EPCOT

2008 Festival

Celebrity Chefs
Eat to the Beat
    Concerts
Fun Facts

Rate and Review
-- Free Exhibits and Demos
-- Special Ticketed Events

AllEars® and Reader
Reports
-- General Overview
-- Afternoon Tea with
   Stephen Twining,
    9/29/07
-- Cheese Tastings
     9/29/07
-- Cook, Book, & Bottle
      9/28/07
-- Food & Wine Pairing,
    Bistro de Paris
-- Food & Wine Pairing,
     Tutto Italia 11/12/07
-- Food & Wine Pairing,
     Coral Reef 10/17/07
-- Party for the Senses,
    9/29/07
--Signature Dining
  Inspirations from India,
   9/30/07
--South African Wine
    Adventure, 10/12/07
-- Sweet Sundays, 10/28/07

AllEars® and Reader
Reports
-- General Overview
-- Cheese & Wine Pairing
      Workshop 9/30/06
-- Cook, Book, & Bottle
      9/29/06
-- Exquisite Evening at
       Epcot 10/6/06
-- Food & Wine Pairing,
      Alfredo's
-- Food & Wine Pairing,
      Le Cellier
-- Party for the Senses
    9/30/06
-- Party for the Senses
     10/14/06
-- Sweet Sundays
     10/1/06
-- Twinings Tea Seminar
-- Wine School 9/30/06
-- Wine School 10/28/06
-- Wine and Food in
    Balance Workshop
    10/1/06

Brew Masters
Eat to the Beat
    Concerts
Exclusive Wine &
    Culinary Programs
Fun Facts
Guest Chefs
Special Exhibits
Children's Activities
Wineries

AllEars®
Reports
--General Overview
--Food & Wine
Pairings (Coral Reef and Alfredo's)
--Food & Wine Pairing Le Cellier 10/7/2005
--Food & Wine Pairing, Sushi, Sashimi & Sake
--Lunch and Learn 10/8/05
--Lunch and Learn 10/14/05
--Lunch and Learn 10/29/05
--Odyssey Cooking School 10/6/2005
--Party for the Senses 10/8/05
--Signature Dinner 10/9/05
--Spirited Ball 10/30/05
--Sweet Sundays 10/9/05
--Wine School 10/22/05

2004 Festival
General Info
Daily Wine Seminars
    and Culinary
    Demonstrations
Eat to the Beat
    Concerts
Experiences and
    Exhibits
Fact Sheet
Family Fun Events
Food Booths w/ Prices
Photo Gallery

AllEarsNet®
Reports
-- General Overview
-- Czarina's Low-Carb
Recommendations
-- Food & Wine
Pairings
-- Lunch and Learn 10/10/04
--Lunch and Learn 11/7/04
-- Party for the
Senses 10/2/04
-- Party for the
Senses 10/9/04
--Party for the Senses 11/6/04
--Signature Dinner 10/31/04
--Sweet Sundays 10/10/04
--Sweet Sundays 11/7/04
--Wine School
10/30/04

2003 Festival
General Info
-- Daily Wine Seminars     and Culinary
    Demonstrations
-- Experiences and
    Exhibits
-- Fact Sheet
-- Family Fun Events
-- Food Booths w/Prices

AllEars®
Reports
-- General Overview
-- Czarina's Low-Carb
     Recommendations
-- Food and Wine Pairings
-- Lunch and Learn Series
-- Party for the Senses
-- Reserve Dinner
-- Photo Gallery
-- Tips for Enjoying the
     Festival

2002 Festival
-- Overview and Events
-- Food Booths, $ and     Recipes
-- General Review
-- Signature Dinner
    Review

2001 Festival
-- Food Booths with
    Prices
-- General Festival
    Information
-- Grand Tasting Report
     and Photos
-- Czarina's Royal Table
-- Winemaker's Dinner     Report
-- Special Events
-- Seminars and Demos

2000 First Hand Report
2000 F&W Festival
1999 F&W Festival
1998 F&W Festival

Attraction Seating
   Photo Gallery
Basic Services
Calendar of Events
Character Meet and
   Greet FAQ
Extra Magic Hour
FASTPASS
Operating Hours
Overlooked
   Attractions
Rehabs and Closures
Ride Restrictions
Smoking Policy
Special Needs
    Travelers
    --Epcot in a
       Wheelchair
Ticket FAQ
Tips & Notes
WDW At Large

AT A GLANCE...
Attractions
Characters
Restaurants

FUTURE WORLD
Club Cool
Innoventions
Journey into
   Imagination
Mission: Space
Spaceship Earth
Test Track
The Seas
The Land
--Soarin'
Universe of Energy
Wonders of Life

WORLD SHOWCASE
Mexico
Norway
China
Germany
Italy
American Adventure
Japan
Morocco
France
United Kingdom
Canada

ENTERTAINMENT
IllumiNations:
   Reflections of Earth
IllumiNations Boat
    Cruises
Innoventions Fountains
Live Entertainment
Off Kilter

SPECIAL EVENTS
Flower & Garden
   Festival
Food & Wine Festival

HOLIDAYS
Candlelight
   Processional
Epcot Storytellers
Holidays Around the
   World

TOURS

SPECIAL REPORTS
Chocolate Around the
    World
Far East Finds a Home
    in Florida - The
    Japan Pavilion
Exotic Treasures Found
    in Morocco
Ice Dreams and Rice
    Creams at Norway
Not Just Kid's Stuff:
    Cranium Command

ARCHIVES
Kristos
Lord of the Dance
Millennium Celebration
Millennium Village
Shockwave!
Surprise in the Skies
The Power of Blast!
Tapestry of Dreams
Tapestry of Nations

1982 Guide Map

OTHER THEME PARKS
Animal Kingdom
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Magic Kingdom

Disneyland
Disney's California
    Adventure

Universal Orlando
   Resort

Believe me when I say this does not begin to describe what food and wines we had this evening at Jiko!

...and even better, I sat next to F&W Festival director Nora Carey. So it was also an opportunity to learn just a bit about how Disney goes about evaluating and selecting countries to participate in the Festival.

At 6 p.m. we were escorted to one of the overlook terraces where we were served our first wine and three different appetizers. We were also treated to a native dance tribe from Botswana called the Pula Ensemble. The ensemble members ranged from late teens to a woman who looked to be in her 60s. Very rhythmic singing and dancing! After a performance in the AKL lobby, we were invited to go down to the wine room at Jiko. Forty-eight guests were packed (and I mean packed!) onto 5 long tables and the dinner began.

Each seat had a menu signed by the chefs (a really nice touch!) and a bag with gifts from BEDIA (Botswana Export Development & Investment Authority), the loveliest of which was a small handmade basket... each one different from the next. The President of BEDIA (Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba) was also at our table and we were fortunate to learn many interesting things about her country. Since she is the daughter of a former president of the country, she was most knowledgeable about all aspects of culture, trade, politics, etc. and readily shared with us.

Guest wine makers and chefs were introduced and opening remarks were offered by Chef Anette Grecchi Gray and Jiko's manager.

The main guest chef for the dinner was Joseph Pelotona Seeletso from Phakalane Resort in Botswana. Chef Joseph was accompanied by four South African wine makers, two of whom didn't even look old enough to legally drink the wine, much less make wine... and make such good wines!

As each course was served, the chef who prepared it spoke a minute or two about the dish, what was in it and how it was prepared. Then one of the winemakers would share information about the accompanying wine and why it would go well with the dish.

Three appetizers had been passed around on the terrace before we sat down for the meal, a grilled beef satay with peanut sauce and pickled vegetables, spiced lump crab with pineapple on a Phyllo cracker and crisp plantains with avocado and cilantro. The wine was a Chenin Blanc-Viognier blend. (Saskia, Miles Mossop Wines '04)

Our first course seated at the table was a stuffed eggplant and yogurt sauce served with a Sauvignon Blanc (Delaire, Miles Mossop '04). Next was a coconut/mint infused pureed lentil soup paired with a Chardonnay (Thelema, Stellenbosch '04). Then came pan-seared scallops with truffled sweet potatoes and mushrooms paired with another Chardonnay (Tokara Zondernaam '03) .

The we got a break... allspice scented passionfruit sorbet with Hangar One vodka to cleanse the palate.

The main course was timbale of peleche (shredded beef) with seswaa (a grain) with a tomato-onion sauce paired with a red wine that was a blend of five different varietals, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (DeToren Fusion V, Stellenbosch '02).

The cheese course featured four cheeses (actually three cheeses and a solid yogurt) and an Italian plum jam paired with a Syrah (Rudi Schultz, Stellenbosch '04)

In between the main courses and the dessert, diners were treated to another South African musical interlude presented by the female Jiko employees.

...and then dessert, a chocolate "tower" with a thin cake layer, a mousse layer, a baked meringue layer surrounded by a wide chocolate ribbon and topped with banana ice cream, this paired with a very sweet wine called Klein Constantia "Vin de Constance '00."

The dinner experience that began on the terrace at 6 p.m. ended at close to 11 p.m. as diners congratulated the chefs and winemakers and reluctantly left the restaurant.

Everything was wonderful and it would be hard to pick the ONE item, if you could only pick one, that you'd like to eat on a regular basis, but for me it would be the pureed lentil soup. DH Gary said his pick would be the stuffed eggplant. That would have been my second choice and the lentil soup would have been his second choice. So, for us, those two dishes were the outstanding winners for the evening.