hbamford
Registered: January 2009
Location: Buffalo, NY
Posts: 20
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Review Date: Wed October 31, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 3
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Pros:
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Not much
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Cons:
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too costly, too much, too little
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My two teen daughters (14 and 16) and I attended the 3D Dessert event and were very disappointed - first of all, not at all family or youth friendly - more like an adult event - though the reservation person assured me the girls would be fine - and they had the place packed - it was supposed to be "cool" looking (the 3D thing was a big flop - a few ceiling lights and that's it) but it seemed like something between teen awkward and adult silly - just not the right atmosphere for Disney - food was OK - emphasis was on the alcohol I think.
Overall, I find the trend toward serving alcohol at Disney a very disturbing one - and I drink!
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HarryDA
Registered: October 2012
Posts: 2
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Review Date: Sat October 13, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Once in a lifetime experience, time with Chef Jens
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Cons:
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More tables would have been good
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My wife and I were fortunate enough to do the
Marketplace VIP Access Chef Tour this past week (Oct 10) and to say that we loved it would be an understatement. The tour was very similar to the review posted by Ms. Koma except they added a surprise menu item for us from Greece. All of the other food and drinks chosen (the same as described in Ms. Koma's review) were outstanding and the high point was clearly time spent talking to Chef Jens. He could not have been any more gracious with his time and he was wonderful about taking questions and sharing his insights into the dishes. Our tour was different in that the Passport books we received were stamped ahead of time with all of our stops and they were always offering us bottled water. My only suggestion would be to add some more tables for when we stopped to sample food as sometimes we still had drinks and so that got a little tricky but that is very very minor when compared to the overall experience. Definitely would do it again!
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DisneyLover72
Registered: May 2008
Location: Ruston, LA
Posts: 24
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Review Date: Mon January 16, 2012
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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My family and I were in WDW for the Food and Wine Festival 10/28 to 11/5/11. We did the wine tasting with the MacMurray Ranch. Really nice hope its offered next year.
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elainep
Registered: October 2006
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 67
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Review Date: Sun October 30, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Excellent food and entertaining presentation of the wines, plus great service
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Cons:
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Not a thing
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On Sunday, October 9th, we arrived at Bistro de Paris in Epcot shortly after 11:45 a.m. The French Regional Lunch was scheduled to begin at noon and there was already a line of guests waiting to be admitted. Just before 12:00, the check-in process began. After giving our name (we had a party of 3), we were allowed in the foyer and ended up waiting on the stairs that lead up to the restaurant. The line moved relatively quickly, though, and we were seated at a table with another party of 3. They were wonderful dining companions—we ended up sharing email addresses so we could send each other photos.
The luncheon speaker was Jorge Hernandez, whom I’d seen last year. He is excellent—very knowledgeable about wines and very entertaining. He also takes the time to explain how you should taste and enjoy wine—I’ve heard his spiel before, but it’s still interesting. And, he filled us in about everything Bordeaux—the region and the wines and how they get to be named, what’s the blend of the grapes, etc. He was just as informative about the Rhone region last year.
Our first course, the Amuse-Bouche, was a mini-tower of goat cheese wrapped in salmon. Absolutely outstanding. It was paired with a 2010 Chateau Bonnet Blanc, which was a wonderful wine. I’m usually not a sauvignon blanc fan, but this was just terrific. Every person at our table was topped off at least once or twice. We took photos of the bottle so we’d know what to ask for at our local wine stores.
Next came a cream of artichoke soup with truffled brioche and a parmesan emulsion. The soup was more frothy than creamy—delicious! It was paired with a 2010 Chateau Bonnet Rose, after some discussion about how a rose really isn’t a white zinfandel. It was a nice pairing, but our group was still asking for refills on the sauvignon blanc.
Our entrée was a lamb rack “Perigourdine” and a side dish of mashed potatoes with a “surprise”. Three very lean slices of lamb were fanned on the plate and the “surprise” in the potatoes was a beefy onion center. All good. The wine was a 2007 Chateau Tour de Segur—full-bodied, lots of legs, excellent.
The cheese course came next and it was paired with a 2006 Chateau Cruzeau. Jorge said that we’d like this wine better than the one served with the entrée. Our table was mixed on that—we liked them both!
For dessert, we were served a pear poached in red wine with chestnut cream. The pear was placed on a thin biscuit, which I thought was really good—very buttery. Dessert was paired with a 2009 J. Vidal-Fleury Muscat Beaumes De Venise. Sweet, but not too sweet—it was a nice combination.
I can’t rave enough about these French Regional Lunches. They’re not cheap ($99 plus tax), but you get a great 3-hour experience—you sample wines and foods you’d ordinarily never try, you learn a lot about wine and the company is always fabulous.
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elainep
Registered: October 2006
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 67
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Review Date: Sun October 30, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Good food, as usual--who doesn't like Italian?
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Cons:
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No knowledgeable presentation of the wines
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On Wednesday, October 5th, we arrived at Tutto Italia in Italy at Epcot about 10 minutes or so before the scheduled start of the Food & Wine Pairing luncheon. The Wednesday event was a first—usually the luncheons in Italy are only on Saturday afternoons. So, this worked out well because it freed up our Saturday to attend the Party for the Senses—it would be difficult to do both events in one day.
Anyway, most of the people waiting in the foyer were there for the luncheon and we were called to follow the matre‘d (the same gentleman who’s been there for the past several years) pretty close to 2:00. Seating was in the private room just off the regular dining area, as it had been in the past. Our party of four was seated with 2 couples from the Midwest—our group is from Chicago, so we had that in common. It’s been my experience that you generally share these meals at Food & Wine with some great people—I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad experience.
Once we were all seated, the matre’d introduced a young woman who represented the winery, Monte Grande. Unlike past winery representatives, she really didn’t have too much to say about the vineyard. As the matre’d said, she was very attractive …
Our first course was a Zucchine Alla Parmigiana, basically a thin slice of zucchini topped with tomato, mozzarella and basil, much like a pizza. Very tasty, but kind of small. The course was paired with a 2008 Monte Grande Serprino, which was unusual since past luncheons in Italy typically featured wines from Banfi. It was a nice pairing, though, and our glasses were refilled.
The next course was Ravioli D’Aragosta Tartufati or lobster ravioli in a tomato sauce with truffled butter. There were two ravioli on the plate—in the past, the pasta course was pretty hefty. This was not. The ravioli were paired with a 2009 Monte Grande Pinot Bianco, which was very nice. Again, our glasses were topped off, maybe because one of my dining partners wasn’t shy about asking for refills!
Our entrée was a Brasato di Manzo, a red wine braised short rib with mashed potatoes. Notice I said “rib”—we were only served one. It was very flavorful, with no bone, but not very substantial. The wine was a 2009 Monte Grande Cabernet, which was excellent.
For dessert, we were served a Mocha Tiramisu, and it was a huge portion, probably what you’d normally receive if you ordered the dessert in the restaurant. I’ve had the tiramisu here before and it’s wonderful—very creamy and the espresso is not too overpowering. The dessert was paired with Rosa Regale, as usual. It was a great combination and I believe our table polished off the last bottle available!
Although the food at this event was very good, I really felt that the portion sizes were much smaller than in the past. I realize that this is supposed to be a tasting, but the courses for the luncheons in Italy had always been more substantial (this is the 5th one that I’ve attended). Plus, the representative from the vineyard had absolutely nothing to say about the wines we were drinking and that’s something I really missed. She did come by each table and asked if we had any questions, but honestly, how could we have questions if we were given no information?
Next year, I’ll probably think twice before I book this event—if something else that sounded interesting was offered at the same time, I think I might have to attend that instead.
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Billd
Registered: January 2006
Location: Southeast Pa.
Posts: 10
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Review Date: Sat October 29, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Master Chef in attendance - Kevin Dundon
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Cons:
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none
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My wife and I attended the signature dinner at Raglan Road on October 18. There were about 55 people at this event, which was off to one side of the pub.
As mentioned in another post, each chair had a calendar placed, showing a picture of each dish to be served (each dish was a separate month) along with the recipe. Additional non-served dishes were in the calendar to complete the 12 month. this was also signed by Kevin Dundon.
Prior to starting the event Kevin Dundon, came over to our table, shook hands and engaged in small talk. A really nice touch! We also were fortunate to talk with the sommelier for the evening, discussing the choice of both the white & red wines.
At the beginning of each course, Kevin explained to all of us, the thoughts behind each dish. The wait staff was very attentive, never letting our wine or water glasses getting less than half filled.
The food was excellent. The Expresso of Foie Gras with Yogurt Froth - had a complex flavor. the following dishes:
The Tomato Consomme w/side tomato salad, Smoked Salmon, Bloody Mary Sorbet w/creme Fraiche & Micor greens, were very good. The Lobster Bisque infused with a Single Malt Irish Whiskey was excellent! The main dish consisted of either the Baby Suckling Pork Rack w/Black Pudding & Apple Jelly served with Colcannon Spuds, or the Filet of Monk Fish served on a Broad Bean & Smoked Bacon Lardon Reduction. My wife had the fish, I the Lamb. Outsanding is all I can say about these dishes.
Desert was Treacle Tart with Blackberries & Clotted Cream & vanilla ice cream, again very good.
This was our third signature dining event since we have been coming to the Food & Wine Festival, and was by far the best value for cost we have enjoyed.
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arielwatcher
Registered: April 2007
Posts: 90
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Review Date: Thu October 27, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? No
| Rating: 4
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Met a couple at the Taste, Shake and Enjoy (Grand Marnier event). Sounded great so I ponied up the cash figuring it's a once in a life time event, right???
Right about that.
Got there at 7:30, line was long and we finally were ushered into the darkness. Looked like they initially hadn't set up enough tables and they threw down a few more in a hall way.
No directions for newbies, they just threw you into the room of lines. Lines for drinks, for food, lines to find a seat.
The music was avant garde, I guess... it ground on my nerves as being strident and a bit too loud. Then they had the Cirque Du Soleil which wasn't very easy to see.
Tables weren't saved so we had to forage in shifts and I never got a complete meal. $300 for the two of us to have the minute amounts of food and drink is horrid.
We never found the couple we were looking for but met a few interesting folk.
There were tall tables and seated tables...wish you could have "claimed" a seated table to gather enough food to enjoy.... it just wasn't easy to eat or drink when you were thinking which line you'd get into next.
It was over before we knew it.... and I felt robbed.
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Starfire
Registered: October 2011
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4
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Review Date: Wed October 26, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Kevin Dundon was a wonderful host!
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Cons:
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none
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My sister and I went to Raglan Roads signature dinner event on October 18. A corner of the restaurant was set aside for the dinner. The tables were dressed with white linen and white rose centerpieces. At each place setting was a calender for next year and each of the dishes to be sampled were pictured inside along with the recipes. Six excellent courses(my favorite was the tomato sorbet and the lobster bisque), two wines and a wonderful gift bag filled with oat bread, Guinness Glaze and Whiskey marmalade were our parting gifts! Kevin visited each table at the beginning and end of the event, chatting and describing what we were to eat, and posed for photos and signed cookbooks!
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alfy
Registered: July 2010
Posts: 19
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Review Date: Tue October 18, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Service, the wines, the food ...
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Cons:
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We attended the Regional French - Cotes du Rhone luncheon in the Bistro de Paris. The speaker was excellent, very descriptive of the wines. The food was some of the best we've ever had at WDW. Five courses, including an amuse bouche of cream of asparagus soup, appetizer of a mushroom tarte, entree of baked chicken breast, cheese course and a galette for dessert. Each was properly sauced and accompanied by a complementary wine. Beautiful presentations. The wines were well matched, and not just tasting portions; the small army of French waiters just kept pouring - and pouring - and pouring, virtually until the next course was ready to serve, then they did it all over again! The food, and especially the service, something the French do so well, were a cut above anything else at the Festival, or at WDW for that matter. We're looking forward to 2012!
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slamborne
Registered: October 2011
Location: Rockledge, FL
Posts: 10
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Review Date: Sun October 16, 2011
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Would you recommend the product? Yes
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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We had a nice size sample and glass of wine
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Cons:
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I sat up front and couldn't see very well but there is a monitor and big screen.
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My husband and I went to Chef Ruth Van Waerebeek's Culinary Demonstration for Mixed Seafood and Mushroom Ceviche on October 6th. We never did one before so we weren't sure what to expect. It was great. She talked about Ceviches and had a partner that talked about the wine pairing. After everyone was served a sample and the wine, we were allowed to ask questions. We used out Tables In Wonderland card for a discount but even without it, the price was very reasonable especially compared to the portions and prices in the booths throughout World Showcase. We would definetly do this again.
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dcdeb
Registered: October 2005
Posts: 60
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