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EPCOT Festival of the Holidays

Category: Hard to Get Reservations

Guest Review: Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic, Modern Mixology Seminar

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Thanks to Brenda Meng, who writes a hilarious blog about food at her own Gastropod Travels, for putting together this detailed review of the Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic Mixology Seminar!

Modern Mixology Description

Few things in life are as certain as death and taxes, unless it’s the annual migratory flight of hordes of hungry Disney fans headed to Florida for the October Epcot Food & Wine Festival. This year, the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin decided to get in on the act, and it was high time as far as my husband and I were concerned. There are some incredible restaurants housed at these two hotels and the Swan and Dolphin Food & Wine Classic provided a taste of what they have to offer. We purchased advance tickets to the event for $50 each, which gave us unlimited food and drink samples at the stations set up along the walkway between the hotels as well as our choice of a beverage seminar one hour before the official event was slated to begin.

Swan and Dolphin Causeway

Mixology Seminar Atmosphere and Eats/Drinks
Based on our fondness for mixed drinks and past experiences with Bluezoo’s cocktail menu, this was the beverage seminar my husband and I most wanted to attend.

The class was led by Doug Draper, Bluezoo’s General Manager; and Lindsay Skillman, the Cabana Bar & Beach Club Manager. They were engaging and knowledgeable and worked well with each other. They also did [Read more…]

What Disney Foods Do YOU Crave?

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Well, I’ve been home from Walt Disney World for two weeks now, and I’m already craving some dishes and snacks I know I’m going to have on my next trip (um…Karamell Kuche, anyone?).

So, a while back, I asked over on the Disney Food Blog Facebook Page: What Disney Dish Are You Craving Today? I got some fantastic answers! Let’s take a trip down a delicious road of favorite dishes and menu items in Walt Disney World… (Note: You’ll see some sad news about the Jiko Filet with Mac and Cheese about halfway down the page. I’m just warning you.)

A Few of the Classics…

With all the changes in Disney World’s menus lately, it’s nice to know these favorites have been around for a good long time:

Fried Chicken at 50’s Prime Time Cafe
This classic, simple dish has been on the menu at 50’s Prime Time Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios for ages, and we’re glad it’s not going away!

Fried Chicken at 50's Prime Time Cafe

‘Ohana
Folks wrote about loving the wings appetizer and the dessert — that fabulous Bananas Foster Bread Pudding — at [Read more…]

3D: Disney’s Dessert Discovery Event at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival

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Disney has introduced several brand new events as part of the 15th Annual Epcot Food and Wine Festival, including this 3D Disney’s Dessert Discovery event! A friend and foodie, Colin Buchanan (you might know him as @ParadisePeer on twitter), has written up an incredible review of his visit. Take it away Colin!3Ds: Delicious Decadent & Delirious

As part of my 15th Annual Epcot International Food and Wine Festival excursion I chose to attend the inaugural “3D” Disney’s Dessert Discovery event. Actually, my entire week was scheduled around this event. As soon as this year’s events were announced, the 3D event jumped off the page with the lure of desserts, cordials and a V.I.P. view of [Read more…]

Disney Food Post Round-Up: October 17, 2010

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Woo hoo! Just wanted to remind everyone before we start the round-up: We were finally able to announce the winners of the WDW Foodie Fest Scavenger Hunt! (And thank the volunteers and sponsors as well!)

Thanks to all 300+ (!!) folks who came to celebrate with us at the 2010 WDW Foodie Fest! Stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog Newsletter, and Disney Food Blog on twitter and facebook for details about the 2011 WDW Foodie Fest. It will be held in the beginning of October 2011, and there may be some surprises in store… 😉

Now, on to the Round-Up!

StitchKingdom reports on Day 1 of D23’s Sip and Stroll event in Epcot, including Dave Smith’s retirement dinner!

DisZine has a great review of Olivia’s Cafe at Disney’s Old Key West Resort! Check out that Key Lime Tart!

Epcot Crowd at Wine and Dine Half Marathon After-Party

Touring Plans‘ blogger Caroline Baggerly recaps and shares her opinion on her experience running the brand new Wine and Dine Half-Marathon, which took place in Walt Disney World on October 2nd as part of the Epcot Food and Wine Festival opening weekend.

Disney Every Day has some great photos from a trip around the Epcot Food and Wine Festival!

BritMick has a fun review of Kouzzina by Cat Cora!

Eating (And Drinking) Around the World has an awesome review of the Beer and Sake seminars at the Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic from last weekend. Check it out!

Wine-Oh Of The Year offers a trip report of their visit to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival — with special attention paid to the wine, of course.

Everything WDW has a great review of Epcot’s Via Napoli.

Main Street Gazette reviews the Singapore Booth at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival!

Eating Around WDW shares a review of Sci-Fi Dine-in at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

HeatherW.com is back with some more great Disney Food scrapbooking layouts! Here’s Main Street Bakery and Birthday at Chef Mickey’s!

Mousekefoodie discusses Kimonos at the Swan.

Armchair Imagineers have a very cool review of their visit to the Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic as well!

Finally, thanks again to StitchKingdom for sharing the links to the third and fourth parts of the Disneyland Paris Mickey Cookie Decorating Competition!

Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic Adds a New Seminar!

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Great news for those of you who were shut out of the Swan and Dolphin’s upcoming Food and Wine Classic seminars — they’ve added an extra one due to popular demand!

The “Vino of Veneto” seminar will offer:

“An in depth discussion and analysis of wines from the Veneto region of Italy. Located in North Eastern Italy, the Venetian region is home to famous wine producing provinces such as Treviso, Verona, Padova, Venice, and Vicenza. The growers here base their ‘classic’ wines on native grape varieties like Prosecco and Verduzzo, however popularity and high demand has allowed them to experiment with Cabernets, Chardonnays, and Pinot varieties as well. Mr. Robin Shay will guide you through your journey of Veneto. Robin lived in Europe for 10 years working as a winemaker and later as a professionally certified sommelier in Rome. After this hour, you will feel like an expert on the wines of Veneto. — Instructor: Robin Shay, Certified Wine Sommelier”

The seminar will be available on October 8th and 9th at 4:30pm; call 407-934-1609 soon for reservations!

Be sure to read more about the Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic here, and check out our other posts detailing sneak peek views of the food that will be offered at the Classic’s tasting booths!

You can also read about other upcoming seminars here!

Guest Review: Wine Country Trattoria World of Color Dining Package

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Today, guest blogger Shayne Newell, author of Shayne’s Project 365, is back with a review (and some gorgeous photos) from her recent Wine Country Trattoria World of Color (WOC) Dining Package meal! Take it away, Shayne!

Like the previously reviewed World of Color Dining Package meal at Ariel’s Grotto, the Wine Country Trattoria package meal is a fixed-price, limited menu that can be reserved up to 30 days in advance.

Atmosphere and Menu
It was pretty hot the day we went (Saturday, 9/4/10), so we were happy to be seated in the upstairs portion of the restaurant, where it was under cover and cool; we still had a nice view of the park. Everyone on the upper level seemed to be ordering from the WOC menu, so perhaps they segregated the WOC diners from those ordering off of the regular menu? On both the adult and kids’ menu, the appetizer/salad course and the dessert course were pre-determined, but each diner could choose their entree from [Read more…]

Champagne and Sake Seminar Details: Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic

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Furthering my crusade to learn more about the first annual Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic, I got the wonderful opportunity to speak with two of the event’s seminar leaders last week: Chad Lobner, Kimonos Sushi Restaurant Manager and leader of the Sake Seminars; and Olivier Zambaux, Shula’s Steak House Manager/Certified Wine Sommelier and leader of the Champagne Seminars.

Here’re some of the pretty rad details that you get to experience if you’re signed up for either of these two seminars. (And if you’re not, check out this link for more information on how you can experience the first annual Disney World Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic!)

Sake Seminar

When:

Friday and Saturday, October 8th and 9th, 4:30-5:30pm
To Book: Some seminars are full, but it never hurts to call — 407-934-1609. As of this interview, there was still space in Friday’s seminar.

Description: Dive into the history of sake, the current trends in the industry, and a hint at what we can expect tomorrow. Topics include vessels, labeling, when to warm your sake and how the production and milling of sake produces different grades and taste profiles. This class will be filled with opportunities to taste many different types of sake and demonstrate how simple it is to pair with food. Kanpai! Instructor: Chad Lobner, Kimonos Sushi Restaurant Manager

What can guests expect from the sake seminar that might surprise them?
Guests will walk through the experience of Japanese sake, and the seminar will dispel some myths about sake. For example, hot sake, which is what many of us have the most experience with, is usually not the highest quality sake you [Read more…]

Exclusive: First Look at Menus and Details from the Swan & Dolphin Food and Wine Classic

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I recently had the incredible opportunity to speak with Anthony “Tony” Porcellini, the Director of Food and Beverage at the Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort and the brains behind the brand new annual Swan and Dolphin Food and Wine Classic!

Tony was kind enough to share with me a few more details on the upcoming event, including menus for the tasting booths, specifics on the seminars, and a few surprises for next year’s event! I also received fantastic photos of some of the menu items that will be available in the tasting booths! You can see a few of them below, and a few more will be highlighted over the upcoming weeks.

What We’ll Be Tasting at the Food and Wine Classic

Six Swan and Dolphin restaurants will be featured at the Causeway tasting stations on Friday and Saturday nights (October 8th and 9th, 2010). The offerings will change each night, so be sure to check out the menus below before deciding your dates (or just head over both nights — that’s what I’d do!)

Todd English’s bluezoo
The first night of the festival will feature one of the restaurant’s trendiest dishes: Shrimp Steamrollers! According Tony Porcellini, to make the steamrollers, bluezoo Executive Chef Chris Windus basically “deconstructs a shrimp cocktail in a tube.” Eating them is an even bigger adventure! Chef Windus will be on hand at the tasting booth to demonstrate.

bluezoo Steamroller

Another trendy dish takes the stage at the bluezoo booth on Saturday. Pipettes filled with buerre blanc sauce will spear small pieces of scallop and bacon. To eat, simply pull the scallop and bacon from
[Read more…]

Disney Food Post Round Up: September 5, 2010

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Welcome to the Disney Food Post Round-Up! Our favorite piece of news this week is that the tarps have come down from around La Hacienda de San Angel in Epcot’s Mexico!

Check out these gorgeous photos of La Hacienda de San Angel in Disney World’s Epcot. Also, check out this interior concept art!

The restaurant should be opening in mid-September (15th or 16th). Reservations will be available for dates after Oct. 15th. For more details and menus for La Hacienda de San Angel and La Cantina de San Angel, check out our La Hacienda de San Angel info page.

Also in the news — save some space for Orlando Magical Dining Month! $30, 3-course meals with part of the profits donated to charity! Take advantage all through September. AND, if you’re in northern Cali, head over to the Walt Disney Family Museum for a film and food tribute to the Bay Area!

And now, on to the round-up!

Orlando Sentinel‘s Daily Disney blog posted info about our very own upcoming WDW Foodie Fest! Check it out! We’re famous! (Thanks to “A Mom and the Mouse” writer, Kristin Ford!)

Cakewrecks has takes another look at Disney cakes gone wrong!

WDW Character Hunt shares the rumor that Special Agent Oso (a la Playhouse Disney) will be replacing Jo Jo at Hollywood and Vine’s Play and Dine Character meal.

Main St. Gazette takes us to Tusker House for dinner!

BritMick laments the lack of a good cuppa on Disney property — and gives her solution to the problem.

The Givens Chronicles is posting one recipe per week from the 2009 Epcot Food and Wine Festival all this month! This week’s recipe? Mango Lassi from India!

A Taste of Wonderland follows Disney World’s Chef TJ to his new digs — the Grand Floridian’s 1900 Park Fare!

Eating Around the World reviews Coral Reef Restaurant in Epcot.

Samland’s Disney Adventures takes a look at Disneyland’s Roastie-Toasties!

Vintage Disneyland Tickets has a Spring 1970 copy of the Disney News, which includes this great historical find — find out how Disneyland feeds “those enormous appetites” of the guests!

Cooking With Mickey celebrates her anniversary at Club 33 in Disneyland!

Makin’ Memories brings us to Disney World’s ‘Ohana for breakfast!

Deb’s Digest, Deb Wills’ personal blog on AllEars.net, showcases Jim, the fun-loving Casey’s Corner pianist.

Touring Plans Blog‘s Tom Bricker has a food photo face-off, while blogger Kristen Helmstetter brings us to Epcot’s Via Napoli!

Eating (and Drinking) Around the World has some pics of the new Epcot F&W Festival pins!

WDW Magic has some news about menu changes at Animal Kingdom’s Restaurantosaurus.

Thanks to Global Disney Pinvestigation for sending Hacienda pics!

Kona Cafe Menu Changes “Imminent”

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We’ll be reporting on lots of menu changes this week! These are brought to us by Disney Every Day‘s Amanda Tinney, who recently visited Disney’s Polynesian Resort’s Kona Cafe.

The Classic Kona Cone Isn't Going Anywhere

Hiya Disney Foodie Fans! Sometimes chatting up your server at a Walt Disney World Restaurant will elicit golden nuggets of information that you can share with your fellow Disneyphile Friends. This week, my daughter and I were having dinner at Kona Cafe in the Polynesian Resort. Sushi, of course…followed up with some dessert. My daughter ordered the “most requested” dessert at the Kona Cafe, the Kona Kone! I opted for the “healthier” choice and ordered the Chocolate Fondue.

My Chocolate Fondue with macaroons, lace cookies, pineapple, strawberries and kiwi

I noticed that our server had a “10 Years of Service” Pin on her name badge and started chatting with her. It was around 5:30 pm when we were first seated and the restaurant was only about half full, so our server had time to talk. I told her that I had tried to make an ADR for the evening and was told by Disney Dining that the Cafe was completely booked until 9:00 pm. From the looks of it…some people had failed to show up for their ADR. Our server told us that it is normal for 45 to 50% of ADR’s to be “no-shows” on any given day!!! Proof that sometimes a “walk-up” is the only way to go.

Our server went on to tell us that there were going to be some changes coming soon to the Kona Cafe Dinner Menu. One change that has already been made involves [Read more…]

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