***2009*** Epcot Food & Wine Festival ENDED NOV. 8

[Skoolie]

heeheheh Redzinner Great Pic!

 

[Skoolie]

I was just looking over the menu was thinking I could make a lunch out of it because I still have things I want to try. Something struck me as odd. They are offering Baklava in two countries, Greece and Morocco. Does anyone know if there is a difference? It seems odd and the prices are different.

Athens, Greece
Baklava - $3.00

Marrakesh, Morocco
Baklava - $2.95

Perhaps maybe they think baklava is more popular in greece and therefor are charging 5 cents more, or are these actually 2 different style baklavas? Anyone have any ideas. I thought this was a little weird

 

[Kitchensink]

I was just looking over the menu was thinking I could make a lunch out of it because I still have things I want to try. Something struck me as odd. They are offering Baklava in two countries, Greece and Morocco. Does anyone know if there is a difference? It seems odd and the prices are different.

Athens, Greece
Baklava - $3.00

Marrakesh, Morocco
Baklava - $2.95

Perhaps maybe they think baklava is more popular in greece and therefor are charging 5 cents more, or are these actually 2 different style baklavas? Anyone have any ideas. I thought this was a little weird

In previoius years, Greece has featured a walnut and honey baklava (as well as walnut coffee cake). Morocco has featured both walnut baklava or pistachio baklava the past couple of years. So maybe it is the type of nut filling that is used. The signs at the booth do not specify any particular type of filling. We had both baklava samples this year, I liked the Morocco one a bit more than the one from Greece.
Karen

 

[dizneykid]

We all enjoy a good margarita once in a while! ¡Salud!

Hey, I know that rat!!!!

 

[redzinner]

Hey, I know that rat!!!!

Why yes you do ... he lives in your backpack! I took this shot after our tequila tasting with Hilda on Friday Oct 23. I thought we had a good session and the gringos up at the bar stayed quiet too!

 

[Skoolie]

In previoius years, Greece has featured a walnut and honey baklava (as well as walnut coffee cake). Morocco has featured both walnut baklava or pistachio baklava the past couple of years. So maybe it is the type of nut filling that is used. The signs at the booth do not specify any particular type of filling. We had both baklava samples this year, I liked the Morocco one a bit more than the one from Greece.
Karen

Thanks Karen, for the quick reply. I find it funny that some plates have very good descriptions they tell you exactly what it is, but others are so non descript.

I wonder what nut is what. and I'll gladly take your recommendation.

Thanks

 

[BriarRosie]

Hey, I know that rat!!!!

Yeah, and I had fun smacking him around when you told me that makes him talk. It was a happy coincidence to run into you at the kiosk.

 

[dizneykid]

Yeah, and I had fun smacking him around when you told me that makes him talk. It was a happy coincidence to run into you at the kiosk.

He needs to be put in his place once in a while!

It was great running into you also! Catherine too!

 

[Rose&Crown]

will try to do a full review when I get a minute

Plusses:

Food was generally better
Cava de Tequila is a step in the right direction
Except for Saturday at the food booths, lines were non existent and even on Saturday, the ride lines were slim.

Minuses:
Where is the wine? with the removal of the Australian Wine Hop , the Australian Bar, and Vinoteca de los Andes (2 years ago), the wine choices were limited. NY Wine Experience needs to have some dry wines. Australian beverage selection was pitiful.
Beer from every country? easy enough to do, Austria and Spain are big beer countries, yet no beer?
Larks: enough said

Basically, I would like to see a wider selection of wine and beer paired with the food, also why is Belgium not a featured country??

Overall, we enjoyed the fest: best foods:
France: short ribs (hate to admit France actually put out some tasty food this year)
Morocco: kefta
South Africa: filet & sweet potato puree, corn soup
Spain: Snapper
Ireland: Lobster & Scallop Pie

 

[Sandy321]

yum!

maybe I need to start planning for 2011 F&W!! (Its usually the last Friday in Sept to the first week in November - usually?)

ITA about the wines and beers but it sure seems that part of it is the contracts Disney gets - and now that InBev owns so much beer surely there is a Belgium beer?

 

[tony67]

Where is the wine?
Beer from every country? easy enough to do, Austria and Spain are big beer countries, yet no beer?

Basically, I would like to see a wider selection of wine and beer paired with the food, also why is Belgium not a featured country??

Overall, we enjoyed the fest: best foods:
France: short ribs (hate to admit France actually put out some tasty food this year)
Morocco: kefta
South Africa: filet & sweet potato puree, corn soup
Spain: Snapper
Ireland: Lobster & Scallop Pie

I agree with most everything you say here.
The short ribs where great and I really liked the presentation. It looked like dessert.
I'm really bummed I skipped the kefta now. I avoided it since there was never line. Figured it was bad.
My filet was overcooked, but I really enjoyed the potatoes.
the snapper was excellent.
I had the lobster pie three times, although I have NEVER seen this on a menu in Ireland.

I'd like to see some better beers if I'm going to pay $6 for 12 ounces.
I can get a 22oz Sam’s Oktoberfest for $4 at Fridays every day of the week and it will be cold.
Of course Sam spends a lot of money to be here and although a lot of beer snobs hate sams I like it and give them a lot of credit for expanding beer in America.

I’d really like something different when I go to a food and wine festival.
Chimay would be a nice start and the wine folks would probably like it too.

How about some better German beers? Paulaner weissbier or Berliner weisse would be VERY nice on a hot day.
How many Berliner Weisse with Woodruff or Raspberry syrup could they sell on a hot day in Florida? This would sell just for the novelty factor.

How about Currywurst in Germany. The sausage they had was nice buy Currywurst would be better and much more unique.
I can get a brat at Sommerfest already.

I’d also really like to see them change all the foods every year.
For the most part they just repeat what they had last year.

 

[LilyWDW]

How about Currywurst in Germany. The sausage they had was nice buy Currywurst would be better and much more unique.

If they put Currywurst on the menu then I would be able to get the boyfriend to Disney! Down side would be we would have to go get some every single day... LMAO

 

[Rose&Crown]

My filet was overcooked, but I really enjoyed the potatoes.

I’d also really like to see them change all the foods every year.
For the most part they just repeat what they had last year.

Filet was perfect the first day, overcooked on Saturday, and better on Monday.

Although several foods were the same, I thought they were better this year, the Beef Chimichurri and the Empanada were both better than last year.

For me my big gripe is the lack of wine & beer, a different microbrewery should be featured each year??

 

[ScottJoseph]

The hit at this year's Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is the Lobster & Scallops Fisherman's Pie. But because it is new, it wasn't included in the cookbook of festival dishes for sale at the park. But thanks to the generosity of executive chef Jens Dahlmann, I have the recipe on my site. It's fairly intricate -- nothing you throw together in an hour or two -- but for those who love a culinary challenge, the rewards should be satisfying. Here's a link to the recipe.

Scott
Scott Joseph's Orlando Restaurant Guide

 

[tony67]

Filet was perfect the first day, overcooked on Saturday, and better on Monday.

Although several foods were the same, I thought they were better this year, the Beef Chimichurri and the Empanada were both better than last year.

For me my big gripe is the lack of wine & beer, a different microbrewery should be featured each year??

Yeah the food is different each day, probably every few hours.
I tried the escargot three times and it was only really good once.
Overall the food was much better then the last few years.
(Poland, Puerto Rico and Louisiana are the exceptions in my opinion. Awful this year.)

As for a different microbrewery each year I think there is two issues.
Sam's pays a lot to be there and does not want the competition - IMO.
The companies all pay a lot to be thier as I understand it. Many microbrewers probably cannot afford it.

The microbrewers are better off going to a beer festival run by someone like The Beer Advocate that gets them to people who will really appreciate their work and will not cost them an arm and a leg. These are great events if you can ever make it to one. $40 all you can sample.

I think Abita and Kona is as good as we can hope for at Disney.

 

[PNO4TE]

The hit at this year's Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is the Lobster & Scallops Fisherman's Pie. But because it is new, it wasn't included in the cookbook of festival dishes for sale at the park. But thanks to the generosity of executive chef Jens Dahlmann, I have the recipe on my site. It's fairly intricate -- nothing you throw together in an hour or two -- but for those who love a culinary challenge, the rewards should be satisfying. Here's a link to the recipe.

Scott
Scott Joseph's Orlando Restaurant Guide

Thank you!

 

[Rose&Crown]

(Poland, Puerto Rico and Louisiana are the exceptions in my opinion. Awful this year.)

As for a different microbrewery each year I think there is two issues.
Sam's pays a lot to be there and does not want the competition - IMO.
The companies all pay a lot to be thier as I understand it. Many microbrewers probably cannot afford it.

The microbrewers are better off going to a beer festival run by someone like The Beer Advocate that gets them to people who will really appreciate their work and will not cost them an arm and a leg. These are great events if you can ever make it to one. $40 all you can sample.

I think Abita and Kona is as good as we can hope for at Disney.

Agreed on those countires not being up to par, probably the worst three.

I was more wishing the microbrewery thing, and realize it would have to be one of the larger ones: SN, Anchor, Harpoon, etc. Really surpirsd AB Inbev doesn't have Redhook or the like. Another problem with the microbreweries is capacity to supply the festival for over a month. this isn't a one weekend festival. We hit some of the beer festivals around here, but most do not allow kids, the demonizing of alcohol in America. Also, no BA festivals in my neck of the woods, but that's not a big issue, there are plenty of festivals to choose from.

One last point, craft festivals are one of two things usually (not that I don't like them):
1. preaching to the choir
2. frat party

At F&W, you could potentially expose good beer to a new market.

Cheers

 

[Tatania]

The hit at this year's Epcot International Food & Wine Festival is the Lobster & Scallops Fisherman's Pie. But because it is new, it wasn't included in the cookbook of festival dishes for sale at the park. But thanks to the generosity of executive chef Jens Dahlmann, I have the recipe on my site. It's fairly intricate -- nothing you throw together in an hour or two -- but for those who love a culinary challenge, the rewards should be satisfying. Here's a link to the recipe.

Scott
Scott Joseph's Orlando Restaurant Guide

So cool to see you posting here Scott As one of the resident Disney foodies, I read your blog all the time and recall that you have promised us a recipe from Kouzinna after you reviewd it.

We were also served side dishes of gigante beans, which were impressively large but mildly flavored, and Brussels sprouts, which were fantastic. They were sauteed with salty capers and sprinkled with lemon juice. Cora promised me the recipe and I’ll share it with as soon as I get it. - Scott Joseph

We posted the Lobster and Scallop pie a week or so ago on the Dis Boards recipe exchange and invite you to drop by there and check out the largest online collection of Disney recipes. We get requests all the time for new recipes (and actually have a rather lengthy request list posted here: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1777635 post#5), so if you ever have any good connections you can use a Disney to help get the recipes we would all be more than grateful.

A recipe I wish I had gotten is for the Blood Orange Margarita (which everyone was raving about) at the Tequila Cave in Mexico. If anyone can get a hold of and post that recipe I really want to try and make it. I've been trying out the recipes in my new 2010 Food and Wine Festival cookbook and have to say the cookbook is a huge improvement over previous year's efforts. The editing is much better, instructions are more accurate and actually have some new items.

 

[TDC Nala]

I am not a fan of the lobster and scallop pie although I do like cheesy mashed potatoes. But it came off as cheesy mashed potatoes with some flavorless bits in it.

I'll probably be over at the Ditch today so maybe I can ask them about that recipe.

 

[onelilspark]

I am not a fan of the lobster and scallop pie although I do like cheesy mashed potatoes. But it came off as cheesy mashed potatoes with some flavorless bits in it.

I'll probably be over at the Ditch today so maybe I can ask them about that recipe.

I'm with you, we weren't fans of the pie.

But yes! on the margarita! If anyone gets that recipe...YUM!