Breakfast – the most important part of the day
We liked to start the day off right with coffee and smoothies. Frozen berries, bananas, spinach (how else are we going to get enough servings of greens?) and vanilla Shakeology. As the week went on, there might have been some leftover French pastry…
Mel: At times, a second breakfast was in order. Like our first day at the Magic Kingdom, with these waffles you can get near the Castle…
Matso: Hey, a “green smoothie” can’t be all you get for breakfast! We’re at Walt Disney World!
Mel: Or at Andy’s Lunch Box in Toy Story Land. Twice!
Matso: That’s a S’Mores Sandwich, and no, I didn’t order that…
Our vacation wouldn’t be complete without Mickey Waffles – just across the lagoon from the Boardwalk Resort, at the Beach Club Marketplace:
Matso: Mmmmmm … Mickey waffles and Disney bacon…
Eating around the World – Part II
October 8, 2018
More deliciousness from the World Showcase kiosks at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival!
Japan – Teriyaki Chicken Bun. Matso: Steamed and exactly what you’d expect – I thought it was a bit heavy with ginger, but that’s not a problem for me. Should’ve had, but didn’t have, a Kirin beer to go with.
Belgium – Beer-braised Beef with Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes, and a Belgian Pale Ale.
Mel: Good comfort food!
United States – New England Lobster Roll.
Mel: The buttery roll balanced out the lobster…
Matso: …And it looks sloppy because I took a bite before the picture. Party foul!
Italy – Fritto Misto: Crispy Shrimp, Zucchini, and sweet potatoes with a spicy sauce. Mezzi Rigatoni: Vodka sauce, crispy Pancetta, and parm cheese. Cooked the way pasta should be cooked! This was our favorite meal of the day. You can see a looming storm off in the distance – we were lucky and managed to stay dry this day…
Matso: And I had a glass of Villa Sandi Prosecco. Light, dry, bubbly… what’s not to like? And the young crew at the kiosk taught me how to properly pronounce pro-SEC-co!
From Germany, the Brewer’s Collection – Schofferhofer Hefeweizen Pomegranate Beer
Matso: I’m frowning because I thought German beer wasn’t supposed to be fruity and refreshing! And the Pomegranate Hefeweizen was. Not quite as good as the citrus-infused Moosehead Lager from over in Canada… but still very, very good.
Is it time for dessert yet?
Mexico – Coconut Rice Pudding served with Mango Coulis
Matso: I thought it would be like the rice pudding I know, in which the rice is really soft. This wasn’t cooked quite that much, but with the effect that the rice had a different, slightly crunchy texture. I’d have that again!
From the Almond Orchard – Banana Almond Soft-Serve Sundae with fresh berries and chocolate almond streusel. We had this one last year and Mel couldn’t wait to sample it again. On a muggy Florida day this is a pretty great refresher.
Party for the Senses – Epcot Food & Wine Festival 2018
Party for the Senses is a mini food-&-wine festival of its own, featuring celebrity and Disney resort chefs preparing and serving their favorite dishes. With sixteen different plates and wine pairings (not including desserts) it’s practically impossible to check everything out… but we gave it the old college try.
The Party is a ticketed event (that is, extra $) that gets you reserved seating. We had a table to ourselves in the blue section, and everyone started with complementary champagne. After a toast, we were off to try…
From Chef Tony Marotta, of Epcot’s Akershus Royal Banquet Hall: Autumn Squash and Hazelnut Risotto, paired with J&H Selbach Bernkasteler Kurfurstlay Riesling Kabinett…
Matso: I liked that dry Riesling. Went back much later to try the fruitiest Riesling… the nose was sugary, like candy. A little too much for me!
From Chef Julia Thrash, of the Magic Kingdom: Herb Crusted Bison Tenderloin, paired with Stemmari “Contadoro” Red Blend:
From Chef Justin Wangler, of Jackson Family Wines in Fulton CA: Rack of Lamb, paired with Edmeades Zinfandel…
Matso: Eh, not a big fan of lamb… but I did enjoy the Zinfandel.
From Chef Adam Mali of Facebook: Blanquette De Veau, paired with Inkberry Shiraz-Cabernet Blend…
From Chef Sheldon Simeon, of Tin Roof & Lineage in Kahului HI: Pulehu Kalbi Ribs, paired with Kona Big Wave…
Matso: Since Kalbi is kind of like home cooking for me, I really dug those ribs! The rib flavor really came through, as they had the right amount of sauce.
From Chef Mikko Gruenzner, of Disney Park Event Ops Catering: Coffee Brined Pork Tenderloin, paired with Conundrum Sparkling:
This was our “Gran Prix” favorite of the evening. Juicy and tender, the pork finished with just a hint of coffee flavor to balance the natural sweetness of the meat. That’s not a marshmallow on top, but a droplet of apple cider vinegar meringue to add bite. We’d have that again!
While the serving, tasting, and general enjoyment went on, the “Femmes of Rock” played a couple of sets…
Back to the food: How about Grilled Cuban Style Beef Tenderloin, from celebrity Chef Robert Irvine:
…who, apparently, does not skip a workout day (Mel asked). That dude is seriously buff. The tenderloin was paired with Cranberry Ginger Fizz, made mostly of cranberry vodka…
From Melanie’s past as a Partylite hostess: Billy the Party MC had worked some of the Partylite conventions as an entertainer. So of course Mel had to stop him for a chat!
No Party for the Senses is complete without desserts. Here’s the Peach Cobbler, from Chef Dana Herbert of Desserts by Dana, Bear DE…
…which was awfully, awfully good. But our Gran Prix winner for best dessert of the evening was this Chocolate-Passion Cake, created by Chefs Olivier Saintemarie and Angie Chung of Epcot’s France Pavilion…
And that was how we finished the evening. The hardest part? Walking the mile and a half out to the Epcot transportation center after all that enjoyment!
Eating Around the World I
In 2017 we were able to sample 23 of the 40 food and beverage destinations. How did we do this year?
October 7 – Dinner hour. The rain cooled everything down so we felt good going for the rich stuff.
Active Eats
Active Eats – Loaded Mac ‘n’ Cheese with pepper bacon, cheddar, peppers and green onions. It was loaded all right!
And… Spice-crusted Verlasso Salmon with Lentil Power Salad. Fresh and light, especially after that Mac ‘n’ Cheese…
Ireland
Ireland – Warm Irish Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip, Warm Chocolate Pudding with Irish Cream Liqueur Custard, and a Guinness Baileys Shake. Of all the Food & Wine kiosks, this menu was our overall favorite. The dip was rich and hearty, and really needed to come with more bread. The pudding was outstanding – rich and creamy just like it sounds, and the shake was a revelation: it tasted like chocolate milk with an ever-so-slight Guinness bite at the end…
Brazil – Moqueca: Brazilian Seafood Stew featuring scallops, shrimp, and white fish with coconut lime sauce and rice. It was mild, creamy… delicious, and not too heavy even with that sauce. Continued Brazilian goodness with Pao de Queijo (Brazilian cheese bread) and Casa Valduga Brut Rose. An excellent pairing.
Morocco
Morocco – Chocolate Baklava.
Matso: Baklava is hard to slice with the side of a plastic fork, so I just held it to eat it. After the light and refreshing Brazilian menu, the baklava was maybe a little too rich? Next time, I’ll have the baklava first…
More to come! Stay tuned…