Oh no! Where did the wine go? A food and wine dining report. FINAL SwoClassic and Parisian Breakfast

Niki Andiokno

DIS Veteran
Joined
Aug 6, 2003
Hi all! Niki here with another fabulous food and wine adventure. It seemed like this trip, we were constantly in search of wine. I can't believe it! Especially during the food and wine festival! This trip was a bit different, as my nephew joined my regular crew of me, Mike my husband and my best friend Sally. I'm sad to say that I didn't have my typical Dismeets and missed my friends, but I did have more family around. My husband even met up with some friends he hadn't seen in 40 years. Wow! We were theme park commandos this trip, as my nephew Joaquin Saw all for Disney parks and to universal parks all-in-one vacation. Whew!! Sill, we ate tons of fabulous food and drank lots of fabulous drinks. Here is where we went:

F&W Booths
La Hacienda
Boulangerie Patisserie les Halles
Harambe market
Pongu Pongu
Jiko
Skipper Canteen
Kona Cafe
Trader Sam's grog Grato
Culinary demonstrations
Il Mulino
ABC Commissary
Morimoto Asia
Flying fish
Swan and dolphin food and wine classic.
Parisian breakfast at Chefs de France.

It really seems like I am missing somewhere, but I'm not really sure where that would be. Hopefully I remember as I go along. My lost some of my photos when my phone was boosted a few days after I came back. That's probably why I seem to be missing things in my memory.

I hope to get this thing started later tonight or early tomorrow. I hope you enjoy reading a long.
 
Hi all. My 1st real food post this trip. First, a little more about our trip.

By the way, this is us. I am the blonde in the back. Sally is directly in front of me. My husband is sitting next to her. Joaquin is behind him.
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The 3 mid westerners drove from Chicago. Traffic was horrid, and our trip took 19 hours. It was our own fault because we got on the road several hours late. We left right in the middle of rush hour traffic. If anyone has ever been to Chicago during rush hour, you know it wasn't pretty. Joaquin flew in from California and arrived very very early in the morning. Fortunately, our Room at Hilton Grand Vacations Club Tuscany Village was ready and he could take a nap while he waited for the slow old folks. Once we arrived, we immediately ran off to Epcot Food & Wine festival. We were all starving, and I needed a drink!

Our first stop was the Coastal Eats booth.
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The boys and I shared one of everything. My phone was out, so all of these pics are borrowed from the Disney Food Blog. Lump Crab Cake with Napa Cabbage Slaw and Avocado Lemongrass Cream
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This was just ok. The good part was that it didn't have a lot of filler. The bad was that there was little flavor.

Next up was Baked Shrimp Scampi Dip with Sourdough Baguette . This was HEAVEN!!!! We lived this and wished we had not been sharing. It was creamy and cheesy and garlicky. The shrimp were good sized too. We could have used more baguette.
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Last was the Seared Scallops with Roasted Corn and Butterbean Succotash and Chili-Chipotle Butter Sauce. This was also very good and left us wanting more.
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Of course we had to have wine. Erath Pinot Gris, Oregon and Soter Planet Oregon Pinot Noir. These were very light, and nice for a warm day. Both wines can easily be found at most large liquor stores.
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Also in the area was Earth Eats by the Chew.
2017-Epcot-Food-and-Wine-Festival-Earth-Eats-Menu-466x600.jpg This booth was not as good. In fact, almost deadly. But first the good. Ricotta and Zucchini Ravioli with Rustic Tomato Sauce. I recall this from last year. Nice pasta. Since Sally doesn't do seafood, she ate most if this.
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Next dish brought some in needed excitement to our afternoon. Grilled Beef Skewer with Romaine, Apricots, and Feta Cheese. This was not good. At all. The steak was cut into huge pieces, and was very very tough. Mike put a piece in his mouth and couldn't chew it very well. He tried to swallow it, but it was still too big. He started choking!! Choking so bad that we almost did the Heimlich maneuver. His face was turning red. He coughed the whole piece up,and it went flying toward the people we were sharing a table with!! So embarrassing, but better than losing my hubby from choking on an uber-tough piece of meat. He was totally fine afterwards.
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We high tailed it out of there in search of our next booth. THE CHOCOLATE STUDIO!!! I was so excited, as we never seem to get to any of the dessert booths. We are all CHOCOHOLICS!! This place was DA BOMB

Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey-Caramel was FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC!! Rich cold chocolatey goodness.
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I have run out of room, so I will continue next post
 


Next was my favorite, Sweet Dark Chocolate Raspberry Torte with Whipped Cream and Raspberry Dust. I love all things raspberry, and all things dark chocolate. This is one of my favorite flavor combinations. The raspberry was sweet yet tart. The chocolate crust was rich and scrumptious. Can you tell I loved this?
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We also drank Justin Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles. This was heavenly with the above tart. Love love love. We also had the Banfi Rosa Regale, Piedmont. This is a sweet Italian Rose. It paired better with the milder truffle. We also drank Lenotti Recioto della Valpolicella, Italy. I recall that I really liked this semi sweet red. I don't recall any specific tasting notes as one as in love with that tart. Finally we drank the RL Buller Fine Muscat. Very sweet. I prefer sparkles with my sweet, but this was ok. Overall we liked everything at this booth.

Next we went on a few rides, then hit the Eat to the Beat Toad the Wet Sprocket concert. Love these guys. The concert was great.
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Here are some other pics of our afternoon.
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Next up, our dinner at La Hacienda De San Angel
 


After running around Epcot awhile in the massive crowds, and losing Mike as we so often do, We needed a break. Luckily we had a reservation at La Hacienda De San Angel. We love this place. I started out with an avocado margarita. This is sweet and creamy, with a bit of a watermelon taste. I really love the hibiscus rim.
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I also had a Blood Orange Fire margarita. I don't see it on the menu now but I had it then. An orange mango is currently on the menu. No mango in this one. It was very spicy and a little bitter. The last time I had this it was better.
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We started out with chips and salsa. The red one was mildly spicy with a smokey flavor. The green one was very mild and had a smoother tomatillo flavor. Both were good.
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Mike and I shared one of our favorites here, Parrillada - Del Mar Mixed grill offering shrimp, fish, scallops served over grilled veggies like corn, green onion, zucchini, yellow squash and red peppers. This is also served with a side if beans and Spanish rice. All I can say is WOW!! I am always surprised at how good this is. The scallops are perfectly cooked and tender. I believe the fish is mahi mahi. It is a very mild sweet fish that totally soaks up the Mexican flavors. The shrimp are succulent. That corn is just phonomenal! We always have leftovers.
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Joaquin was famished, so he wanted meat meat meat. He ate the Carnitas Yucatan - pork confit (carnitas Yucatan style), with pico de gallo, cabbage, citrus juice and avocado salsa. He really liked this. The portion was huge. He ate every bite.
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I couldn't find a pic so here is one from the Disney Food Blog. It looked almost like this, except I don't recall so many radishes.

Sally isn't a big fan of this place, but humors me because I like it so much. Such a good BFF. She got tacos. The waiter was nice enough to get her a plate of three chicken tacos. She said the meat was good, but she wanted regular (americanized like Taco Bell) tacos with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes. These were served more traditional Mexican style with onion and cilantro. No orange cheese or lettuce to be found here. She was disappointed, but I think that runs more to her particular taste than the actual food. Sorry Sal. I am so lucky she puts up with me.
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I'm looking at the photo and this looks like shrimp. I actually got this from my photobucket so it might be wrong.

The rest of us live La Hacienda, and this is a Must Do every trip.
 
20171130-123535-540x720.jpg We then ran to Norway to stock up on Gier Ness products. I grabbed this awesome purse filled with Laila perfume and lotion. I know not a food pic but I love it so much.
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We pushed our way through Epcot some more. Next Stop Karamel Kuche. I picked up a dark chocolate caramel square with sea salt. I ate it over the next few days.
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Finally, we made our way to Las Halles. I wanted to purchase some pastries for breakfast the next day. I picked up a chocolate croissant, goat cheese terrine and a ham and cheese croissant to share with Mike. The chocolate croissant was really good. The ham and cheese croissant was awesome. There was plenty of meat with a big slice of Gruyere cheese on top. Gruyere is my favorite cheese, so this sandwich is right up my alley. Plus, it is big enough to share. The terrine was also fantastic. Tasty bread topped with light tomato sauce, gruyere cheese and a big dollop of goat cheese. This is another favorite.
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Our tummies were full the next morning, ready to hit Animal Kingdom.
 
Fabulous report so far. :)

The scallops at Coastal Eats were one of my favorite things at this year’s F&W.

I’m a big fan of Laila, and the purse you got is beautiful. I would have been all over it.

Your next day’s breakfast looks and sounds like a feast to me. :) My favorite Disney breakfasts are the ones I buy at Les Halles and Kringla bakery the night before.
 
Our first full day at WDW led us to Animal Kingdom!! We were supposed to meet Mike's cousin at rope drop, but she felt ill. We decided to meet a bit later at Epcot, and off we went.
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Our first stop was a race to the Na'avi River ride. I just love this. The animatronics are amazing.
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Since the kid (relative term) had eaten his French pastries the night before, her needed breakfast. I was a bit disappointed that Satu'uli Canteen no longer served breakfast. The vegetarian curry pods are so good I wanted to try it. So our only option was Pongu Pongu. What else could two Filipino men have for breakfast but Pongu Lumpia - Pineapple cream cheese spring roll. This is a non - traditional sweet take on the classic Filipino egg roll. It is egg roll wrapper filed with pineapple and cream cheese. I thought his was pretty good, but the males were a bit disappointed. They just can't compare to the savory goodness of real Filipino lumpia. They both suggested that banana and jackfruit would be better than pineapple, but then that would be a whole different snack called turon.
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We also shared the Night Blossom - non-alcoholic mixture of limeade with apple and desert pear flavors topped with passion fruit boba balls. Three things about this drink. First, and most importantly, this drink needs alcohol. Oh, what a bit if vodka could do for this. Second, this drink is really sweet. I love it, but could use a bit more tart lime. Third, LOVE PASSION FRUIT BOBA BALLS!!
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Around noon some of us got a bit hangry (how you can be angry at Disney I have no clue) so we stopped where we were, Harambe Market. We chose to eat Beef and Pork Sausage - Fried in curried corn batter and served with green papaya slaw and black-eyed pea salad. Mike and I shared one, as they were huge. I hate to say it, but these were aweful. Joaquin said they are fuel, not really food. To me they were really bad food. The curried corn batter had a wierd taste like burnt curry. Plus the batter was really hard. We all immediately removed it. The sausage itself was slimy and flavorless. The slaw and beans were ok, so I pretty much ate those.
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I totally wish our hangry folks could have waited to go to Pandora. Curry pods would have been so much better.

Next up, Food & Wine culinary demo. Where did the wine go?
 

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Fabulous report so far. :)

The scallops at Coastal Eats were one of my favorite things at this year’s F&W.

I’m a big fan of Laila, and the purse you got is beautiful. I would have been all over it.

Your next day’s breakfast looks and sounds like a feast to me. :) My favorite Disney breakfasts are the ones I buy at Les Halles and Kringla bakery the night before.
I love all things Gier Ness. The purse was the greatest find.

I love Les Halles breakfasts. I need to try Kringla bakery.
 
After lunch we went over to Epcot to meet Mike's cousin and her husband for our first culinary demonstration. For years, these food and wine demos have been one of my favorite parts of the festival. For $18 you got a small dish, the recipe so you could make it at home and a glass of wine paired with the dish. I love meeting the wine reps and chefs, adding their personal tips and tasting notes to the recipe then making it at home. I have found a couple staples in these, such as scallops with green lentils, corn chowder and goat cheese tarts. I also found some of my favorite wines this way, like Twomey Merlot and La Crema Chardonnay. I had really talked this event up to the cousin, who lives food and wine like we do.

Imagime my horror, yes horror sitting down at a table with no wine glass! No one told me the format had changed. The price certainly hadn't decreased. Where was the wine!? There was no wine to be given. No wine rep was present. The demo this year was only the food with NO WINE. This was so wrong on so many levels. I was embarrassed, and disappointed since it was 2:30 and not a drop of alcohol in my veins. Mike was ticked off too, and doesn't want to do these again. The plate of food you get is so small for $18. Anyway, rant over.

The chef that day was Steven Richards from Paddlefish. He made Sea Scallops with cauliflower puree, bacon and Brussels sprouts. The dish was good, although the puree was a bit bland. The scallop was pretty small for a sea scallop. We still enjoyed the company of family. Joaquin met cousins he had never met. A good time was had by all, even without wine.
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Afterwards, we got some Ghirardelli drinking chocolate and looked at the beautiful chocolate sculptures.
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We then went back to the hotel to freshen up a bit before Jiko amazing dinner and more Animal Kingdom.
 
What no wine ? ???. I feel your pain;). Enjoying your report . Your review of La Hacienda has got me thinking of adding it to the "possible" column for our trip , date to be determined
 
What no wine ? ???. I feel your pain;). Enjoying your report . Your review of La Hacienda has got me thinking of adding it to the "possible" column for our trip , date to be determined
The lack of wine was very disappointing.

You should eat at La Hacienda. The food is consistently good. Our friends from our May trip hail this as the best restaurant they have eaten at in Disney.
 
I'm here!
This was our first time back to F&W since 2010 and walking through the festival center, we saw lots of demos set up and commented to each other how we'd like to do some in the future. But no wine? I wonder if that's all of them or if you got the bad one lol?

So sorry you didn't like the sausage from Harambe Market, I love that! I agree the slaw is very good. I also love your Laila bag :love: That's my favorite scent and I buy some every time we're in Epcot. I know I can get it at Nordstroms but it's not the same!
 
Hi Niki!!! Looks like a great start to your trip. I can't wait for more!
 
I'm here!
This was our first time back to F&W since 2010 and walking through the festival center, we saw lots of demos set up and commented to each other how we'd like to do some in the future. But no wine? I wonder if that's all of them or if you got the bad one lol?

So sorry you didn't like the sausage from Harambe Market, I love that! I agree the slaw is very good. I also love your Laila bag :love: That's my favorite scent and I buy some every time we're in Epcot. I know I can get it at Nordstroms but it's not the same!
No wine anyDemonstration except for the wine demonstrations. We did 3:ary demonstrations and no wine at any of the Demonstration except for the wine demonstrations. We did 3:ary demonstrations and no wine at any of Them. I don't think it was a bad one, as the food was really good. I just don't think it has as good a Bang for the buck as it used to.

I really wanted to like the sausage. I love all things curry. I think wanting the curry cards at the canteen made it even worse for me.

I love the bag too. My local nordstrom does not have the gift acts or the purse. I just love all things Gier.
Hi Niki!!! Looks like a great start to your trip. I can't wait for more!
View thanks for joining in. I hope to get my Jiko review up soon.
 
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We then ran to Norway to stock up on Gier Ness products. I grabbed this awesome purse filled with Laila perfume and lotion

Laila bag :love: That's my favorite scent and I buy some every time we're in Epcot. I know I can get it at Nordstroms but it's not the same!

LOVE!!! I fell in love with Laila on my first trip and bought a bottle. Geir Ness happened to be there in the store at the time and he signed it for me. Although even sharpie tends to rub off glass bottles. I almost bought another bottle on my trip a few months ago and decided to walk away after picking it up a few times only to get home and realize that mine was nearly empty. Sad sad discovery. I've been tempted to just grab a bottle on amazon but I agree with Ariane, It's just not the same.
 
After a refreshing break and change of clothes at the hotel, we were ready to head back to our adventures. Mike's cousins decided not to meet us for dinner at Jiko as planned, as they spent the afternoon noshing at the Food and wine booths at Epcot. We decided to meet back at Animal Kingdom for our Flight of Passage fast pass. On we went to Jiko.

We hadn't been to Jiko in awhile. With the extra passholder discount we decided you add it to the trip. I had forgotten just how fabulous this place really is.

We all started with wine. We usually Go to the Wine Wednesday here, so we know that Shelly is both a great server and awesome sommelier. She suggested both a white and red for our table. The girls had Cederberg Bukketraube. This wine is often featured on Wine Wednesday. It is light and citrusy (if that is a word) with a touch of sweetness. This is a 91 point wine. The Cederberg was very light for this hot day.

The boys had De Toren Delicate. This was a red blend of Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. One would think that the above blend, with the largest percentage being malbec, that this would be a heavy wine. It totally was NOT!! It was light, yet dry. I tasted cherry. Kicker is, this is served slightly chilled! Imagine that! A chilled red! It was really great wine. Also 90+ points. I just don't recall exactly. This is a perfect wine for a tropical climate. Again, SHELLY GOT GAME!!
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The bread was served with our wine. This was a dark hearty bread. I typically don't enjoy dark bread, but this was phenomenal. The butter had some spice to it as well, and tasted fantastic with the bread.
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We started with two orders of Grilled Wild Boar Tenderloin - with Mealie Pap, Chakalaka, Truffle Oil and Micro Cilantro. This was so good. The boar was tender and flavorful. The meat didn't have a gamey flavor at all.
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Joaquin had the Mrouzia-Syle Moroccan Lamb Tagine - parsnip silk, root spinach, medjool date smoor, pomegranate glaze. He enjoyed this a lot. That was one huge hunk a meat! See I g a theme here with the kid. He made a great choice.
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Sally had the Jiko Salad - Epcot Land Pavilion greens, stone fruit, pistachio halva, grilled halloumi cheese, apricot ginger dressing with grilled chicken breast. This was a lovely salad. The dressing was light and flavorful. We liked that the greens were grown in the Land pavilion.
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Mike and I both ordered Bo Kaap Malay Seafood Curry - lobster, calamari, red shrimp, mussels, coconut curry sauce, saffron rice. This was some of the best curry EVER!!!! The sauce was full of flavor. The coconut milk made the dish creamy without being too rich. Seafood was HEAVEN!! Clams, mussels, shrimp and calimari all sweet, succulent and tender. Nothing was chewy or Sandy. Then there was the lobster!! Perfect!! The lobster flesh soaked up the curry flavor, yet remained sweet and buttery. We were a bit rushed by this time, since we had fastpasses for Flight of Passage. Shelly was kind enough to ask if she could get us fastpasses so we didn't have to rush. Unfortunately, she said that was the only fastpass she couldn't get for us. I left far too much of this in the bowl. Mike slurped it up right quick and didnt leave a drop. I can't wait until my next trip to order this again.
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I can't find my picture, but since we couldn't stay for dessert, Shelly brought us some creamy cookie like treats. These were wonderful.

We left Jiko wanting more. Next time, we let Shelly pic a wine for each course and have dessert as well. This was one of my favorite meals.
 

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