“I do not deal with my problems like I know I should” - F&W Fest 2018 - Update 1/20 Going Home

I will also miss the Chase lounge. If only we could be Club 33! I wonder if they get any extra F&W perks. I will definitely let you know if I end up going in Aug. I don’t have a sweet tooth so candy sushi didn’t appeal to me but I think it looks really cool and love that they’re offering more complimentary activities. I think they may have underestimated the popularity with class sizes of 10-12 but maybe they’ll adjust. The evening safari is something I’ve been wondering about!!! I’ve only heard good things. I may need to look into this - there’s also one at AKL, I think. Can’t believe festival time is almost here!!!
 
I will also miss the Chase lounge. If only we could be Club 33! I wonder if they get any extra F&W perks. I will definitely let you know if I end up going in Aug. I don’t have a sweet tooth so candy sushi didn’t appeal to me but I think it looks really cool and love that they’re offering more complimentary activities. I think they may have underestimated the popularity with class sizes of 10-12 but maybe they’ll adjust. The evening safari is something I’ve been wondering about!!! I’ve only heard good things. I may need to look into this - there’s also one at AKL, I think. Can’t believe festival time is almost here!!!

I'm not willing to spend that much money for Club 33 as to afford it, we would have to give up any other vacations outside of Disney along with some other life enjoyments we have...maybe if I actually lived in Orlando and could use it more than just the few times a year we're at Disney those sacrifices would be worth it. I'm sure they will have some special F&W perks along with some other fun events. It does seem like they have a lot more restrictions on what they can and cannot say unlike Disneyland.

I hope they adjust the classes to be more than 10 to 12 but I guess the cookie experience they used to do at Sunshine Seasons had about the same amount of people in each class.

There is one at AKL as well! If we like this, we may end up doing it in January on Thursday night but not fronting the money for it yet.

I'm so ready for festival!
 
Bonus Content - Palm City Beer Dinner

On August 9th, my husband and I got to attend a beer dinner at a local restaurant known for having 50+ beers on tap. They really didn’t do the best job of advertising this online as it was a single Facebook post. I know they had signs at the restaurant but they could have at least made the Facebook post it as an event you know? The dinner started 35 minutes late because I think they were waiting on 11 people that didn’t show up! During the delay of the start - we did get a free full size pint of one of their New England Style IPAs that had orange juice brewed with it. Coming from a girl that hates most IPAs, I found this one to be tolerable and I did finish it!

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Menu

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New England IPA

Once they gave up on the people that didn’t show, we were quickly served our first course. This was something so different than what I’ve usually eaten at this restaurant. When the chef came out to talk, you could tell he was so happy to be making elevated bar food.

The short rib was very tender and paired with the light beer well. Neither of us had any issues finishing this plate off! It didn’t have too many onions so my husband actually ate them.

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Thai Short Rib Corn Taco w/ Mint Avocado Cream Sauce w/ Sauteed Onions and Fresh Pico de Gallo Paired With Mojito Climate Control

The next stew was a new version of something the chef’s mother used to make him. This dish is not pretty but I think most stew’s aren’t pretty to look at. The spices they used on the pork were different than many flavors I’ve had before but they worked really well together along with the stable beer of Palm City Brewery - the San Carlos Proper. San Carlos is the neighborhood Palm City is located in.

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Braised South West Pork Stew w/ Pickled Cabbage & Cilantro Source Cream Paired With San Carlos Proper

For the next course, we were pleasantly surprised as well. I usually am not the biggest fan of coconut in food but the butter coconut stuffing was the right amount of tropical flavor. There was a decent amount of lobster inside - to the point that it was too much for me so I gave some to my husband so he could enjoy more! The beer was our least favorite of the 7 we ended up trying this evening. They also provided us a taste of another New England Style IPA that was a little better but not much. Neither of us finished the beers but that was ok as we still had another course/beer coming!

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Lobster Empanada w/ Butter Coconut Stuffing w/ White Bean and Mango Dipping Sauce w/ City Juice

Our final course was dessert. What I ended up reading on the menu and what we actually ended up were different. I was expecting a traditional tiramisu and creme brulee instead it was a given an amazing cream that tasted like those two items. It probably would have benefited from something to add a bit of texture to it but that’s really just a minor critique. The beer paired really well and we had no problem finishing either off!

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Dark Chocolate Espresso Tiramisu w/ Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee w/ Creme Brulee GB Porter

Since we obviously hadn’t had enough beer yet this evening, we were given another sample of one of their new cherry sours. This wasn’t a true sour with the special list but rather just sour through the juices used to brew.

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Additional Sample of Sour

Overall, this dinner was a great value. It was $35 per person and we got to sample 7 beers and have 4 courses of food. Don’t think any of the Disney Food & Wine pairing events can beat that value.​
 


Ooh that dessert sounds heavenly!

It was! I could go for some right now!

Your Sept trip is coming up so soon! I look forward to your food and wine reviews!

This time next week I will be on my way! I need to PM OhMari and get this report moved to the Trip Reports soon as I"ll probably get an update or two done while I'm there!
 
Seems like so many cool food events in your area. This dinner looks amazing and a value at $35!!! Or are we just used to Disney pricing? :rotfl:

Have fun on your trip!! I'm still deciding if I can take Thursday or Friday off and squeeze in a day trip. It's soooo hot. But it's F&W. The struggle is real! Look forward to your reports!!
 


Seems like so many cool food events in your area. This dinner looks amazing and a value at $35!!! Or are we just used to Disney pricing? :rotfl:

Have fun on your trip!! I'm still deciding if I can take Thursday or Friday off and squeeze in a day trip. It's soooo hot. But it's F&W. The struggle is real! Look forward to your reports!!

I think we have so many events because of the amount of retirees! $35 is a value for 4 courses & 7 beers no matter where you are! We have another wine dinner we are doing at Roy's in September and that one is $79. Some of the other events I'm doing around town the next few months range from $50 to $120.

It is hot! We've been getting nasty storms the past few days too that doesn't help either. I can't tire out the pup as well when I can't use my backyard! The grumpy old man pup is fine either way.

I'm ready for Thursday to get up there and to enjoy the festival Friday.
 
Lots and Lots of Rum!

Busy day at work meant I did not to get to leave work early. I left right at 4PM and headed on the road north towards Disney. My drive only took about 3 hours and 15 minutes which isn’t too bad considering the thunderstorms I got to drive through between Naples and Sarasota. I hate when I can only drive 45 miles per hour but at least I didn’t hit a standstill like I sometimes get through Sarasota.

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I guess I hadn’t read the news that the Magic Kingdom entrance had change and you now get to the Magic Kingdom resorts from the left side and go over the entrance towards the Magic Kingdom. I like this change as it will reduce risk with people being idiots.

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I went through the guard gate at the Grand Floridian and parked in the self parking lot next to the Valet. I’m happy to see they made that area larger than it used to be! My ankle was very happy about that. (I sprained my ankle 8 days before this trip so I’m wearing an orthopedic sports brace) I unpacked my car and headed to Sago Cay where my mother was since she had arrived on Tuesday. I couldn’t find my magic band easily, so I got to use the mobile door unlock feature and it worked! I like the idea that I don’t have to wear magic bands to dinner as I know I always have my phone with me.

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After I settled in, we headed over to the Polynesian by boat to get on the waitlist for Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto as it was entirely too humid for me to think about eating and drinking outside. The hostess quoted 30 to 45 minutes but she gave us a wink and said it could be a lot sooner. With that note, I headed to the main shop at the Polynesian and wandered around for about 10 minutes. Once we were checking out the purchase I made, we got the text that we could go inside. I was very happy with my tank top purchase!

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When we first got inside, there was only one stool at the bar along with some solo stools around the main table so we took the stool at the bar and ordered a drink and two appetizers as this was my dinner.

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Nautilus

We got the Nautilus as my mother just wanted a sip or two and I knew I would enjoy most of the thing. Right after we were served, a table where both of us could sit opened up so we moved there and I paid my bill.

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A better sans flash photo

It wasn’t too much later and I was served my dinner of appetizers. I’m sure my stomach was happy to have some food to soak up the alcohol. Both were ok. Nothing amazing but filling. I wish the Thai Chicken Flatbread tasted more of peanut sauce that was supposed to be on it.

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Dumplings

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Thai Chicken Flatbread

Making bad life choices, I got another drink despite having only been there an hour and having 4 shots of alcohol. You can tell from the photo, I probably shouldn’t have gotten it but I had to get a zombie head in honor of my new tattoo. You’ll either get the reference or not.

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Zombie Head

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New Tattoo

After my unneeded needed drink, we headed back to the Grand Floridian after a stop to visit my favorite surfboard.

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As we stopped by the 2nd floor store prior to boarding the monorail back to the Grand Floridian, I found a Stitch that reminded me of a movie I haven’t watched in forever.

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Stitch

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I stumbled back the room to my mother’s amusement and we were able to watch Big Brother to see who got evicted and won the battleback. I had zero problems falling asleep after that!​
 
I can’t wait to use the new unlock feature! Love the tank! Cool new tat! Omg I’d be dead if I drank the nautilus alone, good for you! I love dumplings. I need to add a night before my poly nov3-9 and now that my cousin is a CM, it’s looking like GF id a strong possibility! That said, I’m a procrastinator so hopefully it’s still available! Have fun! Can’t wait to read more!
 
"Making bad life choices..." :laughing: Sounds like your trip got off to a solid start! The food at Trader Sam's looks really good. I haven't been since they opened but it may be time to attempt a return. Do you know if they're still unwilling to modify drink recipes? I didn't care for the cinnamon that seemed to be in most drinks but at the time they wanted to stick with the recipes. I'd really love to get a Nautilus container. I'm looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip - especially V&A and Cali Grill brunch - hope you guys had fun and your ankle was ok!
 
I can’t wait to use the new unlock feature! Love the tank! Cool new tat! Omg I’d be dead if I drank the nautilus alone, good for you! I love dumplings. I need to add a night before my poly nov3-9 and now that my cousin is a CM, it’s looking like GF id a strong possibility! That said, I’m a procrastinator so hopefully it’s still available! Have fun! Can’t wait to read more!

That new unlock feature is awesome! While at a park, I totally get the need to have my magic band, I love being able to just have my phone with me instead and not worry about wearing that.

I totally wasn't feeling much pain about that Nautilus or Zombie Head.

You better book that Nov 2nd soon! Wine & Dine means lots of hotel rooms taken!

Yay!!! Have fun!
Thanks! We did have fun! Now I need to get my FP+ in order for my next trip (but I need to renew my AP for that to happen). I'll get on that this week!

"Making bad life choices..." :laughing: Sounds like your trip got off to a solid start! The food at Trader Sam's looks really good. I haven't been since they opened but it may be time to attempt a return. Do you know if they're still unwilling to modify drink recipes? I didn't care for the cinnamon that seemed to be in most drinks but at the time they wanted to stick with the recipes. I'd really love to get a Nautilus container. I'm looking forward to hearing about the rest of your trip - especially V&A and Cali Grill brunch - hope you guys had fun and your ankle was ok!

Well..look at the title of this report and you may see "making bad life choices" tends to happen again and again. Although, I recently made a good life choice for me but I'll post more about that come October.

It seems like while its still popular - its a lot easier to get in now than it was when they first opened. I do not know if they are still unwilling to modify drink recipes as I didn't ask them to do that.

We did enjoy most of the trip. I'm paying for it today on my ankle and its in real pain but I'm keeping it up and relaxing - getting ready for tomorrow's flight to Indiana for work. I'm probably going to wear my post surgery brace since I have C49 for Southwest and I rather get on early.
 
Wine At Nine & Your Day Starts Just Fine

Yes, I stole that quote from everyone’s ‘favorite’ Food & Wine Festival Event Host. You know, back when the festival had lots of fun events and it didn’t feel very unoriginal.

My mother and I woke up at various times and we left the room at 8AM to head to EPCOT by way of monorail. We weren’t sure how much we would be drinking and figured it better to be safe than sorry.

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One quick switch at the Transportation and Ticket Center, we were at EPCOT before opening! EPCOT’s opening is to let you in but hold you right before Spaceship Earth so we hung out in that crowd until it was time for the park to open.

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As we didn’t have a FP+ for Soarin, we headed straight there as quickly as my bum ankle could take me. We walked right on and I laughed at my mom about how she barely makes the cut off for the safety strap.

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As we were already at The Land, we headed onto Living With The Land where we had a boat to ourselves! During the ride, I had two thoughts about the ride to myself...

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First Thought: Does this make everyone else sad too with the lack of eel or the lack of most of them having animals anymore?

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Second Thought: How much more can they really learn about dragon fruit, venus flytrap or redwood? Those have been up there for years!

Since we had been in EPCOT for long enough (all of 30 minutes) without any alcohol, we headed over to the Festival Center to remedy that.

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Our mimosas were tasty from the mimosa bar. I’ll have to return there in November to try more of the flavors!

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Blood Orange Mimosa and Madras Mimosa

Mimosa in hand, I headed over to Craft Beers to get another drink. I didn’t want to go with a flight since I already had 1 drink in hand so I just got a single of the Waff-Ale. It was a nice lighter beer but I quickly finished the mimosa and enjoyed this while wandering around to get my passholder magnet.

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Central 28 Beer Company Waff-Ale


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Trash Cans: The Official Table of the Food & Wine Festival

After picking up our magnets, we headed into the Ghirardelli displays to view the creations that the various pastry teams came up with for the festival this year. The last one was my favorite of the 6!

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We avoided the MLM selling Cutco and instead watched an artist doing artistic marbling which was somewhat soothing to watch before we went around the festival gift shop to not buy anything. I did like the new food stuffed animals they have now. It seems they are really stepping up their merchandise game around the world which is nice.

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We visited the last of the booths inside the festival center to get my mother a wine.

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Chappellet Mountain Cuvee Bordeaux Blend

While she enjoyed her wine, we looked around the wine shop and I realized based on the of the Moet Imperial ($78) and a couple other wines - the wines there were way over prices (25 to 100% markup from normal liquor store/grocery store prices) and we didn’t buy anything.​
 
Well..look at the title of this report and you may see "making bad life choices" tends to happen again and again. Although, I recently made a good life choice for me but I'll post more about that come October.

It seems like while its still popular - its a lot easier to get in now than it was when they first opened. I do not know if they are still unwilling to modify drink recipes as I didn't ask them to do that.

We did enjoy most of the trip. I'm paying for it today on my ankle and its in real pain but I'm keeping it up and relaxing - getting ready for tomorrow's flight to Indiana for work. I'm probably going to wear my post surgery brace since I have C49 for Southwest and I rather get on early.

Congratulations on the recent choice. I will look forward to hearing about it in Oct!

So funny, would you believe I have never noticed that they are studying the same things each time in The Land? And I DO look at the sign each time. What a dope I am.

The Festival Center is certainly much more lively this year. I can't blame them for a smart business decision and maximizing their real estate but some part of me misses the days when it was a bit of a secret and you could easily walk up and get your $6 prosecco and relax in the AC. I tried the frozen mimosa with White Claw but otherwise didn't explore too much. It was so crowded. I'm looking forward to my trip in Oct when I can go on a week day.

Sorry to hear your ankle is hurting today. Hope it feels better soon!!
 
You better book that Nov 2nd soon! Wine & Dine means lots of hotel rooms taken!
Add on night at the grand booked! Yay! First time! Rack rate $1892 for a stinking outer building garden view but sooooo much less with a CM discount!!!

Looks like a great start at Epcot. Waff-Ale sounds good!
 

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