Saturday, October 11, 2014

Our 1st Visit to Epcot's Food & Wine Festival


 

  
Despite our many trips to Walt Disney World, last weekend was our first ever experience at Epcot's Food & Wine Festival. Mama was certainly excited! With 36 booths and only 2 half-days to visit in, there was no way we could get to every one and sample everything we wanted to. Personally, I had a very long list of food & drinks to try, and the rest of the family was pretty much just along for the ride. ;) The first night I visited several booth by myself, then the next day we toured many others as a family. The kiosks that I visited on my solitary journey are noted.
 
**********************
All photos were taken by me. For other photos of the foods I mentioned but forgot to take pictures of can be found at www.easywdw.com and www.disneyfoodblog.com, along with their thoughts.
 
**********************

Watermelon Juice



Terra

- Fresh Watermelon Juice * Everyone else really enjoyed this, but I found it to be a bit sweet & would just prefer to eat my watermelon.








Patagonia
*When I first looked at the menu, I wasn't sure I wanted to try anything here. However, we ended up trying two different items here & I'm certainly glad we did.

-Beef Empanada * Not overwhelmingly delicious because the flavors were a bit neutral, but the children and I found it to be tasty.

-Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Puree * This was VERY good and everyone enjoyed it! The beef was tender and juicy, G loved the Chimichurri sauce, but the boniato puree mostly just tasted like under-seasoned mashed potatoes.


Mexico

-Rib Eye Taco * This is tied as my favorite "main dish". Sadly, the hubs and I finished this off in about 4 bites before I remembered a photo! LOL Not much food for the price, but definitely delicious!

-Mango-Strawberry Margarita * I really thought I would like this, but since I rarely drink alcohol, apparently I forgot that I only like sparkling white wines and frozen mixed drinks. The big man finished this off for me and enjoyed it.


The Refreshment Cool Post

-Dulce de Leche Frozen Yogurt * Apparently this is always a choice here because this is not technically a F&W kiosk. If this is the case, we will be ordering this every time we visit Epcot! Caramel flavored ice cream on a hot day? Yes, please!


Singapore

-Lemongrass Chicken Curry with Coconut and Jasmine Rice * I'm just going to blame the alcohol and heat for me also forgetting that I don't like curry. *eye roll* So obviously I did not like this dish, everybody thought it was okay, although I seem to recall one child asking what that weird taste was...



Schinkennedeln
Germany

-Schinkennedeln Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese * This German version of baked mac n' cheese was fantastic. I was sad to have to share it! LOL Everyone liked it.

-Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll * This was strictly for the hubs and the kids who were interested, and the consensus was that it was just okay. He's also had the bratwurst from Sommerfest and wasn't impressed with that either. I guess when you've had the real thing in country you won't be satisfied with less.

Berliner & Bratwurst
 

-Berliner-Yeast Doughnut filled with Apricot Jam * If you like apricot jam and you like doughnuts, you will like this. I had to fight off children, particularly the one who eats apricot jam on a near daily basis & is now taller than me. *sigh* Maybe you should buy more than one if this is your dilemma as well?



Frozen "Apple Pie"







Poland
 
-Frozen Szarlotka-Apple Pie featuring Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka * A frozen cocktail that seriously tastes like apple pie. Very good!






 
Hops & Barley

-Artisan Cheese Plate: Cabot Cloth-wrapped Cheddar, Purple Haze Chevre Goat Cheese, Cave Man Blue Cheese * Nasty. The fact that this photo shows a near empty tray is surprising because I don't think anyone liked it enough to finish it off. Very disappointing.
Carrot Cake aka Deliciousness
Artisan Cheese Plate
-Florida Grass-Fed Beef Slider with Pimento Cheese * This sounded really good except for the pimento cheese that they added, so the hubs was the only one who tasted this. He said it was good; meaty and cheesy. I guess that means it was good....take it for what it's worth! LOL

-Fresh-Baked Carrot Cake with Craisins and Cream Cheese Icing * It's been over a week now since I had this, and I'm still thinking about it! Hands down the "best dessert" I tried. It was still warm, the cake was moist & the craisins were a great addition. The only complaint I would have would be that the icing was too sweet and sugary, but I don't usually like much icing or frosting on any cake. Everyone else enjoyed the icing, which I think is the only thing I let them taste. Again, buy more than one!


Morocco
*I visited this booth by myself.

-Kefta Pocket * Disappointing. The pita was too big for the one whole meatball I received as well as dry and flavorless. The meatball had okay flavor but was just too spicy. There was a slaw that had great flavor & helped to cool the heat from the meatball, but there was a tiny amount only on one side.

-Baklava * This is the item I was most anticipating. It is one of my most favorite desserts that I rarely have. So with a heavy heart I must tell you that this was THE most disappointing item at F&W. :( It had obviously been frozen and may have experienced frost bite because it tasted like paper and even the honey tasted bad. Just bad all around. Wal-Mart makes better baklava.


Belgium

Belgian Waffles & Cocada
-Belgium Waffle with Warm Chocolate Ganache and Whipped Cream * You can't go wrong with a warm waffle covered in chocolate!

-Belgium Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream * Personally, I liked this one even more than the chocolate one. However, I found myself combining the chocolate and the berries for an even tastier experience! Everybody liked both flavors.

Brazil
*I visited this booth both by myself and with my family.

Frozen Caipirinha






-Cocada-Brazilian Coconut Candy * This is basically like a huge portion of the inside of a Mounds bar, but a bit drier. Not bad, but VERY sweet & you must really like coconut to enjoy this. One kid polished this off, no problem.




-Frozen Caipirinha featuring LeBlon Cachaca * "Best Drink" in my book! It was cold, fruity & delicious. Not too sweet or strong. I would have bought another one the next day when we stopped there with my family if it wasn't $8.75!! :0

Crispy Pork Belly


-Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans, Tomato and Cilantro * Unfortunately, my mouth was preoccupied with the waffles from Belgium when my husband ordered this, so I didn't try any. He and some of the kids agreed that it was tasty.













Ireland
*I visited this booth by myself

-Kerrygold Cheese Selection: Reserve Cheddar, Dubliner with Irish Stout, Skellig * This was SO good! Wins for "best side dish" in my tastings. It came with a fruit compote that was fantastically delicious and paired well with two strongly flavored cheeses. It was also served with bread (mine was dry) and Kerrygold butter, which is good. Sadly, I forgot to take a picture!

 
Refreshment Port
*I visited this booth by myself.

-Croissant Doughnut with Cinnamon Sugar * Again, I don't think this is limited to the Food & Wine Festival, as this is a permanent kiosk. $4.69 is a LOT for a doughnut, but it was hot & the perfect combination of croissant and doughnut. Hard to describe, but easy to eat! I will buy this again if it is always offered. Again, no picture. :(



Kalua Pork Slider & Pineapple Wine
Hawai'i
*This was the first booth I visited on my single trip around the world.

-Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise * Long name for a tiny sandwich! Having said that though, it was several bites of pure yumminess. The little bites of pineapple were nice surprising complement to the pork. Ties for "best main dish" for me!

-Maui Splash Sweet Pineapple Wine * I bought this on a whim. It was dry, fruity & tasted like pineapple. Go figure! LOL It was very good, so if you like fruity wines, try it.



 

Scotland
-Glenfiddich 15 year * Yes, my husband braved the 15-year-old scotch! He said it was good, but didn't like it warm. He's really just a Bud Light kind of guy, so this was kind of a stretch and just for fun. I'm not sure he'll be trying that again. ;)
15-year-old Scotch!



Have you ever been to Epcot's Food & Wine Festival? Have you been this year or are you planning to go? Let me know what you've tried or want to try! I still have a lot that I want to try and at this point have no plans to go back while F&W is still on.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...