A Bit of Food and Wine

So the Nerd Husband and I took a little trip down to Disney World for a four day weekend at very beginning of October where we attended two new-to-us events: the International Food and Wine Festival at Epcot and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom.  We both did quite a bit of research and reading up to the point of our trip.  NH took the Food and Wine festival because he's the resident foodie in our house (aside from our kitty who miraculously munched her way into and through an entire sample bag of treats while we were away - that's another story).  I researched the Mickey's No...ok, let's abbreviate this thing: MNSSHP.  That's what all the hip-Disners are calling it.

For the sake of me rambling on and on and on and...yeah...I think we'll just split these two events up into two separate posts.  So I'll start you off with a bit of Food and Wine.

Epcot's International Food and Wine Festival
A bit of background on my Nerd Husband.  NH loves his menus.  Loves them.  I introduced him once to TripAdvisor a few years ago, and he's hooked.  His Disney website of choice is AllEars.net, and he frequently looks up new restaurant videos and reviews.  There have been nights before our trips that I'll be lying on the couch, and he'll sit there reading Les Chefs de France menu to me.  This is who he is, and this is how we are.  I love it.  Even our friends ask now, "Where is NH picking for us to eat on the next trip?"  Knowing all of this, you can get a better idea of why NH was so excited for this trip and the opportunity to visit all of the many Food and Wine booths that graced Epcot.

At least part of each day of our four day trip was spent at Epcot.  Eating.  I don't think we even tried that many food items at the Flower and Garden (and food) Festival in April.  The number of booths and choices was just insane and oh so yummy.  There were only a few things that I'd cross of my list for the next time (surprisingly, not a fan of cheese bread).  But here's a run-down of all of our delectable tastes:

Australia
1. Grilled Sweet and Spicy Bush Berry Shrimp with Pineapple, Pepper, Onion and Snap Peas (Amazing!)

Belgium
1. Beer-braised Beef served with Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes (so yummy)
2. Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream (how could this ever be a bad thing?)
3. Stella Artois Hard Cidre (very crisp and fresh, similar to the taste of an Angry Orchard Crisp)

Brazil
1. Pão de Queijo: Brazilian cheese bread (not a favorite; I ended up not finishing it.  The texture just put me off)

Canada
1. Canadian cheddar cheese soup served with a pretzel roll (um...yes; so much yes)
2.“Le Cellier” Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle-Butter Sauce (again with the yesses)

China
1. Black Pepper Shrimp with Garlic Noodles (good, but nothing special here)
2. Happy Peach with Dekuyper Peach Liqueur and Myers’s Dark Rum (amazingly wonderful)

Farm Fresh
1. Loaded Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Nueske’s® Pepper Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Peppers and Green Onions (probably one of my favorite things here)
2. Woodchuck Raspberry Hard Cider (so crisp and cool; I'll be hunting for this in stores)

France
1. Boeuf Bourguignon: Cabernet Sauvignon-braised Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes (France FTW - this was wonderful)

Germany
1. Schinkennudeln: Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese (this was good, but a bit on the heavy side for me; not a win in my book)
2. Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce (but this was a win)

Ireland
1. Twinings® Pumpkin Chai Tea Frozen Cocktail with Caramel Vodka (this...choked me at first with Vodka - lol - it was good, but whoa...)

Japan
1. Grilled Spicy Edamame tossed with Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce and Chili Powder (so good and fresh, and we felt silly when we both took a bite and then promptly remembered you do not eat the outside of the edamame pod...oops)
2. Garlic Shrimp: Marinated Shrimp sautéed with Garlic and Butter and served over Rice (amazingly wonderful and simple)

Mexico
1. Taco de Camarón: Battered Shrimp served over a Flour Tortilla with Crispy Purple Cabbage and Chipotle Mayonnaise (I adored this one, and I'm not usually a fan of purple cabbage or mayonnaise)

Patagonia
1. Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Purée (so so wonderful and tender - loved this)

Scotland
1. The Tipsy Laird: Whiskey-soaked Cake with Lemon Cream and Toasted Oats (I wanted to make this...and eat it every day)

South Korea
1. Korean-style BBQ Beef with Steamed Rice and Cucumber Kimchi (I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did because I hate cucumber, but this was amazing - one of my favorites of the festival)

Wine and Dine Studio
1. Seared Scallop, Truffled Celery Root Purée, Brussels Sprouts and Wild Mushrooms featuring Melissa’s Produce (the first thing we tried...and I almost cried because I loved this scallop...and who knew we liked brussel spourts and celery root?)

Refreshment Port
1. Pineapple Dole Whip Soft-Serve Ice Cream (because...how do you not?)

You'll notice that we're lacking in the "wine" aspect of the list, really.  We aren't big drinkers, so that part of this festival didn't really appeal much to us.  And the research that NH found that said that Epcot can turn into a frat-party as the weekend evenings roll around...well, that's pretty much true.  There is no shortage of "Drinking around the world" shirts with all of the various puns using "wine" and "beer".  That's not so bad...but the obnoxiousness that can come along with too much alcohol can start to become a bit much.  So we actually started to avoid the place as the evening wore on, and we would take off for other parks or back to the hotel.  That was truly a good tip that we got in our research.

One nice perk that we encountered at Epcot during the Festival was the Chase Cardholder Lounge at the American Adventure.  All you had to do was show that you held a Chase credit card of any type, and you were admitted into the Lounge.  The lounge was located on the private third floor of the American Adventure building, so that was a treat to get to see a "private" space on Disney property.  They provided air conditioning (bonus!), 3 freestyle Coca-Cola machines, coffee, a cash bar, and ample charging stations for cell phones.  It was great to take a break and just cool down in the lounge.

Speaking of cooling down, I have to admit that I think this trip was hotter than the one we took in July, and NH agrees with me.  I'm not sure if it has to do with the placement of the sun in the sky or what it is.  The temperature definitely wasn't hotter, but it felt hotter.  The intensity of that sun was just crazy.  So we definitely utilized the "duck into the shade and/or air conditioning when you can" strategy to this trip.  Forcing ourselves to rest and stay out the heat definitely made this entire trip more laid-back and relaxing, too, so it wasn't such a bad thing.  We didn't have too much of an agenda aside from attending the Food and Wine Festival and MNSSHP, so we didn't feel too bad about it.

Speaking of MNSSHP...that's up next...