Mom & Dad - But Where's the Son? Empty Nest F&W Trip! - Update 1/12 - Frontera & Jocks!

[GoofySon'sMom]

Saturday morning, October 22nd, we were up bright and early for the Parisian Breakfast at Chefs de France.

There were servers handling out mimosas when we walked in, An older "gentleman" was in such a hurry to get his that he knocked in to me and spilled half of mine! He didn't have to worry. The refills were plentiful!

Breakfast was a buffet of pastries, fruit, croissants , sliced meats, cheeses and croque monsier sandwiches. First up, my plate -

And DH's



Everything was very good. A nice way to start the day. We are already talking about F&W next year and we would definitely do this again!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Sorry - duplicate post! My computer is not my friend today!

 

[1983DisneyFanatic]

Joining in! I really wanted to do the Parisian breakfast last year, but I didn't get a chance. I will have to put this on my must do list for 2017.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

After breakfast we went to Festival Center - the chocolate sculptures were awesome!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Because we would be going to the Party for the Senses, we planned to only try a couple of snacks during the day.

First up from the Craft Beers booth



The pimento cheese dip and a beer for DH (I do not remember which!)



This was a fail for both of us. It was cold and had sweet relish in it which I hate. On our scale of 1-5, this was only a 1. DH did enjoy the beer. I don't drink beer at all so I did not try it.

Next up for us was South Korea for the Roasted Pork Lettuce Wrap Kimchi Slaw and the

Korean-style BBQ Beef with Steamed Rice and Cucumber Kimchi



I loved the lettuce wrap and the cucumber kimchi. The beef was just ok for me but DH really enjoyed it. We rated both of these at 3.

Next for us was Germany



We shared the bratwurst and the Schinkennudeln: Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese



DH loved the bratwurst. I missed the pretzel roll from the year DS and I had tried it. Because of that I rated it a 2, DH a 4. We both rated the pasta gratin a 5. Creamy and very flavorful. Very rich and heavy so happy we were sharing. I would never have been able to eat a whole portion.

I believe our final taste for this day was Poland ...



We had the Kielbasa and potato pierogi with caramelized onions and sour cream and the Frozen Szarlotka Apple Pie featuring Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka.



Both of these were 5's for us. The kielbasa was just a bit spicy, the pierogi had a bit of a chew to it and wasn't cooked to mush. The apple pie drink was amazing. Loved the pieces of pie crust in the drink.

We did try one more drink from the Hops and Barley Booth



Frozen Orange-spiked Tea featuring Florida Cane "Orlando Orange" Vodka



This was awful. Zero on our scale. It didn't taste like tea or orange. Just a strong alcohol taste. The couple we were sharing the table with agreed. This was pitched after a few sips. Ended up being the worst thing we tried of all the marketplaces.

As we were walking over the bridge from France to the UK, we saw this ...



Ummmm.....no. We took a hard left out the international gateway and took a cab back to Pop to rest up for PFTS. We found out later in the week it was a record F&W crowd. EPCOT was at a level one close (or so we were told).

Next up, our first PFTS!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Joining in! I really wanted to do the Parisian breakfast last year, but I didn't get a chance. I will have to put this on my must do list for 2017.

Definitely! It was a great way to start the day.

 

[disneyAndi14]

Wow that is crowded at Epcot, the apple pie drink looks so good, I totally missed the Poland booth oh well! We tried a few items this year but it was very busy when we were there as well. Enjoying your reviews.

 

[pepperandchips]

The Germany and Poland dishes look excellent! We missed out on those while at F&W in September as it was just too stinkin hot to enjoy more "hearty" fare. We did also love that frozen apple pie though!

This was awful. Zero on our scale. It didn't taste like tea or orange. Just a strong alcohol taste. The couple we were sharing the table with agreed. This was pitched after a few sips. Ended up being the worst thing we tried of all the marketplaces.

Agreed! How did they make this so flavorless? Ours didn't even taste strongly of alcohol. It tasted like the bottom of an icee drink when you slurped all the syrup out.

Ummmm.....no. We took a hard left out the international gateway and took a cab back to Pop to rest up for PFTS. We found out later in the week it was a record F&W crowd. EPCOT was at a level one close (or so we were told).

HAHA. I think that massive crowd would have gotten an "ummm no" from me too. It's funny that most of the time in World Showcase it's so flat you can't see the onslaught and get overwhelmed but there are a couple of places where you get this kind of vantage and truly see how many folks are packed in there. Yikes!

 

[jenjersnap]

We checked into the Parisian Breakfast immediately behind you - I recognized you from your reviews here but didn't want to seem like a creeper. We enjoyed the carb mayhem there very much. This was our first adult only trip and we also finally got to attend our first PFTS (on 10/28 and it was amazing - hope it was for you too).

 

[kristie73]

We shared the bratwurst and the Schinkennudeln: Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese



DH loved the bratwurst. I missed the pretzel roll from the year DS and I had tried it. Because of that I rated it a 2, DH a 4. We both rated the pasta gratin a 5. Creamy and very flavorful. Very rich and heavy so happy we were sharing. I would never have been able to eat a whole portion.

I believe our final taste for this day was Poland ...

We had the Kielbasa and potato pierogi with caramelized onions and sour cream and the Frozen Szarlotka Apple Pie featuring Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka.



Both of these were 5's for us. The kielbasa was just a bit spicy, the pierogi had a bit of a chew to it and wasn't cooked to mush.
Next up, our first PFTS!

We really enjoyed the Brat and Kielbasa too. I don't know the Brat with the pretzel roll, but I imagine it was better. I thought the kielbasa was a 5 as well. Very tasty bite. Wow and that was a pretty big crowd!

 

[vettegirl]

Hi Vicki! Hope you had a nice Anniversary trip. That is too bad your food at CRT was not up to par. I have never dined there as I have ready too many bad things to try it. HBD looks amazing, the salad is something I really want to try on a future trip. Love all your food and wine reviews, makes me anxious for next years trip.

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Wow that is crowded at Epcot, the apple pie drink looks so good, I totally missed the Poland booth oh well! We tried a few items this year but it was very busy when we were there as well. Enjoying your reviews.

Thank you!

The Germany and Poland dishes look excellent! We missed out on those while at F&W in September as it was just too stinkin hot to enjoy more "hearty" fare. We did also love that frozen apple pie though!

Agreed! How did they make this so flavorless? Ours didn't even taste strongly of alcohol. It tasted like the bottom of an icee drink when you slurped all the syrup out.

HAHA. I think that massive crowd would have gotten an "ummm no" from me too. It's funny that most of the time in World Showcase it's so flat you can't see the onslaught and get overwhelmed but there are a couple of places where you get this kind of vantage and truly see how many folks are packed in there. Yikes!

It was a bit hot for the heavy food but we enjoyed it all the same! No idea what was up with that awful drink! That was the only day for those crazy crowds!

We checked into the Parisian Breakfast immediately behind you - I recognized you from your reviews here but didn't want to seem like a creeper. We enjoyed the carb mayhem there very much. This was our first adult only trip and we also finally got to attend our first PFTS (on 10/28 and it was amazing - hope it was for you too).

I wish you had said 'hi'! No creeper-ness would have been taken! lol We did enjoy the PFTS!

We really enjoyed the Brat and Kielbasa too. I don't know the Brat with the pretzel roll, but I imagine it was better. I thought the kielbasa was a 5 as well. Very tasty bite. Wow and that was a pretty big crowd!

Pretzel roll was definitely yummy! Hope they bring it back next year!

Hi Vicki! Hope you had a nice Anniversary trip. That is too bad your food at CRT was not up to par. I have never dined there as I have ready too many bad things to try it. HBD looks amazing, the salad is something I really want to try on a future trip. Love all your food and wine reviews, makes me anxious for next years trip.

Thanks so much! I cannot believe you have never had the Cobb Salad! Definitely add it to your list! I am already counting the days til next years trip!

 

[happy2012]

Oh I was drooling over that orange tea til you described it! What shame that should be an absolute highlight since it's Florida! I love trying all the Orange flavored things while in WDW!

 

[happy2012]

The lettuce wrap looks fantastic! I am always raving about that bratwurst on the pretzel roll.......yeah,so....no more pretzel roll. Grrrr

Oh & my DH reading over my shoulder says the Chefs de France breakfast looks tasty as well! Maybe he'll agree to book F&W next year since we are doing F&G for those food booths!!!!!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Oh I was drooling over that orange tea til you described it! What shame that should be an absolute highlight since it's Florida! I love trying all the Orange flavored things while in WDW!

Me, too! Such a huge disappointment!

The lettuce wrap looks fantastic! I am always raving about that bratwurst on the pretzel roll.......yeah,so....no more pretzel roll. Grrrr

Oh & my DH reading over my shoulder says the Chefs de France breakfast looks tasty as well! Maybe he'll agree to book F&W next year since we are doing F&G for those food booths!!!!!

DH wants to take a F&G trip as well as another F&W trip! I am happy to say that the food booths have hooked him!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

This will be a very picture heavy review. I have the cold from heck so rather than not post an update, I will post a "quiet" one.

This was our first PFTS so we really had no idea what to expect.





Our menu for the evening

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

I apologize in advance for the photo quality. The lighting wasn't the best.

Mediterranean Pork Belly with Pork Jus and Cauliflower 3 ways



Root Beer and Ginger Braised Short Rib with Mashed Root Vegetables



This was amazing. My favorite thing of the night and one of the best bites all trip. Super tender, as it would seem. We had a couple of these.

Fried "Chik n" Biscuit



And this was the worst thing all trip for me. DH liked it. Guess I am not a fan of vegan chicken.

And wine!



Wagyu Ribeye



Cuban Pork Empanada



Salmon



Sides served with the Octopus. I just couldn't do it!

 

[GoofySon'sMom]

Best dessert of the night and maybe the trip. Brown butter nutmeg cake


Truffle



Chocolates



There were more glasses of wine but they all look the same. I think there was some more food as well but I am not finding the pics. All in all a super fun night. Good food and plenty of wine. The band was really good.



I look forward to next year!

 

[kastoney]

Wow, what an amazing event!!!!! All that meat looks delicious. And don't even get me started on the wine....I would be in oh so much trouble

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Wow, PFTS looks like so much fun! Even in the dark everything looks yummy