Showing posts with label
Special Events: Epcot Food Wine.
Show all posts
Showing posts with label
Special Events: Epcot Food Wine.
Show all posts
I kind of missed week 46 by a day, but I'm still counting November 13 as squeaking in. I was off celebrating a birthday. Normally, I'd celebrate my birthday at Disney World but lately I've been a bit disappointed. But, that's another story...
Today we made sure we got over to Epcot because it was the last day for the 2011 Epcot Food & Wine Festival. Today was all about desserts:
Desserts and Champagne
We should have ordered the champagne to go with our dessert trio because it would have been a perfect pairing. These desserts were awesome and a bargain at just $1.50 each or $3.75 for all 3. My favorite was the white chocolate mousse (right) and my husband loved the lemon meringue (left). The tre leche (back) was good too... kind of a sponge cake, but it had coconut sprinkles that I didn't really care for.
My husband also enjoyed the flan from Mexico. A very nice portion for $3. Overall it was good, but it was a bit bland (I think that makes it authentic flan)! The servers were all smiles and very friendly.
Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy
Our photos did not turn out at the concert, but we both loved Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy. They put on a fantastic performance... even did a song from Disney's Jungle Book. Too cool! Loved it.
I just heard Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy be performing a Universal Orlando for New Year's Eve. We're about to pick up a pair of annual passes for Universal Studios. Hmmm...I think I'll start a new blog for A Year at Universal Orlando.
We went to the Epcot Food & Wine Festival for tonight's performance at the Eat to the Beat Concert series - The Pointer Sisters.
It was a sold out show. More than 45 minutes ahead of show time, nearly the entire theater was already filled. We knew there was no chance of getting a seat. Plus, we were very hungry. So instead of trying to get a seat, we dropped inside the American Pavilion's Liberty Inn counter service restaurant. We knew that you can hear just as fine (if not better) by standing near the rear of the theater.
Once again, Liberty Tree disappoints us. We walked in and it was surprisingly empty. Only 2 registers open (one on each end). A family of 5 on the right and a woman with her daughter on the left. We chose left. Big mistake.
The mother and daughter could not decide and asked questions about nearly every menu item. We watched 3 other families go through the right side before they finally decided on a salad and some chicken nuggets.
Just as we thought that it was our turn, the cashier asked us to wait as she waved over another woman who had been studying a big food binder with a cast member to determine her order based on food allergies. Again, we watched several families go through the line on the right side as the food allergy order was placed. (Several families got on and off our line during this process). We somehow felt that if we jumped ship to the other line, we would somehow be worse off. We should have known better.
Seriously... couldn't the cashier have said to us that she had a special order ahead of us and that we'd get faster service at the other register. We shared an 8-piece order of chicken nuggets. They were not good. Honestly, an order of nuggets I had from McDonad's a few weeks ago was better. Disney changed their chicken nuggets. We knew this, but hoped for the best. Cold, more coating than meat, chewy...
At least the icky Heinz honey mustard was gone (the BBQ sause was still Heinz). The newest honey mustard is pump-your-own. It is still not Ken's, but it is at least creamier and sweeter than the Heinz. This meal along with a bottle of water cost $11.
Well, back to The Pointer Sisters. We stood at the back of the theater (behind the roped off area). The theater was closed to new entry. If you left (for a snack or restroom) you needed to grab a card from a cast member for re-entry. Great show. There was only 1 original sister on stage, but they all gave an entertaining performance. Not surprisingly, we watched several folks leave complaining that the sound was too loud. I'm not sure why this continues to be a problem.
Finally, some good news. At least I thought. The chocolate truffles were back at Belgium.
During our visit on October 28, the Belgium chocolates were sold out. I was very (pleasantly) surprised that they were packaged in a box. I did not eat the chocolates until the next day. The outer chocolate shell was a swirled mixture of milk, white, and dark chocolate and was a bit waxy. The inside had a nice texture, but tasted mostly like sugar. Overall, super sweet tasting and not a lot of chocolate flavor.
It was a rainy Friday at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival today. We had planned to stick around to see the Gin Blossoms in concert, but just found ourselves too wet and uncomfortable to stick it out. Navigating the crowds with umbrellas is challenging. Trying to sample food is even more difficult.
Today, we decided to give Italy a try.
Italy - Ravioli Di Formaggio all'Emiliana
In English, this is baked cheese ravioli with a creamy beef bolognese sauce, Parmesan cheese, and melted mozzarella. It looked amazing, unfortunately, I found it to be disappointing. First, I would call this lasagna before ravioli. There was no pocket or pillow of pasta. The bolognese was unevenly layered on the bottom of the dish (sans pasta), followed by a layer of cheese, a strip of pasta and a top layer of mozzarella. Second, it was very bland with very little red sauce. I will say it was a hearty portion for the $4.50 price. It just lacked in flavor.
Italy - Cappellini con Gamberi Piccanti
My husband tried the cappellini pasta with spicy shrimp. He enjoyed very much and said that except for one shrimp (I believe there were 5 in total), all of the shrimp tasted very fresh. He even enjoyed this dish a bit more than the Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles he had at China. This one cost a bit more than China too at $5.25.
Belgium Truffles - Sold Out!
We ducked under an awning of a pastry kiosk near Italy to eat our Food & Wine items and afterwards I decided that I'd like to grab an order of the Chocolate Seashell Truffles at Belgium for dessert. At $1.75, this item was the lowest-cost sample on my list. There was a very permanent-looking sticker on all menu boards that said they were sold out! Bummer. That will teach me to wait until too long. Update: Truffles are back.
We decided to turn around and head back to Germany's Karamell Shop where I planned to pick up my annual Halloween caramel apple. The line was out the door so I decided to try another time. This is the second time I've tried to get a caramel apple this season and walked out because of the heavy lines. There's a reason for the long lines - it is worth it. However, I'll try my luck another visit.
Our fifth visit to the Epcot Food & Wine Festival in 2011 brought us to Poland and Brazil.
Poland - Kielbasa and Potato Pierogies
I first tried the kielbasa and pierogies many, many years ago. I'm a fan of both items, but I wasn't overly impressed in years past so I've been skipping it in favor of trying other items. The $5.00 price has also kept me away.
Since reading that this is the 2nd most popular dish (after Canada's cheese soup), I decided that I should give it another try. The fact that it is popular, may also be the reason it is one of the more expensive items at the Festival. It costs as much as the seared beef filet from South Africa. Go figure. 3 small slices of kielbasa, 1 potato pierogi drizzled with a squirt of sour cream and caramelized onions. While everything was tasty enough, it was just OK and I had wished that I saved my $5 to try something different.
The Polish sausage was a bit fatty. The potato dumpling was rubbery and not much different than what you can pick up in a grocery store freezer case. I gave most of my caramelized onions to my husband.
Brazil - Seared Mahi-Mahi
If you read this blog, you know that I'm a picky eater and that I definitely do not eat seafood. My husband is mildly interested in seafood and had never tried mahi-mahi. After looking at it on several restaurant menus, he decided that $4.50 at the Epcot Food & Wine was the perfect opportunity to try mahi-mahi.
The dish came with steamed rice, hearts of palm and a coconut-lime sauce. His review was that the fish was mild and had a nice texture. He didn't think the fish itself had much flavor, but that it would easily take on the flavors used in preparation. Overall, he decided he would probably stick to salmon when ordering out, but might give mahi-mahi a try if it was prepared with interesting flavors.
Our fourth visit to the Epcot Food & Wine Festival in 2011 brought us to China, South Africa and Germany.
China - Pork Pot Stickers
My husband and I always enjoy the pot stickers from Lotus Blossom Cafe at Epcot so I just can't resist when they are also offered at the Food & Wine Festival. The price is $3.50 for 2 pot stickers from the Festival booth (at the cafe they cost $5 for 3 pot stickers). I've always thought the sauce was the same at the booth and cafe, but this year the booth sauce had a different flavor. It was tasty (maybe some ginger?), but I think I enjoy the cafe's sauce more. And, I enjoyed them way more than the pot stickers from Yak & Yeti at Animal Kingdom. China knows how to sear them right!
China - Black Pepper Shrimp with Sichuan Noodles
My husband splurged on this shrimp and noodle dish for $4.50 and did not regret it. The shrimp were small, but he was prepared for that. Other than small, the shrimp were good and he said it was a good portion of noodles. His review is positive.
South Africa - Bunny Chow
I don't know why, but I thought this vegetarian option from the Food & Wine Festival was going to be served cold. And to be honest, before I learned it was vegetarian I thought it was rabbit. My husband didn't think that at all and he was quite pleased with the warm vegetables served in a bread bowl $3.25. He offered me a bite, but I don't care for curry (or for vegetables, really). It looked like stew to me without the meat. Hubby liked it a lot!
Germany - Apple Strudel
One word - wow. The apple strudel for $3.25 was a wonderful dessert. The portion size was large compared to other dessert options at Food & Wine. It was nearly the size of the plate. I didn't taste much of the Werther's caramel which was a slight disappointment (see my review of the Werther's caramel popcorn) but I did taste the vanilla sauce. Best of all - no raisins! The apples were perfectly sweet and the pastry was exactly as I had hoped. I rate this one a winner!
Today was our third visit to the 2011 Epcot Food & Wine Festival and I have reviews to share from the food we sampled at several more countries.
Scandinavia - Sweedish Meatballs
Two thumbs up. I love Sweedish meatballs, but I was a little nervous about getting these. Why? Well, I ordered them once at the Ikea cafeteria in Orlando and did not care for them. I figured I must only like the "Americanized" version. Also, the Epcot Food & Wine version (priced at $3.50 for 3 meatballs) was missing my favorite part - the egg noodles. One more thing - they came with Lingonberries. The picky eater in me didn't know what to think about Lingonberries, but I found them to be delicious. They tasted very much like cranberry. The sweet-tart flavor was a perfect compliment to the meatballs and sauce. Yum!
Hawaii - Kalua Pork Slider
My husband sampled the Kalua Pork Slider and really enjoyed it. It was served with a sweet and sour pineapple chutney and spicy mayonnaise for $3.00. He offered me a bite, but I'm not a big fan of mayo. His review, "best value of the Festival".
Canada - Cheddar Cheese Soup
This a must-do for me every year at Food & Wine even though I think it is crazy expensive at $3.75. Every year the portion size seems to go up and down a bit. Either I'm getting used to the small cups or I actually had 3 or 4 more spoonfulls this year. My best guess is that the portion size is about 3 ounces. My review? Worth every spoonful. If you like the Canada cheese soup, be sure to try the cheese fondue at the Cheese station.
Greece - Greek Salad with Pita
My husband decided to give the Greek Salad a try for $3.00. He thought it was good but small and compared it to the Greek salad at Disney Studios. While he very much liked the Greek salad at Studios, he felt the Food & Wine version was more authentic.
France - Creme Brulee au Chocolate
The creme brulee is another Food & Wine item that is always on my must-do list. While it was still tasty (it gets bonus points for the caramelized sugar top), I was a bit disappointed with it this year. I can't remember if it has always been "milk chocolate", but the chocolate flavor was a bit weak. I remember a deeper chocolate flavor from years past. France priced it at $3.95. Most food booths price items either in whole dollars or fifty cents.
After attending opening day at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival with a taste of cheese fondue and pumpkin mousse (both delicious), we returned for some more samples. Below are some reviews and photos from our second tour around the world.
Australia - Lamb Chop
The lamb chop from Australia has been a "must do" for me over the last several years. My husband doesn't like lamb so it is literally the only time a year I have an opportunity to enjoy it. I often have it at least twice...sometimes three times. It doesn't come cheap. This year's price is $5.75.
The chops are always small and my experiences have always been hit and miss. Often, the chop is cold (like today's). Every once in a while I get lucky enough to have one fresh and hot right off the grill. That, of course, is when it is best. If you want it hot, go where there is a long line. I tend to be there during "off" times to avoid the crowds.
Today's chop was also very fatty. Previous chops have been leaner. However, it was moist (and just a little pink). Despite it being cold, small, fatty and expensive, I still enjoyed it. It's a treat (and a matter of expectations). The side offered changes each year. I enjoyed last year's potatoes more. This year's contained pieces of goat cheese (I'm not a fan).
Argentina - Beef Empanada
My husband had the beef empanada. He enjoyed it. It was served hot and there was plenty of beefy filling inside. The price was average at $3.75.
I took a small bite. The taste reminded me of something, but I haven't yet been able to put my finger on it. It had a sweet taste that I didn't really care for. Our only complaint is that is was difficult to find a table or other convenient spot to chow down. We would up leaning against a railing.
Mexico Margarita
All this eating made us thirsty so we decided to grab a frozen margarita from the year-round stand just outside the Mexico pavilion. The drinks cost $9. Unfortunately, they were running out of lime (our favorite) so we were forced to order a fiesta margarita which had layers of lime, strawberry and mango. Neither of us cared very much for the strawberry.
There's a good amount of alcohol in these drinks. I'm not sure I could drink one on my own. There are a few frozen alcoholic beverages available at the Food & Wine booths, but they are only 6 oz and average in cost about $7.50. We'd rather have the larger drink for $9.
Dessert
Again, I went off the Food & Wine Festival booths. This time I headed to Germany's Karamell Shop. I walked in ready to buy a caramel apple, but changed my mind as soon as I saw the freshly-made Werther's Caramel Popcorn.
It was still warm. I ordered the small bag for about $3. When the bag was handed to me, I couldn't get over how heavy it felt. Pick up a box of Cracker Jacks and it feels like air. This bag is filled with a serious amount of caramel. The only downside is that the popcorn loses it's crispy, crunchy texture. But the caramel is sooo good, it doesn't matter. I shared with my husband and we couldn't finish the bag (it is rich). I brought it home and took 2 more days to finally finish it. Note... it gets more and more soggy as the days go by so eat as much as you can while it is fresh. I don't think I could ever order the large bag...
Next, my husband grabbed one of the Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream. Awesome. Well worth the $3 price. I took a small bite and loved it (might have to get my own next time). Unfortunately, we dug right in and forgot to take a photo.
The Epcot Food & Wine Festival is my favorite time of year. We visited during opening day to give all the food booths a once-over to figure out what we'll be sampling over the next several weeks.
During our first visit, I sampled the cheese fondue with sour dough bread for $3 offered at the Cheese booth. One word... awesome. I you like Canada's beer cheese soup, you have to give this a try. One tip: don't take big bites of the sour dough or you'll quickly run out of bread and you don't want to miss a single drop of this yummy fondue.
We forgot to take a photo, but my husband tried the Pumpkin Mousse with Ocean Spray Craisins and Orange Sauce for just $1.50. That's not a typo. It is clearly the best-tasting bargain of the festival.
While at Epcot, we picked up a Passport and festival guide map to take home and study. Next, we carefully planned our sampling schedule. We visited the Disney Food Blog to help with our decision-making. Although we had already been there in person, we didn't get to see every food item as it is served. This fantastic food blog is filled with descriptions, prices and photos of every menu item offered at the Epcot food booths. Definately worth a visit.
Can't wait to start tasting around the world and going to the Festival concerts!
