Disney's Tables in Wonderland Discovery Dinner Experience at The Wave ⋆ Zannaland

Last week on ZannaLand, I posted the menu for the Tables in Wonderland Discovery Dinner at The Wave, featuring local Florida farms and ingredients. The dinner was, in a word – exquisite. I am not a wine drinker, but I discovered that good wine, makes all the difference and actually enjoyed all the selections. The food was phenomenal, as was the personalized experience and attention to detail the Tables in Wonderland staff provided. I’m happy to share our evening with you here, in picture form…{as always, click to enlarge the photos}

The Wave wine glass — Our first wine tasting, a lovely Riesling, in The Wave lounge

August Kesseler Sylvaner/Riesling, 2007, Rheingau, Germany {my favorite of the night}

Appetizers at The Wave — Our deep fried avocado fries with chili aioli and grilled naan (on napkin)

Table at The Wave Discovery Dinner — Our table in The Wave's private dining room, decorated to celebrate the local Florida strawberry.

Floating strawberry at The Wave — I loved how these floating strawberrys looked all lit up

Wave chef and farmer — The head chef introduced us to local strawberry farmer, Mike Lott, who spoke about the generations that have run their family farm.

Rose Wine — Our second wine of the evening, a Rosé from Spain.

Marques de Caceres Rose, 2008, Rioja, Spain

Heirloom tomato salad — Local Heirloom tomatos, fresh mozzarella, and aged balsamic vinegar-soaked strawberries. I do not normally eat tomatoes and I LOVED this. I guess freshness and preparation does make a difference!

White table wine at The Wave — Our next wine selection, a white table wine from the south of France

Tablas Creek ‘Cotes du Tablas’ Blanc (Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, and Grenache Blanc), 2008, Paso Robles, CA.{my mom’s favorite wine of the night}

Scallops at The Wave — Delicious seared sea scallops with cream corn sauce, applewood smoked bacon, and local micro basil. Wonderful.

Pinot Noir at The Wave — Wine for our entree - a Pinot Noir the south of France

Domaine Vincent Girardin ‘Emotion de Terroirs’ Burgundy (Pinot Noir), 2005, Meursault, France

Duck and lobster entree at The Wave — Our amazing Duck & Lobster two ways entree. Duck confit and sliced duck breast, asparagus, Florida Gulf coast spiny lobster and hand-made lobster Tagliatelle, with lobster IN the actual pasta noodles, and locally grown arugula. Amazing.

Before dessert, Chef brought out the pastry and dessert chef, who explained to us the gorgeous creations we were about to receive. They almost looked too good to eat. Almost.

Chefs at The Wave — Our head chef introducing the dessert chef.

Wave dessert chef — Explaining how they used strawberries in our dessert selections.

Strawberry dessert — Can you believe this? From left: Strawberry nectar, strawberry charlotte, white and milk chocolate covered strawberry, chocolate truffle mousse with edible gold leaf and strawberry balsamic reduction drizzle, strawberry-infused gelato in a pulled sugar bowl (with strawberry in the pulled sugar too!)

Our dessert wine was Perrin et Fils Vinsobres (Syrah/Granache), 2007, Cotes du Rhone, France

dessert close-up — A closer view, just in cast you wanted more. 😉

This was an absolutely wonderful night for my mom and me. We ended up having our own private table because some of the guests did not show up for the event. However, we were not lonely. The staff at The Wave and the cast members from Tables in Wonderland (especially Athena, thank you so much!) made us feel extra special and taken care of all night. We were visited by Jim Killam, the wine importer and sommelier responsible for our selections, as well as the distributor who sells those selections to Disney. The head chef spoke with us more than once and explained all the details of the courses and let us know about upcoming events as well. It was a unique experience we won’t soon forget. Tables in Wonderland knows how to take care of you!

As for those upcoming events, I thought I’d share them here with you as well.

Tables in Wonderland Presents:

The Wave… of American Flavors Discovery Dinner

Thursday, March 18, 2010

6:30 p.m. Reception. 7 p.m. Dinner

Location: The Wave… of American Flavors at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

$92 per person, includes tax and gratuity. The event is limited to 50 Guests.

The Wave… of American Flavors Discovery Dinners continue in March by celebrating Santa Sweets Tomatoes as our guest farmer.

Santa Sweets, Inc. is the country’s only grower and packer of Santa Sweets™ grape tomatoes, selling its harvest of 3,000 acres to a wide variety of foodservice operators and just about every large supermarket chain in the country. They are also the only grower of UglyRipe™ tomatoes. Their heirloom UglyRipe™ tomato is quickly becoming a favorite among chefs and consumers alike. All of their products are also available as USDA-certified organic. In fact, they are one of the largest growers of organic tomatoes in the United States.

Headquartered in Plant City, Florida, Santa Sweets growing locations include Florida, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Mexico.

Tables in Wonderland Presents:

Raglan Road™ Irish Pub and Restaurant

DOWNTOWN DISNEY — Pleasure Island

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

7 p.m. Reception. 7:30 p.m. Dinner

Price: $115.00 per person, plus tax. Gratuity is included. The event is limited to 63 Guests.

Master Chef Kevin Dundon is delighted to bring a taste of modern Irish cuisine to DOWNTOWN DISNEY in the form of Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant. Chef Kevin is also chef/proprietor of the 5-star Dunbrody House Hotel & Cookery School in Wexford, Ireland and brings his philosophy on great food to the menu at Raglan Road.

Join Chef Kevin for a very unique dining experience in the beautiful surrounds of the Raglan Room. This oak-paneled room was built using original woods from an old Georgian mansion in Dublin. Throughout the restaurant you will find antique furnishings, grand fixtures, marble adornments, leaded glass, and ornate detailing. The entire pub was built in Ireland then shipped to Orlando.

The menu is inspired by the best of traditional Irish cuisines, using the finest quality ingredients with delicate complementary flavors to create remarkable dishes served with a stylish twist.

Chef Kevin will give a detailed description of each dish on the menu before you decide which wonderful option to choose. Guest will also be treated to a complimentary signed copy of Kevin’s book “Great Family Food.”

For reservations, please email WDW.Tables.In.Wonderland@disney.com with the following information: your interest to book, your name, daytime phone number, home address, and the number of people in your party. You will be notified on a “first-come, first-served” basis. Your credit card will be taken over the phone once your reservation is confirmed.

{I am a member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel, but did not receive any special treatment or discount for attending this Tables in Wonderland event. We just love Tables in Wonderland!}

Disney’s Tables in Wonderland Discovery Dinner Experience at The Wave

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