Yo Ho Yo Ho a Tipsy Life for Me - A November '17 Dining Adventure - Complete 5/27

[buzzrelly]

I waited behind someone who had a cooler full of loose ice that had to be removed before it could be checked

From there we used a FP for The Land, which thankfully we had because the wait was 55 minutes!!!!

I love LWTL, but not enough to wait 55 minutes

Great picture of you with your mini!

Here we tried the Savory Caramelized Onion Tart and a glass of Gruner Veltliner.

The tart ended up being my favorite item of the festival. First, the potion size was huge so it was a great value, but the crust was exceptionally flaky and the cheese creamy with just a slight onion flavor. The richness of the tart was cut through nicely by the arugula and balsamic, making this pretty dang close to perfect.

I'm still dreaming of this I was kind of hoping they had something like it at F & G in April, but it looks like I'll have to wait until October to get it again

He was kind enough to model for me as he had picked up a few treasures along the way.

Did Jason pick up a new purse?

She LOVED doing this and thanks to yet another great tip from Su-Lynn aka @chunkymonkey I had picked up the perfect cinderella's carriage pendant to put it in on Amazon for next to nothing. Child and parent happy!

Adorable! That Su-Lynn is so smart, I never knew that!

We then paid a stop to the Chocolate Studio where we tried the Liquid Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle.

This was definitely a "cool" piece and it was fun to watch them make it. It was a bit hard to eat, but it was fun who it went from frozen to fudge like inside your mouth. Definitely worth checking out!

Looks delicious! I am definitely realizing that we just didn't do Food & Wine right, at all!

 

[ArielSRL]

After 3 straight days with 3 am wake-up calls we slept in a bit the next day

Probably a smart idea!

We were in the corner of the waiting area and literally no one would move that way. I thought maybe Jason had forgotten to shower after his half marathon, but we enjoyed the space nonetheless.

From there we headed for lunch, but not before running into our favorite country crooner.

Love it!

We eventually made our way to Liberty Tree Tavern

I wanted to try this in June but Chad wasn't impressed with the menu - I was kind of surprised since he has very simple food tastes (though Disney must bring out his adventurous side with Sanaa being his favorite). So Be Our Guest it is.

Ooey Gooey Cake, Ice Cream, Chocolate, Caramel, and Toffee. Yes. Please. And Thank You!

Um, yum!

My little pirate got her matey on for the first time and did two Pirate Adventures. We'd never done this before and Casey loved it!!!! Definite must do for all the lil matey's out there.

We definitely need to check this out!

 

[ArielSRL]

Side note shame on Disney for getting rid of the children's activities centers.

Wholeheartedly agree. We never got the chance to try them out but I sure was planning to...

Where Jason and I ordered the Warm Goat Cheese Pudding with Spinach and a couple of Kronenbourg Blanc Lagers.

The goat cheese pudding was decent, but it wasn't as "goaty" as I like as the tanginess of the cheese wasn't prominent and it could have used some bread to eat it with.

It looks yummy but definitely would be better with bread! Don't people know that carbs and cheese need each other?

 

[ArielSRL]

Double post...ugh.

 

[ArielSRL]

We've only done Jedi training with Casey once but didn't have any issues, just got there a few minutes before opening and the wait wasn't too long.

June 2016 we did just the line and we waited like 30-40 minutes just to sign up. So I tried the PPO last June and we waited less than 5 minutes, so I'm just sticking with it.

He's steering our bed/ship of course. What else would he be doing

Well, of course, DUH me!

You should definitely try it. Soarin' bothers me a bit too so I just close my eyes when it does. I had to do the same thing on FOP a few times, but it was so worth it.

Good to know!

From there we used a FP for The Land, which thankfully we had because the wait was 55 minutes!!!!

I swear, we run into waits like this at LwtL all the time.

At this point we were all getting hangry and Casey had her sights planted firmly on this guy.

I so wanted one of these. But to get a personal shopper to buy one and ship it, was cost prohibitive, so we went without. Boo hoo.

First up we have the Cheese Studio.

If you can't tell, I love me some cheese!

He was kind enough to model for me as he had picked up a few treasures along the way.

We then paid a stop to the Chocolate Studio where we tried the Liquid Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle.

Yum! They do something similar at the Star Wars Dessert Party but its a Liquid Nitro Nutella Truffle, I think.

Test Track ended up being down again, for the 2nd time this trip during our FP window

I swear, I can't even remember the last time I rode this bc TT is always down when I try to ride it.

 

[Momee]

Carib beer, yes... definitely about $4 for a 6 pack in Nassau. We fill our backpacks with it any time our Disney ship ports there. (Don't judge us.)
We can also purchase it at TotalWine here in South FL.

We walked by the Caribbean booth and laughed hysterically at the price and size of the "thimble".
My husband said something to the effect of "Disney is really making bank on that beer."

 

[Raeven]

The tart ended up being my favorite item of the festival. First, the potion size was huge so it was a great value, but the crust was exceptionally flaky and the cheese creamy with just a slight onion flavor. The richness of the tart was cut through nicely by the arugula and balsamic, making this pretty dang close to perfect.

This looks so good! After hearing so many people talk about it, missing this is probably my biggest F&W regret so I hope they bring it back next year. I meant to go grab one, but I ended up too full to go back

Cat, I have no idea why you are suhsi but I want ten of you! Though I still have no idea why I didn't buy you. Love this crazy store.

I have never seen these, but I really want to

I don't think I would have ever sought out almond "ice cream" but this was surprisingly good. It was a bit icier than ice cream, but the berries and banana flavor paired really well together. And dare I say this may have been some semblance of healthy.

Ooo that sounds good, we got the strawberry smoothie type drink from that booth and it tasted really strange and artificial.

 

[kastoney]

I'm kicking myself that I didn't get that onion tart! I was always not hungry enough when we got to that booth but I'm wishing I would have done it!

If they have it again next year definitely give it a try. It was so good! I could devour one right about now.

Hopefully they have the Watermelon Gose next year! Shaun has really gotten into Gose since he started his new job. F&W Festival is going to be so different this year since he likes so much more stuff now!

Yeah I'm a huge Gose fan. We were at a local brewery yesterday and they had a great cherry one. I'm hoping they become more popular so there are more options.

Love this. Being bad food girl that I am, I always have my dessert before my lunch at F&W. Well worth a 'bad but I'm on vacation' first stop at Festival opening.

I'm much more of a savory vice sweet girl, but Jason would totally be all over dessert at the beginning of our trek!

Yep. One of the Dark Sides of FP+. Fun, quirky little bijou (my fancy pants word of the day) rides, that were never meant to be tiered headliners, now buried alive because guests have to pick something/anything. Sad.

It is sad. We used to only ever schedule 1 FP in Epcot for either Soarin or TT because you really didn't need them for anything else. But sadly that is the case no more.

You've found your mascot! Every family needs a tipsy Pluto

He's a great member of the family. Now if I could just figure out how to drink out of him

Hi Kari! We too bought the Pluto popcorn bucket. Every time Gia took a piece from it, she'd say,"getting popcorn from Pluto's butt." Yep, definitely my niece! LOL!

Your niece and my daughter must be related because we heard this same thing from Casey about 100 times

It’s a bit odd they haven’t announced the dates yet for this year. I wonder if that means changes are afoot.

Do they usually announce by now??? We're going in late August so I'm hopeful that it starts a little earlier than last year so we can catch it.

thought I’d done a pretty good job of sampling but once again you tried several things that I am disappointed I didn’t try.

With 35 booths there was no chance any normal human could try everything. We had 1 more day of F&W planned, but ended up skipping out because it was so crazy that day.

I’m always tempted by the popcorn buckets but don’t know what I’d do with them at home - I need to think of a practical way to repurpose

We used pluto for Xmas and put Candy Canes in his "butt" Worked out well. Now he is just in Casey's room until next Christmas.

asey looks so pleased with her pick-a-pearl! I love how they redesigned the area with the screen so you can see the action. The Cinderella cage is perfection!

I had no idea they had redesigned this, we'd never done it before. It was definitely a great area and lots of room to watch.

I wish I could convince Andy to go in August but sadly after our September trip. I am pretty sure he has sworn off the summer as a travel time. Right now I am playing my mums the word on the next vacation. Trying to wait Andy out. Make him be the first to mention it... kind of make it feel like it's HIS idea...

We also lament the summer heat when they are there, but then in retrospect it never seems quite that bad so we head back again.

Love your plan for Andy. You'll have to keep us posted on how HIS idea is coming along

I love this idea! I am going to try and remember to do this as a Tinkerbell gift next time! Do you remember how much the pic a pearl is?

I don't remember. I want to say somewhere around $20 or so. Definitely was reasonable

 

[toomuchtv]

I eventually made it in though and with only 3 minutes to spare in our 15 minute grace period I enjoyed a solo trip with Puddy.

Ha...he will always be Puddy to me as well.

Looking no worse for the wear after our long night, we were able to snag a 4th FP for Figment and then a 5th FP for Test Track for later in the day, so despite a rough start the FP gods were looking out for us.

Wait...could you get both at the same time, or did you have to use Figment and then get Test Track?

We had a bit of a wait so we amused ourselves in Mitsokoshi and found these gems.

These are amazing. I'm sad that Epcot isn't on my (scheduled but still maybe) trip in August.

 

[kastoney]

I love LWTL, but not enough to wait 55 minutes

I know right. That was pure insanity. I'm used to just being able to walk. Ah the negative effects of FP

I'm still dreaming of this I was kind of hoping they had something like it at F & G in April, but it looks like I'll have to wait until October to get it again

You and me both are dreaming. As I sit here typing I'm wondering why I didn't go back and eat it a second time. So good!

Did Jason pick up a new purse?

Nice isn't it? Casey insisted on taking her purse and then as we suspected got tired of carrying it (and Pluto)

Adorable! That Su-Lynn is so smart, I never knew that!

Me either. She gave me tons of ideas for this trip!

I wanted to try this in June but Chad wasn't impressed with the menu - I was kind of surprised since he has very simple food tastes (though Disney must bring out his adventurous side with Sanaa being his favorite). So Be Our Guest it is.

You should definitely convince him to try it sometime. We aren't fans of the AYCTE option, but the a la carte lunch options are great.

It looks yummy but definitely would be better with bread! Don't people know that carbs and cheese need each other?

Yes, don't they know this!!!! Bring on the carbs.

June 2016 we did just the line and we waited like 30-40 minutes just to sign up. So I tried the PPO last June and we waited less than 5 minutes, so I'm just sticking with it.

Yikes. I forget what year Casey did it, but we only waited 10 minutes or so.

I swear, we run into waits like this at LwtL all the time.

So sad. This should never be anything other than a walk-on

I so wanted one of these. But to get a personal shopper to buy one and ship it, was cost prohibitive, so we went without. Boo hoo.

Funny they had just gone on sale that week and Jason had said people were selling them on Ebay for like 40 bucks. We contemplating buying some extras but didn't. Then by the time we got home they were so prolific they were down to just 15 or 20.

Yum! They do something similar at the Star Wars Dessert Party but its a Liquid Nitro Nutella Truffle, I think.

This sounds awesome!!! Love me some Nutella

Carib beer, yes... definitely about $4 for a 6 pack in Nassau. We fill our backpacks with it any time our Disney ship ports there. (Don't judge us.)
We can also purchase it at TotalWine here in South FL.

Totally judging, but only in the best way. Just about the only reason we don't do a cruise is the fear of the alcohol bill we'd run up!

We walked by the Caribbean booth and laughed hysterically at the price and size of the "thimble".
My husband said something to the effect of "Disney is really making bank on that beer."

Yeah they have to have like a 5000% return on that one. But I'm a suck for beer so I of course bought it

This looks so good! After hearing so many people talk about it, missing this is probably my biggest F&W regret so I hope they bring it back next year. I meant to go grab one, but I ended up too full to go back

Definitely get one of if you can. It's perfect!

I have never seen these, but I really want to

They were awesome. I'm hoping they still have them when we go again because I'm totally regretting not buying it.

Ooo that sounds good, we got the strawberry smoothie type drink from that booth and it tasted really strange and artificial.

Yuck!!! I was surprised how good this taste. Clearly much better than the smoothie.

 

[kastoney]

Ha...he will always be Puddy to me as well.

Gotta love Seinfeld!

Wait...could you get both at the same time, or did you have to use Figment and then get Test Track?

No, we had to scan into Figment first. But you can get another one as soon as you tap your band, so I got it while we were in line. Works great!

These are amazing. I'm sad that Epcot isn't on my (scheduled but still maybe) trip in August.

We're going in August too, and are staying at beach club, so I anticipate lots of Epcot time!

 

[toomuchtv]

No, we had to scan into Figment first. But you can get another one as soon as you tap your band, so I got it while we were in line. Works great!

Okay, that's what I thought. I plan to use that as much as possible in August.

We're going in August too, and are staying at beach club, so I anticipate lots of Epcot time!

Based on your countdown, we will be driving away as you are (presumably) flying in. We're booked 12-17, taking advantage of the fact that DS turns 3 on the 26th. I've never been in August, so it should be interesting.

 

[inkedupmomma]

A little late- but I'm all in. Love your reports!

 

[FSU Girl]

This looks and sounds delicious. I love all things cheese and will have to try this next time I'm there.

The slider was my favorite item on our last trip to F&W all the way back in 2014, but it didn't quite live up to that again. The meat was good and had great flavor, but there was just way too much bun. I much preferred the spam hash, which was full of spicy peppers and offset nicely with the creamy mayo. The beer was also pretty good, but a bit too hoppy for me.

It's hard when something tastes really good and you have the memory of it and try it again and it doesn't match your memory.

Cat, I have no idea why you are suhsi but I want ten of you! Though I still have no idea why I didn't buy you. Love this crazy store.

OMG these cat things are adorable. They are so silly and hilarious I want to buy them.

 

[suse66]

Hi Kari! Great food and wine updates and I remain in awe of your drinking and eating prowess! I know the Halloween party is starting early this year and am hoping for the same with F&W as I would love to check it out for the first time. I am heading down on the 19th until the 26th of August with my niece Clare. We are staying at the Poly thanks to our favourite summer deal. How long are you guys down for? We will definitely have to meet up for some Disney shenanigans!

 

[ariane37]

They will forever be the dumpling steps I expect a photo next month

LOL oh boy, now I really have to deliver something.........interesting

Motown philly back again, doin' a little East Coast something. I don't really know the words. Not too hard Not too soft

You know more words than I do, but I like the not too hard, not too soft

Jason loved Steve!!! Between their crazy wives, working in the restaurant industry, and sanitation, he was hooked!

I'm glad he was able to impress Steve liked Jason, too! Always good when all the kids can play nice lol

while I waited behind someone who had a cooler full of loose ice

I read this really fast and thought you were behind someone with a cooler full of loose lice

Not the most appetizing picture, but the chicken was surprisingly crispy and the cornbread had a great texture and flavor.

Steve and I really liked this, especially the cornbread. But I'm a sucker for cornbread.

He was kind enough to model for me as he had picked up a few treasures along the way.

Well that's just special

We had a bit of a wait so we amused ourselves in Mitsokoshi and found these gems.

OMG, those cats are sushi. I must have one of them!

 

[disneyAndi14]

Great reviews from around the world, so nice you got to meet up with Ariane and her husband, looks like fun was had by all. I love the Pluto popcorn bucket, he does fit in well with your drinks!

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

All caught up but runnng our of time to comment so I’ll just say it looks like the food, drink and company all led to a great night’s craic
Keep up the good work!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Well if you are laughing over that there are plenty of Jason and "tiny" drinks to come I do love that they have tasting portions, but $4-5 for these tiny thimbles is getting a bit ridiculous. By the end of the trip Jasons only request was for "real" sized beer.

Hahaha I can imagine!! Tasting portions makes sense for sure, but a pretty lame value for the price!

For the record Steve does not actually work in sanitation, he just apparently asks fellow New Yorkers if they work there

Haha yes, this I knew, but it's a pretty funny picture! Hilarious

We eventually made it out the door, but had a 35 minute wait for a bus!

Ugggh, what a terrible bus experience! That's totally unacceptable in my book. Lame!!

while I waited behind someone who had a cooler full of loose ice that had to be removed before it could be checked

Oh. My. Gawd. This is soo frustrating!!

You could refill this for like a $1 in any of the parks, but no chance we ever remembered to take it with us.

The struggle is so real.

The tart ended up being my favorite item of the festival. First, the potion size was huge so it was a great value, but the crust was exceptionally flaky and the cheese creamy with just a slight onion flavor. The richness of the tart was cut through nicely by the arugula and balsamic, making this pretty dang close to perfect.

Nommmmm

Oh my goodness I don't know why but I somehow feel like I need this!!

Some of the merch in this store is so hilarious!

She LOVED doing this and thanks to yet another great tip from Su-Lynn aka @chunkymonkey I had picked up the perfect cinderella's carriage pendant to put it in on Amazon for next to nothing. Child and parent happy!

That's awesome!! And that's an awesome tip to buy the pendant in advance and save a lot of $$! The ones there are super over-priced.

 

[Leshaface]

Kari, what the heck?! I KNOW I was watching this thread 18 pages, eh??