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!