After what can only be described as the most sublime nap of all time, I decided that we would end up making today a park day. The weather was not too hot and the rest of the trip was supposed to be in the 90s, so I figured it would be a nice night to walk around F&G Fest. I am soooooo glad that we ended up doing this because it was extremely hot the rest of the trip. We ended up at Epcot around 5pm. It was fairly crowded, but the line for the outdoor kitchens were not bad at all. The lines for the rides however...
No matter! We're here for the food!
I didn't get the greatest pictures of the flowers this trip because there were always so many people in front of everything you would want to take a picture of and lord knows that patience is not my best quality.
However, here is an off kilter shot of the front of the park.
And the new Elsa topiary.
And the lovely Tinker Bell.
Our first food stop was Jardin de Fiestas.
Rob and I both got the Tacos al pastor. Corn tortilla filled with achiote-marinated pork, garnished with grilled diced pineapple, onions and cilantro and salsa verde.
I am beyond in love with these tacos! Everything just works perfectly together. I am normally not a fan of the corn tortillas and prefer the flour tortillas, but not with these. Perfection on a tiny plastic plate.
For our drinks I got the Blueberry Pomegranate Margarita on the Rocks.
This was very good and refreshing in the hot Florida sun.
Rob got the Tecate Draft Beer with Patrón Citrónge.
OMG this was delicious! But strong. Very deceptively strong. A few of these and you'll be having
too much fun at Epcot.
And one more taco for the road!
Up next was Lotus House.
Rob tried the Kung Pao Chicken Bun and a Tsing-Tao beer.
He very much enjoyed this and said the chicken bun had a ton of flavor.
I had the Vegetable Spring Rolls.
These were excellent! Tons of filling and fried to perfection. I loved the dipping sauce too. And one of the cheaper items on the menus!
Then Rob stopped at Florida Fresh.
Another beer is what he was after. I talked him into getting the Feast of Flowers Farmhouse Ale. I wanted to try it but didn't know if I would like it, so this way I could sneak a taste to make up my mind.
This was a very strong IPA. Definitely NOT my kind of beer, but Rob enjoyed it.
This area was so pretty. Here are some shots around the Florida Fresh area.
Since it was the weekend, the Garden Rocks concert series was going on this evening and Little River Band was playing.
This was about 10 minutes before the show. Plenty of great seats to be had. So, we grabbed a couple of beers and found a seat down fairly close to the front.
The one on the left was a Maple Bacon Stout and the one on the right was the Floridian Hefeweizen.
Close up on the Maple Bacon Stout.
It truly tasted like Maple Bacon Beer. Very odd, but good.
The band was fun. I didn't know any of the songs. A little before my time I guess. My mother in law knew who they were and was insanely jealous. However, I still had a blast. I love the outdoor concerts. I wish they had them year round.
After the music we stopped at Hanami. I tried the Frushi. Fresh pineapple, strawberries and melon, rolled with coconut rice, topped with raspberry sauce, sprinkled with toasted coconut and served with whipped cream on the side.
This was INSANELY good! I tried it just to try it because it seemed like such a gimmicky thing, but it was actually delicious.
Rob made a side trip over to the Taste of Marrakesh and got the Harissa Chicken Kebab with Couscous Salad and the Guerrouane red.
He enjoyed both. However, it was no Frushi.
I was dying for some ice cream and decided to skip over a few outdoor kitchens and make a detour to L'Artisan des Glaces for my favorite ice cream ever! Caramelized Apple & Crumble Crunch speaks to me.
This is my favorite flavor of ice cream. I wish the waffle cones were better here. They taste a little stale to me. I need to try the pressed ice cream sandwich creation next time. But who cares what the vehicle is to get the ice cream. As long as I'm eating this, I'm happy.
And you know what tastes great after ice cream? Well, if you said, more ice cream, you would be absolutely correct! As we made the complete circle around World Showcase we stopped at Pineapple Promenade to try the Pineapple Soft Serve with Sammy’s Beach Bar Red Head Macadamia Nut Flavored Rum.
Yup, the red in the dish is the rum. Oh so delicious paired together. I wish it was more infused together because sometimes I got too much rum at one time and at the end I had to just take one big shot of it with the melted ice cream. Glad I tried it, but I actually don't think I would get it again even though it was tasty.
Rob also tried the Pineapple Dog. Spicy Hot Dog with Pineapple Chutney and Sriracha Mayo.
He took this thing down in pretty much one bite, but said it was really good.
And is this a view to sit and enjoy some treats or what!
We had such a full and awesome first day! There's still so much more fun and food to be had!