It's the most wonderful tiiiiiime of the yeeeeeaaaarrrr! Nope, not Christmastime... Food and Wine time!!! The 2018 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival kicked off on August 30th, and I was there to check it all out! I'd love to share my first insights with you, so to quote Peter Pan, "Here we gooooo........ off to Yummyland!" (Maybe not a direct quote, but you get it.)
Light Lab
- What did we try? Phosphorescent Phreeze
- How would I describe it? Fruity, frozen non-alcoholic slushy in a giant beaker
- How was the portion/value? $7 wasn't terrible since it is definitely large, sharable and you're really paying more for the souvenir beaker than anything
- What letter grade would we give it? B+ Fruity and awesome on a hot day. Standard slurpee. Not really much more to say about it.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? No, because I don't need more than one $7 beaker. Also, from what I understand, they ran out of the beaker a week in.
| Phosphorescent Phreeze |
Flavors From Fire
- What did we try? Piggy Wings
- How would I describe it? Sticky, sweet pork "wings".
- How was the portion/value? $4.75 for two wings. Eh. (Up $.25 from last year.)
- What letter grade would we give it? B+ Really tasty wings. The sauce was sweet and savory.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Probably not. Too much other stuff to pick from.
| Piggy Wings |
- What did we try? Charred Chimichurri Skirt Steak
- How would I describe it? Strips of steak over a sweet corn pancake with slaw.
- How was the portion/value? $6.75 seems fair, since the portion of this easily could have been a light lunch.
- What letter grade would we give it? A- The steak was way overdone but the flavors were awesome. The meat was nicely seasoned and the corn cake had just the right amount of sweetness.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Maybe.
| Charred Chimichurri Steak |
Active Eats
- What did we try? Loaded Mac 'N' Cheese
- How would I describe it? Mac and cheese heaven with bacon, peppers and onions.
- How was the portion/value? $5 is on the high side, but it's worth it! (Up $.25 from last year.)
- What letter grade would we give it? A- Yum, yum, yum. A favorite!
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Oh yeah.
| Loaded Mac 'n' Cheese |
Earth Eats
Coastal Eats
- What did we try? Baked Shrimp Scampi Dip
- How would I describe it? A creamy, shrimp-filled hot dip, served with toast rounds.
- How was the portion/value? 2-3 people could share this dip, BUT the dip doesn't come with nearly enough bread to do so. Either way, decent portion for $5.75. (Up $.25 from last year.)
- What letter grade would we give it? B+ This dip was served warm and was very tasty and flavorful. There was plenty of shrimp in it. I just wish it had more bread. It was too salty to eat on its own.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Nah.
| Baked Shrimp Scampi Dip |
- What did we try? Seared Scallops
- How would I describe it? Scallops in a buttery sauce with corn and bean succotash
- How was the portion/value? $6 for 3 scallops and what is essentially a side dish was ok by me.
- What letter grade would we give it? A- Delicious scallops, seared perfectly and so buttery! And I also loved the veggie mix under it.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Yes!
| Seared Scallops |
Chocolate Studio
- What did we try? Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle
- How would I describe it? A frozen ball of chocolate mousse with caramel sauce
- How was the portion/value? I thought $5 was pretty high, but considering this is a Festival favorite for many Guests, I get why. (Up $.25 from last year.)
- What letter grade would we give it? A SO! YUMMY! And the coolness of it makes it all the more enjoyable. You gotta try it!
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Yep!
| Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle |
Cheese Studio
Wine and Dine Studio
- What did we try? Butternut Squash Ravioli
- How would I describe it? Squash raviolis in a brown butter sauce with balsamic.
- How was the portion/value? $4.50 for two raviolis is on the high side, for sure, but they are yummy and worth a try.
- What letter grade would we give it? A- Really tasty! I loved the lights sweetness of the squash, mixed with the saltiness of the cheese and balsamic. I just wish there were more!
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Probably!
| Butternut Squash Ravioli |
Australia
The Almond Orchard
- What did we try? Creamy and Spinach Artichoke Dip
- How would I describe it? Cheesy spinach dip chicken in it and served with tiny crackers.
- How was the portion/value? $5 and almost too big. It was enough dip for four people to share. We ended up throwing some out.
- What letter grade would we give it? B+ The dip was good, but it was weird having huge chunks of chicken in it, especially considering the tiny crackers that are served with it could never handle picking up the meat. I get that the crackers are from the booth's sponsor, but they need something heartier.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Nah. Glad I tried it, though.
| Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip |
Hawaii
- What did we try? Kalua Pork Slider
- How would I describe it? A pulled pork sandwich on a Hawaiian roll.
- How was the portion/value? It's $5, but the portion is decent so I don't think this one's too bad. (Up $.25 from last year.)
- What letter grade would we give it? A This normally comes with a pineapple chutney, but it also contained mango, so due to an allergy, we ordered one without the chutney. It was nice that you could make slight alterations like that. Of course, they can't totally customize items for you, but if you need something without a sauce, etc, it seems like they are happy to oblige. The pork had a delicious seasoning, which reminded me of 'Ohana, over at the Polynesian. (Coriander?) Whatever it was, it was good! The "spicy mayonnaise" didn't have too much heat to it, and the sweet Hawaiian role was the perfect accompaniment. I bet with the pineapple chutney, it's amazing! I highly recommend it!
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Probably
| Kalua Pork Slider |
Islands of the Caribbean
- What did we try? Quesito
- How would I describe it? A sweet pastry with guava sauce drizzle.
- How was the portion/value? $3.75 is high for a small pastry.
- What letter grade would we give it? C- It tasted fine, but there was somehow NO sweet cream cheese in mine. Maybe it was a fluke, but I was super bummed. I usually get quesitos at Meson and they are awesome, huge and lower priced than this. Pass.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Nope.
| Quesito |
Greece
| Spanikopita |
- What did we try? Spanakopita
- How would I describe it? Spinach and cheese in phyllo dough
- How was the portion/value? $4.50 for two smallish pieces. Not too bad. (Up $.25 from last year.)
