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© Andrew and Lisa Cubbon, 2009

Walt Disney World

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

October-November 2009 By Andy Cubbon

Food & Wine 2009

© Andrew and Lisa Cubbon, 2009 1

Introduction This year I wanted to stay longer than we usually do for Food & Wine. It was also the first time as Disney Vacation Club members that we would stay at our home resort. Lisa booked us into a one-bedroom at Kidani Village at the Animal Kingdom Lodge for 11 nights. When she was planning our Food & Wine events, we couldn’t find much of interest during our time there and only signed up for 5 wine seminars and one culinary demonstration. However, she booked reservations for us at several of the fine restaurants. In addition we planned a couple of off-site activities.

Acknowledgements

Cast of Characters • Andy and Lisa Cubbon, Marietta, Georgia • Pat and Marianne O’Neill, Lakeland, Florida

Text Credits The text was written by Andy with some of comments from Lisa.

Picture Credits The pictures were taken by Andy with his Canon SX10 IS, or by Lisa with her Canon SD1000 ELPH. The author of the photo is indicated in the caption or “Cover Pictures” below. The uncaptioned picture on page 5 is Andy’s.

Cover Pictures The cover picture is Andy’s

Previous Trip Reports Our previous trip reports can be found at our website: http://www.cubbon.net/.

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Figure 1. Room 7969 living area, Kidani Village (Andy)

Figure 2. Pembe Savanna from our room (Andy)

Walt Disney World

Day 1 – Monday, October 26th

Getting There We left home in Marietta around 7:30 for the drive down. On the trip down we listened to talk radio until we drove out of range and then switched to a book-on-CDs; continuing with James Rollins’ The Judas Strain. We made our usual stops along the way with lunch at the Florida Welcome Center on I-75. We stopped at a Publix on 192 for supplies before checking in at about 3:00PM. [Lisa: 429 (the new toll road) really saves time and the 192 exit is right at the Publix.]

Kidani Village Lisa checked us in while I had our many bags transferred to the bellman and parked the car underneath, before I knew what section we were in. HINT: find out where you are staying before parking; it’ll save you some walking. By the way, have your ID ready earlier as the security gate has moved to the main road just west of Sherberth Rd.

For those who haven’t yet been to Kidani Village, it is a very, very long property. The small lobby, shop and one restaurant are in the center with two multi-building arms with the rooms. Our villa is on the fifth floor in the next-to last building in the Pumbaa section (the room numbers make no sense at all). This is in the arm farthest from original Animal Kingdom Lodge now called Jambo House.

Our room was on the outside of the curve with a view of Pembe Savanna. This is a small and new savanna. They were still putting in plants, but there were several animals in residence already including impala, bongos, waterbuck, red river hogs, okapi, blue cranes, ground hornbills and bongos. From our balcony we could see one of the barns and into part of the Sunset Savanna that is between Kidani Village and Jambo House. Rooms on the other side of the hall face the Sunset Savanna and have a larger selection of animals including

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giraffes, but because they are on the inside of the curve, they also face other rooms and parts of Jambo House.

Dinner at Il Mulino Lisa had talked about this restaurant for several years, but we had never gotten around to dining at it. It had also gotten an endorsement from Robin Kelly O’Connor a one of last year’s wine seminars. He said that the wait for the one in New York City was like two months, but he got a table without any effort here at WDW. Lisa had made reservations before we left home for our first night. It was a great start to our dining experiences for this visit.

It is located in the Swan Resort. Therefore, none of the Disney dining plans are accepted and you cannot charge it to your room unless you are staying at the Swan or Dolphin.

We started with a half bottle of Fonterutoli Chianti Classico, 2005 and were served an amuse bouche eggplant salad with salami. We then split a Caesar salad. For our main courses Lisa got a half portion of the Rigatoni con Fungi, rigatoni with wild mushrooms, garlic and truffle oil. She really liked getting the half portion as it left her room for dessert. I had the special which was Sautéd Sea Bass in a scrumptious butter & olive oil sauce flavored with cinnamon, with squash and gnocchi. For dessert we split Torta di Cioccolati, a flourless chocolate cake served with whipped cream and zabaglione—yummy, and press pot decaf coffee. This is definitely on our do-over list.

We had visions of spending the evening at Epcot after dinner. When we got there, we were just too tired to stay, so we took the bus back to the resort after taking a spin on Spaceship Earth.

Day 2 – Tuesday, October 27th The weather was very hot and humid today and would stay that way until the weekend. This dictated a slow and relaxed trip. We spent the morning in the room reading and watching the animals on the savanna after having cereal and coffee or tea. [Lisa: we spotted a “rare African animal,” two Wild Turkeys.]

Lunch at Sanaa We decided to try Sanaa, the new restaurant at Kidani Village, for lunch. This restaurant features African/Indian fusion. The menu isn’t very large, but it is a cozy space on the ground floor of the Kidani Village lobby with a view of the Sunset Savanna (see Figure 8 on page 8).

Lisa got the Berry & Melon Smoothie to try and pronounce it wonderful. We started with Salad Sampler: choice of three from Chickpeas with cucumber and tomato; Roasted potato, corn and spinach; Watermelon, lime and radish; Roasted beets; or Carrot, orange and mint. We got the Chickpea, Roasted potato, and Roasted beets. For the main course, Lisa got the Tandoori Shrimp with Basmati rice, and I chose the Chicken with Red Curry Sauce and Beef Short Ribs from the Slow Cooked in Gravy, Simple and Well Seasoned (choice of two from three; the third was Shrimp in Green Curry Sauce). [Lisa: mine was huge!]

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Figure 3. Festival Center shop (Andy)

Epcot We had a couple of tasting seminars scheduled in the afternoon, so we took the bus to Epcot. Our first stop was the Festival Center in the old Wonders of Life building where Lisa got our tickets for the day’s events. We had some time before our first event, so we walked to the other side of Future World and took in Journey into Imagination with Figment. Then back to the Festival center for our first tasting.

Spirit Seminar – Macallan Scotch Lisa likes scotch more than I do, so this tasting was more for her. It is also the first spirit tasting we have attended at Food & Wine. The presenter was Martin Daraz, the official Brand Ambassador for Highland Park, one of the Macallan labels. We tasted three of their single malt scotches.

The Macallan, 12-year old: Aged in Sherry oak barrels from one barrel maker in Spain that cost $1000/barrel which they use only twice. They spend $20 million a year on barrels. Lisa got butterscotch, toffee and floral, but it wasn’t her favorite.

With this tasting we learned the art of tasting spirits. First, you do not swirl the glass like you do with wine before smelling. This just releases alcohol that overpowers the subtle aromas. Next, take a bit in your mouth and chew it. This dissipates the alcohol and allows the flavors to emerge.

The Macallan Fine Oak, 15-year old: This is a lighter style aged in Kentucky bourbon barrels.

We learned that scotch starts out as fermented malt, just like beer and then distilled. The distillation yields basically moonshine. All the flavors and color come from the barrels.

Highland Park, 18-year old: This is the top of the line and is made on Orkney Island off the northern Scottish coast. It is also aged in the Sherry oak barrels from Spain that are seasoned with a little burned northern peat and malt for texture. Lisa liked this one the best.

After this seminar we had an hour or so before our next tasting. We went back across Future World to The Land and took the Living with the Land boat ride. It had been recently renovated, but we didn’t see any changes. Perhaps all they did was dust the rooster and plants in the first section.

Wine Seminar – Puglian Wines Our first wine tasting of the trip was Italian wines from the Puglia region in southeastern Italy (the heel of the boot). It was presented by Antonella Millarte who was also doing cooking demonstrations several times a day at a small venue in the Italy Pavilion.

Tre Erre-Piana Padula Chardonnay, 2007: No oak so not too bad for a Chardonnay. Good with white fish.

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Figure 4. Wines of Puglia (Andy)

Figure 5. Castle decked out during the fireworks (Andy)

Tre Erre-Piana Padula Rosso, 2006: made from the primativo grape that is similar to zinfandel. Aged a short time in oak; red with brown overtones; medium tannins. Plum, cherry, licorice and a hint of tobacco. Good with grilled meat and seasoned cheese.

Rosso Cocevola Nero di Troia, 2006: From the Tenuta estate in the Castle de Monte DOC. Aged in French oak 6-9 months. Ruby red with no brown, smooth with higher tannins than the Tre Erre-Piana. Spicy and earthy; the best of the lot.

While we were at the seminar, there was a heavy rain. We could hear it drumming on the roof. By the time we left it

had stopped. We exited the park and took the monorail and ferry to the Magic Kingdom.

Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Lisa had gotten us e-tickets to this “hard ticket” event. She was able to get a few bucks off the list price by purchasing them on-line and as Annual Pass/DVC members. We presented them at a group of entry turnstiles set aside for the event. We did not need to use our park pass. Once inside, we were each adorned with a wrist band to distinguish us from the regular park guests. At 7:00 the park was closed to ordinary entry and non-event guests were ushered out. We were also given an event park map and small bag for collecting the treats.

Our first stop was at Casey’s Corner for hot dogs and fries. The fries here are wonderful. They reminded us of the way McDonald’s fries used to be. It

was here that we saw the best guest costume of the evening. A very tall man dressed like the Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter in the upcoming Tim Burton movie.

Then it was on to Adventureland where we rode the Magic Carpets of Aladdin which we hadn’t done for a while. I was able to avoid getting squirted by the camel. Next we did The Haunted Mansion, of course.

After the Haunted Mansion it was time for the special Halloween parade. After the obligatory float with the Mickey, Minnie and Donald in costumes, the floats featured mostly villains, of course. Again the most popular “villain” was Captain Jack Sparrow garnering lots of cheers and applause. When the parade ended we worked our way back to Main Street by way of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland stopping at several of the treat stations along the way.

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Figure 6. Venue for the wine seminars (Andy)

We stopped in at the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor and got a couple of Sundaes. We ate them while watching the crowds. People watching is one of our favorite activities at WDW. There were a good collection of costumed including may pirates and princesses. There were some couples all in white like the couple from the Haunted Mansion including one black couple [and an Edward Scissorhands with the girl and the shrubs].

We watched the fireworks from Main Street. It was quite a show and the castle was adorned with many special lighting designs. After the fireworks we continued to watch the crowds for a while before leaving to catch the bus back to Kidani Village.

Day 3 – Wednesday, October 28th After another leisurely morning in the room reading the paper and listening to our favorite talk show from Atlanta over the Internet, we went back to Epcot for two more Food & Wine events.

Epcot We stopped at the Festival Center to get our tickets and then Lisa did single rider on Test Track. I’ve done this ride a few times and no longer find it as interesting as watching the crowds.

Wine Seminar – Silver Oak Cellars Our first event was another Wine Seminar for Silver Oak Cellars in California. The presenter was Michael Horwith from National Distribution. He told us that Silver Oak is a family owned winery. There were only two wines at this tasting.

I noticed that in addition having a fee for the seminars, the number of wines offered seemed to be less than in previous years. This year it was typically 3 wines; in previous years it was typically 4. In this case there was some justification for only having the two as the wines being tasted were somewhat expensive.

Silver Oak sources its barrels from a single vendor that also owns the forest from which the oak comes. Silver Oak has a controlling interest in this cooperage. The Alexander Valley vineyard is near Geyserville and the Napa one near Oakville.

He said that both the wines we tasted were from the current 2004 vintage1. They age their wines in barrels and then in the bottle which delays the release by two or three years from the norm.

Silver Oak, Alexander Valley, 2004: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in 50% new and 50% once used American oak for 25 months and then aged in the bottle for another 15 months. 1 According to the Silver Oak Internet site the 2005 Alexander Valley was released on August 1st.

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Figure 7. Chef Richard prepares Rigatoni Calabrese; finished dish in inset (Andy)

It was fruity with medium tannins and quite smooth though a bit harsher than the Napa Valley. It was priced at $65 in the festival shop.

Silver Oak, Napa Valley, 2004: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot which are typical Bordeaux varieties. This is aged for 25 months in all new American oak with and additional 20 months in the bottle. It had a less robust aroma and the tannins seemed less initially, but developed later. It was very nice, but I can get wines more to my liking for less money.

After the tasting we went to the World Showcase area to sample some of the international foods at one of the kiosks. After checking the offerings at several, we settled on the Athens, Greece kiosk. We shared one of each of the dishes: Greek Salad with Pita Bread; Spanakopita; Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki; and Baklava.

After this light lunch we took the Gran Fiesta Tour in the Mexico pavilion, saw the Reflections of China 360° film and Impressions de France film (I love the music with this show). We had a snack of Späetzle Gratin with Ham and Cheese and Nuernberger Sausage on a Pretzel Roll at the Munich, Germany kiosk. Then we took in the American Adventure show. Now it was time for our next event.

Culinary Demonstration/Wine Presentation – Portobello Italian Trattoria Back at the Festival Center we attended our first (and only) culinary demonstration of the trip. In fact this is the first one we’d been to in several years. The chef was Steven Richard from the Portobello Italian Trattoria (formerly the Portobello Yacht Club) at Downtown Disney. Steven made a very easy and good Rigatoni Calabrese, one of the dishes on their menu. One of the nice things about this recipe is that it is quick to make. The sauce can be prepared while the pasta is cooking. Lisa has made this since at home and we learned that there is perhaps too much pasta for the sauce in the recipe we got.

The wine was the Petite Petit from the Michael-David Winery in Lodi California; presented by Michael Phillips. It is a blend of Petit Syrah and Petit Verdot and went well with the pasta. The Michael-David Winery is probably better known for its 7 Deadly Zins label.

Dinner at Sanaa We went back to the hotel to have dinner at Sanaa. I started with a glass of Fairview Pinotage, and we shared the Indian-Style Bread Service. This is a choice of three bread and three spreads. We got the Naan, Paratha, and Paneer Paratha for the breads. Paratha is an Indian layered flat-bread; paneer is a south Asian farmer cheese. The other choice was Roti another type of flat-bread. The spreads we selected were Cucumber Raita, Mango Chutney and Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus. There were five other choices.

While we waited for our breads to arrive, I had noticed an antelope on the savanna that I didn’t recognize. Lisa went out to the viewing area and asked one of the guides there what it was. She was gone a long time. It turned out that the guide was from Botswana and Lisa got to chatting with her about our visit there in 2007. She learned that she knew one of the camp

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Figure 8. Inside Sanaa Restaurant at Kidani Village (Andy)

managers that we’d met over there. After Lisa got back to the table, the guide and another Botswanan came to our table and we exchanged business cards and chatted a bit.

For our main courses Lisa got the New York Strip with Spinach and Mushroom Pancake served with Oven-dried Tomato Chutney. I ordered the Tandoori Chicken with Basmati Rice and a second glass of the pinotage. When our food arrived, Lisa’s steak was cool to the touch and a little rarer than she expected. Our server wasn’t around, so Lisa flagged down a man in a chef’s outfit. He came right over and quickly arranged to have a new steak prepared, which was perfect. Lisa thinks he might have been John Clark, the new executive chef for the Animal Kingdom Lodge restaurants.

After dinner we returned to the room and watch the World Series for a while before turning in for the night.

Day 4 – Thursday, October 29th

Animal Kingdom Around mid-morning we took the bus to the Animal Kingdom. It became a short visit because it was so hot and the Animal Kingdom is the hottest of the four parks. We saw the It’s Tough to be a Bug 3-D show and the Festival of the Lion King, always a great performance. We got a Pepperoni Pizza with Caesar Salad and an Italian-Style Sandwich at Pizzafari for lunch where we were “entertained” by a mob of out-of-control kids at the adjacent table while their various parents sat at a nearby table and ignored their antics. However, they provided a feast for several Mallard ducks that were hanging around.

After lunch we went back to the room. Lisa napped and read while I took a walk along the entrance drive which borders a marshy area. I was hoping to see some birds, but none were about. When I got down to the picnic pavilion I walked down by the small lake there and saw a couple of Moorhens and one Pied-billed Grebe. I suspect the lack of birds was because the area was still disturbed from the construction of Kidani Village and the heat of the early afternoon.

Dinner at Jiko We got cleaned up and a little dressed up and then took the l..o..n..g walk from Kidani Village to Jambo House. If we had been lazy we could have taken one of the buses because all the buses stop at Kidani Village first and then Jambo House, but this only works one way.

After we’d checked in at the Jiko podium, Tommy recognized us and got Nasser. Soon we were seated at one of Nasser’s tables. We ordered a bottle of Boekenhoutskloff’s 2007 Chocolate Block wine and got an amuse bouche of a lovely carrot and ginger soup. We started with our usual Kalamata Olive Flatbread. During this course Nasser gave us a tasting of the new Spice Route “Chakalaka” 2007. We ordered a bottle to take home.

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Figure 9. American Idol Experience set (Andy)

For our second course we shared a Cucumber, Tomato and Red Onion Salad. During this course, Nasser brought us a Hamilton Russell’s Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Chardonnay was not bad for a Chardonnay mostly because it was un-oaked.

For our main course we both got the Barbecue Beef Short Ribs with roasted Yukon Gold potato salad and onion-garlic sauce; excellent as usual. However, Lisa misses the lamb shank they used to have.

For dessert we shared a Pistachio Crème Brulée and a press-pot of decaf coffee. It was another lovely dining experience with quiet conversation and catching up with Nasser and some other members of the Jiko staff.

Day 5 – Friday, October 30th This morning we decide to go to Downtown Disney to do a little shopping before the weekend. Unfortunately, we failed to check our schedule and missed the Castello Banfi wine seminar we had scheduled. The key to having a schedule is to actually check it now and again…duh.

Part of this lapse was because Lisa had gotten news that her cousin, Gloria, had passed away early that morning. Over the next few days we were not sure whether we would be able to complete our vacation or have to leave early for a funeral in Mobile.

Downtown Disney We shopped at the Christmas Store, Once Upon a Toy, Ghirardelli and the World of Disney. Lisa found several Christmas gifts. We weren’t up for a big lunch, so we had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches back in the room.

Disney Hollywood Studios We spent the afternoon at DHS. Our first stop was the new American Idol Experience attraction. Lisa is a fan of the show and felt the production was very realistic. The differences are that the contestants are park guests who auditioned for a chance. The cast consists of a audience warm up person, MC and three judges who play the roles of the real judges. The one playing Simon’s role had nothing but snide remarks to make about each singer. Voting is done by the audience using a key pad in the arm rest.

There are three guests competing at each of the several daytime shows. The winners of these events compete at the last show in the evening. The prize is a Golden Pass that entitles the winner to go to the head of the line at any actual American Idol Audition, or as the MC puts it “the best FastPass ever!”

At this show the winner was a 47 year old Brit who cannot compete in the real American Idol even if he were to win the evening competition.

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Next we saw Muppet Vision 3-D. We checked out the line for Toy Story Mania which was 70 minutes and the line for the Great Movie Ride was also long, so I got a Mickey Bar and Lisa got some popcorn, and we waited for the start of the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!

After the stunt show Lisa did a little shopping and I watched a couple of the streetmosphere skits. Then we walked over to the Boardwalk for dinner at Kouzzina by Cat Cora (where Spoodles used to be). The décor is slightly different, but the layout is the same. The menu is totally different.

Dinner at Kouzzina I got a glass of Cat Cora’s “Coranation” Cabernet Sauvignon (yes it is spelled correctly). It was good, but not for the price. Lisa had a Mythos beer. We started by sharing the excellent Crisp Calamari and Lemon coated in Aborio rice flour with spicy yogurt and garlic yogurt. Mixed in with the calamari were a few very thin, crispy slices of lemon that Lisa liked after she got over the initial surprise when she ate the first one.

We share the Spiro’s Greek Salad of vine-ripened tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, kalamata olives and feta. The Feta was outstanding.

For our main course I had the Oak-fired Pork T-bone with farmhouse greens and citrus-fennel marmalade. It was very good. Lisa ordered the Char-grilled Lamb Burger with olives, feta and crisp sweet potato fries. Unhappily, she found the burger inedible because it was way too salty. Lisa told our waiter, Bobby, and he said he would take care of it.

During our dinner, Cat Cora and some of her family arrived. For those of you who are not Food Network fans, Cat Cora is one of the Iron Chefs on the hit show Iron Chef America. She made a point of stopping at every table and introducing herself and asking about our dining experience. Lisa, trying to be diplomatic, told her that the calamari was outstanding, but Cat noticed that Lisa hadn’t eaten her burger [it looked like the dog’s dinner] and asked her about it. Lisa told her the problem she had with it. Cat also told Lisa it would be taken off the bill.

Other than the lamb burger, the meal was very good and is worth another try on a future visit.

After dinner we walked over to Epcot where I got a Rice Cream and Lisa got a no-sugar-added chocolate mousse and some bad decaf coffee. The we watched Illuminations: Reflections of Earth from Showcase Plaza.

Day 6 – Saturday, October 31 – Halloween Today we got a slightly earlier start. I wanted to take a side trip to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on the east coast of Florida to do some birding. Lisa agreed to go along for the ride and do some spotting for me—she’s very good at spotting birds. It’s a little more than an hour’s drive from WDW to Merritt Island. The refuge is across the Intercoastal Waterway from Titusville. The night before, I checked the Kennedy Space Center launch schedule because if there is a launch, the refuge is closed as it is just north of the space center.

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Figure 10. View along Black Point Wildlife Drive, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (Andy)

Figure 11. Osprey, Biolab Road, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (Andy)

First we stopped at the Visitors Center bought some T-shirts and took a walk around the boardwalk. Not much was stirring except a Gray Catbird and one Black Vulture perched on the Osprey nest platform.

Next we took the Black Point Wildlife Drive. It’s a one way gravel road through a marshy terrain. There were some birds about including Great and Snowy Egrets, Osprey, Tricolor, Reddish, Green and Little Blue Herons, and American White Ibis. There were very few shorebirds; apparently we were a little late for the fall migration. We made a couple of stops. At the first we walked down a short path and saw some feeding Osprey and a Sora. Lisa spotted a little bird, but I didn’t see it. It wasn’t windy or raining, but it was very hot. At the second stop we ate our lunch in the car and saw a small gator in the nearby pond along with a Savannah Sparrow up close.

After a stop at the Visitors Center again to use the toilets, we drove down Biolab Road. This is another gravel road that more-or-less borders the lagoon behind the Canaveral National

Seashore. There weren’t many birds along here, but I did see one shorebird that was either a Western or Semipalmated Sandpiper. Neither my shorebird expert in Kent nor members of the BirdForum could definitively tell which it was from my photos (they are very similar in appearance). I did get this nice photo of a perched Osprey to add to my collection of bird photos. There were also several Double-crested Cormorants, Brown Pelicans and a few Glossy Ibis.

We got back to WDW around 4:00. We didn’t want to go anywhere near any of the parks this night because it was Halloween, so we went to Publix and got a lemon-pepper roasted chicken and some vegetables to take back to the villa for supper. This was the first time we’d tried the lemon-pepper chicken and didn’t much care for it. We watched most of another World Series game before turning in.

Day 7 – Sunday, November 1st Being Sunday when we normally have a big breakfast at home, so we drove to the Boardwalk to try the Kouzzina breakfast. We had a shot wait for a table.

Breakfast at Kouzzina We started with coffee and juice. I got the Spinach, Tomato and Feta Scrambled Eggs with potatoes and bacon. Lisa had the Classic Golden Waffle with whipped mascarpone cheese,

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Figure 12. Alice and Wonderland banners (Lisa)

honey, chopped pecans, and the chicken sausage which was very good. It was OK but not as good or interesting as what used to be served at Spoodles.

After breakfast we made a quick stop at Downtown Disney to pickup another Christmas gift and then returned to our room to read and watch some of the football. The game we were watching was pretty bad; one of the quarterbacks completed more passes to the opposition than to his own team in the first half.

Magic Kingdom Around 3:00 we got bored with the game and caught the bus to the Magic Kingdom. We started with Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin where Lisa beat me by 100 points, but neither of us qualified for anything more than running an in-system garbage scow.

Next we did Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. There was a minor mechanical glitch, so we had to sit through the introduction twice, but it went fine after that. I wonder if Disney plans to update the last scene. It is starting to show its age even for the end of the 20th Century with mention of “car phones” and “laser disks.”

We were going to do the Tomorrowland Transit Authority before CoP, but it was down. It was just coming back on line when we got out of CoP so we had a short wait. The ride through Space Mountain was interesting. It is being rehabbed, so they had construction barriers up. I did notice that the black foam on the ceiling had been patched in several places. I wondered if they plan to replace it. There is a new narrative to TTA that is not as cute as the old one.

We took the walkway from Space Mountain behind the Speedway to Toontown to catch the Walt Disney World Railroad. New to the walkway are several Alice in Wonderland cutout images and light-post banners. We rode the train around to the Frontierland station.

We walked into Adventureland and took in Pirates of the Caribbean before heading out of the park. We took the launch to the Grand Floridian for dinner at Cítricos.

Dinner at Cítricos This was another dinning first for us. We had attended a Discovering Wine lunch event here in 2007, but had never had just a dinner. We started with a salad. Lisa got the Salad of Romaine Lettuce with a crispy roasted garlic emulsion with anchovies, hearts of palm and pickled peppers. I had the Goat Cheese Truffle Salad: cracked pepper and sesame and tomato “truffles” with arugula, frisée, Nueske applewood-smoked bacon, and baby beets. For wine I had a glass of Silverado Sangiovese and Lisa had a glass of a Spanish red from Valle de la Orotava (I believe).

For our main course I got the Braised Veal Shank with carrot-potato puree, roasted vegetables and toasted citrus gremolata. The veal was very tender if a little bland for my taste. The

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Figure 13. Cítricos dessert—all edible (Lisa)

Figure 14. Golden Pheasant in the aviary on the Maharajah Jungle Trek (Andy)

carrot-potato puree was outstanding. Lisa had the Braised Short Ribs with creamy polenta, sautéed greens, and blood orange demi-glace.

For dessert we shared Warm Chocolate Banana Tart with vanilla ice cream and caramelized bananas—ummmm, and a press pot of decaf coffee.

We took the launch back over to the Magic Kingdom and the bus back to Kidani Village.

Day 8 – Monday, November 2nd Today we went to visit Pat and Marianne in Lakeland, but that wasn’t until the afternoon, so we decided to return to the Animal Kingdom for a few hours. The weather had cooled off a bit too.

Animal Kingdom First we went back to see about FastPasses to the Kilimanjaro Safaris. We found that the stand-by time was just 10 minutes. In fact it was nearly a walk-on. As is our custom, we waited a cycle to get the back row.

We hadn’t done the Maharajah Jungle Trek in a while, so we did that primarily for the aviary. We saw several of the birds there and enjoyed the relative quite of the place. At the tiger enclosure, a few of them were doing what big cats do mostly…sleep.

Next we took in the Flights of Wonder show which is always fun for a bird guy. Before leaving, we had lunch at Pizzafari again. This time we skipped the pizza and split an Italian-style sandwich and Caesar salad.

A Visit to Lakeland We returned to the villa to get the car and drove to Pat and Marianne’s condo in Lakeland. We planned to go to Tim’s Wine Market, but when we got there we learned it was closed on Mondays (Sundays too). We then tried Vintage Wine Cellars and it was opened. Lisa bought three or four bottles she liked. Next the ladies wanted to shop at Chico’s for clothes, so Pat and I browsed books at the Books-A-Million in the same mall. Then it was back to Pat and Marianne’s for a lovely dinner and great conversation.

Day 9 – Tuesday, November 3rd We had our usual light breakfast in the room. After reading the paper, we took the bus to Disney Hollywood Studios.

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Figure 15. The Fairview wines and Robin Back. Note the new Goats do Roam label on the left (Andy)

Disney Hollywood Studios We did one attraction here: The American Idol Experience. This time none of the three contestants were very good. Lisa would have liked one of the buttons to be “None of the Above.” She also expressed an interest in seeing all the shows on one day—perhaps I’ll go back to Merritt Island when she does that.

We walked to the Beach Club for lunch at Beaches and Cream; one of our favorites. I got my usual: cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate milkshake. Lisa got hers: cheeseburger, onion rings and water plus some of my shake.

Epcot After lunch we walked to Epcot to do the last of our Wine Seminars. However, we were very early, so after getting our tickets, we did a few of the Future World attractions. First was The Seas with Nemo & Friends. Then we did Ellen’s Energy Adventure and Lisa did Test Track again. Now it was time for our first seminar.

Wine Seminar – Fairview & The Goats do Roam Wine Co. Robin Back, cousin to the winemaker Charles Back, was the presenter. He announced that he had just gotten his U.S. citizenship. Because he retained his South African citizenship it makes him a true African-American even though he is Caucasian.

He told us that wine has been made on this estate since the mid 1600s, but his family has had it only since 1935. Fairview recently set up a new company to handle the Goats do Roam wines. They also have the Spice Route winery. We visited the Fairview winery when we were in South Africa in 2007 and have sampled many of their wines at Jiko.

He also related a story about the Goats do Roam name. It is a play on Cotes du Rhone and the wines are similar on style to those French wines. They do have goats at the estate (for their excellent cheeses2) and they do roam. The French government didn’t think it was too humorous, so they sued Fairview. Fairview spent about $100,000 in legal fees defending their name, which they hadn’t budgeted for. They thought they should get some marketing value for this expense. They asked for volunteers to protest in front of the French Embassy in South Africa. Signs were made and protesters paraded in front of the embassy while Charles Back presented the French ambassador with a bottle of Goats do Roam wine, some Fairview cheese, and a bag of goat manure. The ambassador accepted the first two, but declined the last. Shortly after this the French government dropped the suit and Fairview got worldwide publicity for their wines.

2 Unhappily, the cheeses are not exported

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Figure 16. Billy Ocean in concert a the American Gardens Theatre (Andy)

Goats do Roam White, 2009: 54% Viognier, 40% Grenache Blanc, 6% Rousanne; no oak; very nice; good with pork. This was the winner of this tasting.

Fairview Pinotage, 2008: 100% Pinotage; moderately priced at around $14; a decent everyday wine; good for BBQ.

Goat-Roti, 2007: 96% Syrah co-fermented with 4% Viognier; red fruits.

Our next seminar was the wines of Puglia. Lisa had signed us up in case they were going to have different wines, but when I checked, they were the same as the previous seminar. As we were leaving we offered our tickets to a few people before finding a couple who took them.

Magic Kingdom We went to the Magic Kingdom for another supper of hot dogs and fries at Casey’s Corner and did a little shopping. Then took another turn on the Tomorrowland Transportation Authority before finding a spot to see the Wishes fireworks where we shared another ice cream sundae from the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor.

Day 10 – Wednesday, November 4th We took another morning off for reading and relaxing in the room because we had a luncheon date with a R.A.D.P. newsgroup couple that we had met on a previous trip.

Lunch at Portobello Trattoria – Downtown Disney This used to be the Portobello Yacht Club. The interior is much the same, but the menu has completely changed. Lisa started with the Wedding Soup, which was the Soup of the Day and I got the Caprese Salad. We both got the Rigatoni Calabrese. It was a lot, so Lisa put about half of it on a bread plate for the other couple to take away. They had rented a condo for a winter in the area to get away from the northern winter. [Lisa: it was a delightful lunch. Lots of laughs especially Andy with his array of discount cards and a coupon which resulted in huge discounts on the bill.]

Epcot After a long lunch, we went to Epcot to meet another R.A.D.P. couple we had gotten together with on some previous visits. We waited for them to come out of one of the culinary demonstrations. We then sat and chatted in the Festival Center for a while.

Lisa and I got some of the Bread Pudding at the New Orleans kiosk for our afternoon snack and then took in the Billy Ocean concert at the American Gardens Theatre. We concluded that his white dreads wig just wasn’t working well for him, but see the picture and make your own judgment. We left the concert a little before it was over and walked around to

Food & Wine 2009


the Mexico pavilion for a light supper at the Cantina de San Angel. Unfortunately it wasn’t very good.

Day 11 – Thursday, November 5th Because we were expecting our friends, Pat and Marianne, to come to the villa, we stayed around the room again this morning. They arrived in the late morning and we showed them around the place before heading over to Epcot for the afternoon.

Epcot We drove over to Epcot where we were met by a nice cast member friend and his father-in-law. He used some of his remaining guest entries on his park pass to get Pat and Marianne into Epcot. We chatted for a bit and then went our separate ways.

We did Space Ship Earth before walking over to the World Showcase to sample some of the international foods. First we stopped at the Athens, Greece kiosk where Lisa and I shared a Greek Salad and Chicken Souvlaki. Pat and Marianne shared the salad and the Spanakopita. At the Paris, France kiosk Pat and Marianne got a Chocolate Milk Crème Brulée to share. Finally at the Munich, Germany kiosk Pat and Marianne shared the Nuernberger Sausage on a Pretzel Roll, Lisa also got the sausage, and I had an Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce. Next we took in the American Adventure show. We then made our way back to Future World where Pat and Lisa did single-rider on Test Track and then we all did Living with the Land. Now it was time to return to the villa to get cleaned up for the wine dinner at Jiko.

Jiko Wine Dinner About once a month Jiko holds a special wine dinner in which the wines of a particular vintner or region are paired with dishes prepared especially for each wine. We try to go to this event whenever are at Disney at the right time of the month. This time we were going with Pat and Marianne who had attended a couple of times before with us..

Rather than all of us taking the long walk from Kidani Village to the Jambo House and then back after dinner, Pat and Marianne drove us there in their car and valet parked it. So, only Lisa and I had to walk back afterwards.

As in the past, the event begins on the left-hand porch off the main lobby of Jambo House. Here we are served appetizers and our first wine (See Appendix 1 on page 18 for the menu). The featured wines with this dinner were all from the Fairview family of South African wineries and were presented by Robin Back.

Appetizers: Braised Oxtail in Phyllo, Grilled Calamari with Tomato Sorbet (not a favorite); and Crisp Pumpkin Risotto Cakes with Pumpkin Crème Fraiche (the winner of this course). The wine was Fairview Viognier 2008, Paarl; a nice, light white.

First Course: Roasted Pheasant Breast with Braised Cabbage, Smoked Bacon, Potatoes, and Grapes served with Fairview Primo Pinotage 2007, Coastal Region; one of our favorite reds.

Second Course: Spice Crusted Ahi Tuna with Gnocchi, Sautéed Greens and Mustard-Wine Sauce. The wine was Spice Route Chakalaka 2007, Coastal Region. Lisa and I had just been introduced to this new Spice Route wine by Nasser a few days earlier and had a bottle to take home.

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Third Course: Lobster Mushroom Bisque with Porcini and Truffle Oil; the course came with Spice Route Chenin Blanc 2008, Coastal Region.

Now they served a Green Apple Sorbet as a palate cleanser before the main course.

Fourth (Main) Course: Berbere Spiced Veal Tenderloin with Crayfish pap in a Red Wine Reduction—yummy. The wine was Fairview Eenzaamheid Shiraz 2006, Paarl. This is the new name for Fairview’s Solitude which has some trademark issues.

Cheese Course: Forme D Ambert with Pear Chips and a Spiced Reduction; Humboldt Fog with Black Current Fruit Leather; and Laura Chenel Soft Goat Ice Cream with Raspberry Swirl with Fairview La Beryl Rouge 2006, Paarl a lovely, red dessert wine. Pat and Marianne got a bottle of this to take home.

Dessert: Traditional Cannoli. This was prepared by a guest chef: Buddy Valastro, “The Cake Boss” of Food Network fame. Lisa really liked the presentation which was two small cannolis and a dollop of more filling on the side. I thought it could have been a bit more cheesy. The wine with dessert was Fairview La Beryl Blanc 2007, Paarl; their white dessert wine.

As usual a great time was had by all.

Day 12 – Friday, November 6th Under normal circumstances we would have gone home today. Instead we drove to Mobile to spend a few days with Lisa’s cousin’s widower since we hadn’t gone to the service there. We went to another service in Northbrook, Illinois later in the month where many of the relatives were in attendance. We returned home on Monday the 9th.

Conclusions The Food and Wine Festival was quite disappointing this year; even more so than last year’s not to mention 2006 and 2007. Not only did we have to pay for the wine seminars and culinary demonstrations, but the variety seemed more limited than last year which wasn’t all that good, and the number of wines at each seminar was fewer. While charging did eliminate the “chug and run” people, it also meant that the seminars were sparsely attended—none of those we attended were more than half full. We will probably go back for the last week of the festival next year but more because it is a good time of year to visit WDW.

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Appendix 1 – Jiko Wine Dinner Menu

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