In February 2024 we went to ilani Brewfest at ilani Resort in La Center, Washington, about 30 minutes north of Portland. The day combined a Grand Tasting full of food and beer with live cooking demos from two celebrity chefs, Antonia Lofaso and Gregory Gourdet.
The Grand Tasting
The Grand Tasting filled one of ilani’s ballrooms. Chefs served small plates at stations around the room, alongside the beer the festival is named for.
The best part of the day was the kitchen stage. Antonia Lofaso, known from Top Chef and her Los Angeles restaurants, cooked live and talked the crowd through each step. Later, Portland chef Gregory Gourdet took the stage with his cookbook Everyone’s Table on the counter.
Tips for ilani Brewfest
Buy tickets early. The chef demos are the main draw and fill up fast.
Go to the demos early to get a seat near the stage.
Pace yourself at the Grand Tasting, since there are a lot of stations.
ilani has free parking and is easy to reach from Portland or Vancouver, WA.
We’ve been to ilani for food events before. See our post on the ilani BBQ festival.
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Nine days at Walt Disney World in September 2023, planned around food and drink: EPCOT’s International Food & Wine Festival, Galaxy’s Edge, tiki drinks at Trader Sam’s, a backstage greenhouse tour and fireworks from two different angles. Here’s how each day went.
Day 1: Arriving at Disney Springs
We checked in and headed to Disney Springs for a burger and fries to start the trip.
Day 2: EPCOT, Food & Wine and a Lobster Feast
First stop at EPCOT was the queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Then we grazed around World Showcase during the Food & Wine Festival: tacos, frozen drinks, brisket, onion rings, a shepherd’s pie and baked oysters. More in EPCOT food.
Dinner was all-you-can-eat seafood at Boston Lobster Feast: lobster, snow crab legs and mussels. We ended at Amorette’s Patisserie in Disney Springs for Mickey-shaped mousse cakes.
Day 3: California Grill at the Contemporary
Dinner was at California Grill on the top floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. We had sushi, sliders and dessert, then watched the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the restaurant.
Day 4: Hollywood Studios and Galaxy’s Edge
We walked through Toy Story Land, then into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge to see the Millennium Falcon and grab a Ronto Wrap. Drinks were at Oga’s Cantina, the galaxy’s busiest bar, with the creature tank behind the counter.
On the way back we stopped at Portillo’s for a Chicago-style hot dog, then went back to EPCOT for an evening of Food & Wine booths: an herb-butter croissant, berry cheesecake, a rice bowl with a soft egg, a bao bun and more oysters.
Day 5: Nomad Lounge and Trader Sam’s
Afternoon drinks and small plates were on the terrace at Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom.
At night we went to Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto at the Polynesian Village Resort for tiki mugs, potstickers and the Uh Oa! bowl, which they light on fire at the table.
Lighting the Uh Oa! bowl at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto
Day 6: Behind the Seeds, Shiki-Sai and Cirque du Soleil
We took the Behind the Seeds tour at The Land pavilion in EPCOT. It goes through the greenhouses and labs you see from the Living with the Land boat ride: hydroponic towers, a coffee plant, giant squash hanging from vines, and fish tanks.
After a look at the Cosmic Rewind building, we had sushi, gyoza, tempura and skewers at Shiki-Sai in the Japan pavilion. The night ended at Cirque du Soleil’s Drawn to Life at Disney Springs.
Day 7: Magic Kingdom, The Polite Pig and Rise of the Resistance
At Magic Kingdom we did the Haunted Mansion and rode the PeopleMover past the Progress City model. Splash Mountain was under scaffolding while it was being turned into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Lunch was at Skipper Canteen, plus egg rolls from the Adventureland snack cart.
We had barbecue at The Polite Pig in Disney Springs: brisket, sausage and mac and cheese. In the evening we went back to Galaxy’s Edge for Rise of the Resistance and Smugglers Run.
Day 8: 50’s Prime Time, Jock Lindsey’s and Fireworks
Lunch was at 50’s Prime Time Cafe, where the dining room looks like a 1950s kitchen: deviled eggs, a crab cake, shrimp and grits and fried chicken. Then one more Galaxy’s Edge visit to see the X-wing and fly Smugglers Run.
We finished the night at a fireworks dessert party in Magic Kingdom, with desserts, mimosas and a view of the castle, then saw the TRON Lightcycle / Run bike on the way out.
Day 9: One Last Lobster and One Last Grog
Before flying home we went back to Boston Lobster Feast for another round, and stopped at Trader Sam’s once more to catch the show effects.
The show effects going off at Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto
Where to stay
We stayed at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, a Disney Vacation Club resort across the lake from Disney Springs. You can walk or take the boat over to Disney Springs for dinner.
Epcot food from a September 2023 visit to Walt Disney World.
Epcot’s World Showcase is one of the best places to eat at Walt Disney World, with pavilions representing 11 countries and seasonal festival booths throughout the year. The photos show a selection of dishes and drinks from around the park.
Grazing your way around the World Showcase with small plates from different countries is one of the most popular ways to spend an afternoon at Epcot.
ilani BBQ Fest in June 2023: a day of smoked meats at ilani Casino Resort in southwest Washington, with cooking demos from Jet Tila and Aaron May on the main stage.
The festival grounds
The festival took over the parking lot next to the casino, with a big tent, vendor booths and a covered stage. From the walkway above you could see the whole layout and the lines at the barbecue stands.
The barbecue
We worked our way through brisket with pickled red onions and hot sauce, a glazed pork belly burnt end, ribs, coleslaw and a tray of pulled pork with a few barbecue sauces on the side.
Aaron May on the main stage
Aaron May ran a demo on the main stage and signed autographs afterwards.
Jet Tila’s cooking demo
Jet Tila took the stage in an apron and worked the crowd, walking the edge of the stage and talking to people in the front rows.
Tips for ilani food festivals
Get there early. Lines at the most popular barbecue stands get long by mid-afternoon.
Find out the stage schedule when you arrive, so you can get a good spot for the demo you want.
ilani is right off I-5, about 30 minutes north of Portland.
A round-up of dishes from the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World in September 2022.
The festival fills Epcot’s World Showcase with temporary global marketplace booths serving small plates and drinks. The items pictured here are, in order, Fisherman’s Seafood Pie, Brioche Escargot, an Impossible Slider, Spam Musubi, pimento cheese with pork rinds, and Schinkennudeln.
Small portions make it easy to try a lot of different things, so it’s a great event for working your way around the world one booth at a time.
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