2017 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival: August 31, 2017 - November 13, 2017

[JerseyJanice]

The sour apple margarita from Mexico is pretty bad. I poured it out after 2 sips

I was very disappointed in it.

Last year’s jalapeño margarita was about 900 times better.

 

[amalone1013]

The sour apple margarita from Mexico is pretty bad. I poured it out after 2 sips

I was very disappointed in it.

Last year’s jalapeño margarita was about 900 times better.

Yeah... even between 4 of us, we had to give up a quarter of the way in. This was our first festival and really the only thing we didn't like at all.

 

[crazy4wdw]

They are sold out of the gingerbread hearts at the Germany kiosk and will not have any for the remainder of the festival, seems weird.

Also. The New Zealand kiosk was out of mussels around 12:30 today. I hope they have some tomorrow.

 

[leholcomb]

They are sold out of the gingerbread hearts at the Germany kiosk and will not have any for the remainder of the festival, seems weird.

Also. The New Zealand kiosk was out of mussels around 12:30 today. I hope they have some tomorrow.

They may have underestimated the desire for gingerbread and didn't order enough.

 

[georgina]

Thanks. I'd be happy with chicken (or beef). I'm a tad picky with seafood so just hoping that's not the main dish. Shrimp, lobster and some fish I like, other fish I don't nor mussels at all.

Glad you enjoyed your meal, shows and ice cream!

The appetizers both had crab in them, which I liked. I would not have liked mussels at all either.

 

[KDG]

They are sold out of the gingerbread hearts at the Germany kiosk and will not have any for the remainder of the festival, seems weird.

Also. The New Zealand kiosk was out of mussels around 12:30 today. I hope they have some tomorrow.

The day we went, Oct. 1, we were told the gingerbread cookies were sold out for the rest of the festival, too. And that was pretty early in the festival. They should take it off their menu sign so they don't have to keep explaining to all customers who want one.

 

[crazy4wdw]

By the way, if you're trying to reserve a seminar or demonstration on the day of the event and are told it is sold out at the information kiosk in the festival center, check the WDW app or website.

I had this happen yesterday. I was told the 1:30 beverage seminar was sold out. Didn't seem right as there were not that many people in the festival center. Checked the website, made a reservation, then went right back to the info kiosk to pick up ticket. The cm at the kiosk was surprised

 

[amalone1013]

They are sold out of the gingerbread hearts at the Germany kiosk and will not have any for the remainder of the festival, seems weird.

The day we went, Oct. 1, we were told the gingerbread cookies were sold out for the rest of the festival, too. And that was pretty early in the festival. They should take it off their menu sign so they don't have to keep explaining to all customers who want one.

This makes me laugh to myself... I walked up to the kiosk just before Illuminations for a water, and saw it on the sign and was going to get one. Until I saw it was $7 or whatever. I was like no, I'd rather have other snacks for $7!

 

[amalone1013]

Also, I ended up with two unused festival passports when I came home. If anyone would like them I could drop them in the mail at the end of the week.

 

[Chisoxcollector]

Below you will find my updated list of ratings for food and wine offerings. Items with an asterisk have been updated since my last post.

Food

*Pulled Duck Confit - Wine & Dine Studio (9/10, 9/10) - Tasty, tender, and a HUGE serving! Best item of the festival for sure!

*Teriyaki Glazed Spam Hash - Hawai'i (9/10, 8/10, 7/10) - I can't believe one of my favorite items is a Spam dish! Though the last one was a small portion with hardly any spam.

*Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle - Chocolate Studio (8/10, 8/10)

*Braised Beef “Stroganoff” - Cheese Studio (8/10) - Very tasty, and a hearty portion.

*Roasted Verlasso Salmon - Active Eats (8/10) - The chimichurri was amazing!

*Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Icing - Hops & Barley (8/10)

*Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote - Belgium (8/10)

*Pão de Queijo - Brazil (8/10)

*Piggy Wings - Flavors From Fire (8/10, 7/10)

Quesito - Islands of the Caribbean (8/10)

Spinach and Paneer Cheese Pocket - Africa (7/10, 8/10, 8/10) - Has a nice spice to it.

Tipsy Laird - Scotland (8/10)

*Baked Shrimp Scampi Dip - Coastal Eats (7/10, 7/10, 9/10) - Great flavor, but the Shrimp was chewy the first two times.

Salmon BLT Sushi Roll - Japan (9/10, 5/10) - The first one was amazing. All I tasted the second time was lettuce and tomato.

Passion Fruit Cheesecake - Hawai'i (7/10)

Croissant aux Escargots - France (7/10) - So buttery!

*Seared Scallops - Coastal Eats (7/10, 7/10)

Korma Chicken - India (7/10)

*Crispy Pork Belly - Brazil (7/10, 7/10)

*Kalua Pork Slider - Hawai'i (8/10, 5/10) - Second one had tough, chewy meat and a completely soggy bun.

Traditional Scottish Lamb Stew - Scotland (7/10)

Seared Shrimp and Scallop Cake - Thailand (7/10)

Black Pepper Shrimp - China (7/10, 7/10)

*Zesty Cheeseburger and Cheddar Cheese Macaroni Handwich - Craft Beers (7/10)

Peanut Butter White Chocolate Mousse - Earth Eats (7/10)

Loaded Mac ‘n’ Cheese - Active Eats (7/10)

Warm Cheddar Cheese and Stout Dip - Ireland (7/10)

*Smoked Corned Beef - Flavors From Fire (9/10, 5/10, 5/10) - Delicious the first time. The corned beef was borderline inedible the other times, though the chips and cheese were still good.

*Pistachio Cardamom Bundt Cake - India (7/10)

*Beer Braised Beef - Belgium (7/10)

Cheese Trio - Cheese Studio (7/10)

Charcuterie in a Cone - Spain (7/10)

Crème Brûlée à la Confiture de Framboises - France (6/10) - Could have been a tad sweeter. Almost tasted like milk.

Savory Caramelized Onion Boursin Garlic Cheese Tart - Cheese Studio (6/10) - Huge portion, but only okay taste.

Lump Crab Cake - Coastal Eats (6/10)

Chocolate Picante - Flavors From Fire (6/10) - Dense, but good flavor.

Wasabi Shumai Steamed Pork Dumplings - Japan (6/10) - Wife HATED these.

Roasted Irish Sausage - Ireland (6/10)

Seafood Salad - Spain (6/10) - Quite oily with TONS of bell peppers. What little seafood there was tasted pretty good.

Grilled Tuna Tataki - Hawaii (6/10)

Smoked Beef Brisket and Pimento Cheese - Hops & Barley (6/10)

Beef Empanada - Patagonia (6/10) - A bit too sweet.

L'Orange Cotton Candy - Craft Beers (6/10)

Almond Breeze Strawberry Smoothie - Almond Orchard (6/10)

*Crispy Chicken - Farm Fresh (5/10, 6/10)

*Warm Goat Cheese Pudding with Spinach - France (5/10)

*Grilled Lamb T-bone - Australia (5/10) - Fatty, tough, and chewy. Bring back the lamb chop!

Sweet Pancake - Flavors From Fire (5/10) - Pancake was extremely dense.

Cauliflower Risotto - Almond Orchard (5/10)

Fresh Potato Pancake - Scotland (4/10) - Is the smoked salmon supposed to be hot? It was somewhat off putting.

Tequila and Chipotle Shrimp - Mexico (3/10) - The Shrimp were decent, but the thing they were served on was horrible.

Sweet Avocado Crema - Active Eats (2/10) - This just did not work for me. The wife liked it well enough.


Drinks

*Mango Bubble Tea - China (9/10, 9/10, 8/10, 9/10, 9/10, 9/10) - So refreshing! Third one didn't have as much mango flavor, but it was still good. All others were awesome!

Moët & Chandon Brut Rosé Imperial Champagne - Almond Orchard (8/10)

*Italian Margarita - Italy (8/10, 8/10, 8/10) - Extremely weak, but a very good, refreshing frozen lemonade!

Kurt Russell's Gogi Pinot Noir - Earth Eats (7/10)

*Spiked Chai Latte (frozen) - Future World East Joffrey’s cart (7/10)

*Two Henrys Elderberry Cream Hard Cider - Farm Fresh (6/10)

Frozen Caipirinha - Brazil (6/10)

Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Yellow Label Brut Champagne - Almond Orchard (6/10)

RGB (strawberry kiwi apple freeze) - Light Lab (3/10)

 

[supersnoop]

Am I the only one who thought the SPAM hash was terrible?

 

[elgerber]

Am I the only one who thought the SPAM hash was terrible?

Yep LOL. Seriously, the best thing I have tried in a really long time

 

[sherlockmiles]

Am I the only one who thought the SPAM hash was terrible?

That's ok. I just means for the rest of us.

side note - we hated the spicy apple margarita drink too.

 

[Tess]

Yep LOL. Seriously, the best thing I have tried in a really long time

That's ok. I just means for the rest of us.

side note - we hated the spicy apple margarita drink too.

Loved the Spam hash. I hated that stuff as a kid and could not believe I enjoyed it as much as I did. I would eat it again without question.

Has anyone enjoyed that spicy apple margarita--none in our group of six did and I spoke to people who were trying to choke it down who concurred--it was horrid. Total fail!

 

[Disney & ME]

Am I the only one who thought the SPAM hash was terrible?

We did not like it either and I love Spam. Found it too salty.

 

[pepperandchips]

Am I the only one who thought the SPAM hash was terrible?

We did not like it either and I love Spam. Found it too salty.

Same here. Too salty to finish, and I love salty foods. That's something that could vary from serving to serving so maybe we got overly seasoned ones?

 

[Mika02]

Am I the only one who thought the SPAM hash was terrible?

We did not like it either and I love Spam. Found it too salty.

Same here. Too salty to finish, and I love salty foods. That's something that could vary from serving to serving so maybe we got overly seasoned ones?

Mine was super salty and I like salt in my food I felt like it needed something sweet to balance it like some pineapple or something. Maybe it's the person who makes the batch at that time.

 

[mbtohill]

Just back from 3 days at F&W this past weekend with a few observations

Sunday and Monday crowds were VERY light, did not wait for anything ever, all day.

Favorites were:

Anything from Flavors of Fire, seriously all 3 "entrees" and the chocolate picante dessert were AWESOME.

The Duck Confit and Scallops at Wine and Dine were excellent.

Really liked the Caramelized Onion Tart at the Cheese Studio was very good and HUGE!!

Was pleasantly surprised by the Spinach and Paneer Cheese Pocket with Mint Raita from Africa, the Raita makes the dish

Enjoyed the Cauliflower Risotto from the Almond Orchard

The Roasted Beet salad from Farm Fresh was pretty good, a little too much going on, tastes muddled together.

Agree with most that the Terayaki Spam from Hawaii was excellent

Enjoyed the Korma Chicken from India, really good flavors

Seafood Salad and Sweet Olive oil cake from Spain was delicious

The only "misses" for us were the Salmon BLT Sushi from Japan, had low expectations to begin with, but it literally had NO salmon in it...and just don't waste your time with the Light Lab, not really anything worth seeing or tasting in our opinion.

All in all a very good year this year, already looking forward to next year!

 

[JerseyJanice]

The smoked corned beef over chips seems to be very popular, but I thought it was insanely salty. With the sample I had, the meat itself, the cheese sauce and the chips were all heavily salted.

 

[karrit2000]

The smoked corned beef over chips seems to be very popular, but I thought it was insanely salty. With the sample I had, the meat itself, the cheese sauce and the chips were all heavily salted.

I found this dish to be way too salty also. I liked it but by the end I felt like I needed to drink a gallon of water. It has potential but they need to figure out how to make it less salty. Having seen the reviews from multiple bloggers I knew to expect the excessive salt in this dish. I really wish the chefs would realize the sodium content in many of the items they use negates the need to add any salt to their recipes. Most of these dishes should be made without additional salt as an ingredient. Let the guests salt to taste.