Flower & Garden festival fun!

[hereforthechurros]

Recently (April 18th & 21st to be exact), we hit up Epcot for the F&G festival. The menus appealed to me more than any lineup I'd seen in years and mostly didn't disappoint . Sadly I don't have time to do an all encompassing food review from this past trip, but I wanted to share what I could from the Festival since there were some great dishes. That, and it's where I actually remembered to take some (mostly low quality) pictures

Epcot really is at its best during F&G. The topiaries look like they should be there year round and some of the gardens are just so impressive. The UK Tea Garden was my favorite. Make sure you leave time to enjoy these! These are food reviews over two days of eating round the world. We shared most items, but I did have a solo morning at Epcot where I tried a few things on my own. Hi!

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[hereforthechurros]

Before jumping into the food/drinks, we bought the Spike the Bee scavenger hunt. Little more challenging than the holiday scavenger hunts as Spike is small and some of the gardens are elaborate, but still adorable. The prize was a cute Orange Bird to-go mug. Okay on to the food related content!



Festival Favorites (World Showplace)
Beef Brisket Burnt Ends and Smoked Pork Belly Slider with Garlic Sausage, Chorizo, Cheddar Fondue, and House-made Pickle
I mean... how can you go wrong with this, especially for the first dish of the day? And it lives up to it's very long and descriptive name. We shared this item as it was hearty and we didn't want to fill up too soon. The burnt ends were tender and smoke and the house-made pickle was the perfect addition. I didn't detect much pork belly sadly but I'm sure it was buried in there somewhere.

Key Lime Tart with Toasted Meringue
We are key lime dessert freaks so whenever I see a key lime anything, we gotta try it. And this was your typical run-of-the-mill Disney dessert. Not a ton of flavor, just very sweet. I wanted to get that hit of lime, but it was mild. And I prefer whipped cream to meringue but the meringue layer was light and creamy which worked well.

Farmer’s Feast (World Showplace)
81Bay Brewing Co. Watermelon Mint Wheat Ale, Tampa, Fla. (new).
We grabbed this beer to pair with the lime tart and it was SO GOOD. Watermelon and lime should be best friends. The beer was light and the mint was a nice addition. I would definitely order this beer again at future festivals. Or maybe Disney will get creative and start putting some of these on drafts at restaurants and resorts around the world.



Sorry for the discotheque lighting, things were getting funky in the Showplace. ​

 

[hereforthechurros]

Northern Bloom (Canada)
Goose Island Beer Company Lost Palate Hazy IPA with Mango and Cinnamon, Chicago, Ill. (new)
The mango and cinnamon combo had me intrigued. And the beer was delicious but neither mango nor cinnamon were really detectable. It was like they formed their own third flavor that was tasty but indiscernible. Worth a try. I don't have a picture of this one, but it looks like beer I promise.

Honey Bee-Stro
Tupelo Honey & Sweet Corn Spoon Bread with Jalapeños, Bacon, House-made Whipped Honey Butter
With honey all over the name and it being featured at the Honey booth I figured this baby would read sweet...but instead it was a savory bomb. So salty and buttery. There was honey dripped over the top but it was so light that it really didn't lend any sweet notes that it desperately needed. My son stole the bacon but it looked crispy. A good dish but didn't live up to the hype for us.
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[2xcited2sleep]

I will be adding the burnt ends sliders and watermelon ale to my to-try list! Can't wait to hear more about what you tried!

 

[DLo]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more. I am going in two weeks . I want to try the spoon bread for sure. Now not so interested in the key lime - appreciate the honesty. Might have to do the spike hunt - cute mug for the reward .

 

[hereforthechurros]

I will be adding the burnt ends sliders and watermelon ale to my to-try list! Can't wait to hear more about what you tried!

Definitely some of the best of the fest. Enjoy!

 

[hereforthechurros]

Following along. Looking forward to reading more. I am going in two weeks . I want to try the spoon bread for sure. Now not so interested in the key lime - appreciate the honesty. Might have to do the spike hunt - cute mug for the reward .

The spoon bread is for sure worth a try. The lime tart works if you’re craving a sweet when you cruise by, otherwise you won’t be missing much

Adding more tomorrow, it’s all typed up just need to get it copied here!

 

[hereforthechurros]

Sunshine Griddle
Blackened Shrimp & Cheddar Cheese Grits with Brown Gravy & Sweet Corn Salsa
I'm a simple person, I see shrimp and grits and I order it. This booth was highly reviewed all over social media so I figured we couldn't go wrong. But the dish was well, just mediocre. The shrimp was extremely tender but a little fishy. Seafood freshness is always a concern for me at festivals. The grits were plentiful but bland and not super creamy. The brown gravy on top was just that, some sort of brown mystery gravy. The sweet corn salsa offered little pops of freshness but sort of felt out of place. Sorry for the bad pic, we started eating before I had a chance to snap one. Same for the next pic!



Fried Cinnamon Roll Bites with Cream Cheese Frosting and Candied Bacon (new)
This dish was exactly as it sounds: freaking unhealthy but worth it. The cinnamon bites were freshly fried and the cinnamon sugar mix tasted like churros. WDW please find a way to apply your cinnamon roll bite technology to keep churros fresh. The candied bacon didn't add a ton of anything but just knowing it was there was comforting. It also had a creamy filling but would have been good without. Bottom line is this dish delivered on the goods. Hello you beautiful little pillow of heaven.



Pineapple Promenade
Pineapple Beer Flight
-3 Daughters Brewing Tropical Hefe Wheat Ale, St. Petersburg, FL (new)
-Wicked Weed Brewing Fresh Pressed Wheat Ale with Mango, Pineapple, and Guava, Asheville, N.C. (new)
-Lexington Brewing & Distilling Company Alo’hop IPA, Lexington, Ky (new)



Picture is from DFB since it was too dark to get a good one. Not much to say here as all were enjoyable. It was really humid by the time we sat down to drank these and it sort of killed the cold and the flavor of the beers. If I had to recommend one I would say the Alo-hop IPA.​

 

[hereforthechurros]

Lotus House
Bon Bon Chicken Skewer with Sesame and Peanut Sauce
I'd read great things about this dish but I didn't realize the meat is chicken thigh meat which isn't my fave so I skipped it. However the husband LOVED it. Said the sauce was one of the better peanut sauces he'd ever had. Nice and light as well and won't fill you up. Pic from DFB.


Fife & Drum
Half Note Float
Not technically a F&G item, but a special item being featured right now that my son wanted to try. It's layered with strawberry Fanta, lemonade, blue raspberry Fanta slushy, and vanilla ice cream topped with white chocolate artwork from the movie Soul. And it was just as sweet as it sounds. It was pricey and between the three of us we didn't even get through half of it, but it was cute and a nice treat for the kid who wasn't interested in any of the other festival eats. Plus we just love the movie so much.

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[hereforthechurros]

Magnolia Terrace
Pecan Cake with Maple Whipped Cream
You guys. This is the sleeper hit of the festival for me. I hadn't seen it reviewed but figured we'd give it a try. It was like, a super dense brown sugar coffee cake topped with warm caramel & toasted pecan sauce, and a generous scoop of cold whipped cream. My husband was quiet while eating it but once we were done he said "If I knew how to make this I would make it for every dinner party from here on out." So, so good, and the only dish I went back for a couple days later.

Sorry for the pic, it was dark. Here's a better one from WDW Magazine.

Parish Brewing Co. Ghost in the Machine Double IPA, Broussard, La
If you're a beer lover you know this is one of the highest rated IPAs you can get and since Parish doesn't distribute where I am, I was excited to finally try it. And it was a dream. Everything you want in an IPA, perfect amount of juiciness, but bold hops. So smooth. No picture, sorry!

Trowel & Trellis
Boneless Impossible Korean Short Rib with Cilantro-Lime Rice, Danmuji Slaw, & Kimchee Mayonnaise
First place of the savory dishes in my book. The "meat" is an unami bomb with great asian flavor, the kimchee mayo was zippy and creamy, the rice was perfectly cooked and a generous portion, but the Danmuji slaw was what pulled it all together. It also came with some bok choy that was a little tough, but I love vegetables and ate as much as I could. Order this with extra kimchee mayo for more kick. If we go again during F&G I'll be getting this dish again. And maybe even again after that. A+!

Parish Brewing Co. Bloom Hazy IPA, Broussard, La. (new)
I grabbed this to go with the short rib but it was just waaaaaay too strong. I was hoping it would be a juicy IPA but instead it was too booze forward and was the only beer I couldn't finish.

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[hereforthechurros]

Citrus Blossom
Citrus shortcake: Orange Chiffon Cake, Lemon Curd, Mandarins, Whipped Cream, and Citrus Crumble
After the super delicious and savory impossible short ribs, this was the perfect way to follow it up. I love citrus anything and everything in this dish was calling my name. And it was a perfect little not-too-sweet dessert. The cake was light as a cloud and the lemon curd was tangy. Crumble was a nice touch for some texture and whipped cream is always welcome at my party. Would recommend!

Islamorada Beer Company Coconut Key Lime Ale, Fort Pierce, Fla.
This paired absolutely perfectly with the citrus cake. The orange worked well with the lime was delicious together and the coconut was the perfect pairing. Another combo I hope to have again!



La Isla Fresca
Ivanhoe Park Brewing Co. Hibiscus Guavacation Sour Beer, Orlando, FL (new)
Sours are one of my favorites so I went out of my way to try this one, and it was an excellent sour. Tart, sweet, fruity, refreshing. And look at that color!

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[magickingdomprincess]

Thank you for posting these great reviews!

 

[kastoney]

WOW!!!! YUM!!!! BEER!!!!

Those are my 3 adjectives of the day. Seriously thanks so much for sharing all of these reviews. It's like we have our own reporter in the field bringing all of the Flower and Garden yumminess to those of us stuck at home. And it seriously couldn't have come at a better time b/c we will be there ourselves next month. So thanks for doing all the leg work for me!

 

[hereforthechurros]

Hanami
Shrimp and Crab with Spicy Mayonnaise and Cucumber Slices finished with Creamy Avocado and Violet Sauce (new)
Around <here> I was running out of steam but this dish looked so crisp and cold that I figured it wouldn't weigh me down. And it was! Perfect cold little bite which should be popular now that it's heating up down south. IMO they should cut the amount of crab/shrimp in half and double up on the spicy creamy avocado and violet sauce which were delicious; those teeny tiny little droplets barely did them justice. I scooped off half the seafood mixture from each slice and it was the perfect little one biter. Bonus - the sour guava beer I had just purchased paired with this expertly. Like a little tropical vacation in my mouth.



Refreshment Outpost
Pineapple Skewer with Tajin Seasoning
I had to finish on a light note. It was warm and cold pineapple sounded like the perfect match for the rest of my juicy Ghost in the Machine IPA. And it was! The pineapple could have been a touch more ripe but it was a super great little snack to end the festival on. Pic from AllEars.net ​

 

[hereforthechurros]

WOW!!!! YUM!!!! BEER!!!!

Those are my 3 adjectives of the day. Seriously thanks so much for sharing all of these reviews. It's like we have our own reporter in the field bringing all of the Flower and Garden yumminess to those of us stuck at home. And it seriously couldn't have come at a better time b/c we will be there ourselves next month. So thanks for doing all the leg work for me!

Ahhh so glad you're going back next month! The F&G festival will still be raging so you can try all the things. Seriously though great beer at every turn and lines were low at all the booths for both of our Epcot days. Hope you have the best time

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Thanks for this. My list is now started!

 

[hereforthechurros]

Thanks for following along! We won’t be back until Food & Wine and I’m so excited to see those menus. I hope the lineup is as solid as F&G.

 

[NOLA_Tink]

Your amazing pics and detailed reviews have me SO EXCITED about going to F&W Fest next month! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[olive]

So glad to see this! I have been kind of disappointed in how little there is about F&G on here. We are going next month and I cannot wait to try things. So much looks - and sounds - wonderful! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and pics.

 

[hereforthechurros]

So glad to see this! I have been kind of disappointed in how little there is about F&G on here. We are going next month and I cannot wait to try things. So much looks - and sounds - wonderful! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and pics.

I agree! I was hunting for firsthand accounts/reviews and not finding much here so wanted to share. Enjoy your trip!!