Reviews of Hard Ticketed Events (Party for the Senses, Food and Wine Pairings)
Reviewed by jaygalterio Review Date: 10/31/2013
Rating: (2) Recommended
"3D Dessert Discovery"
Attended 10/25, Sweet Seats
Offerings on hand -
# of Individual Dessert Areas: 4
# of Individual Dessert Items: 10
Sweet Seats had 3 additional dessert items.
One additional item was delivered to each of the Sweet Seats that I was not able to taste. Luckily I was warned that it included cheese before I tried it (allergies). No real description was given of the item. My wife, who did try it, didn't seem impressed.
All the rest was questionable in it's presence (cold cuts, fruit, cheese, etc.). It's debatable if these should be called "desserts" but that is really up to personal preference.
Most of the fruit were not above the level of items that can be bought at an average supermarket. No special preparation was done to the fruit, seemed like items that were either dumped into a bowl.
Some of the items, like the popcorn, were a complete throw away in effort. They were nice, in theory, but by no means should be considered a "top billed" item. I'm sorry but popcorn is popcorn, flavoring it with different glazes really doesn't raise it's profile enough to justify the entrance price.
The same about the "charcuterie" and "cheese" items. Nothing there struck me as anything special and seemed to be haphazardly dumped into serving containers.
And, at an even more subjective personal opinion, of the desserts only three were worth a second visit: Teeny Weeny Hot Dog Cart, 1 item from the Bites of Cake, and 1 item from the Sweet Seats. All the rest were less than impressive.
All the rest of the items varied between tasteless (almost all the items from "Bites of Cake") and tooth achingly sweet (the chocolate "cone" in the Sweet Seats).
The placement of the "Sweet Seats" was also a considerable disappointment. Our table was literally up against the stage, right in front of one of the speakers. It was uncomfortable both physically and socially.
On a whole, certainly not worth the price of admission.
Pros:
—Cons:
Not worth itReviewed by JoeTr Review Date: 11/02/2013
Rating: (10) Recommended
We (six very senior citizens) were lucky to be able to attend two French Regional lunches during our one week visit. The Cotes du Rhone and Bordeaux regionals were well represented. Every course provided a new taste treat. A Celery Zephyr with Black Truffles was served with an light mousse topping. Different and delicious. The Bordeaux were from the Rothschild Domaines, and lived up to their reputation.
Pros:
Quality and Quantity of food.Cons:
NoneReviewed by JoeTr Review Date: 11/02/2013
Rating: (9) Recommended
This event was held in the new Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar. We all agreed that it is the best venue in WDW - perhaps only a bit less than V&A. The five course lunch represented different regions of Italy. The risotto with pumpkin and shrimp was different and delicious. Unlike the French Regional lunches they were not anxious to refill the glasses. This was a surprise because we had attended the Italian Wine Pairing two days early with several of the same wines, and they were very generous. Downside of the pairing was Via Napoli. It is a very noisy place - fun with pizza, but not great when trying to hear about the food and wines. Perhaps next year they will have both events in the Wine Cellar.
Pros:
Food and ambianceCons:
A little tight with the wine servingsReviewed by Dogwithahat Review Date: 11/08/2013
Rating: (8) Recommended
My DD24 and I attended the Italian Regional lunch on Oct 23, 2013. It was held at Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar in Tutto Italia Restaurant. I will list the five course menu- a charred octopus with a bean spread and matchstick celery hearts paired with a Pinot Grigio, a Zucchini and mint pesto risotto paired with a Juti Lison Classico, poached snapper in white wine and herb broth paired with a Sauvignon, a cheese course a LaTur paired with a Merlot, and for dessert an almond cake with vanilla gelato paired with a Verduzzo dessert wine.
It is my understanding that the menu and wine pairings change frequently during the event which was given 3 times a week. I do not think there is a way to find out the menu before you book it. That being said although I enjoyed the venue and my tablemates, I was disappointed in the nearly all white wine pairings.
I went for the experience and it was overall a good one. The char on the octopus was overpowering to the other delicate flavors. The risotto was really good as was the dessert. I personally liked the cheese which was strongly flavored but many of my tablemates did not. Our table voted the merlot the best wine. The worst course was the snapper, the broth was very fishy.
Our presenter was great but he was very hard to hear because of the venue. They had the place packed with tables. Service was exceptional. A few less chairs in there would have made it better imho. You had to ask someone to get up and let you out to use the bathroom. That's packing us in too tightly.
Pros:
Special Event and exceptional serviceCons:
MenuReviewed by Historygal610 Review Date: 07/27/2014
Rating: (7) Recommended
I attended the 3D Desert Party last October with my S.O. We arrived early and checked in, the process was easy and staff friendly. We were at the front of the roped off area and chatting about the pleasant music and atmosphere with another couple. The attendant said are you guys up front ready to run. I thought he must be joking but no sadly he was not.
As the curtain was pulled many people mad a mad dash for the tables. I however do not move that fast, ever! A few people had to be separated from their parties but really a lot of time was stood chatting anyway so not a huge issue. There were nice maps to point out the location of all the offerings.
I do not drink but my S.O. does and they kept the drinks flowing as well as sodas, coffee, and tea. We had not really eaten much that afternoon and were very happy to see some food beyond the sweets.
If I did this again I would splurge on the sweet seats to avoid the stampede at the start, but I would do it again. Honestly the event was nice and worth the cost, just a little overwhelming.
Pros:
Food was yummyCons:
Seating if you did not purchase prefferedReviewed by dcdeb Review Date: 10/05/2014
Rating: (10) Recommended
Returning to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival this year is the Parisian Breakfast, a program designed to showcase the goodies produced by the France pavilion's beloved bakery, Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie. I reviewed this special ticketed offering last year, and I'm happy to report that nothing much has changed! It's still a delightful and delicious way to start your day in Epcot, with an abundance of fantastic French pastries, strong French coffee, rich hot chocolate, and -- I must not forget to mention -- unlimited orange juice and champagne Mimosas! You can read my review of this year's Parisian Breakfast here: http://allears.net/tp/ep/fw14/2014-epcot-food-and-wine-festival-parisian-breakfast.htm
Pros:
Good value for money; terrific pastriesCons:
NoneReviewed by MWS Review Date: 11/04/2015
Rating: (9) Recommended
My husband and I attended the Parisian breakfast and really enjoyed all the food. The servers were very attentive and the mimosa glasses were continually filled. They also served coffee and hot chocolate. The menu was a variety of breads, cheeses and pastries and some fruit. We felt this was a good deal for the price and we each received a small goodie bag when leaving.
Pros:
Food, serviceCons:
Rush for the beffetReviewed by snovak Review Date: 11/08/2015
Rating: (7) Recommended
Had the chance to get tickets to the Parisian breakfast on Oct. 31st. The food was plentiful and very good. The wait staff kept the mimosa glasses full but I had to keep asking for coffee. Disappointed that I noticed some people got goodie bags as they left and some did not...we were in the group that did not. It was a great experience, and again the food was very good with excellent waiters but I don't know if this something I will want to do on my next visit.
Pros:
atmosphereCons:
—Reviewed by MCMod Review Date: 10/18/2016
Rating: (10) Recommended
Originally posted by annebill
"What's Cookin' With".....and for us it was Buddy Valastro, aka The Cake Boss......just a lovely experience overall.....the brunch was exceptional, his recipe presentations were great (and yummy) but the exclamation point was the "lobster tail with salted caramel".....soooo good!!! afterwards, we were able to have a photo op and a one on one with him and he was so personable....certainly the high point of our F&WF experience
Pros:
great food, organized, fun presentationCons:
noneReviewed by rmbaine Review Date: 10/04/2017
Rating: (5) Recommended
We have done this event for many years. This one was an all-Disney event, but mostly featured Disney Springs restaurants. Food was good but not outstanding. Wine (and champagne) was excellent.
Entertainment also featured Disney Springs performers. We got off to a bad start with the worst renditions of "Hallelujah" and the "House of the Rising Sun" I have ever heard. It was terribly loud. We did enjoy some of the later performances, and the gospel choir at the end was outstanding.
In earlier years, the Party was an incredible event. Maybe a non-Disney Springs party may still be great, but this one was a disappointment.
