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Hello everyone. It's StayAwake, back with my dining report for trip number 3 of my year of the annual pass. My reason for this trip was to experience the Food & Wine festival, but my travel companion had a few other things he wanted to experience.
A few reminders about me: Favorite Disney Movie:Mary Poppins Favorite WDW Park:EPCOT Favorite Ride:Mad Tea Party Favorite Show:Muppet Vision 3D
Along for the ride this time was one of my college BFF's, M. M's the person who has taught me to appreciate fine dining. He normally eats vegetarian/vegan for health reasons, but will eat fish/shellfish occasionally.
This was a whirlwind 4 day trip with two days at Food & Wine and two days checking out the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Come along for more food than anyone should eat in 4 days!
Because we had such a limited amount of time, we headed straight from the airport to EPCOT to get our grub on. My goal was to try to hit every booth in the festival. Would I be successful?
Craft Beer
After deciding to go to the festival center for a passport, then changing our minds, we started up on the path past Craft Beer. I don't like beer, so this was a good way to get this one out of the way!
We decided to split a beer flight, and since they were out of the Purple Haze, we went with Flight # 2 instead.
Upper left is the Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale, Upper right is the Florida Beer Company Sunshine State Pils, Lower left is Magic Hat Dream Machine IPL, and Lower right is Terrapin Beer Co Rye Pale Ale.
They all tasted like beer. I liked the first two best, and M liked the second two best, so that worked out well. The snack mix that came with the flight was great for clearing the palate between tastes and had a slight sweet & spicy flavor to it.
Mexico
We came out onto the World Showcase and decided to turn left. The lines were pretty long since it was the last weekend of the festival, but we were enjoying the sunshine and the start of the trip.
Shrimp taco for M and Tequila flight to share
Rib-Eye taco for me
I think M got the better option- he really enjoyed his, while mine was quite tough and a bit too spicy for my preference. We shared the tequila and it was quite strong but good.
Farm Fresh
We asked if we could get the hash made without bacon, and were told that wasn't possible. That left M without anything he could eat at this booth, so I didn't order any food either. I did get a glass of the Key Limen wine, as I had been really curious about it from the reports here on the Dis.
This was really unusual. It had a very strong lime flavor, but also still tasted like wine. I don't know that I'd order it again, but I was glad I tried it, even if the wine expert rolled his eyes at me and refused to try it.
China
We had a weird experience while waiting in line here. One of the cast members came by and asked who would like coconut shrimp. I knew it wasn't on the menu, but wondered if there was something special because it was the last weekend? We both said yes, and he had us hold out our hands and put a stamp on them. When we got up to the cashier to order, we were told that he was just joking and there wasn't any coconut shrimp. Apparently we got the passport stamp on our hands. What did we get instead?
M's choices on the left: Black Pepper Shrimp and Kung Fu Punch with Vodka & Triple Sec. Mine on the right: Beijing Roasted Duck in a steamed bun and Happy Lychee with Tequila & Vodka.
I had the winners for both food and drink. M & I spent a month in China during college and so I've had Peking Duck in Beijing, but this was almost as delicious as the authentic dish. The duck was moist and flavorful, the pancake light and the sauce delicious! The Happy Lychee had a strong lychee flavor, which is difficult since lychee is such a light flavor. It really helped cut through the heaviness of the noodles that came with the shrimp. M reported they were overcooked, and the noodles were very greasy. The Kung Fu Punch was OK, but neither of us liked it as well as the Happy Lychee.
The next booth was South Korea. I wanted to try the Black Raspberry Wine, but since the line was long and I'd had alcohol at every booth so far, decided to skip it for the moment and come back later. (Spoiler alert: mistake!)
Africa
I ordered the Bobotie with turkey & mushrooms, thinking M could pick around the turkey. We tried, but it wasn't very successful, so I ended up with most of this. I also forgot to take a photo. I had had bobotie at Tusker House in January, and thought this was almost as good- I prefered that one because it seemed to have a broader mix of unusual spices.
Singapore
M thought about ordering the Mahi Mahi, but didn't like the look of the portions that others were carrying. So I got to eat again by myself! But he did agree to have a beverage with me.
Lemongrass Chicken Curry for me- Delicious if not particularly photogenic. Singapore Sling for M on the left, Marques de Caceres Santinela for me on the right.
I'm not a gin drinker, but M liked the Sling and mentioned it was strong. The Santinela was good, although I don't have a strong memory of it. (Couldn't possibly be because of all the cocktails I'd already drunk, could it? )
Germany
I ordered the Schinkennudeln, thinking that M could pick around the pieces of ham, which he did. This was a huge portion size, but I thought it didn't have very much flavor except for the undercooked onions, and once the cheese started to cool it became very rubbery.
M agreed to get the Berliner mostly for me, as he doesn't love sweets, but also because it was something he could eat. I didn't read the menu very closely and was expecting it to be filled with a raspberry filling as were all of the Berliners I ate during the year I lived in Germany. Instead it was filled with apricot- surprising but good.
I got to drink almost the entire Riesling flight- I dislike oaky wines and Rieslings are one of my go-to wine choices. They were all too sweet for M, but I thought they were all delicious.
Poland
At this booth we were able to do a little customization to make the choices OK for M.
Kielbasa (for me) and Potato Pierogi on the right, Sauerkraut Pierogi minus the pork goulash on the left. Frozen Szarlotka Apple Pie.
I really enjoyed the Kielbasa, but thought the pierogis were just OK- I think they needed the extra flavor of the goulash or eating the kielbasa & pierogi together in one bite. M loved the pierogis and said they were one of his favorite dishes of the festival. I wanted to love the Frozen Apple Pie but thought it was lacking flavor and mostly tasted like ice.
Hops & Barley
Artisan Cheese Plate and Baked Lobster Alfredo.
I thought the cheese plate was delicious and loved all of the choices. M loved the lobster alfredo- said it was misnamed and really more like lobster mac & cheese. I only got one tiny bite because he didn't want to share, but it was so good I thought about getting back in line and getting one for myself. At this point though, my stomach was really starting to protest.
Japan
We had made an agreement to stop eating at the Food & Wine booths around 3 or 3:30 both afternoons, so we would have room for our late dinner reservations. So Japan was our last food stop of the day, but that was OK as I don't think I could have eaten any more even if we hadn't agreed to stop.
I have no idea what I was pointing at, although you can see my tatoo from China earlier in the day! We both ordered the Spicy Tuna Hand Roll, although I had them put the fireball sauce on the side. M had Sake and I had a Sake Sunrise. I know they told me what was in it, but I don't remember. I just remember it was delicious.
The Spicy Tuna was plenty spicy for me without the fireball sauce, but I found it very good and a huge portion! I'm used to hand rolls being a bite- this was 6 or more bites.
We took the Friendship Boat across the lagoon and went and rode a few rides before leaving to check into the offsite hotel and get ready for dinner.
Summary for Day 1
Total booths sampled: 10
Favorite food of the day: Pierogi for M, Beijing Roasted Duck for me
Favorite drink of the day: Tequila flight for M, Happy Lychee for me
I had only been to the Swan/Dolphin once before when I went for a round of mini-golf at Fantasia Gardens and we had wandered around for ages trying to figure out where we were supposed to go. So it was fun to be ushered in the front door from the valet stand and directed to the right spot! We booked bluezoo because it was nice for M to have lots of options, and I love shellfish even though I'm not so hot on most fish. This was the one and only Tables in Wonderland meal of the trip - we had also originally planned the Flying Fish Cafe but cancelled it in favor of seeing the new Four Seasons Resort. More on that later.
I started with the smoking white sangria.
This was delicious and very interesting. It didn't have a ton of fruit in it but still was a nice mix of fruit vs wine. M had a Negroni. It tasted just like it was supposed to, apparently.
We then split the raw platter.
Clockwise from top right: Tuna crudo, Ceviche of the day, Oysters (2 varieties), Clams (hidden in the back behind the shrimp). In the center are the shrimp & lobster tail. This came with mignonette, watermelon mignonette, and cocktail sauce.
The tuna tasted more like soy than tuna for my taste, but everything else was delicious. M loved the tuna, so that worked out well. The real surprise and delight for me was the watermelon mignonette- it was really delightful. Not too sweet, but just enough of a sweet flavor to balance out the oysters and the vinegar of the traditional mignonette.
Nothing on the entree menu really was grabbing me, so I decided to get several appetizers instead as my entree. They were nice enough to put the two warm choices together on one plate which helped our tiny crowded two-top, otherwise I might have had to put one plate in my lap!
On the left: Low Country Jumbo Shrimp, cheddar grits, (pickled) okra, bacon butter. On the right: Teppan Seared Jumbo Sea Scallops, braised beef short rib, cauliflower puree.
Both of these were delicious. I love grits and since they're rarely served in the upper midwest, they always seem like a treat. These were very smooth, but still had the corn flavor mixed with the cheesyness. The shrimp were juicy and flavorful and the bacon butter pulled everything together with its smokiness. The pickled okra were a new preparation to me, and the pickling did a great job of removing the sliminess you can get with okra. They had a good crunch and snap and I ate about half of them.
The scallops were done perfectly- I realize they look really dark on the photo but they just melted in my mouth. The short rib was tasty, if unremarkable, and the cauliflower puree was bland.
I ordered the salad because I was concerned about getting my vegetables in during the trip, and I love a good beet salad. This was just OK. I kept thinking about the beet salad over at Sunshine seasons and how it was half the price but was more delicious. I would have been better served skipping the salad, because I completely over-ordered here.
M had the Simply Fish with the lobster stuffed potato on the side. He liked the fish well enough, but couldn't stop raving about the potato.
We split a bottle of the Domaine Vincent Delaporte Sancerre 2012. This was a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley. We both thought it was delicious and a great complement to the meal.
It will come as no surprise that we were too stuffed to consider dessert.
We had great service, and thought the restaurant was very beautifully decorated, but we didn't love our table. We were at a two-top that seemed to be in the middle of the walkway between some booths and some four-tops near the windows. So we constantly felt like we were in the way of the food runners/servers. It was also very loud until probably an hour or so into our meal when most tables had cleared (we had an 8 pm reservation).
The food was so delicious that I would absolutely eat here again.
With the Tables in Wonderland card, we saved $44.40.
It was both delicious and fun but I would absolutely recommend taking more time than the 2 days we tried to do it in. And as much as EPCOT is my favorite park, it was strange to never set foot in any of the other Disney parks during the trip.
I like to think of myself as not a park commando. I like mid-day naps and sitting and watching the world go by. Compared to M, I'm a park drill-sargent! We slept in and made it to the park around 10:30. The 10 minute posted time for Mission Space ended up being almost 50 minutes start to finish, so we got a little bit of late start since the F&W booths open at 11. We decided to start in the same place as yesterday and go counter-clockwise to hopefully finish one loop around the world showcase. It was a beautiful day!
New Zealand
Here's where the dining report title comes from. I was hoping to expand my wine horizons during the festival by ordering things I wouldn't normally order in a restaurant or pay for a bottle in case I wouldn't care for it. So I had my eye on the Unoaked Chardonnay at this booth, as I really don't like oaky flavors in wine. As M and I were standing in line discussing what to get, and I mentioned that, he said "You're not going to like that." He volunteered to order it so I went with something I knew I would like.
Venison Sausage with Pickled Mushrooms and Black Currant reduction, along with Kim Crawford Pinot Gris for me.
I absolutely adore Cassis (black currant) so I went with this even though I was a little skeptical about the sausage. I don't usually care for venison because I find it too gamey. This was delicious- the sausage was nicely spiced which cut down on the gamey flavor and the black currant reduction was soooo good. I like Kim Crawford Pinot Gris, so this was as expected.
Green Lip Mussels with Garlic Butter & toasted breadcrumbs with the Kim Crawford Unoaked Chardonnay for M.
M was right- I didn't like the unoaked chardonnay. I liked it better than an oaky chardonnay, but there's something about the chardonnay grape that apparently isn't for me. The mussels were very good, although a bit tricky to eat.
Australia
Garlic Shrimp with Chateau Tanuda Grand Barossa Dry Riesling for M on the left and Grilled Lamb Chop with Nine Stones Shiraz for me.
Once again, M knows my wine tastes better than I do. I was going to break the rules and order the riesling with my lamb, and he told me "You're not going to like that." Sure enough, I didn't like the dry riesling at all! I'm not usually a fan of lamb except in gyros, but this had good flavor. It was fairly tough and stringy however. My favorite part was the potato chip crust.
I had really wanted to try the pavlova, but as happened many times this day, it was not available. Since it was the last day of the festival, once the booth ran out of something, they weren't getting any more in.
Patagonia
Roasted Verlasso Salmon with Quinoa Salad with Pascual Toso Sparkling Brut for M on the left and Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri and Cono Sur Bicicleta Viognier for me.
I don't care for salmon but the quinoa was delicious. The grilled beef was a bit oily- maybe from the chimichurri? The bonito puree was tasteless. M was a fan of this booth- I thought it was fine but nothing special overall.
Terra
Front to back: Crabless CraB Cake, Pepper Slaw and Cajun Remoulade for me, Blackened Chick'n breast, Farro wheat and Spicy Gumbo Sauce for M, Chocolate-Blood Orange Cupcake with Tofu Icing and Watermelon Juice.
I wasn't sure what to think about this booth before trying it, but I thought the crabless crab cake was pretty tasty. The chick'n had a strange texture for me, and the farrow wheat was a huge portion that we got tired of before we could finish. The cupcake was really dense and I skipped the icing, but it was OK. The watermelon juice was incredibly refreshing and delicious. It was much thicker than I expected (somehow having thought it would be like the juice you end up with on your plate after eating watermelon) and had a nice strong but sweet flavor.
Scotland
On the left: Seared Sea Scallop with Spinach-Cheddar gratin and crispy bacon, Cranachan with raspberries, toasted oats and whipped cream, and a Loch Lomond for me. On the Right: Griddled Vegetable Cake with Rutabaga & Mashed potatoes, Fresh Potato Pancake with Smoked Scottish Salmon and Glenfiddich 18 year for M.
The scallop was a little dry & overcooked, but the gratin was delicious. I really enjoyed the vegetable cake more that I thought I would. The Cranachan was light and creamy and I loved the Loch Lomond and am planning to make it for our Outlander viewing party when it starts back up in April. M thought the salmon was really good- this was his favorite booth of the day.
As you can see in the picture, we had a few birds try to join us in Scotland, but they were just hanging around- not intrusive at all.
Hawaii
I'm not sure if the cast member in Hawaii really liked us or if they had way more food than they thought they needed for the rest of the day, but he ended up giving both M & I double our order, so instead of one tuna poke and one pork slider, we got two of each. That meant we could each have our own tuna, but since M doesn't eat pork, meant I had two sliders to eat also! There was no way I had enough stomach space for that, so I decided to pass on a little Disney magic and give my free one to the couple we shared a table with who mentioned how good it looked.
This was my favorite booth of the day. The tuna was firm and fresh, the seaweed salad nicely balanced and the lotus root chip was a cool new taste/texture for me. The pork slider with sweet & sour Dole pineapple chutney and spicy mayo was awesome! The creamy sauce, the succulent pork and the delicious bun... I can see why this is a repeat year after year.
Desserts & Champagne
I was tempted by the champagne, but just couldn't stand the mark-up. So I went with liquid dessert instead:
Frozen S'mores
This was a little bit like a Wendy's frosty with marshmallow flavoring and graham cracker crumbs added to it. It was cold and good, but really sweet and it took a while to finish it.
Dessert Trio- Passion Fruit Coconut Creamsicle, Blueberry Lime Cheesecake Roll & Opera Cake with Nicolas Feuillate Rose for M.
We both agreed that the passion fruit coconut dessert was the best. The opera cake was nothing special and the blueberry roll had an odd spongy texture and no lime flavor to it at all. M enjoyed his second glass of bubbly of the day.
Puerto Rico
This was our least favorite booth of the day.
Conch Salad, Fried Green Plantains with Mayo Ketchup, Gasolina Sangriia cocktail.
The conch salad was rubbery and had a very bitter flavor. The plantains were over-fried and hard as rocks. And I should have known with a brand name of Gasolina- this was disgusting. I took two sips and threw it out.
Refreshment Port
I had to get my beloved Dole Whip with Creme de Cacao White! I've always thought that the only way to make a Dole Whip better would be with alcohol.
Even after letting the Dole Whip melt a bit, the liquor never really mixed in very well, so it was just Dole Whip with a really strong liquor aftertaste. Disappointment! I guess I'll stick to regular Dole Whips from now on!
Greece
I missed getting a picture of the Griddled Greek Cheese. But it was really disappointing. It was super oily and cooling to the point where the cheese was starting to congeal. We only ate half and gave up.
We passed a few booths as we were really full and nothing sounded appetizing enough to wait in the long lines. We walked through Canada and England pavillions to try to gain enough stomach space for our next stop.
France
We got to France and the line here was long. Server Amusant was just starting and M said he wanted to watch. I asked what he wanted and told him I would wait in line. He waived his hand at me and kept watching the show, so I went to get my picks.
Escargot Tart with Garlic, Spinach, Bacon & Parmesan and La Passion Martini Slush.
I wanted this to be better than it was. There was so much happening in the tart that you couldn't even tell there was escargot in it. Now I know that the traditional preparation for escargot is that it's just a vehicle for garlic butter. But then you at least get a little of the chewy, meatiness of the escargot. This was just garlicky spinach puree in a pastry box that crumbled at the first bite.
The Citron Grey Goose Slush is my favorite drink in EPCOT, so I was excited to try this special variety as I love both passion fruit and cranberry. But this one didn't work for me. It had a strange bitter aftertaste that I didn't care for at all.
By the time I had gotten my food, the show was over. I gave M a taste of my drink and he immediately decided he needed one of his own. So much for saving time! Yes, this is where the park commando really started to come out.
We wandered through France, spending quite a while conversing with the cast members, as my French is quite basic but I never have a chance to practice it with anyone, so I love to take the opportunity. Then, having not learned my lesson earlier in the day, I decided to try something I'd missed out on during my January solo trip.
The ice cream martini from Artisans de Glace. I chose Caramel fleur de sel and Hazelnut for my ice cream choices, and whipped cream vodka. The Hazelnut ice cream was amazing- the caramel just OK and again the alcohol didn't mix with the ice cream, making this much more delicious in theory than in reality. OK, I've learned my lesson now! No more mixing ice cream & alcohol without a blender being involved.
Brazil
It was already after three, and my stomach was aching, but I really wanted to try to make one more booth.
I got the coconut candy, and M got the Caipirinha. The candy was SOOOO sweet- it was pure sugar and coconut and I don't think much else. That was it- I was done. I took a sip of the Caipirinha but have no memory of it at all. My brain had shut down. We lingered a bit in the little area around Brazil, then decided to take a Friendship Boat back to Future World for some rides and shopping before our next event- the Mixology seminar!
Summary Day 2
Total booths sampled: 12
Favorite food of the day: Pork Slider for me, Smoked Salmon for M
Favorite drink of the day: Loch Lomond for me, Glenfiddich 18 year for M
We had called when we arrived to see if there was space in any of the food or beverage seminars, and found there were still spaces available in the mixology seminar. Since it was $15 per person (plus a discount for Tables in Wonderland members) we figured we'd give it a shot, even though we weren't sure what we would get.
We picked up our tickets at the festival center, then wandered around for a while before we got in line for the seminar. Once they let us in we were seated in the third row.
The presenter was Troylyn Ball from Troy & Sons, along with one of the head bartenders from the Wilderness Lodge who was the actual mixologist. Troylyn described her brand and how she'd learned to make moonshine. And then talked about the different types of moonshine the company makes and how they would work in various cocktails. We were given the recipes so we could follow along as the mixologist made the cocktails, and then after each one, a cast member brought us a glass of the cocktail for us to try.
This was a Margarita made with moonshine instead of tequila. It was quite good.
The American pie. This was a mix of moonshine, apple cider & vanilla syrup. I liked this and thought it had more apple flavor that the Frozen Apple drink at the Poland booth. M thought it was too sweet.
Blonde on the Rocks. This was a shot of the Blonde Whiskey- no mixing required.
Troylyn did take questions, and then offered to sign bottles for anyone who would like to buy one from the festival center after the demo was over. She also gave a pitch to ask us to talk to our local stores to get them to carry her brand.
Even with the sales pitches, I did enjoy this event and felt that we got a good value for the price. Although the glasses weren't huge, there were 5-6 good sized sips in the first two. M was less enthused. He had been hoping that we would be given the items to allow us to mix our mini-cocktails, so he felt that this wasn't a great value and just more of a sales pitch.
We had to scurry out after it was over so we could get to the car, get back to the hotel, change for dinner and then head over to the Four Seasons in time for our reservation.
M knew someone who worked at the Four Seasons and had arranged for us to have dinner there with friends who live in Orlando. Unfortunately, the friends had to cancel because their kitten had gotten out of the house and they were scouring their neighborhood looking for her. So we headed out on our own to the Four Seasons.
When we arrived we were directed down a long hallway past the reception area to a set of elevators that would take us up to the 17th floor to Capa.
Capa had only been open for 6 months or so when we dined there. When we arrived for our 8 pm reservation the restaurant was maybe 1/3 full- quite a contrast to the packed house at bluezoo the night before. We were seated at a 4-top which was great because we were going to need the room!
The menu had not been online before we went, so this was going to take some time to decide.
The concept of the restaurant is a Spanish Steakhouse. I wasn't feeling like steak that night, so I knew I'd have to figure something else out. Our server greeted us and let us know that M's friend that worked there wanted to treat us to several appetizers. Which led to us over-ordering again!
The sommelier came over to ask us if we were going to have wine. We indicated we were having cocktails with the appetizer but would have wine with our entrees, once we decided on them. He mentioned he would check back with us.
On the left- Hamachi Crudo, on the right- Iberico Ham
I took a bite of the crudo, but that was really for M. He was very insistent that I order the Iberico Ham-apparently the most luxurious ham in the world. Even though I flinched a bit at the price, knowing we were getting several other appetizers complements of M's friend, I went ahead. I will say that it was really amazing. You could actually taste the hazelnuts that the pigs feed on. It had a very luxurious feel in my mouth and almost seemed to melt in my mouth. M said he'd probably regret it, but he tried a piece and thought it was well worth the price.
Gambas- Shrimp with chili and romesco.
The shrimp were large and beautifully cooked- they had that nice light sweetness you want from a shrimp. This dish was marred by the excess of saffron threads covering it. I apparently watch the Food Network more than I should, because I kept hearing "Don't put anything you shouldn't eat on the plate". There was no way that we could have eaten all of that saffron and it was just overkill.
Cheese Board
All of the cheeses were delicious, but I ended up with a bad taste in my mouth about this dish when we got the bill. We asked for extra toast pieces as there never seems to be enough toast with a cheese plate- it originally only came with 3 slices, so we got 3 more. Normally, we are brought a few extra slices on the house. Here, they charged us for them- I believe it was $1 per extra slice. I find this to be tacky.
This was the octopus, minus the pork that usually comes with it.
This was very good- not rubbery at all, with a nice smoked flavor from the grill. The crunchy celery root & pistachio helped give it a nice contrast.
Because we took so long to decide on food, and then it took a while to come, we were still munching on appetizers when the server mentioned that Illuminations was about to start and if we'd care to step out on the balcony, we could see it (9pm). We did have a view of both EPCOT and Magic Kingdom from the balcony, and they mentioned they would also come and get us when it was time for Wishes. It was quite windy up on the balcony and cool, and so while most of the diners came out to see Illuminations, they left after the first section of fireworks. The globe was blocked by Spaceship Earth, and the music was not piped in anywhere. I kept reassuring M that he just needed to wait a little bit, as there were more fireworks coming. We waited and waited- I know he was getting impatient with me. Finally the lights for each country pavillion started to pop on, so he could see that something was really still happening. We got a private view of the end of the show, as everyone else had given up.
When we came back from watching Illuminations we decided to go ahead and order our entrees. We finished appetizers, and chatted. And then it was time for Wishes (10 pm). So we went back outside in the wind. Since the fireworks for Wishes are much more constant, we had a few people watching with us.
We came back inside and our entrees were served. I had to step away from the table to refresh myself briefly, and when I came back, I mentioned that it would be nice to see the sommelier if we wanted wine with our dinner. Turns out that M had asked our server to track him down while I had stepped away, so we did finally get wine ordered. I know that it has to be difficult to time with people getting up for the firework shows, but really- in 2 hours he couldn't find us? Especially when he knew we were going to order wine?
So after all that, what did I get?
"Paella"
I had asked the server when I ordered why it was in quotes on the menu, and she mentioned it wasn't made in the traditional Paella dish, so it didn't get the crispy crust on the bottom. I thought that sounded fine, so I went ahead and ordered it. What I didn't expect was that it would be a soupy mess. You can see just how much liquid is in it in the photo- it wasn't quite a jambalaya or gumbo because the broth wasn't thick, but it had a lot of liquid. The rice to good stuff ratio was also off for me- I want some good stuff in every bite and this was more like every other bite. There was nothing else on the menu that sounded good to me, and I was quite frankly over the whole dinner at this point, so I just ate about half and left the rest, rather than asking the server to do something different for me.
M had some kind of fish (I think the Halibut) and liked it much better than I liked my entree.
He really wanted dessert, but we couldn't decide on what we wanted, so since we were almost alone in the restaurant by this point, he decided to survey not only our server, but the hostess, the cooks, and anyone else he could find to determine what we should order. What did we end up with?
Churros
This actually turned out to be quite delicious and a step above a theme park churro. They were quite light and made even better with the chocolate and con leche sauces. After the Iberico ham, this might have been my favorite part of the meal.
It's really hard for me to objectively summarize my experience at Capa. I honestly wasn't that excited to go here in the first place- I would have preferred to stay on Disney property. But it was the Four Seasons- a brand that has an incredible reputation for excellence and customer service. There was nothing so wrong with our meal that I felt we needed to get a manager involved, but there were lots of little things that disappointed me. I was expecting an amazing dining experience to rival Victoria & Albert's. Instead I got a missing sommelier, charged extra for toast, and a waitstaff that didn't perform the basic tasks of fine dining (removing crumbs from the table, refolding or providing new napkins when someone leaves the table, etc.) and food that was highly variable in quality from scrumptious to just OK. Discussing it in the car on the way back to the hotel, M also agreed that he had been disappointed by our experience. Our expectations had been set far too high for what we received.
thank you for your reviews and photos..
I was full by the time you left Epcot from Food and Wine...I was STUFFED..hahaha..
Your review of 4 seasons will be great for those who havent been and want to go..
thanks again
thank you for your reviews and photos..
I was full by the time you left Epcot from Food and Wine...I was STUFFED..hahaha..
Your review of 4 seasons will be great for those who havent been and want to go..
thanks again
Thanks for commenting! Yeah- it was pretty crazy the amount of food we ate. Trying to make every booth over the course of 2 days was wildly unrealistic.
Thanks. While it didn't match up with V&A's, upon further reflection it wasn't really trying to. That was something that I expected, but wasn't really able to be realized as they are very different kinds of establishments.
Since we had Victoria & Albert's coming up, we decided to eat a big breakfast at the hotel restaurant and skip lunch. But we couldn't resist having an afternoon toast to our trip and all the fun we were having.
To drink while wandering the streets of Hogsmeade: frozen butterbeer!
I am a caramel lover, so this frosty drink with its caramel/butterscotch/creme soda notes just hits it out of the park for me. M was less impressed. His verdict: Too Sweet!
Then, from the Hog's Head:
M got the special beer, and I asked if they had any other alcoholic special drinks since I don't drink beer. The bartender said yes, and mentioned the name which I couldn't hear, and said it was a mix of Pear Cider, Vodka, and some other things. Sign me up! It was delicious and refreshing. I just wish I knew what it was called or what was in it so I could make it at home!
We grabbed some seats out back of the tavern to enjoy the sunshine and our drinks, before heading back to the room to get changed for dinner.
After eating at Victoria & Albert's in January, I knew that if I was ever to eat there again there would be no one I knew who would enjoy it more than M. So when we planned this trip, we knew we were going to go to V&A's. I tried to get the Chef's Table, but even at 12:01am at day 180+ (since at that time I had a reservation on property for this trip) it had already been reserved. So I went with the next best thing: The Queen Victoria Room.
There are only 4 tables in the Queen Victoria room, and the arrival times are staggered so that everyone is at a different part of their meal, since the same group of servers handles the entire room. We had the earliest seating at 5 pm, so the room was empty when we arrived. We would be joined by a couple around 5:30 and then two gentlemen who were in Orlando on business around 6. Because the doors to the room are kept closed at all times, it is very quiet in the room and so it can be easy to overhear the conversation next to you.
Here is our empty table, just waiting to be filled.
If you've dined at V&A's before in the main dining room, you know that you are presented a menu with choices for each of your courses. That is not how it works in the Queen Victoria room. The chef determines the menu and it is presented to you for your approval. I had spoken to V&A's before we left about M's special dietary requirements, and so when they brought our menus, they had already accounted for all of them. It was quite interesting to compare our menus because several courses were very similar with the exception of the protein, and in others we had vastly different food.
Another difference is that there are 10 courses instead of the 7 you get in the main dining room.
We both gave our approval to the menu, ordered the wine pairings and plain tap water, and then we just had to sit back and enjoy.
Course 1: Amuse-Bouche
Main Lobster Jar with Siberian Osetra Caviar, paired with Jacquart Mosaique Brut NV Reims.
This was lobster poached in vanilla aioli with hearts of palm and jicama, topped with caviar. Although it was more than 1 or 2 bites, since the little mother of pearl spoon was used, this was a fantastic way to awaken our taste buds for the rest of the meal. Sweet and salty with a little bit of crunch from the veggies. I honestly could have just eaten a vat of this and been happy.
Bread Course 1: Baguette
This was my favorite of the bread courses last time, and it was my favorite this time as well. Simple yet perfectly executed.
Course 2:
Alaskan King Crab with Cucumber Gelee, paied with Jules Taylor Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough 2014
The king crab was tossed with capers and a tarragon cream aioli, then wrapped in the cucumber slice and topped with radish and edible flowers. Around the plate is a tomato oil gelee. This was a little tricky to eat gracefully, as it was too big to pop in your mouth like a piece of sushi roll, and it fell apart once you cut the cucumber slice holding it together. Still, it was worth it.
Course 3
Hot "smoked' Nieman ranch lamb with fuji apple and curry dressing, paired with Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt, Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Kabinett, Mosel 2012
This was the first course where M & I had something slightly different. He had shrimp as his protein, and I had lamb. This was brought in covered by a glass dome so you could see the entire dome was filled with smoke. Then the covers were removed and the smoke dissipated to reveal the food. It was really cool. This was a nice change of pace after the first two courses, with the curry providing some lovely spicy notes without being overpowering or adding a lot of heat.
Course 4
Fennel Crusted Diver Scallop in a Salt Bowl, paired with Foxen "Old Vines" Enesto Wickendon Vineyard Chenin Blanc, Santa Maria Valley 2012
I just loved the presentation here, on the shell, on top of the salt bowl. The scallop was sitting on a fennel, leek & blood orange beurre blanc. I can be a little iffy about fennel as I don't like too much of the licorice taste, but this was just delightful. The scallop was cooked perfectly and the sauce really brought out the sweetness of the scallop.
Bread Course 2:
This was the Truffle brioche with truffle butter on the side. But instead of just bringing a pat of the truffle butter, instead, they shaved curls of it off the giant chef's hat made of butter. It was quite impressive.
Course 5
Poached Chicken Egg with Corn Foam, paired with Lafond Pino Noir, Santa Rita Hills 2011
The egg was poached inside the ravioli and placed on a corn & bacon (for me) hash and topped with corn foam. So the yolk mixed with the hash when you cut into the ravioli.
It was like having a tiny bit of breakfast in the middle of the meal, which was strange, but also a little fun. It got us laughing and not taking ourselves quite so seriously.
So here's my biggest quibble with the food from this meal. Both times I've eaten at V&A's I've been a little disappointed in the corn. There really isn't any corn better than good Midwestern sweet corn just out of the field. I know, of all the things to be nitpicky about, I'm going to choose the corn?? I just know it could be even better if it was the right corn during the right season.
Course 6
Marcho Farms Veal with Peas, Carrots and Chanterelles, paired with Ridge "Three Valleys", Sonoma County 2012
The veal was maybe a tiny bit more done than I would have liked, but the sweetbread was so melt-in-the-mouth delicious, even if the photo makes it look fairly dark. I'm not quite sure how English peas are different from American peas, but this is the second time I've had them at Disney (first in an English Pea Risotto at Le Cellier) and I don't like them as much as the peas I am used to. They are much firmer in texture and taste more "green".
Course 7
Australian Kobe-Style Beef with Potato Sphere, paired with Chateau Lassegue Bordeaux Blend, Saint Emilion 2004.
This was a Kobe-style beef short rib & filet, cooked a perfect medium rare, with oxtail reduction, potato croquette and asparagus. This was so delicious that I completely forgot about a photo! Rest assured it was scrumptious. M had two different fish dishes for courses 6 & 7.
Bread course 3
Multigrain. You can see I'm not filling up on bread, since a good chunk of my truffle bread slice is still on the breadplate.
Course 8
Selection of Cheese from the trolley, paired with Quinta do Crasto Late Bottled Vintage Porto 2008
They did bring over the entire trolley and talked about each cheese with us, but we love cheese so we asked for some of everything.
From left to right: Flagship Reserve Cheddar, Reypenaer Gouda, Wine Guard Goat's milk Gouda, Comte from St. Antonine France, and Rogue River Blue cheese from Oregon. Served with almonds, fig bread, apricots and honeycomb.
The gouda's were my favorite, but they were all absolutely delicious and they honeycomb was also quite delightful.
Course 9
Pear Quark Mousse
This was a pear and triple cheese cake with a red current center on a hazelnut base, with brandied pears, red currents and a carmelized hazelnut.
If you reached inside my head to come up with a dessert that incorporates some of my favorite things, you couldn't have done better than this. This was my absolute favorite, hands down, of the night. Every bite was heavenly. The crunch of the hazelnut, the tang of the current, the smoothness and richness of the cheesecake, and the sweetness and spice of the pears all added up to perfection. And lucky for me, M let me have all of his too, so I got two portions. And I still had stomach space to eat both of them!
Course 10:
Peruvian Chocolate Timbale with roasted White Chocolate gelato
This was a really dense, fairly bitter chocolate mousse paired with a lighter white chocolate gelato. I'm not a huge fan of bitter, so I only ate about half. I offered mine to M, but he wasn't eating any more either.
Coffee, Tea and Friandises
Even though I don't drink caffeine any more, I have to get the decaf coffee just to have them use the awesome vacuum pot.
And then, to finish the meal, we got to choose a few little things to finish up.
Here were my picks, and they were all delicious.
It was another amazing evening at Victoria & Albert's. I would highly recommend this experience as one you will never forget.
Oh my gosh, your dinner at V&A looks absolutely amazing. Dumb question - when you get the wine pairings do they serve a full glass of wine at each course?
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Apparently we got the passport stamp on our hands. 
What did we get instead?
I had had bobotie at Tusker House in January, and thought this was almost as good- I prefered that one because it seemed to have a broader mix of unusual spices. 
and made it to the park around 10:30. The 10 minute posted time for Mission Space ended up being almost 50 minutes start to finish, so we got a little bit of late start since the F&W booths open at 11. We decided to start in the same place as yesterday and go counter-clockwise to hopefully finish one loop around the world showcase. It was a beautiful day!
Yes, this is where the park commando really started to come out.
Rest assured it was scrumptious. M had two different fish dishes for courses 6 & 7.
