just back from food & wine festival

[mac badger]

went yesterday, opening day, to the food and wine festival, with my dh, sil and mil. mil's ecv battery died half way around so we had to push her (ugh) but that just burned off more calories so we coulod have more food:mickey:
this is what i can recall of our food
we went clockwise around the lagoon. our first stop was

Chile: we had the tomato,corn and chick pea stew,which also had some cheese on top. this may have been my favorite dish, and a really big portion

Mexico: we had the chilaquiles(sp?) a chicken and cheese dish with a green sauce. this is delicious, the sauce is a little spicy but not too bad

Ireland: had the potato pancake, which was good, and the irish cheese plate which i really liked. it had a few pieces of sharp kerrygold cheddar, some very authentic brown bread and a spicy apple chutney. and of course i had a guinness

China: sil had the potstickers, which seemed fine but no different than what you can get anywhere. BUT i had the best drink of the festival, a green tea and plum wine cooler. it was very refreshing in the heat, and i highly recommend it

Germany: we had spaetzle with mushroom ragout which was good but the spaetzle was a little overdone. also had the sausage on a pretzel roll with sauerkraut, also good

USA: sil and mil had the lobster roll . said it was good but not worth the price ($6.75)

France: had the quiche with goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes, very tasty, and the trio of sorbets. white chocolate, raspberry and champagne. this was my favorite dessert. boy howdy, was it good.

Canada: they messed up our order and couldn't seem to get it together to give us our dessert until we asked for it the fourth time.but the cheese soup is fantastic as always. there was also a maple glazed salmon with arugula salad that was very good. the desert was a maple cream with almond crumble. it was good, but very sweet, and an extremely small portion, practically only a tablespoon of desert.

thats my report. let me know if you have any questions

[jillluvsdisney]

How big was the lobster roll? $6.75 seems cheap to me. When ever I have ordered one in Boston they always seem to be about 11 or 12 bucks.

I'll make sure to try that wine cooler in China and I know my dad will want to try the salmon in Canada.

[eam]

Thank you so much for the report. We will be there in November and I am so looking forward some of the items you mentioned, especially the green tea/plum wine cooler. We haven't been to the F&W Festival since 2004, so I am hoping some of my other favorites are still there. Did you happen to see if the lamb chops were still available?
Now I'm all worked up and hungry. My countdown meter says I only have 39 days.
Thank you again.

[TTAtravler]

You have confirmed my hunch about the tea/wine cooler!! Can't wait to try it.:cool:

Thank you for the great report. I will be there next week.:thumbsup:

I have a question for my friends on the N/E borders of our country. I am from Louisiana and while we can boast of delicious seafood, we don't have lobster here. It is always a special treat when we get to have it. Anyway, is a lobster roll basically a lobster salad sandwhich? I would like to try it when I go, as long as there is not too much mayo. :confused:

[mac badger]

to answer a few questions
the lamb chops from australia are still there. only reason we didnt have them is we were trying to eat only stuff we hadnt tried before

yes, a lobster roll is lobster salad served on a roll. in new england its usually served on a split top hot dog roll. the ones at the festival were served on a pretty small roll, maybe 2.5 inches, thats why i didnt think it was that good of a deal

and the plum wine cooler really was all that. im craving one now, im going to have to experiment and see if i can recreate it at home:marg:

[BethieTink]

How big was the lobster roll? $6.75 seems cheap to me. When ever I have ordered one in Boston they always seem to be about 11 or 12 bucks.



Wow, where are you eating in Boston?? I live here and for the last several years they are at least $15 and most of the time over $20.

Just curious.

[Natazu]

Thanks for taking the time to post. I'll keep your suggestions in mind.

[Mickey 101]

Thanks so much for the info. This will be our first time there for the Food & Wine Festival and I specifically was interested in the Lobster Roll and how much it costs. Can't wait......we leave in four days!! :cool:

[KarenP]

Thanks for sharing. Everything sounds good. I may have to try the stew from Chile.

[CandleontheWater]

Be forewarned lobster roll lovers, that (at least last year), the lobster roll at F&W also had a lot of filler, like tomatoes and celery. I'm from CT and I love my lobster rolls, but I like them pure (just lobster please), so I was really glad I found out before I plunked down my hard earned cash.

[BugeyedMuggy]

We went to the soft opening and would highly recomend to anyone next year to plan this day. It started at 1 PM ans the lines were non- exisistant compared to Fri & Sat. The best thing to do is go to about Morocco and start there at 11 AM Everyone starts at the first building on either side and they were quite full. The back side was quite empty at 11. They have a Festival Center in the Wonders of Life Pavillion where the have merch and free wine seminars. You had to wait about 45 mins b-4 to get a seat for a few ounces of wine. Too much waiting for so little. Buy a glass of wine and if you want to listen to it you can stand in the back. There didn't seem to be any wine experts at the booths so it was hit or miss on what you like for your taste. We had 14 snacks and saved them for this so we only paid for the beer & wine. In France there is a Red Coctail that we enjoyed and in Dom Rep. Mofongo (2shrimp atop mashed potato & pork) was great. The lobster roll in USA was a lobster salad roll (not lobster with drawn butter) which I prefer. The snack option can be used for this and enverything we had . Buffalo in Oaklahoma was fantastic too. We tried lots of wines and most were good. The South African wines are my favorite.

[mickey-mouse35]

Thanks for posting! :thanks:

[Polynesian Dweller]

Thanks for the good report. Going to have to try the Chile and Ireland booths for sure, and that cheese soup is always a must.

[k_reile]

We also went Thurs and Fri. It was really crowded on Fri night but we only really drank since we had already eaten. I got the pomogrante kir in France (champange and pomogrante liqour)---sooo good...even DH had one because he liked mine and he is not a champagne drinker. Try the raspberry wine in Poland...almosts tastes like pure alchohol at first but when it goes down the thoat you can taste the sweet raspberries. Very good and you get a lot for 3.25. Also tried the champagne at the Champagen kisok..got the one listed at the bottom...do not remember what it was called. Used snack credit for the truffles...very good but only two of them.
Dh got Sam adams beer in America and got a bramha beer at the world of beers showcase. Said both very good but there is not much beer that he does not like so that does not help soo much

[Crow]

i just got back too. went Fri, sat n Sunday.
Friday cards didnt work and it was busy some.
Germany spaetzle dissapointed a little but i liked the sausage
lobster roll not bad. shrimp on the barbie ok. had a disn in DR that was ok. pizza in Italy ok.Ireland disappointed me in the cheese tasting. lots of wine,:beer: the Sam adams tasting n anniversary beer, champagne. i didnt eat at all the boths.
not sure if i will go again next yr yet or not

[hoop de do]

Thanks for sharing. Now I'm hungry. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[pox24]

Going next Friday through the following Tuesday. When is the best time to go to avoid the crowds. We were thinlking grazing there on Saturday and what time does it start? 11:00 as usual?

[Natazu]

Going next Friday through the following Tuesday. When is the best time to go to avoid the crowds. We were thinlking grazing there on Saturday and what time does it start? 11:00 as usual?
Crowds are lowest Mon through Thursday. 11:00 is correct.

[Barb_A]

We had 14 snacks and saved them for this so we only paid for the beer & wine. ... The snack option can be used for this and enverything we had .

Stupid question .... but can the snack for DDP be used for ANY of the food at the food and wine festival .. or only those things under $4?

[spinnerf]

We just got back and this may be helpful for those planning to go to food and wine next year. The festival actually had an unadvertised "soft" opening the day before (Thurs sept 27th). Id say about 90% of the booths were open, and even better.... there was nobody there!

[Septbride2002]

Oohhhh - QUESTION!

The greentea and plum wine cooler - I love plum wine, hate tea. Does it taste like tea?

~Amanda

[Natazu]

Stupid question .... but can the snack for DDP be used for ANY of the food at the food and wine festival .. or only those things under $4?

Last year it was good for all non-alcoholic items, even that lousy $6.50 lobster roll at America.

[Jared]

The Mexican dish sounds delicious! I absolutely love the green sauce.

Anyway, thanks for your reviews! Sounds like you had a great experience.

:tasty:

[MickeyandTink]

Last year it was good for all non-alcoholic items, even that lousy $6.50 lobster roll at America.

You aren't kidding. I was very disappointed in the lobster roll. Even using my DP snack credit, I felt ripped off. I had a lobster roll at McDonald's in Maine a couple of years ago more than twice the size, three times the taste, and only about $6. Some of the other dishes were really good, though.

I was also disappointed in the beer selection. The Sam Adams festival beer was tasty, but the few booths that had it either sold beer you can find at any local liquor store or were outrageously priced ($7.50 for a 12 ounce Polish beer). I liked the idea of the festival mugs, but it would be a lot better if you could get discounted refills (say $7 or 8 for a 22 oz. refill).

We're planning on going back to WDW next year around the same time and I MAY go to the F&W festival again if we do, but probably not unless there is some improvement from this year.