off Kilter could probably hear him.

You might ask “Where are the meatballs, er, polpettini?” Why, they’re underneath the sauce of course. And the sauce is bloody hot. Watch it or you’ll burn something. The breadsticks are boring but work OK for getting the sauce out of the cup. And the sauce is pretty good. As for the meatballs, are they real veal? No idea, but they taste just fine. (But hey…$4.50 for these? This is why I have been skipping Italy all these years.)

Due to the luck of the draw, Italy ended up having the good fortune to go up against Poland and the Kielbasa and Potato Pierogie with Caramelized Onions and Sour Cream ($5)

This was frankly lousy. None of it was in the least warm (took care of the burnt lip from the Italy sauce), and the sour cream tasted weird. A glob of cold onions doesn’t help it much at all. Maybe they’re supposed to be eaten that way, but they were just so much gelatinous goo.

Italy by a LANDSLIDE.

ROUND FIVE
CANADA vs. ARGENTINA

Canada by all rights should put up its Hall of Fame Star of the Festival – the Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup ($3.75).

The Champ floats like a butterfly, tastes like a pig. That’s right, the magic ingredient is BACON. I had no fewer than three persons in line tell me how GREAT this stuff was when I was purchasing it. That has to be due to the American love affair with bacon, because the soup tastes of bacon, salt and a bit of cheese. It’s also lightly greasy. Not that I don’t like bacon – I love bacon.

Argentina by contrast brings out the cow: Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Puree ($4.75)

Yes, the cow is tasty, but how does it hold up against The Canadian Champion? First of all that puddle of oil on the plate was a mistake (the squeeze bottle with the chimichurri needed to be shaken before use and wasn’t) but that is the fault of the person serving it and not of the food – no points marked down. Beef – tender and not fatty; chimichurri – very good also. A boniato is like a starchy potato. Could have used some salt – should have saved a little cheese soup to pour over it. Now THAT would have been awesome and a brilliant example of international teamwork.

I gotta give it to the cow just because I don’t think the soup lives up to the hype. It’s good but it isn’t THAT good.

ROUND SIX
CHINA vs. SOUTH AFRICA

Now there’s a matchup. In China, went for the Shrimp Rice Pancake ($3.50).

The verdict: Very boring. Not to mention that it looks like SpongeBob got hit by a steamroller. There is a bottle of sriracha on the counter and that’s what saved it from a snackdown worthy of Poland. Took four bites to eat this so I only got as far as South Africa (again we’re talking Epcot distances).

South Africa put up the Seared Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Potato Purée, Mango Barbecue Sauce ($4.75)

There wasn’t anything boring about this one, not even the photo (from this viewpoint it looks like Davy Jones' undead hermit crab). There are spices in the sweet potatoes and the sauce is both sweet and tangy. The beef was easier to chew in both Austria and Argentina but all they had to do was whip China and that was done easily. Thanks for playing. Nice parting gifts for ya, Shanghai.

ROUND SEVEN
HOPS & BARLEY (USA) vs. IRELAND

Good ole America has a crab cake and a lobster roll (and BEER but the beer is not competing) and I categorically refuse to order the lobster roll because I know I am not going to like it. So the crab cake with remoulade and cabbage slaw ($4.50) is pressed into competition by default.

And it’s a contendah – it’s all crab and I like the bite of the slaw. The sauce tastes too much like tartar sauce for me.

Ireland should be putting shellfish against shellfish but I can’t eat a whole pie and it’s time for dessert. So here is the heavy hitter from the Emerald Isle: Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Bailey's Ganache ($2.75)

Note the reflective properties of Bailey’s Ganache.

This is actually the most difficult round of Snackdown to make a decision. The crab cake is good and the chocolate cake is small. How much is riding on the fact that I was just in the mood for some chocolate cake?

Okay, everything, as it’s my game. Ireland wins it.

This broadcast of “World Showcase Snackdown” is the property of Creosote Productions and should not be read by sober persons without the express written consent of Walt Disney’s frozen head. Violators are subject to purchasing the broadcaster a margarita at the Ditch.

 

[BriarRosie]

I'd buy you a margarita at the Ditch just by posting that Snackdown review.

You had me at French's mustard Mango Lassi.

 

[Briarmom]

It does look like Spongebob got hit by a steamroller.

 

[TheDISneyFamily]

It was nice to finally meet you! Glad you had a good time at F&W Fest this year. Thanks for the reviews.

 

[DisneyMom5]

Loved the World Showcase smackdown! Enjoying all the reviews.