TroyandDabs
Prince and Princess of DVC
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2004
Loving the reviews - and cant wait to hear about the Food and Wine Festival! DH and I will be there in two weeks 
Good Eats at the Food and Whine Festival - Updated Day 5 - Last Two CS Meals
- Thread starter llqool
- Start date
MickeyNicki
It is pretty darn sad when a valet picks you out a
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2005
Our 2 nieces are looking forward to the PSB, we have ressies at 8:35. I hope they pay attention to the girls and interact with them.
llqool
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
F&W Festival Booths
Right after we got to EPCOT, we paid a visit to the Festival Welcome Center, which was right behind the espresso place in Future World. In fact, the espresso place (what is the name of it? It escapes me!) had been turned into a kiosk where you could buy tastings of the vintages that had been created especially for the festival. I think that there was also a wine bar there, but this was fairly early in the morning and we didnt check into it. The one thing I noticed was that the cast members seemed very ignorant of the offerings available, special events, etc. In fact, I knew more about some events than they did from having read promotional stuff on the internet here and elsewhere. Granted, this was the first weekend of the festival, but the powers that be should have given the people manning the *Information* Booth at least a general overview of the festival and maybe a smart book to refer to.
Later on, after our breakfast at PSB, we stopped by the festival center again on our way to use our Soarin fastpass. I got a glass of the Festival Syrah (I think it was $3.00 OOP) and it was decent. Nothing to write home about, but I wanted to try something that I could only get here and nowhere else. (I should comment here that while I appreciate wine, I am by no means a connoisseur of it I cannot comment with any authority on bouquet or any of that. But I do know what I like!)
After Soarin, we made it just in time for the first International Beers of the World seminar, located in England. It was a complimentary seminar where they let you taste Stella Artois, Bass Ale, Becks, Labatt Blue and Brahma (from Brazil). I am not a beer drinker, but my husband is and he enjoyed the tastings and the information. I didnt realize, for example, that Bass has been around for so long and that there were many cases of it on the Titanic!
The day was very hot and muggy and we were still quite full from our heavy breakfast. What we found as we walked around the world showcase was that even though there were some very tasty-looking snacks available, we just werent hungry enough to eat them!
My husband is always ready for beer, though, so he stopped to sample a French beer that we had never heard of, Kronenbourg 1664 Beer. He said it was good for a lager (he likes dark beers). I wanted something cold and refreshing, like champagne, but when I asked at the French booth, they said they didnt have any! Whats more French than champagne? Oh, well. While my husband and daughters watched the guys who do scary things with chairs in France, I scooted over to the Spanish kiosk. I was hoping they would have a dry white wine to try since I would have preferred something cold, but they told me the one white wine was rather sweet, and I dont like sweet wines. So I got a glass of Montecillo Crianza, which was a decent red wine, but did nothing to cool me off.
My husband caught up to me and stopped at Morocco to get a Beef Kefta Pocket. I dont eat beef, so I didnt taste it, but from the way he inhaled it, I guess it was good. Meanwhile, I stopped at the Turkish booth and decided to try the Vine Leaves Stuffed With Rice. This was Turkeys first time at the festival, and I was glad to see them there. However, I was not very happy once I tasted this dish. I found the leaves to be tough and the rice inside did not have very much taste aside from vinegar. I had expected it to taste more like stuffed grape leaves. I was so unhappy with it, I actually took two bites and threw the rest away because I didnt want to waste valuable stomach room on it.
We stopped in Japan to watch the drummers and also to sample a couple of dishes at the Indian kiosk. Even though it was hot out, the Curried Butternut Squash Soup With Naan looked interesting, so I got it. It was very yummy, although the naan was a bit dry so I didnt eat it. I also got the Vegetable Curry with Basmati Rice. Again, very good although there were some veggies in there that my husband wasnt too sure about. Neither dish was especially spicy. I also tried the Sula Chenin Blanc, but it didnt make much of an impression on me, apparently, since I have no recollection of its quality.
By now we had to hurry to make it to the next History of Beer in America seminar hosted by Samuel Adams Beer. A master brewer had flown in to give the seminar, and he was very interesting and informative. They had samples of about 5 Sam Adams beers, but my husband ended up with mine. I did taste the 11th Year Anniversary Beer.
When we got out of the seminar, we went to the Hops & Barley Market where my husband got a Cream Stout and I got a New England Crab Cake and Barley Salad. Unfortunately, most of the barley salad ended up on the ground during a tricky stroller maneuver, but I wolfed down the crab cake because it was so good.
I finally made it to the Champagne kiosk, where I tried the Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial and found it far too sweet for my taste.
In Italy, I had the Timballo alla Penne E Capri, which turned out to be penne pasta, sauce and ricotta, formed into a circular drum shape, with a slice of eggplant on the top. I found it to be unexpectedly good, but my husband wouldn't even taste it b/c of the eggplant. My husband had the Pizza alla Salsiccia, which tasted just like your average sausage pizza to me. I also had a glass of Soldo Pinot Grigio, which I enjoyed.
The last stop for food for us was the Australian kiosk where we shared a Macadamia Nut Tartlet. It was good, but it was very similar to a pecan pie. We tried the Benjamin Tawny Port, but it wasn't a hot weather drink -- too heavy and sweetfor me.
There were a couple of kiosks where I wished I had had the appetite to try some of their dishes. Peru comes to mind. But it was just too hot and we were too full from breakfast, even hours after the fact.
Some reflections on the festival:
-We were able to use our snack credits at any of the kiosks at the festival. But there were several smaller food items that cost less than $2 that I just paid for OOP, because it seemed a shame to waste a snack credit on them.
I wish we could have found the time to go to more seminars or ticketed events, but Im not sure our daughters would have stood for it, anyway.
-I dont know if it was because it was just days after opening, but the cast members staffing the festival seemed quite uninformed about the events and about the wines themselves. I think that if someone is going to have pouring wine as their main duty, they should at least know what the wines they are pouring are and whether they are sweet or dry. Each kiosk only had a couple of dishes and maybe 3 or 4 wines to choose from. Someone in management could have given the cast members at least a general overview so that they could answer at least basic questions.
-I wish I hadnt eaten breakfast at all! I thought I was being smart by making only breakfast plans (and I didnt end up eating any CS lunch or dinner), but that was such a heavy breakfast at PSB that I didnt have room for everything I had planned on tasting! I had 2 snack credits left over afterward and ended up using them in the resort gift shop.
Right after we got to EPCOT, we paid a visit to the Festival Welcome Center, which was right behind the espresso place in Future World. In fact, the espresso place (what is the name of it? It escapes me!) had been turned into a kiosk where you could buy tastings of the vintages that had been created especially for the festival. I think that there was also a wine bar there, but this was fairly early in the morning and we didnt check into it. The one thing I noticed was that the cast members seemed very ignorant of the offerings available, special events, etc. In fact, I knew more about some events than they did from having read promotional stuff on the internet here and elsewhere. Granted, this was the first weekend of the festival, but the powers that be should have given the people manning the *Information* Booth at least a general overview of the festival and maybe a smart book to refer to.
Later on, after our breakfast at PSB, we stopped by the festival center again on our way to use our Soarin fastpass. I got a glass of the Festival Syrah (I think it was $3.00 OOP) and it was decent. Nothing to write home about, but I wanted to try something that I could only get here and nowhere else. (I should comment here that while I appreciate wine, I am by no means a connoisseur of it I cannot comment with any authority on bouquet or any of that. But I do know what I like!)
After Soarin, we made it just in time for the first International Beers of the World seminar, located in England. It was a complimentary seminar where they let you taste Stella Artois, Bass Ale, Becks, Labatt Blue and Brahma (from Brazil). I am not a beer drinker, but my husband is and he enjoyed the tastings and the information. I didnt realize, for example, that Bass has been around for so long and that there were many cases of it on the Titanic!
The day was very hot and muggy and we were still quite full from our heavy breakfast. What we found as we walked around the world showcase was that even though there were some very tasty-looking snacks available, we just werent hungry enough to eat them!
My husband is always ready for beer, though, so he stopped to sample a French beer that we had never heard of, Kronenbourg 1664 Beer. He said it was good for a lager (he likes dark beers). I wanted something cold and refreshing, like champagne, but when I asked at the French booth, they said they didnt have any! Whats more French than champagne? Oh, well. While my husband and daughters watched the guys who do scary things with chairs in France, I scooted over to the Spanish kiosk. I was hoping they would have a dry white wine to try since I would have preferred something cold, but they told me the one white wine was rather sweet, and I dont like sweet wines. So I got a glass of Montecillo Crianza, which was a decent red wine, but did nothing to cool me off.
My husband caught up to me and stopped at Morocco to get a Beef Kefta Pocket. I dont eat beef, so I didnt taste it, but from the way he inhaled it, I guess it was good. Meanwhile, I stopped at the Turkish booth and decided to try the Vine Leaves Stuffed With Rice. This was Turkeys first time at the festival, and I was glad to see them there. However, I was not very happy once I tasted this dish. I found the leaves to be tough and the rice inside did not have very much taste aside from vinegar. I had expected it to taste more like stuffed grape leaves. I was so unhappy with it, I actually took two bites and threw the rest away because I didnt want to waste valuable stomach room on it.
We stopped in Japan to watch the drummers and also to sample a couple of dishes at the Indian kiosk. Even though it was hot out, the Curried Butternut Squash Soup With Naan looked interesting, so I got it. It was very yummy, although the naan was a bit dry so I didnt eat it. I also got the Vegetable Curry with Basmati Rice. Again, very good although there were some veggies in there that my husband wasnt too sure about. Neither dish was especially spicy. I also tried the Sula Chenin Blanc, but it didnt make much of an impression on me, apparently, since I have no recollection of its quality.
By now we had to hurry to make it to the next History of Beer in America seminar hosted by Samuel Adams Beer. A master brewer had flown in to give the seminar, and he was very interesting and informative. They had samples of about 5 Sam Adams beers, but my husband ended up with mine. I did taste the 11th Year Anniversary Beer.
When we got out of the seminar, we went to the Hops & Barley Market where my husband got a Cream Stout and I got a New England Crab Cake and Barley Salad. Unfortunately, most of the barley salad ended up on the ground during a tricky stroller maneuver, but I wolfed down the crab cake because it was so good.
I finally made it to the Champagne kiosk, where I tried the Moet & Chandon Nectar Imperial and found it far too sweet for my taste.
In Italy, I had the Timballo alla Penne E Capri, which turned out to be penne pasta, sauce and ricotta, formed into a circular drum shape, with a slice of eggplant on the top. I found it to be unexpectedly good, but my husband wouldn't even taste it b/c of the eggplant. My husband had the Pizza alla Salsiccia, which tasted just like your average sausage pizza to me. I also had a glass of Soldo Pinot Grigio, which I enjoyed.
The last stop for food for us was the Australian kiosk where we shared a Macadamia Nut Tartlet. It was good, but it was very similar to a pecan pie. We tried the Benjamin Tawny Port, but it wasn't a hot weather drink -- too heavy and sweetfor me.
There were a couple of kiosks where I wished I had had the appetite to try some of their dishes. Peru comes to mind. But it was just too hot and we were too full from breakfast, even hours after the fact.
Some reflections on the festival:
-We were able to use our snack credits at any of the kiosks at the festival. But there were several smaller food items that cost less than $2 that I just paid for OOP, because it seemed a shame to waste a snack credit on them.
I wish we could have found the time to go to more seminars or ticketed events, but Im not sure our daughters would have stood for it, anyway.
-I dont know if it was because it was just days after opening, but the cast members staffing the festival seemed quite uninformed about the events and about the wines themselves. I think that if someone is going to have pouring wine as their main duty, they should at least know what the wines they are pouring are and whether they are sweet or dry. Each kiosk only had a couple of dishes and maybe 3 or 4 wines to choose from. Someone in management could have given the cast members at least a general overview so that they could answer at least basic questions.
-I wish I hadnt eaten breakfast at all! I thought I was being smart by making only breakfast plans (and I didnt end up eating any CS lunch or dinner), but that was such a heavy breakfast at PSB that I didnt have room for everything I had planned on tasting! I had 2 snack credits left over afterward and ended up using them in the resort gift shop.
My DH and I had a similar experience to yours at AP four years ago. Our service was poor and there were few diners in the restaurant. DH had to send his salmon back twice because it was undercooked. The food wasn't anything to write home about and the service was lackluster, at best. I don't think we'll ever return. We've had much better meals at "non-signature" places. I think our bill came to about $120 and it was so not worth it.
After reading your review of Kona Cafe, I'm sure we'll be putting that on our list of "must-dos" next time.
After reading your review of Kona Cafe, I'm sure we'll be putting that on our list of "must-dos" next time.
halfway there
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 18, 2002
Great reviews, very detailed! I loved how you bold the different restaurants and various food offerings, makes it very easy to scan what you're particularly interested in. Thanks!!
llqool
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2006
Just wanted to close out this review with our last couple of CS meals. Unfortunately, they were the only two meals of our trip that were absolutely horrible, to the point of being almost inedible.
Right before we left EPCOT, we decided to try and get something for the kids to eat because they hadn't exactly been thrilled with the various tastings available at the kiosks. So we stopped at Mexico and ordered a Plato Combinacion, a milk and a churro for all of us to share. The entree consisted of a chicken taco, a beef burrito, and a quesadilla served w/black refried beans. All I can say is GROSS!!!!! The quesadilla was a completely greasy deep-fried tortilla. The beans were a tarry mess that tasted nasty (burned, maybe?). No one even wanted to try the burrito. My 4 yr old may have tasted the taco. But this was hands down the worst meal of our trip, and may possibly be one of the 10 worst meals I have ever eaten (if you don't count military cuisine!). The churro was cold and stale, too.
When we finally made it back to our resort later that evening, my husband was getting a little hungry and we stopped at the POFQ Food Court to pick up something to eat. He chose the Chicken Jambalaya. It didn't look too appetizing to me, but that's what he wanted. When we got it back to the room (we took it to go), he took a few bites and decided it was just barely edible. Then he found a lump of fat or chicken skin or some mysterious chicken-related substance and ended up tossing the rest of the meal.
All in all, though, we had a great dining experience. I'll try to forget the last two meals!
Thanks, everyone, for all your positive comments. I had fun writing this, even though my husband thinks I'm a nut for doing it!
Right before we left EPCOT, we decided to try and get something for the kids to eat because they hadn't exactly been thrilled with the various tastings available at the kiosks. So we stopped at Mexico and ordered a Plato Combinacion, a milk and a churro for all of us to share. The entree consisted of a chicken taco, a beef burrito, and a quesadilla served w/black refried beans. All I can say is GROSS!!!!! The quesadilla was a completely greasy deep-fried tortilla. The beans were a tarry mess that tasted nasty (burned, maybe?). No one even wanted to try the burrito. My 4 yr old may have tasted the taco. But this was hands down the worst meal of our trip, and may possibly be one of the 10 worst meals I have ever eaten (if you don't count military cuisine!). The churro was cold and stale, too.
When we finally made it back to our resort later that evening, my husband was getting a little hungry and we stopped at the POFQ Food Court to pick up something to eat. He chose the Chicken Jambalaya. It didn't look too appetizing to me, but that's what he wanted. When we got it back to the room (we took it to go), he took a few bites and decided it was just barely edible. Then he found a lump of fat or chicken skin or some mysterious chicken-related substance and ended up tossing the rest of the meal.
All in all, though, we had a great dining experience. I'll try to forget the last two meals!
Thanks, everyone, for all your positive comments. I had fun writing this, even though my husband thinks I'm a nut for doing it!
)schatterjee
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2002
Great reviews. We had a similar experience at Artist's Point. Food was only average - definitely the snobbiest feeling about it and we were also given a crummy table even thou it was almost empty.
It was out last night and we changed to this location becuase we had extra credits to use. We were sort of over eating out - but even with that the service was slooow. My husband took the kids out before the bill came too so they wouldn't be too antsy.
Weird - it was my biggest disappointment by far.
It was out last night and we changed to this location becuase we had extra credits to use. We were sort of over eating out - but even with that the service was slooow. My husband took the kids out before the bill came too so they wouldn't be too antsy.
Weird - it was my biggest disappointment by far.
Mr. D's K-Man
<font color="purple"><font color="red">Life is unc
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2006
Great Review. It brings back wonderful memories of our trip to F&W last year. We had to cancel our trip this year, so it's great to live it out through your reviews.
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