Week 44 - Epcot Food & Wine Italy (Oct 28)

It was a rainy Friday at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival today. We had planned to stick around to see the Gin Blossoms in concert, but just found ourselves too wet and uncomfortable to stick it out. Navigating the crowds with umbrellas is challenging. Trying to sample food is even more difficult.

Today, we decided to give Italy a try.

Italy - Ravioli Di Formaggio all'Emiliana
In English, this is baked cheese ravioli with a creamy beef bolognese sauce, Parmesan cheese, and melted mozzarella. It looked amazing, unfortunately, I found it to be disappointing. First, I would call this lasagna before ravioli. There was no pocket or pillow of pasta. The bolognese was unevenly layered on the bottom of the dish (sans pasta), followed by a layer of cheese, a strip of pasta and a top layer of mozzarella. Second, it was very bland with very little red sauce. I will say it was a hearty portion for the $4.50 price. It just lacked in flavor.

Italy - Cappellini con Gamberi Piccanti
My husband tried the cappellini pasta with spicy shrimp. He enjoyed very much and said that except for one shrimp (I believe there were 5 in total), all of the shrimp tasted very fresh. He even enjoyed this dish a bit more than the Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles he had at China. This one cost a bit more than China too at $5.25.

 Belgium Truffles - Sold Out!
We ducked under an awning of a pastry kiosk near Italy to eat our Food & Wine items and afterwards I decided that I'd like to grab an order of the Chocolate Seashell Truffles at Belgium for dessert. At $1.75, this item was the lowest-cost sample on my list. There was a very permanent-looking sticker on all menu boards that said they were sold out! Bummer. That will teach me to wait until too long. Update: Truffles are back.

We decided to turn around and head back to Germany's Karamell Shop where I planned to pick up my annual Halloween caramel apple. The line was out the door so I decided to try another time. This is the second time I've tried to get a caramel apple this season and walked out because of the heavy lines. There's a reason for the long lines - it is worth it. However, I'll try my luck another visit.

Week 44 - Disney Studios Hollywood and Vine Review (Oct 25)

Today we visited Disney Hollywood Studios including a dinner reservation at the all-you-can-eat buffet at the Hollywood and Vine restaurant. We visited here as a "make-up" anniversary celebration because of our disappointing experience at Yak & Yeti over at Animal Kingdom.

Hollywood and Vine offers character meals for both breakfast and lunch. The dinner buffet does not include characters.

We had reservations for the opening of dinner. There are two sides to the buffet, however, only the right side was immediately opened. The food items are identical on both sides. We were seated on the left side of the restaurant. Everything we sampled from the original right side was moist and delicious. 

About half-way through our meal, the left side of the buffet opened. When we tried the left side, many of the items were dried out. I assume from being held for a longer period at a hot temperature.

Here is a sampling of what we put on our plates:

My husband chose from the large selection of cold appetizers including a variety of salads including a very delicious cold bowtie pasta and chicken salad. The bowtie chicken is the only item I took from the cold side (except for 2 green olives I plucked from one of the salads).

As a picky eater, I mostly bypassed the cold section and headed straight to the main entrees where I picked up two different kinds of baked chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, prime rib and a crusty (in a good way) dinner roll with whipped butter. Everything was super.

The second time around I grabbed second helpings of my favorites (the prime rib and garlic mashed), and tried some new items including Parmesan crusted chicken breast, pasta with meatballs, rice, mac and cheese from the kid's buffet and roasted pork loin. This time I topped by prime rib with a red wine demi-glaze sauce - awesome!

My husband's favorite entree selection was the salmon. He also raved about the green beans and broccoli. Other items on his plate that I did not try included a cornbread spoon bread and a seafood pasta. 

Let me just say, there was hardly any room left for dessert, but I managed to take a few tiny bites of a chocolate mousse, a red velvet cake square (my favorite) and cookie and an apple cobbler with vanilla sauce. There were several other options including carrot cake, a berry cobbler and self-serve soft-serve ice cream.

We were much happier with our meal at Hollywood and Vine. The food was well prepared and plentiful with lots of options. Be aware, that the menu for this buffet is always changing so you are unlikely to have the exact same items shown above.

Prices for the buffet vary by meal time and season but hover around $28-$36 per adult. Our final bill after taxes, tip and a small Disney annual passholder discount was just under $70 for two of us. While the dining room is not very romantic (it feels a bit like a diner/cafeteria inside) we both agreed that we had a much better experience at Hollywood and Vine than Yak & Yeti.

Week 43 - Epcot Food & Wine Poland & Brazil (Oct 20)

Our fifth visit to the Epcot Food & Wine Festival in 2011 brought us to Poland and Brazil.


Poland - Kielbasa and Potato Pierogies
I first tried the kielbasa and pierogies many, many years ago. I'm a fan of both items, but I wasn't overly impressed in years past so I've been skipping it in favor of trying other items. The $5.00 price has also kept me away.

Since reading that this is the 2nd most popular dish (after Canada's cheese soup), I decided that I should give it another try. The fact that it is popular, may also be the reason it is one of the more expensive items at the Festival. It costs as much as the seared beef filet from South Africa. Go figure. 3 small slices of kielbasa, 1 potato pierogi drizzled with a squirt of sour cream and caramelized onions. While everything was tasty enough, it was just OK and I had wished that I saved my $5 to try something different.


The Polish sausage was a bit fatty. The potato dumpling was rubbery and not much different than what you can pick up in a grocery store freezer case. I gave most of my caramelized onions to my husband.

Brazil - Seared Mahi-Mahi
If you read this blog, you know that I'm a picky eater and that I definitely do not eat seafood. My husband is mildly interested in seafood and had never tried mahi-mahi. After looking at it on several restaurant menus, he decided that $4.50 at the Epcot Food & Wine was the perfect opportunity to try mahi-mahi.

The dish came with steamed rice, hearts of palm and a coconut-lime sauce. His review was that the fish was mild and had a nice texture. He didn't think the fish itself had much flavor, but that it would easily take on the flavors used in preparation. Overall, he decided he would probably stick to salmon when ordering out, but might give mahi-mahi a try if it was prepared with interesting flavors.

Week 42 - Epcot Food & Wine China, South Africa & Germany (Oct 14)

Our fourth visit to the Epcot Food & Wine Festival in 2011 brought us to China, South Africa and Germany.

China - Pork Pot Stickers
My husband and I always enjoy the pot stickers from Lotus Blossom Cafe at Epcot so I just can't resist when they are also offered at the Food & Wine Festival. The price is $3.50 for 2 pot stickers from the Festival booth (at the cafe they cost $5 for 3 pot stickers). I've always thought the sauce was the same at the booth and cafe, but this year the booth sauce had a different flavor. It was tasty (maybe some ginger?), but I think I enjoy the cafe's sauce more. And, I enjoyed them way more than the pot stickers from Yak & Yeti at Animal Kingdom. China knows how to sear them right!

China - Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles
My husband splurged on this shrimp and noodle dish for $4.50 and did not regret it. The shrimp were small, but he was prepared for that. Other than small, the shrimp were good and he said it was a good portion of noodles. His review is positive.

South Africa - Bunny Chow
I don't know why, but I thought this vegetarian option from the Food & Wine Festival was going to be served cold. And to be honest, before I learned it was vegetarian I thought it was rabbit. My husband didn't think that at all and he was quite pleased with the warm vegetables served in a bread bowl $3.25. He offered me a bite, but I don't care for curry (or for vegetables, really). It looked like stew to me without the meat. Hubby liked it a lot!

Germany - Apple Strudel
One word - wow. The apple strudel for $3.25 was a wonderful dessert. The portion size was large compared to other dessert options at Food & Wine. It was nearly the size of the plate. I didn't taste much of the Werther's caramel which was a slight disappointment (see my review of the Werther's caramel popcorn) but I did taste the vanilla sauce. Best of all - no raisins! The apples were perfectly sweet and the pastry was exactly as I had hoped. I rate this one a winner!

Week 42 - Epcot Food & Wine Canada, France & Scandinavia (Oct 11)

Today was our third visit to the 2011 Epcot Food & Wine Festival and I have reviews to share from the food we sampled at several more countries.

Scandinavia - Sweedish Meatballs
Two thumbs up. I love Sweedish meatballs, but I was a little nervous about getting these. Why? Well, I ordered them once at the Ikea cafeteria in Orlando and did not care for them. I figured I must only like the "Americanized" version. Also, the Epcot Food & Wine version (priced at $3.50 for 3 meatballs) was missing my favorite part - the egg noodles. One more thing - they came with Lingonberries. The picky eater in me didn't know what to think about Lingonberries, but I found them to be delicious. They tasted very much like cranberry. The sweet-tart flavor was a perfect compliment to the meatballs and sauce. Yum!

Hawaii - Kalua Pork Slider
My husband sampled the Kalua Pork Slider and really enjoyed it. It was served with a sweet and sour pineapple chutney and spicy mayonnaise for $3.00. He offered me a bite, but I'm not a big fan of mayo. His review, "best value of the Festival".

Canada - Cheddar Cheese Soup
This a must-do for me every year at Food & Wine even though I think it is crazy expensive at $3.75. Every year the portion size seems to go up and down a bit. Either I'm getting used to the small cups or I actually had 3 or 4 more spoonfulls this year. My best guess is that the portion size is about 3 ounces. My review? Worth every spoonful. If you like the Canada cheese soup, be sure to try the cheese fondue at the Cheese station.

Greece - Greek Salad with Pita
My husband decided to give the Greek Salad a try for $3.00. He thought it was good but small and compared it to the Greek salad at Disney Studios. While he very much liked the Greek salad at Studios, he felt the Food & Wine version was more authentic.

France - Creme Brulee au Chocolate
The creme brulee is another Food & Wine item that is always on my must-do list. While it was still tasty (it gets bonus points for the caramelized sugar top), I was a bit disappointed with it this year. I can't remember if it has always been "milk chocolate", but the chocolate flavor was a bit weak. I remember a deeper chocolate flavor from years past. France priced it at $3.95. Most food booths price items either in whole dollars or fifty cents. 

Week 41 - Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (Oct 6)

Today we were inside the Magic Kingdom on a day the park was hosting Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Although we've been to the party in past years, this year we didn't buy tickets. We took several photos before leaving (click any photo to enlarge for detail).

There's a lot of excitement as guests begin to enter the park in their Halloween costumes. Although the party officially begins at 7pm, those with a party ticket can begin entering as early as 4pm. Party guests must pick up a wrist band to stay in the park after 7pm (the time when "regular" guests must exit the park).

The park is decorated for Halloween. Including cute snack shop not far from Cinderella's Castle.

I really loved the eyeball balloons at this year's Halloween Party. Creative...

Both children and adults dress up in costume for the party. As you might guess, many costumes are themed after Disney characters including this group of adults dressed as Peter Pan, Wendy, Tinkerbell and Captain Hook (one of the best groups we saw).

This Alice in Wonderland pair smiled for the camera...

Guests often ask if it is worth it to buy tickets for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. It is a difficult question to answer.

There are speciall events and activities that you will only see as a party guest. This includes a special Halloween Parade led by the Headless Horseman (don't miss him). My favorite part of the parade are the grave diggers who do a choreographed routine that includes sparks as their shovels hit the pavement.

My favorite part of the whole night are the special Hallowishes Fireworks. Great show and fantastic music. Love it.

Of course, there are trick-or-treat stations where guests can fill their bags with candy treats (kids and adults).

On the downside, although it is a limited-attendance event, it can still get crowded in certain areas of the park. Especially, Main Street. As the party begins, it can be shoulder-to-shoulder.

Other areas of the park can be less crowded. Just before the party officially started, the wait time for Disney's Haunted Mansion was only 15 minutes.

The party does not come cheap. When we first attended a few years ago, ticket prices were about half the cost of regular admission (and we gladly paid). Today, you'll pay as much as $70 for an adult and not much less for a child. Prices are lower on select party dates and some guests may also be eligible for discounts (advance purchase, annual passholders, DVC members and military). For comparison, the price of a regular one-day admission ticket is $90.

If you go, have fun and dress up in costume (although it is not required). Disney, of course, sells costumes in the Magic Kingdom park and at all resort gift shops. This little girl Snow White costume will cost $65 in the park.

Looking for something a little more low key? You can also buy Disney Halloween T-shirts and various designs of mouse ears among other options.

Week 41 - Epcot Food & Wine Australia & Argentina (Oct 4)

After attending opening day at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival with a taste of cheese fondue and pumpkin mousse (both delicious), we returned for some more samples. Below are some reviews and photos from our second tour around the world.

Australia - Lamb Chop
The lamb chop from Australia has been a "must do" for me over the last several years. My husband doesn't like lamb so it is literally the only time a year I have an opportunity to enjoy it. I often have it at least twice...sometimes three times. It doesn't come cheap. This year's price is $5.75.

The chops are always small and my experiences have always been hit and miss. Often, the chop is cold (like today's). Every once in a while I get lucky enough to have one fresh and hot right off the grill. That, of course, is when it is best. If you want it hot, go where there is a long line. I tend to be there during "off" times to avoid the crowds.

Today's chop was also very fatty. Previous chops have been leaner. However, it was moist (and just a little pink). Despite it being cold, small, fatty and expensive, I still enjoyed it. It's a treat (and a matter of expectations). The side offered changes each year. I enjoyed last year's potatoes more. This year's contained pieces of goat cheese (I'm not a fan).

Argentina - Beef Empanada
My husband had the beef empanada. He enjoyed it. It was served hot and there was plenty of beefy filling inside. The price was average at $3.75.

I took a small bite. The taste reminded me of something, but I haven't yet been able to put my finger on it. It had a sweet taste that I didn't really care for. Our only complaint is that is was difficult to find a table or other convenient spot to chow down. We would up leaning against a railing.

Mexico Margarita
All this eating made us thirsty so we decided to grab a frozen margarita from the year-round stand just outside the Mexico pavilion. The drinks cost $9. Unfortunately, they were running out of lime (our favorite) so we were forced to order a fiesta margarita which had layers of lime, strawberry and mango. Neither of us cared very much for the strawberry.

There's a good amount of alcohol in these drinks. I'm not sure I could drink one on my own. There are a few frozen alcoholic beverages available at the Food & Wine booths, but they are only 6 oz and average in cost about $7.50. We'd rather have the larger drink for $9.

Dessert
Again, I went off the Food & Wine Festival booths. This time I headed to Germany's Karamell Shop. I walked in ready to buy a caramel apple, but changed my mind as soon as I saw the freshly-made Werther's Caramel Popcorn.

It was still warm. I ordered the small bag for about $3. When the bag was handed to me, I couldn't get over how heavy it felt. Pick up a box of Cracker Jacks and it feels like air. This bag is filled with a serious amount of caramel. The only downside is that the popcorn loses it's crispy, crunchy texture. But the caramel is sooo good, it doesn't matter. I shared with my husband and we couldn't finish the bag (it is rich). I brought it home and took 2 more days to finally finish it. Note... it gets more and more soggy as the days go by so eat as much as you can while it is fresh. I don't think I could ever order the large bag...

Next, my husband grabbed one of the Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream. Awesome. Well worth the $3 price. I took a small bite and loved it (might have to get my own next time). Unfortunately, we dug right in and forgot to take a photo.

Week 40 - Epcot Food & Wine Festival Opening Day (Sept 30)

The Epcot Food & Wine Festival is my favorite time of year. We visited during opening day to give all the food booths a once-over to figure out what we'll be sampling over the next several weeks.

During our first visit, I sampled the cheese fondue with sour dough bread for $3 offered at the Cheese booth. One word... awesome. I you like Canada's beer cheese soup, you have to give this a try. One tip: don't take big bites of the sour dough or you'll quickly run out of bread and you don't want to miss a single drop of this yummy fondue.

We forgot to take a photo, but my husband tried the Pumpkin Mousse with Ocean Spray Craisins and Orange Sauce for just $1.50. That's not a typo. It is clearly the best-tasting bargain of the festival. 

While at Epcot, we picked up a Passport and festival guide map to take home and study. Next, we carefully planned our sampling schedule. We visited the Disney Food Blog to help with our decision-making. Although we had already been there in person, we didn't get to see every food item as it is served. This fantastic food blog is filled with descriptions, prices and photos of every menu item offered at the Epcot food booths. Definately worth a visit.

Can't wait to start tasting around the world and going to the Festival concerts!

Week 40 - Review Animal Kingdom Yak & Yeti Restaurant (Sept 28)

Today was a special occasion so we decided to try a Disney restaurant we had not yet tried - Yak & Yeti at Animal Kingdom.

Truth be told, I actually wanted to have dinner at Ohana at the Polynesian Resort. Unfortunately, even weeks in advance, we were unable to get a reservation for Ohana. So... we used Disney's online system to get a lunch reservation at Yak & Yeti and noted that it was our anniversary.

We arrived at Animal Kingdom a little early and picked up a pair of Happy Anniversary buttons at Guest Services. We also added funds to a Disney gift card to pay for lunch. We actually wanted to use our Disney Visa Rewards Dollars. Unfortunately, Yak & Yeti is not a Disney-owned restaurant and therefore does not participate in the program.

We cheerfully checked-in at the Yak & Yeti podium for our celebration lunch. Soon we were escorted to the worst table in the entire restaurant. Although the restaurant was not full, we were seated right outside the kitchen. All we could hear were pots and pans clanging and the roar of the kitchen staff, not to mention the swish of all the servers speedily passing our table. Not exactly the romantic lunch we had hoped for.

As we waited for our drinks to arrive, I seriously contemplated walking out. I just had a bad feeling and I should have listened to my gut. Instead, we politely requested if another table might be available. We were moved to the other side of the room downstairs. The restaurant has two floors, and I understand from other reviews that upstairs seating is preferred.

By now, we've interacted with two "cast members" in the lobby plus two different servers. Not one acknowledged our anniversary (despite the buttons and note in our reservation).

On to the meals. Since this was a celebration, we were prepared to splurge a little.

Appetizer
We love pot stickers. Unfortunately, we did not care for the version served at Yak & Yeti. Mostly because the soy lime dipping sauce was bitter. I did like that we were given the option of "steamed or seared". We chose "seared" but they were hardly pan fried. In fact, there were barely warm either. They were brought to our table by a kitchen staff member (who actually was the only person to say, "Happy Anniversary"). I much prefer the pot stickers at Ohana and at Lotus Blossom Cafe at China Epcot. The price for 5 pot stickers was $8.50.

Main Course
If you read this blog, you know that I love ribs. Thankfully, my favorite place for ribs at Animal Kingdom are from a counter-service restaurant because the baby back ribs served at Yak & Yeti cost $26. The hoisin bbq sauce was yummy, the ribs were extremely tender and meaty but they were barely room temperature. Sides included a scoop of chicken fried rice (just OK with almost no chicken) and a sweet chili slaw. I didn't try the slaw, but my husband did. He didn't think it was very good.

My husband ordered the Shaoxing Steak and Shrimp. Yak & Yeti get points for presentation with this dish. The skirt steak was thin, but tender. The jasmine rice was nothing special. The shrimp could have been a lot better. They weren't as "cleaned" as much as they should have been for being tempura battered - especially for the $26 price. The side of stir-fried veggies were OK and the chili plum dipping sauce was tasty.

   
Dessert
We had seen raving reviews about the fried wontons dessert at Yak & Yeti. The cream cheese stuffed pockets of dough were served skewered with pineapple and a with side of ice cream. The description also said they would be drizzled with a honey vanilla. The pineapple was sour and the drizzle was more of a puddle. They were good, but not particularly special. They cost $8.

The grand total for lunch at Yak & Yeti with drinks (non-alcoholic), tax and tip was about $90. Was it worth it? Not really. Will I go back? No. I don't mind over-paying for meals at Disney if in return I have a magical experience and quality food.

Yak & Yeti is lacking in the magical Disney experience department. I don't think I've ever spent $90 on lunch for 2 (at Disney or anywhere else) and I don't anticipate that I will do it again any time soon.

I should note that Yak & Yeti also offers a counter-service restaurant at Animal Kingdom. I might return to the fast food option to try crispy honey chicken.