The popular Food & Wine Classic at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin returns for its twelfth year Friday and Saturday, Oct. 29 and 30, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. each day.
The event showcases the resort’s many restaurants, including Shula’s Steak House, Il Mulino New York Trattoria, Kimonos sushi, and Todd English’s bluezoo, with a special appearance by English himself.
New to the lineup this year will be selections from Amare, the Mediterranean restaurant at the soon-to-open Walt Disney World Swan Reserve. In all, there will be more than 20 food stations, each paired with carefully selected wine, beer and sake accompaniments, over 100 total.
In addition to the restaurants, the Swan and Dolphin culinary team have created special food areas just for the Classic, including Hawaiian-themed the Pig & the Poke; Chinatown; and the return of the popular Beer Garden, with Korean barbecue, wagyu sloppy joes, and traditional poutine. And of course an array of craft beers.
Also back this year is the Bubble Lounge, featuring a roster of multinational sparkling wines curated by Swan and Dolphin’s certified sommeliers.
All of this takes place on the beautiful waterfront concourse between the two hotels, where you’ll also find bands providing entertainment throughout the evening.
You can see a list of all the food items that will be served this year at the Food & Wine Classic website. Note that some of the restaurants will offer different selections on the two nights, so you can either decide which night you want to attend based on the menu or just plan to go both evenings knowing you’ll have new things to try.
I attended a media preview last month and sampled some of the items that will be served this year. Be sure to check out the lemonpepper seared salmon from Picabu (Friday) and grilled mahi mahi from the Reserve’s Amare (Saturday). Of course, Shula’s and Kimonos are perennial favorites, too.
Tickets are $165 per person and can be purchased at the website. It is not necessary to be a guest at the resort to attend the Food & Wine Classic but rooms are available.
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort is at 1500 Epcot Resorts Blvd., Lake Buena Vista. Phone 407-934-4000 for more information.
