2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival *HAS ENDED*

[bailman]

We took our 5 kids to the festival this past Friday. We had fun! Everything we sampled was good. I will say, though, that it is not cheap to eat your way around the world! We spent over $150 that night. I took tons of pics. Check it out. http://thefloridafamily.com/2012/10/15/food-and-wine-festival-2012-review/

Love your review! Thanks for sharing. I think I want one of everything you guys got! Going in early November, can't wait!

 

[raraavis]

We are going to the 3D Dessert Party NEXT Saturday!! So excited!!

Has anyone been to a previous one? Any experiences?

i'm going on oct. 26th, so i'm interested in hearing about people's experiences this year too!

 

[beroh2253]

1 Day to Go

 

[PNO4TE]

Did anyone attend any of the Food & Wine events at the Swan & Dolphin Oct 12th and 13th?? Looked interesting but we had to go home the 11th.

We thoght the kiosk offerings were better this year!!!
Loved Canada (so glad they got rid of that stinky salmon),New Zealand, Belgum, Italy, France, and the second flight of beers in Germany was our absolute favorite!!!!

We went to both evenings and really enjoyed ourselves.

I also thought that overall the offerings at WDW's F&W fest were better this year. I, however, missed the salmon (but LOVED the filet!).

 

[SMorgan711]

i'm going on oct. 26th, so i'm interested in hearing about people's experiences this year too!

That's the one I'm going to as well! For some reason I though it was next Saturday but it's NEXT Friday! OOPS! One day sooner!

 

[raraavis]

That's the one I'm going to as well! For some reason I though it was next Saturday but it's NEXT Friday! OOPS! One day sooner!

do you have general seating, or did you buy sweet seats? we decided to forgo the sweet seats. we planned to be walking around the stations too much to sit for long anyway. do you happen to know if there are ledges or ample cocktail tables for us to eat at? sitting isn't important to us, but i sure appreciate having a place to set my drink while i eat my food. either way, we'll manage. i'm super excited for this event!

 

[lgcountry]

We did this on Sunday, October 7th, and it is truly the BEST event we've ever done at F&W...

Hilda was our host and between her, and Darwin, who introduced the food, we had a fantastic time. The food was very good, and the tequila and pairings were excellent. Hilda is very energetic and interactive and so much fun!! You learn quite a bit about tequila and have a great time doing it!

We asked them to sign the mats our tequilas were on, which they did, as well as took tons of pictures afterwards...

You sit at mixed tables and there were four of us, along with another couple and we all got along really well, which of course helps!! The whole room was into it and a lot of fun!!

You start out with a Rosita margarita which is delicious! It has rose petals in it

The table is set with three champagne flutes with three different tequilas, a shot glass filled with a dark liquer and another shot glass half filled with a clear liquid that turns out to be vodka...Hilda will explain why! (Or Humberto, as I understand he is also hosting these events)...

Each of the tequilas is paired with a different course and the host will explain about each tequila and Darwin (for us, I think he's the manager of La Hacienda) will explain the food before or as it's being served. All of the servers were top of the line, patient and polite!!

There are three food courses and a dessert course. All of the food was delicious and perfectly cooked. The first course was a scallop, which I'm not particularly fond of and it was DELICIOUS! The second course was a mini pork
taco, the third course was a combination fish and steak...the fish (corvina) was light and flaky and the steak was a NY strip...both were excellent, though I like my steak on the rare side and this was definitely medium. Probably my only complaint about the meal... The dessert was a meringue which I loved, though not everyone did...some people didn't like the crunchy texture but I thought it was delicious.

After lunch was over the chef came out to answer any questions about the food...we'd never heard of corvina so he talked about that a little. We also hung around for a bit afterwards and took pictures with all of them.

They really thrive on guest interaction, so if you have any questions or comments, throw them their way!! They are a class act and this is one we would definitely do again!!

Feel free to ask any questions!!

Lisa

Thanks so much for the great review. Now I'm really excited!

 

[SMorgan711]

do you have general seating, or did you buy sweet seats? we decided to forgo the sweet seats. we planned to be walking around the stations too much to sit for long anyway. do you happen to know if there are ledges or ample cocktail tables for us to eat at? sitting isn't important to us, but i sure appreciate having a place to set my drink while i eat my food. either way, we'll manage. i'm super excited for this event!

We actually did get the Sweet Seats. This is our first time so we weren't sure what to expect. Also, my dad had heart surgery in June so we wanted to make sure at least he had a seat. I'm really excited for it too! I'm surprised there's not more reviews!

 

[Quacktatty]

I have two questions related to the deminars:

I have tickets for two deminars on Wed, Oct 24 that I will not be able to use. Can I pick up the tickets and then "donate" them back to WDW to either resell or give away?

I need an extra ticket for a deminar on Sunday, Oct 28. If I go to the Festival Center at Rope Drop is there a chance that some tickets have been set aside for day of purchase?

 

[CWarkenthien]

Just came back from making my way around world. We walking around Wednesday, Oct. 17th at night, and midday on Thursday, Oct 18th. No lines! This was the 3rd year that I've attended and have never seen the lines soooo short. I was able to go to France twice, usually I can't even stand the wait to stop by once.

I'm sure the midweek visit had something to do with the short lines, but let's just say I wasn't complaining!

 

[raraavis]

We actually did get the Sweet Seats. This is our first time so we weren't sure what to expect. Also, my dad had heart surgery in June so we wanted to make sure at least he had a seat. I'm really excited for it too! I'm surprised there's not more reviews!

yeah, my fiance and i were talking about sweet seats and decided that we don't need them. we said if we had a physical health issue, then we would have bought the upgrade. so what you say makes total sense. for us, sitting and having a table is just a convenience, not a necessity. i'm just hoping for a ledge to set my drinks/food on so i can take pictures

 

[LisaS]

I have two questions related to the deminars:

I have tickets for two deminars on Wed, Oct 24 that I will not be able to use. Can I pick up the tickets and then "donate" them back to WDW to either resell or give away?

The tickets have only the date and time printed on them, no names or confirmation numbers, so you can certainly donate them back to Disney or give them away yourself. At our first F&W, we decided to skip one of the deminars we had booked. We gave the tickets to a couple we had met in the festival center who didn't know you could book ahead of time and were disappointed to learn all of the seminars were sold out that day. They were happy to get them, we were happy the tickets weren't wasted.

I need an extra ticket for a deminar on Sunday, Oct 28. If I go to the Festival Center at Rope Drop is there a chance that some tickets have been set aside for day of purchase?

I don't know the answer to this but perhaps someone else here does. Good luck!

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

I have tickets for two deminars on Wed, Oct 24 that I will not be able to use. Can I pick up the tickets and then "donate" them back to WDW to either resell or give away?

Call 1-407-WDW-FEST as soon as possible. Although the tickets are nonrefundable, you may get a someone who can apply what you've spent to a different deminar. Tell them that an unexpected time conflict has come up, and that you hope they can help you. (I was successful doing this a couple of years ago.)

Yes, you can also give the tickets away to someone else, but you'll have to pick the tickets up personally before the deminar on the day of the deminar (with an ID). Just giving someone else the confirmation number won't work.

If you don't pick up the tickets, your seats will stay empty.

I need an extra ticket for a deminar on Sunday, Oct 28. If I go to the Festival Center at Rope Drop is there a chance that some tickets have been set aside for day of purchase?

Yes, in previous years, ever since they went to tickets, they've always held back around 20% of the tickets for sale on the day of the deminar. I would assume they're doing so again this year.

For genuine celebrity chefs, there may be a lot of guests for those few tickets. For other deminars, just getting there reasonably early should be enough.

 

[mbtohill]

Just back from two full days with DW. A few observations:

Crowds seemed very manageable, Wednesday evening was a little crowded do to EMH, but otherwise not an issue at all.

Food was OUTSTANDING as usual, a few standouts for us were the Lettuce Wrap with Roasted Pork and Kimchi Slaw from South Korea, both of the tacos from Mexico, the Ropa Vieja with Cilantro Rice from Caribbean, the Kefta Pocket from Morocco, the filet from Canada and the Schinken Nudel from Germany.

Beer favorites included Widmer Bros. Rotator IPA at Craft Beers, Unibroue Pistoles from the Canadian Beer cart (not the food cart), the Sion Kolsch at Brewer's collection.

My wife enjoyed the bubbly, particularly the Chandon Caneros served at the Festival Center. She also enjoyed the Sangria from Morocco.

Two full days is more than enough time as we devote the entire two days to the festival, 11-9 each day. Take our time, enjoy the sights and GORGEOUS weather.

All in all a great trip, already looking forward to next year.

 

[Skoolie]

Just back from two full days with DW. A few observations:

Crowds seemed very manageable, Wednesday evening was a little crowded do to EMH, but otherwise not an issue at all.

Food was OUTSTANDING as usual, a few standouts for us were the Lettuce Wrap with Roasted Pork and Kimchi Slaw from South Korea, both of the tacos from Mexico, the Ropa Vieja with Cilantro Rice from Caribbean, the Kefta Pocket from Morocco, the filet from Canada and the Schinken Nudel from Germany.

Beer favorites included Widmer Bros. Rotator IPA at Craft Beers, Unibroue Pistoles from the Canadian Beer cart (not the food cart), the Sion Kolsch at Brewer's collection.

My wife enjoyed the bubbly, particularly the Chandon Caneros served at the Festival Center. She also enjoyed the Sangria from Morocco.

Two full days is more than enough time as we devote the entire two days to the festival, 11-9 each day. Take our time, enjoy the sights and GORGEOUS weather.

All in all a great trip, already looking forward to next year.

Loved the widner Bros IPA as well. I can't wait to try the tacos from Mexico, and the filet from Canada was outstanding. We loved the Schinken Nudel but it tasted like something our mom makes for brunch, She is half German, so maybe that was why, but it didn't have as much ham as we would have likes, could have just been the piece we were served.

I'll probably go at least two more times so thanks for the updates.

 

[Skoolie]

So here is the rundown. (Scale of food is 1-5)

1. Greece - Greek Salad with Pita Bread, Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki and Spanakopita. What I really liked about the spanakopita this year was that they cut it in half. Perfect for sharing and a lot easier to eat. I also for it seemed to have more filling than the time I had it before and the flavors were not as subtle which is fantastic. The Greek salad is typical but good and the chicken souvlaki had a great flavor to it although it lacked a bit in substance. It either needed a larger piece of chicken or some thing else to go along with it on the pita. My cousin actually scooped some of her salad onto the Souvlaki and rolled it up and ate it like that. She enjoyed it better that way.

Spanakopita - 4 stars
Chicken Souvlaki 3 stars
Greek Salad 3 Stars

2. Canada - Round 1 and 2 Winner for best All around booth.
Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup, Chicken Chipotle Sausage with Sweet Corn Polenta and "Minus 8" Onion Jam, "Le Cellier" Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce. With all the offerings Canada may not seem like the most exciting at first but it's solid, full of flavor and is a must visit. The cheddar cheese soup is bursting with a creamy cheese and beer base, onions, scallions, and to top it all off ,a smoky bacon flavor. It's got some spicy to it but the creamy richness keeps it in balance. This is one you'll want the recipe for. The chicken chipotle sausage was smoky with a firm outside that when you bit into it snapped and exuded flavor, to compliment its flavor it was served with a sweet corn polenta and the onion jam. They just went together so well. Then the Wild Mushroom Beef filet mignon is the king. Rich, tender, it melts in your mouth, the mushrooms stand along side with a wonderful earthy flavor that is only highlighted with the butter sauce.

Cheddar Cheese Soup - 5 Stars
Chicken Chipotle Sausage with Polenta and onion jam - 4 stars
Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon - 5 stars

3. New Zealand - Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato Chutney
It's served in a little soft bread type bowl, like a popover . The lamb is cooked well and is not dry but a perfect meatball, the bread part helps tone down the spice and the tomato adds a sauciness to it all. It is a bit filling but can be shared between 2 or even 3 people.

Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato Chutney - 4.5 Stars

Italy - Ravioli, Cannoli
My cousin was excited for the Ravioli, which all for of us shared, but it was pretty dull. We've all had much better. I think this dish is designed for kids who love ravioli. Very run of the mill. When my 17 year old cousin tells me she was a little disappointed in it, it's a sign that this is one to skip unless you have picky kids that just want some ravioli with cheese. The Cannoli on the other hand was good. the outside of the canoli was dipped in chocolate and the riccota filling was a nice flavor that was not too sweet. It said there was candied fruit, but I didn't see or notice that at all.

Ravioli - 2 Stars
Cannoli - 3 Stars

Germany - Gets a nod for all around as well.
Schinken Nudel, Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll, Apple Strudel with Karamel-Vanilla Sauce. First up the Schinken Nudel which is a Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese. It was more eggy than I thought it was going to be. It was good but as my sister and my cousin mentioned this taste like something my mom makes for brunch and they are right. Granted she is also part German, but it just seemed like a pretty normal dish to us, plus it didn't have that much ham in it at all. The bratwurst in a pretzel roll was a hit. If you don't want to look like a porn star eating it, it's pretty easy to cut in half and pretty easy to share. The Apple Strudel is served at the food and wine fest is a bit different than the one served inside the BierGarten at Epcot. It has golden raisins in it, and it also comes with some
carmel sauce added to the vanilla sauce. This is always delicious and is a solid dessert that never lets me down.

Schinken Nudel - 3 Stars
Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll - 4.5 Stars
Apple Strudel with Karamel-Vanilla Sauce - 5 Stars

Cheese - Trio of Artisan Cheeses: Beecher's Flagship Reserve Cheddar, La Bonne Vie Goat Brie and Rogue River Creamery Echo Mountain Blue Cheese)
I liked the Beechers Flagship Cheddar, this was accompanied with honey. I never thought I'd like honey and cheddar together but this was delicious. The Goat Brie was good and served with a sweet component and the Blue Cheese was served with a cracker.

Trio of Artisan Cheese - 4 Stars

China - Pork Pot Stickers
We split these. When my sister said. "Eh this is okay, I've had better at P.F Changs" I laughed. These are missing a lot of flavor, and you need the sauce on the plate to just try and make up for it.

Pork Pot Stickers - 2 Stars

October Hint: For the month of October if you go, check out the model train in Germany. There is a halloween surprise.

I had a great time.

 

[EPCOT is a verb]

So here is the rundown. (Scale of food is 1-5)

1. Greece - Greek Salad with Pita Bread, Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki and Spanakopita. What I really liked about the spanakopita this year was that they cut it in half. Perfect for sharing and a lot easier to eat. I also for it seemed to have more filling than the time I had it before and the flavors were not as subtle which is fantastic. The Greek salad is typical but good and the chicken souvlaki had a great flavor to it although it lacked a bit in substance. It either needed a larger piece of chicken or some thing else to go along with it on the pita. My cousin actually scooped some of her salad onto the Souvlaki and rolled it up and ate it like that. She enjoyed it better that way.

Spanakopita - 4 stars
Chicken Souvlaki 3 stars
Greek Salad 3 Stars

2. Canada - Round 1 and 2 Winner for best All around booth.
Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup, Chicken Chipotle Sausage with Sweet Corn Polenta and "Minus 8" Onion Jam, "Le Cellier" Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce. With all the offerings Canada may not seem like the most exciting at first but it's solid, full of flavor and is a must visit. The cheddar cheese soup is bursting with a creamy cheese and beer base, onions, scallions, and to top it all off ,a smoky bacon flavor. It's got some spicy to it but the creamy richness keeps it in balance. This is one you'll want the recipe for. The chicken chipotle sausage was smoky with a firm outside that when you bit into it snapped and exuded flavor, to compliment its flavor it was served with a sweet corn polenta and the onion jam. They just went together so well. Then the Wild Mushroom Beef filet mignon is the king. Rich, tender, it melts in your mouth, the mushrooms stand along side with a wonderful earthy flavor that is only highlighted with the butter sauce.

Cheddar Cheese Soup - 5 Stars
Chicken Chipotle Sausage with Polenta and onion jam - 4 stars
Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon - 5 stars

3. New Zealand - Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato Chutney
It's served in a little soft bread type bowl, like a popover . The lamb is cooked well and is not dry but a perfect meatball, the bread part helps tone down the spice and the tomato adds a sauciness to it all. It is a bit filling but can be shared between 2 or even 3 people.

Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato Chutney - 4.5 Stars

Italy - Ravioli, Cannoli
My cousin was excited for the Ravioli, which all for of us shared, but it was pretty dull. We've all had much better. I think this dish is designed for kids who love ravioli. Very run of the mill. When my 17 year old cousin tells me she was a little disappointed in it, it's a sign that this is one to skip unless you have picky kids that just want some ravioli with cheese. The Cannoli on the other hand was good. the outside of the canoli was dipped in chocolate and the riccota filling was a nice flavor that was not too sweet. It said there was candied fruit, but I didn't see or notice that at all.

Ravioli - 2 Stars
Cannoli - 3 Stars

Germany - Gets a nod for all around as well.
Schinken Nudel, Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll, Apple Strudel with Karamel-Vanilla Sauce. First up the Schinken Nudel which is a Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese. It was more eggy than I thought it was going to be. It was good but as my sister and my cousin mentioned this taste like something my mom makes for brunch and they are right. Granted she is also part German, but it just seemed like a pretty normal dish to us, plus it didn't have that much ham in it at all. The bratwurst in a pretzel roll was a hit. If you don't want to look like a porn star eating it, it's pretty easy to cut in half and pretty easy to share. The Apple Strudel is served at the food and wine fest is a bit different than the one served inside the BierGarten at Epcot. It has golden raisins in it, and it also comes with some
carmel sauce added to the vanilla sauce. This is always delicious and is a solid dessert that never lets me down.

Schinken Nudel - 3 Stars
Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll - 4.5 Stars
Apple Strudel with Karamel-Vanilla Sauce - 5 Stars

Cheese - Trio of Artisan Cheeses: Beecher's Flagship Reserve Cheddar, La Bonne Vie Goat Brie and Rogue River Creamery Echo Mountain Blue Cheese)
I liked the Beechers Flagship Cheddar, this was accompanied with honey. I never thought I'd like honey and cheddar together but this was delicious. The Goat Brie was good and served with a sweet component and the Blue Cheese was served with a cracker.

Trio of Artisan Cheese - 4 Stars

China - Pork Pot Stickers
We split these. When my sister said. "Eh this is okay, I've had better at P.F Changs" I laughed. These are missing a lot of flavor, and you need the sauce on the plate to just try and make up for it.

Pork Pot Stickers - 2 Stars

October Hint: For the month of October if you go, check out the model train in Germany. There is a halloween surprise.

I had a great time.

Thanks for the wonderful review! We will be there SOON!

 

[Epcot Mom]

We are just back from a quick weekend at the Festival. I was pleasantly surprised to find the filet in Canada a decent, and much larger than expected portion. We have eaten this in the restaurant many times. The value of what you get outside was fantastic.

Other major observation is regarding PFTS. This was our 6th party in 7 years. Over the years, while the food is always very tasty and "foodie" in composure, it was much more pedestrian in the protein offerings this year. Usually you can count on a large percentage of the dishes being offered something outside of beef/pork/chicken, your usual grocery store fare. While there were a few, it was heavy on pork and less out of the box choices.

Other comment is regarding tables. We didn't see the reserved seating being such a big deal. I called the day the tickets went on sale but not right at opening. Of course, none to be had so we were general admission. To be honest, we weren't that concerned about it as we really haven't been the couple that run in to claim a table anyway. We like wandering around and just stopping at one high table then the next to enjoy our dish and move onto the next area. Not an option any more.

There were very few high tables. The unreserved seated tables were plentiful but certainly not enough for every guest, nor do I think they should be. The main problem was there were not enough high tables around and the few that there were often had someone who felt it was "their" table and were offended if you wanted to set your wine glass down, eat your dish then move on. In years past, we found many people at the party moved around from high table to high table and it wasn't a big deal.

I guess with adding more seated tables, whether reserved or unreserved, there was just less floor space for high tables and significantly less space for walking around. We found we were wanting for a little elbow room even more than a table to set our wine glass on for a minute.

Having said all that, the party was very fun as always. We enjoyed good food and wine, it just needs a little adjustment on the proportion of tables (seated and high) to floor space. They were taking email addresses for surveys so I'm sure they will hear it in the comments. Still, a great time and really fun evening!

 

[TDC Nala]

I was down at Epcot for 11 days.

Even the weekdays are more crowded now. On weekdays you will find a lot of people in the Showcase but the booth lines are short. On Sundays you will find longer lines at food booths, but still manageable although if you're looking to do attractions there was a 40 minute wait for Maelstrom on Sunday and I hardly ever see that. Friday nights after about 5 PM and Saturdays are nearly unmanageable. If you must go on a Saturday, get there when WS opens. Crowds will increase by noon. Lines will be around the corners by 1.

La Cava del Tequila has ceased serving any food other than chips and salsa for the duration of the festival. No guac, no queso.

Best concert (for that week): Smashmouth
Best Festival event: Tequila lunch
Best food at a Festival event: Via Napoli beer pairing
Best alcoholic beverage: Grapefruit beer (Brewers Collection in Germany)
Best booth food: Singapore Mahi Mahi
Worst booth food: Shrimp mung bean pancake (South Korea)
Best deal: Sam Adams beer flight (4 6 oz pours for $10)

I might get the table for PFTS next year, will have to see the pricing. I've never seen the tall standing tables "guarded" by guests before - this time, they were. So you literally couldn't put down your glass in order to eat your food.

 

[cdtommie]

Hi TDC, got the beer sampler at Germany on Sunday...didn't like the grapefruit beer at all (peddled it off on my wife - was way too sweet and cloying for me). I survived Survivor thanks to Mr Beam Red Stag and some napkins stuffed in my ears. Heading to the Italy beer pairing this afternoon. Have to try the Mahi Mahi at Singapore after.