BlovesC
home is where the Yeti is
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2008
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Today we decided it was time for our yearly foray into the chaos of Epcot's Food and Wine Festival! It may be surprising, considering how much we love dining at Disney, but F&W isn't really a huge pull for us (all my coworkers, who generally hate Disney all year EXCEPT during F&W would smack me for saying this!), so it's usually one trip around the kiosks and we're done for the season!
We arrived around noon today, super hungry and ready to storm the kiosks with our individual 'hit lists' at hand!
...but before any storming began, we strolled around the festival marketplace!
And checked out the Chase Lounge, which is open to any Chase/Disney Visa/Disney Visa Debit cardholders.
The lounge is very small, but hey, comfy seats, A/C, and free soda/juice/coffee? That's more than enough for us!
Fun little interactive touch-screen guide to the kiosks!
Lining the wall immediately outside of the lounge are some absolutely amazing sculptures by various Disney pastry chefs. All made with chocolate, sugar, etc. I LOVE watching this stuff being created on TV!
Gorgeous!
Beach Club!
Anyway, ON TO THE BOOTHS!
Our first stop was at the Caribbean kiosk, for an item on DH's list.
"Jerk-spiced Chicken Drumstick with Mango Chutney"
DH devoured this like an animal. Like I said, we were hungry! He said it was a perfectly cooked leg, BUT it seemed very light on the jerk seasoning. He loved the mango chutney!
Next we hit China, which turned into a buffet for us!
My pick: "Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce and Pickled Vegetables"
YUM. The chicken looked dry, but it wasn't at all. Very juicy, and a great flavor in the sauce! And as usual 'spicy' in Disney terms means 'mild' for the rest of us. The vegetables were crisp and delicious!
DH's pick: "Mongolian Beef in a Steamed Bun"
I was kind of surprised when I saw this, I was expecting a closed, stuffed bun, sort of like a nikuman. The bun, in DH's words, was like "a yummy taco"
and the noodles on it were VERY crunchy and a nice contrast. Two thumbs up! I wouldn't have minded trying this, but I wasn't fast enough, pfffbt.
The sun was scorching today, so while in China DH decided he had to try this ridiculous concoction:
"Tipsy Ducks in Love: Creamy Cold Tea & Coffee blended with Bourbon, Whiskey and Chocolate."
He loved this drink even more than I loved the name of it. I took a sip and nearly fell over, this puppy is STROOOOOONG. I couldn't taste any flavor other than pure burning alcohol, but DH swears he could taste the chocolate and coffee and it was magical. I'll take his word for it, the last thing I want to drink in 90 degrees is anything alcoholic!
While we were melting away at the Joy of Tea stand I couldn't resist picking up a favorite treat:
"Caramel-ginger ice cream"
I just adore the flavor of this stuff, and it was a perfect treat on a sunny afternoon!
Moving on, next on DH's list was South Korea, where he picked up this rather unimpressive item:
"Mung Bean Pancake with Shrimp and Kimchi Sauce"
DH didn't hate this, but he didn't really enjoy it either. He described it as a very greasy shrimp cake without much flavor. He's a big kimchi fan but the sauce here just didn't add enough. He wished he'd gotten the lettuce wrap instead, which he enjoyed last year.
Onward we went, to Germany!
And low and behold, we each got this puppy!
"Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll"
Now, I hate sausage, and I avoid pork like the plague. But last year when DH had this and I tried a bite, I really loved it. I couldn't wait to get one for myself this year! But then they had to go and change the type of sausage! I half expected to hate it this year. But I didn't! At all! The bratwurst isn't QUITE as good as the old sausage, and has a bit more of a..typical spicy breakfast-sausagey kind of taste? But it wasn't greasy, it had a great 'snap' to its skin, and with the roll and mustard it was just delicious. Pretzel rolls make everything better! Although it'd be awesome if they'd heat the rolls just a bit. DH loved the sausage, but isn't a big fan of pretzel rolls, he finds them too dry.
After a much-needed break in some AC, we continued towards the America pavilion, home to my single favorite item in all of F&W:
PUMPKIN MOUSSE!
I'm an obsessive pumpkin devotee (I have probably about 12 different pumpkin-flavored items right now in my fridge alone) and I absolutely adored this mousse last year. But I only had one, and that simply wasn't enough. So this time I got three. Yes, three. Those are all MINE! I did generously, graciously offer to share with DH, but only because I knew he'd say no.
It was just as delicious as last year, except it was served a bit warmer than last year, when it was served very chilled. And these things are SO TINY, I thought I'd have no issues polishing them off. But by the third, it really started to hit me. Conquering F&W in one day is no easy task folks!
Luckily the next few booths were all up to DH!
First, the "Florida Local" booth, or as I called it, "Seriously? You're buying something from the Florida booth? Really?"
DH chose this:
"Florida Shrimp Ceviche with Fire Roasted Vegetables, Fried Plantains and Cilantro"
He really enjoyed this. It had a good amount of heat to it for Disney standards, and while I thought the portion size was laughable, it really was loaded with shrimp. He found it super refreshing and did wish it were bigger!
Another shot, just so you can see the size:
And next he hit up Singapore:
"Beef Rendang with Jasmine Rice"
Not...the most appetizing appearance but DH licked the plate clean on this one and declared it the BEST thing at F&W! It was VERY spicy, he loved the shredded texture, the portion was very generous, the rice was perfectly fluffy, it was just a winner all-around for him!
Our next stop was the one I'd most been looking forward to, Greece! The Oikos cups for $3.25 was appalling, though. DH and I live on greek yogurt and go through anywhere between 2-4 cups of Oikos per day at home. At three bucks a pop, we wouldn't be able to pay our mortgage! I know Disney is a business and needs to profit from mark-ups, but that just seemed so much worse to me than even a $2.50 bottle of water.
But I digress! Our selections at Greece were...
"Griddled Greek Cheese with Pistachios and Honey"
I wanted to love this, but I just really didn't. I think the pumpkin mousse had caught up to me so the super heavy creaminess of this cheese was just not a good fit at the time! The cheese is VERY mild, like a mozzarella, and the thick layer of hardened honey at the top made it very sweet. It had a good flavor, it just didn't wow me. DH wound up eating most of it and he really liked it!
"Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki"
DH thoroughly ridiculed me for ordering this. When we eat at our local greek restaurant, this is what I order every time. So yeah, boring, but hey sometimes it's good to stick with what you love! And what I really love is Tzatziki and a nice warm pita. <3 This was DELICIOUS. It was easily comparable to the restaurant at home, VERY fresh, the chicken was well seasoned, the tzatziki was generous, the overall portion was huge and it was probably my favorite item of the day!
Hawaii was next, where DH picked up an item that sounded tailor-made for him:
"Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise"
We both love hawaiian bread, and expected the roll to have that great sweet flavor, but DH said it was really just a very dry white roll. The pork was really good, but he couldn't taste the chutney or spicy mayo at all (though it was obviously generously heaped on!), so it didn't seem particularly special. A sad disappointment!
And the very last item for our F&W adventure, courtesy of the Desserts & Champagne Booth:
"Dark Chocolate Mousse with Chili and Salted Caramel"
Somehow I completely missed the 'chili' part in the description, and expected only chocolate and salted caramel. When I took my first bite, I got quite a surprise! I enjoy spicy chocolate, especially chocolate and cayenne, but it was ALL I could taste in this. I couldn't detect the caramel at all, and the chocolate was totally dulled out by the amount of chili. Could have just been because I hadn't expected it though!
Aaaaaand that concludes our afternoon at F&W! That was a whole lot of food for lunch, I don't think either of us will need dinner tonight! DH had a few disappointments but I'd say overall the booths were a success for us. And the new cardboard trays are a HUGE improvement from the tiny plastic plates, they're much easier to hold and eat from.
To wrap it up...
Winners!
C: Singapore's Beef Rendang
B: Greece's Chicken Souvlaki
Losers!
C: South Korea's Mung Bean Pancake
B: myself, after eating three pumpkin mousses!
And that's all for now!
We arrived around noon today, super hungry and ready to storm the kiosks with our individual 'hit lists' at hand!
...but before any storming began, we strolled around the festival marketplace!
And checked out the Chase Lounge, which is open to any Chase/Disney Visa/Disney Visa Debit cardholders.
The lounge is very small, but hey, comfy seats, A/C, and free soda/juice/coffee? That's more than enough for us!
Fun little interactive touch-screen guide to the kiosks!
Lining the wall immediately outside of the lounge are some absolutely amazing sculptures by various Disney pastry chefs. All made with chocolate, sugar, etc. I LOVE watching this stuff being created on TV!
Gorgeous!
Beach Club!
Anyway, ON TO THE BOOTHS!
Our first stop was at the Caribbean kiosk, for an item on DH's list.
"Jerk-spiced Chicken Drumstick with Mango Chutney"
DH devoured this like an animal. Like I said, we were hungry! He said it was a perfectly cooked leg, BUT it seemed very light on the jerk seasoning. He loved the mango chutney!
Next we hit China, which turned into a buffet for us!
My pick: "Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce and Pickled Vegetables"
YUM. The chicken looked dry, but it wasn't at all. Very juicy, and a great flavor in the sauce! And as usual 'spicy' in Disney terms means 'mild' for the rest of us. The vegetables were crisp and delicious!
DH's pick: "Mongolian Beef in a Steamed Bun"
I was kind of surprised when I saw this, I was expecting a closed, stuffed bun, sort of like a nikuman. The bun, in DH's words, was like "a yummy taco"
and the noodles on it were VERY crunchy and a nice contrast. Two thumbs up! I wouldn't have minded trying this, but I wasn't fast enough, pfffbt.The sun was scorching today, so while in China DH decided he had to try this ridiculous concoction:
"Tipsy Ducks in Love: Creamy Cold Tea & Coffee blended with Bourbon, Whiskey and Chocolate."
He loved this drink even more than I loved the name of it. I took a sip and nearly fell over, this puppy is STROOOOOONG. I couldn't taste any flavor other than pure burning alcohol, but DH swears he could taste the chocolate and coffee and it was magical. I'll take his word for it, the last thing I want to drink in 90 degrees is anything alcoholic!
While we were melting away at the Joy of Tea stand I couldn't resist picking up a favorite treat:
"Caramel-ginger ice cream"
I just adore the flavor of this stuff, and it was a perfect treat on a sunny afternoon!
Moving on, next on DH's list was South Korea, where he picked up this rather unimpressive item:
"Mung Bean Pancake with Shrimp and Kimchi Sauce"
DH didn't hate this, but he didn't really enjoy it either. He described it as a very greasy shrimp cake without much flavor. He's a big kimchi fan but the sauce here just didn't add enough. He wished he'd gotten the lettuce wrap instead, which he enjoyed last year.
Onward we went, to Germany!
And low and behold, we each got this puppy!
"Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll"
Now, I hate sausage, and I avoid pork like the plague. But last year when DH had this and I tried a bite, I really loved it. I couldn't wait to get one for myself this year! But then they had to go and change the type of sausage! I half expected to hate it this year. But I didn't! At all! The bratwurst isn't QUITE as good as the old sausage, and has a bit more of a..typical spicy breakfast-sausagey kind of taste? But it wasn't greasy, it had a great 'snap' to its skin, and with the roll and mustard it was just delicious. Pretzel rolls make everything better! Although it'd be awesome if they'd heat the rolls just a bit. DH loved the sausage, but isn't a big fan of pretzel rolls, he finds them too dry.
After a much-needed break in some AC, we continued towards the America pavilion, home to my single favorite item in all of F&W:
PUMPKIN MOUSSE!
I'm an obsessive pumpkin devotee (I have probably about 12 different pumpkin-flavored items right now in my fridge alone) and I absolutely adored this mousse last year. But I only had one, and that simply wasn't enough. So this time I got three. Yes, three. Those are all MINE! I did generously, graciously offer to share with DH, but only because I knew he'd say no.
It was just as delicious as last year, except it was served a bit warmer than last year, when it was served very chilled. And these things are SO TINY, I thought I'd have no issues polishing them off. But by the third, it really started to hit me. Conquering F&W in one day is no easy task folks!
Luckily the next few booths were all up to DH!
First, the "Florida Local" booth, or as I called it, "Seriously? You're buying something from the Florida booth? Really?"
DH chose this:
"Florida Shrimp Ceviche with Fire Roasted Vegetables, Fried Plantains and Cilantro"
He really enjoyed this. It had a good amount of heat to it for Disney standards, and while I thought the portion size was laughable, it really was loaded with shrimp. He found it super refreshing and did wish it were bigger!
Another shot, just so you can see the size:
And next he hit up Singapore:
"Beef Rendang with Jasmine Rice"
Not...the most appetizing appearance but DH licked the plate clean on this one and declared it the BEST thing at F&W! It was VERY spicy, he loved the shredded texture, the portion was very generous, the rice was perfectly fluffy, it was just a winner all-around for him!
Our next stop was the one I'd most been looking forward to, Greece! The Oikos cups for $3.25 was appalling, though. DH and I live on greek yogurt and go through anywhere between 2-4 cups of Oikos per day at home. At three bucks a pop, we wouldn't be able to pay our mortgage! I know Disney is a business and needs to profit from mark-ups, but that just seemed so much worse to me than even a $2.50 bottle of water.
But I digress! Our selections at Greece were...
"Griddled Greek Cheese with Pistachios and Honey"
I wanted to love this, but I just really didn't. I think the pumpkin mousse had caught up to me so the super heavy creaminess of this cheese was just not a good fit at the time! The cheese is VERY mild, like a mozzarella, and the thick layer of hardened honey at the top made it very sweet. It had a good flavor, it just didn't wow me. DH wound up eating most of it and he really liked it!
"Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki"
DH thoroughly ridiculed me for ordering this. When we eat at our local greek restaurant, this is what I order every time. So yeah, boring, but hey sometimes it's good to stick with what you love! And what I really love is Tzatziki and a nice warm pita. <3 This was DELICIOUS. It was easily comparable to the restaurant at home, VERY fresh, the chicken was well seasoned, the tzatziki was generous, the overall portion was huge and it was probably my favorite item of the day!
Hawaii was next, where DH picked up an item that sounded tailor-made for him:
"Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise"
We both love hawaiian bread, and expected the roll to have that great sweet flavor, but DH said it was really just a very dry white roll. The pork was really good, but he couldn't taste the chutney or spicy mayo at all (though it was obviously generously heaped on!), so it didn't seem particularly special. A sad disappointment!
And the very last item for our F&W adventure, courtesy of the Desserts & Champagne Booth:
"Dark Chocolate Mousse with Chili and Salted Caramel"
Somehow I completely missed the 'chili' part in the description, and expected only chocolate and salted caramel. When I took my first bite, I got quite a surprise! I enjoy spicy chocolate, especially chocolate and cayenne, but it was ALL I could taste in this. I couldn't detect the caramel at all, and the chocolate was totally dulled out by the amount of chili. Could have just been because I hadn't expected it though!
Aaaaaand that concludes our afternoon at F&W! That was a whole lot of food for lunch, I don't think either of us will need dinner tonight!
DH had a few disappointments but I'd say overall the booths were a success for us. And the new cardboard trays are a HUGE improvement from the tiny plastic plates, they're much easier to hold and eat from. To wrap it up...
Winners!
C: Singapore's Beef Rendang
B: Greece's Chicken Souvlaki
Losers!
C: South Korea's Mung Bean Pancake
B: myself, after eating three pumpkin mousses!
And that's all for now!
