Drinking Through Disney: Pacific Northwest Edition

For all of the exploration we love to do as we roam the Disney parks, we are also hotel nerds. Even if we aren't staying at a different resort each time, we still enjoy visiting them, especially for dinners. We know that all of the restaurants are going to be kid-friendly, but when we go to one of the higher-end places as a treat, we wonder how three young boys who have been dragged all over the place are going to respond to having to sit for a while as their parents enjoy a delicious meal. Fortunately for whatever reason, every time we have gone to Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge, it seems to always go extremely well.

That is just one of many reasons why we like to eat dinner at Artist Point every time we go down to Disney World for a visit. The theme here is Pacific Northwest cuisine with sustainable and organic ingredients. Additionally, they have quite the wine list (I feel like I say this frequently, but the restaurants in Disney have unreal adult beverage inventory). Since I can easily feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices available to me, I went for the Taste of the Pacific Tasting Menu. With wine pairings, which I added on, the whole experience runs you a cool $100 (or two Disney dining meal credits).

If you are having a hard time choosing a bottle, the by-the-glass selections are also enjoyable, quality examples of the styles of Oregon and Washington wines. The Greatest Wife In The World chose the Argyle Brut, which is in the running for favorite New World Sparkling wine.

The customizable Taste of the Pacific menu. My selections: Duck Ragout, Land Greens Salad, Aged Buffalo Strip Loin, and Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée. They throw in the Friandise as a second dessert, which has tasty little fruit jellies and chocolate lollipops.

I was given a glass of Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut to start. After sweating out in the parks and rehydrating with water, a refreshing glass of bubbly is always welcome. Light, yet creamy, it had simple apple and citrus flavor that primed the pump for me to stuff my face. Chateau Ste. Michelle is easily the largest winery in Washington. Additionally, they own many other brands under "Ste. Michelle Wine Estates." Some you may have seen before include 14 Hands, Columbia Crest, and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars.

After that, my Duck Ragout came out with a glass of Sokol Blosser Pinot Gris. For a long time, my only familiarity with the winery was in the form of their Evolution White Blend, a wine stew of roughly a dozen grapes that makes for a lush, golden, easy-drinking wine. Sokol Blosser's Pinot Gris also has some of the richness I experienced with the Evolution blend, but the finish is much drier, with a green fig and citrus fruit going on in it. When tasted with the Duck Ragout, a noticeable floral aroma came out, almost like chamomile or honeysuckle. I also tried this with the Land Greens Salad, and that released a peachy flavor that complemented the, uh...peach in the salad! Normally, pairings don't work that way, but in this case it did.

After that, it was time for Buffalo Strip Loin, which I had to prevent the six-year old from taking away from me. The pieces I was able to have went well with the Roco Gravel Road Pinot Noir that I chose over the Waterbrook Malbec. While it would have been interesting to try a Malbec from Washington, I was feeling Pinot Noir today and rolled with it. I'm sure the fuller body and sturdiness of the Malbec would have been wonderful, but the Roco offered a fresh blackberry flavor and peppery spice that came out in this pairing that I really liked. This was a great first-time experience for me with a product of this winery.

Finally, it was time for the desserts to come out. Let me tell you this: I am not a sweet/dessert wine drinker, except for Port or Madeira in the wintertime. However, when I sampled the NxNW Riesling Icewine (sorry, not pictured) with the Crème Brûlée...my goodness! This may have been the best food and wine pairing on the list, and one of the best ones I can remember. It was an explosion of apricot, mango, and kumquats (Yes, kumquats. Normally, I stay away from unusual fruits as a wine descriptor, but that's exactly what I tasted!). NxNW is a brand from King Estate, whose Pinot Gris we will never refuse. I was so full, I didn't care that the children wanted to steal my second dessert.

By the way, this could easily be in the category of "If It Grows Together, It Goes Together" as this was a classic illustration of how Pacific Northwest cuisine works so well with its wines. I can't recommend Artist Point more to you. The service was fantastic (as Disney tends to be anyway), but our server was also sharp and new his stuff when it came to the wines. Hopefully if you are making the trip to Disney World, you get this place on your dining to-do list.

Drinking Through Disney: Club Cool Edition

Today's Drinking Through Disney taps the brakes on the eating and drinking blitz through the parks and the hotels. Don't get me wrong...I love all that Disney World has to offer when it comes to food and beverage, but you have to come up for air every now and then. Additionally, if you are racing through the parks trying to hit all the rides you can in the searing Florida sunshine, chances are high that you are getting worn out.

One of the best ways to help chill yourself down while you are at Epcot is to stop into Club Cool, a soda shop featuring soft drinks from around the world. Anytime we went from Future World to the World Showcase and vice-versa, we brought the kids here to recharge the batteries.

Club Cool has multiple stations of eight different drinks to try; the selection changes every so often, but here is what the taps looked like when we visited last month:

The sodas on display feature a wide range of styles, sweet and fruity to bitter yet refreshing. Starting at the left, the Beverly is an Italian clear bitter soda that will get your appetite going before you start eating through World Showcase OR help you digest everything you just ate at World Showcase. It's a wake-up call for your system that has the most medicinal impact of the eight sodas. This was one of my favorites.

Fanta is a well-known worldwide brand of soda, and both Greece and Thailand were represented. If you are trying to scale back on the caffeine, the pineapple Fanta is a great choice; it certainly has a sweet taste, but it is very lively. Thailand's tropical melon soda has a similar sweetness/fruitiness profile of the Greek version, but with a more exotic flavor.

Japan's VegitaBeta is actually more of a juice than a soda, but the bright orange elixir was very flavorful. It has a combination of apricot, passionfruit, and carrots that acted as a restorative for me as it was not overly sweet and the fruit/vegetable combination tasted great together. Another favorite of mine.

South Africa was represented with Bibo, which was released within the last 20 years. There are many flavors of juices produced by this brand, but the one being dispensed on our trip was tasting like very sweet strawberries. Next is Zimbabwe's Sparberry, which is a raspberry cream soda. It has a deep red color that smells very fruity with vanilla tones.

The last two represented South America. Inca Kola is a fruity-earthy Peruvian soda that has a candylike sweetness. The Guarana Kuat is based on Guarana berries in Brazil, which turns into a maple syrup/caramel flavor that doesn't finish sweet...it finishes clean and dry with a tropical fruit flavor.

So remember this...a trip the Disney is a marathon, not a sprint. Take a break at Club Cool for a few moments before pushing through to your next FastPass or dinner reservation.

Drinking Through Disney: Disney Springs Edition

Well, it's Friday and it means you might be looking for some ways to enjoy a few cocktails/brews/grape juice/whatever for a summer weekend. This also means it is time for Drinking Through Disney, as I have more fun adventures to share from the epic family vacation. In today's installment, I take a dive into the Artist Formerly Known As Downtown Disney: Disney Springs.

When you need a break from the parks, this is where you go to shop, eat, drink, and catch shows. Cirque du Soleil, AMC movie theaters, bowling, and several bars are scattered about the area; the later it gets in the day, the more this place becomes the playground for adults. That being said, there is enough to do with the kids. The Lego store goes over very well here for the boys (maybe a little TOO well), as does the music playing. Additionally, when you aren't looking for booze, getting a shake at the Ghirardelli Chocolate & Ice Cream Shop is tremendous.

Loch Ness Monster made of many choking hazards for little ones, Disney Springs.

With all that being said, the only thing we followed in that last paragraph was a stop at the Lego store. We also visited Disney Springs the day we landed in Orlando on Father's Day. The reason? We were excited to go eat dinner at Rick Bayless' Frontera Cocina...and grab Tequila-based beverages. The Greatest Wife In The World and I absolutely love Rick Bayless' recipes. We have his cookbooks. His classic Margarita recipe is our standard house Margarita. We expected great things here, and it delivered on (even exceeded) our expectations.

It all starts with the drink menu. Among all the other places we dined, this was the most difficult place to make decisions. Just look for yourself...Frontera's killer salsas with chips would be fine with just about any of these. I mean, there is even Mexican wine on the menu! Details on Bodegas Monte Xanic are here, and it was very tempting. In the end, how could I refuse the Premium Tequila Flight? When our server brought the flight out, she asked if I knew how to drink the Tequila. You mean just drinking these with my mouth is not an option?

Premium Tequila Flight (L-R): Avión Reserva 44 Extra Añejo, Clase Azul Reposado, Casa Dragones Blanco. Tomato juice, lime, and salt included.

For The Greatest Wife In The World, she was all about the La Cava Avocado Margarita, and my goodness...look at this thing! It tasted even better than its appearance. We'll be trying to replicate this one for years.

The bulk of a La Cava Avocado Margarita and what remains of the hibiscus salt rim.

Clase Azul Tequila Reposado ($80). You are not just paying for the spirit inside, but also for this beautiful ceramic bottle.

Oaxacan red chile chicken for me, Carnitas for her, and who cares what the kids ate (although the toddler cleaned up all the salsa). Seriously, though, it was difficult to make a choice. I found the food here to all be very reasonably priced for a Disney property restaurant with a well-known chef's name attached to it. I was happy with my Tequila flight...it was outstanding. The Casa Dragones has citrus and apple flavors, but surprisingly had enough body and texture to it along with a peppery kick on the finish; it is one of the few white Tequilas I could drink on its own. The Clase Azul, aged eight months in barrel, showed pronounced agave character but was complemented by vanilla and toffee, along with a saltiness on the finish. Those flavors developed from the barrel didn't take over the Tequila, which is exactly what I look for with aged Tequila. The Avión 44 was a real treat, as I don't get my hands on much Tequila with extended aging; this example went nearly 44 months in barrel. This tasted like toasted walnuts, ripe mango, coconut, vanilla, and the entire range of baking spices (cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc). There was still just enough agave character to know that this was Tequila, though it was bordering on whiskey-like. No matter...it was still awesome.

If you plan to recreate this flight at home and buy your own bottles, be prepared to spend for it. The three bottles together run you approximately $300 ($70, $80, and $150 respectively, but if you have some money burning a hole in your pocket and you are a Tequila fan, these are all worth picking up. Besides, it is still cheaper than jetting to Orlando and staying at Disney World to make this happen. Heading to Disney Springs and Frontera was not just a great start to the trip, but a wonderful Father's Day with the family that day.

Drinking Through Disney: Hollywood Studios Edition

In our last installment of Drinking Through Disney, we stopped in one of the countries of Epcot's World Showcase. This week, we head to a park that has almost become an afterthought in Hollywood Studios.

A lot of attractions closed since we were last here. No more Phineas & Ferb. The Lights! Motors! Action! Extreme Stunt Show is gone. The Honey, I Shrunk The Kids Playground disappeared, too. There was maintenance going on in other portions of the park, too. Thank goodness for the resurgence of Star Wars!

I'm not sure what it is about this typeface, but it always makes me want to drink something old-school.

That being said, there is still something about this park that is still fun for us. The Star Wars attractions are a lot of fun and Indiana Jones is still prominent. We also always make sure we get ourselves to Toy Story Midway Mania, the most fun shoot-'em-up moving arcade game ever. I also love the art deco classic movie fonts on signs throughout the park...it makes me feel like I should be having a six-Martini lunch. So before heading off to Jedi training with the little ones, what better place to stop than the Hollywood Brown Derby?

The Brown Derby's elegant, classic look with movie star caricatures hung all over the walls is the sort of place where The Greatest Wife In The World and I wondered if we should be eating here with three young children. After remembering that it is Disney World and that kids are everywhere, of course it's fine to have a fancy lunch...and booze, to boot!

A very cool place to grab a bite to eat in Hollywood Studios. It's as if you stepped back in time.

With this being Flight School and all, The Greatest Wife In The World and I each chose to go with a flight of wines. The two we requested had to be edited as the restaurant was in the midst of changing over some wines in their inventory. She went with the Sparkling Wine flight (I am not calling it a "Champagne flight" for reasons I have outlined in the past), while I went with the Belle of Hollywood Pinot Noir flight. With Taittinger Champagne and Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Vineyard no longer in the inventory, they were replaced with Moët & Chandon Brut Impérial and Skywalker Marin County Pinot Noir. No complaints from us.

The Cabernet flight was intriguing, but with duck breast and duck confit on my plate, the Pinot Noir flight was going to be a better food and wine experience.

To sum up the flight experiences on the wines' own merits, let's start with the Pinot Noir. Las Alturas was the lightest and freshest of the group. Skywalker was deep and earthy in comparison to Las Alturas. Dairyman had the deep, dark fruit of the Skywalker, but with additional layers of complexity that I was having a difficult time pinpointing. Once my duck with farro risotto came out, Las Alturas became very fruity with the duck breast and the risotto. Skywalker tasted outstanding with the duck leg confit. A whole range of baking spices (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom) came out in the Dairyman with the duck breast. 

The Belle of Hollywood Pinot Noir flight. From left to right: Belle Glos Las Alturas Vineyard, Skywalker, and Belle Glos Dairyman Vineyard. 

As for the sparkling wine flight, Iron Horse has always been reliable with sparkling wines coming from the cool pocket of the Russian River Valley known as Green Valley. The Celebration Cuvée is fresh, vibrant and citrusy. Rosa Regale from Banfi is one we have always liked. Its sweet strawberry flavors are great with desserts, chocolate-covered strawberries in particular, but it is also a nice way to close a meal. The Moët & Chandon Champagne has bright white peach and pear flavors with a touch of fresh-baked brioche bread.

Luke...I am your Pinot (I know...lame joke)

We have never eaten here in our many years of coming to Disney World, and this really hit the spot when we needed to get out of the heat and refuel. I encourage you to go here for either lunch or dinner and explore their extensive wine and cocktails list. We could have spent the day here, but Jedi training waits for no one.

Drinking Through Disney: Canada Edition

Time to release a new series of posts! After returning from hitting the theme parks of Florida for a week and a half, I have much to share with you. Tolerating the combination of searing Orlando heat and crowds of sweaty people can be made so much easier when you realize there is always a good beverage or three to be had.

So, yeah...I worked on vacation, and I am proud to have done it just for you. This week's installment of Drinking Through Disney takes us to Epcot, a place that our entire family can agree to go to at any time. More specifically, we made a stop at Canada in World Showcase, a place we often breezed through in order to grab a beer at an English pub or a dessert from the French pastry shop. With July 1st being Canada Day, I thought it made a ton of sense to share the lunchtime experience at Le Cellier Steakhouse.

When we sat down, our greeter informed us that the character of Winnie-the-Pooh was inspired by the city of Winnipeg, which was also a bear named by World War I Lt. Harry Colebourn of a Canadian cavalry regiment. He bought a black bear cub in 1914, named him after his hometown of Winnipeg (shortened to "Winnie"), and joined on Colebourn's journey to the his training camp in Valcartier, Quebec. Winnie eventually accompanied the lieutenant to England as a pet for the Second Canadian Infantry Brigade Headquarters. Winnie stayed at the London Zoo while Colebourn was sent to France. Mind you, I thought this was all made up nonsense; it all sounded like something I would just tell people if I was a tour guide. However, the good ol' Internet proved it to be true.

With this blog being called Flight School, I could not have been more excited to see so many flights of beer, wine, and spirits made available to me throughout Disney. At Le Cellier, I had many options.

There was the Ice Wine flight (delightful-looking, but drinking sweet wines on a 90+ degree day wasn't appealing), the French dessert wine flight (same as above, but kind of cheating by using France), the Crown Royal flight (fun, but prefer not to fall asleep while walking through World Showcase mid-afternoon), and the Unibroue Brewery's beer flight (ding, ding, ding...I'm in!).

Unibroue, based in Chambly, Quebec, produces a lot of Belgian-style beers. Their La Fin du Monde was the first non-American craft beer I ever had, and it was part of this flight, along with the Éphémère Pomme and the Trois Pistoles. One of things I really like about Unibroue is that they tend to bottle their beers unfiltered, so the brews are packed with flavor.

Left to right: Éphémère Pomme, La Fin du Monde, Trois Pistoles.

The Éphémère (5.5% abv, $7/4-pack) is actually a series of white ales brewed with different types of fruit; Pomme (apple) is available year-round, while others such as Canneberge (cranberry) and Sureau (elderberry) come out seasonally. The Pomme tastes almost like a refreshing cider; you really notice the green apple flavor, but it doesn't take over the whole beer. It's tart and lively.

La Fin du Monde (9% abv, $10/4-pack) is a Belgian-style Tripel ale; I remember how hard this beer hit me the first time I had it since I never noticed the alcohol content back in my days of ignorance. Today, I appreciate its tropical fruit flavor and creamy texture. Unibroue considers this to be their international flagship product as it has gone over in the U.S. better than any beer in their range.

Trois Pistoles (9% abv, $10/4-pack) is a Strong Dark Belgian-style Ale that is sturdy and chocolatey, but it finishes very clean and refreshing. This is one of those dark beers you can drink year-round without it feeling too heavy on your palate.

The beers were all very enjoyable with the prix fixe menu that I ordered from. The Éphémère went so well with the poached pears and blue cheese appetizer, while both the La Fin du Monde and Trois Pistoles each worked with Le Cellier's Wagyu beef burger "Oscar." The Trois Pistoles even worked nicely with the chocolate mousse dessert since the whipped cream was not sweet.

Our server mentioned that these should all be available to order through your local retail store, though I always put in the caveat that each state might have different products available due to individual state regulations, taxes, etc. Additionally, I encourage you to visit their web site; I love how it is set up. Unibroue has tons of food pairings, and they also show you the type of glass to use for maximum enjoyment, but a standard pint glass will always do fine in a pinch. They even have some unbelievable recipes (La Fin du Monde Bacon Jam, for instance).

I couldn't be happier to have taken the time to slow down and explore Canada's food and beverage in World Showcase. The best part is, even if you can't get down to Le Cellier, you know you have access to the beers, too. Additionally, keep an eye out for wine and spirits from the other flights. If you want to see those, I have them below. 

Now I raise a glass to our neighbors to the north...Cheers/À votre santé!