2019 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival: August 29-November 23, 2019

[crazy4wdw]

So there is a set price per restaurant even if it is a non-buffet restaurant?

Any suggestions on a restaurant for this? Havent really eaten at many World Showcase restaurants due to skipping Epcot (and World Showcase) the last few years when we were going with our young children.

Yes, it's a set price by each restaurant. You're able to order anything off the menu (one appetizer, on entree, one dessert per person).
The prices are listed here: http://allears.net/2019-epcot-international-food-and-wine-festival-eat-to-the-beat-dining-packages/

I'd take a look at the menus at the individual restaurants to make a choice. The Garden Grill at The Land is one of the choices, it has Disney characters which your children might enjoy. Also, there's the Coral Reef which overlooks the aquarium in the Living Seas Pavilion which children might enjoy (If your children are coming on this trip!).

If you book online, your concert time is selected for you and don't know what that time is until you get to the end of the reservation process. That's why I'd call Disney Dining if you're going to book this.

 

[tlmadden73]

Yes, it's a set price by each restaurant. You're able to order anything off the menu (one appetizer, on entree, one dessert per person).
The prices are listed here: http://allears.net/2019-epcot-international-food-and-wine-festival-eat-to-the-beat-dining-packages/

I'd take a look at the menus at the individual restaurants to make a choice. The Garden Grill at The Land is one of the choices, it has Disney characters which your children might enjoy. Also, there's the Coral Reef which overlooks the aquarium in the Living Seas Pavilion which children might enjoy (If your children are coming on this trip!).

If you book online, your concert time is selected for you and don't know what that time is until you get to the end of the reservation process. That's why I'd call Disney Dining if you're going to book this.

Woof .. that is darn pricy. $55-80? For restaurants More expensive than character meals? Heck I have eaten at Garden Grille before, (back in 2017) .. so it appears there is a $10-20 premium to get guaranteed seating.

So .. seems like the dining plan .. were you pay way more than you would probably normally eat. I dont see my wife and I needing two appetizers and two desserts in addition to the entrees -- Just way too much food. (especially after a day potentially sampling things from food booths)

Not having been to any of these concerts, is that cost worth it? I am leaning towards no.
Are the concerts just able to wait for normally I assume.

 

[TeresaWen]

Attended the Italian regional lunch yesterday. Awesome as usual. I was so very impressed with how well allergies are managed!

The wine was not quite as free flowing as in the past but folks were able to ask the servers for refills.

 

[gismo1554]

Hummm - When I had the mac and cheese, "salty" was the first word that came to mind.

Must have been a bad day maybe!

Hummus Fries are in Morocco. Greece is not a booth at the festival this year.

Oops serves me write for trying to confuse th8ngs lol I’ve correct thanks! No clue what made me think it was Greece

 

[randumb0]

Attended the Italian regional lunch yesterday. Awesome as usual. I was so very impressed with how well allergies are managed!

The wine was not quite as free flowing as in the past but folks were able to ask the servers for refills.

Do you have any pics?

 

[TeresaWen]

Do you have any pics?

Yes. They are pretty bad . I’ll try

I’m including the included dish & the allergy one.

Risotto - they subbed pasta with beans & mushrooms. No dairy or soy.

Halibut - they left off sauce.

Cheese - I got prosciutto & melon.

Desert - I got fruit

 

[crazy4wdw]

Not having been to any of these concerts, is that cost worth it? I am leaning towards no.
Are the concerts just able to wait for normally I assume.

I'd say no unless it's a very popular band, like Hanson.

 

[GoGoBeans]

We were at the Italian Regional on Wednesday too. We had a great table and were the rowdy ones toasting for red. There were more whites on the menu and our table preferred the reds. Overall a lot to drink and a whole lot of fun.

The cheese course was excellent and the risotto delish. The halibut had a good flavor (albeit texture wise a bit pasty). Pork tenderloin was simple and good. Needed that solid protein. I’m not a duck fan so didn’t try that, table mates said they enjoyed. Biggest raves other than the cheers for reds was cheese.

 

[GoGoBeans]

Our fun continued with the Tokyo Pairing. Despite not being an adventurous eater and being worried that I would go hungry going into it, there was a lot to enjoy. Overall it was an amazing experience and presentation. Not rowdy.

Welcome drink was Orion beer and the first course was a variety of seaweed and tuna. Followed by yummy pork belly. I like beer and I like pork belly, we’re off to a good start.

Next drink was a sour cocktail. Loved this. It was paired with a platter of shrimp - from sashimi, tempura to prawn heads. Then the star of the night - Wagyu beef. Quite possibly the best beef I’ve ever had. It was so buttery and rich. Simply outstanding.

Next up were two kinds of Sake - one in a wine glass that tasted more like wine. The second, in a teeny cup that would put hair on your chest and strip the polish off your nails. Generous refills on either of the sakes if you’re brave.

Rounding out the next two courses were scallop and shrimp dumplings - delicately delightful. Then lamb bites and grilled vegetables.

Lastly, a chocolate tofu mousse and plum wine.

All in all, a wonderful evening with plenty of food and exquisite presentation.

 

[randumb0]

@GoGoBeans The tofu mousse looks good. How was it? Also do you know what type of liquor was in the sour drink?

 

[VAtink]

@Chisoxcollector - we were at the Robert Irvine event, and I have to say you did a fantastic job! No need to be embarrassed, we were all cheering for you! The oil however sounds so gross, sorry you went through that, I probably would have spit it out if he did that to me!

 

[AngiTN]

I'd say no unless it's a very popular band, like Hanson.

Wait, what? Hanson popular? Is there a time machine included or something? LOL

 

[AngiTN]

We did the Mediterranean Food and Wine pairing today at Spice Road Table and it was very good. Currently I can't have alcohol, so my husband was a good sport and drank mine as well as his. We were greeted at the entrance and offered a flute of champagne. Met the chef who asked if anyone had any food allergies. The sommelier introduced all the wines (Spanish wines) and entertained us with stories. First course was a shrimp dish that was excellent and served with a white wine. Next was tuna steak with a very spicy sauce and a red wine. Third was rack of lamb (everyone got two chops with saffron rice). Final course was three kinds of baklava and port.

We had very nice guests sharing our table (ten people per table) and it took the full two hours. It was a very nice afternoon.

Mediterranean Pairing was one of our favorites. I adore the Spanish wines

 

[Deb & Bill]

We did the French Family Meal Tradition yesterday. The menu we had will be the same on Sunday, Oct 6. The wine was free flowing and there were a lot of drunk guests there by the end of the meal. It got really noisy as the meal progressed. So noisy the hostess had a difficult time getting the crowd quiet so she could talk about the next offering. The Lillet spritz was the same as last year served with a tiny baguette. I was a bit worried when I saw the menu as I'm not a duck fan nor a fish stew fan. BUT, it was very good. The Duck Rillettes were similar to pate (I have photos but they are posting sideways - trying to fix them). The fish stew had a scallop, some salmon and a white fish. I passed off the scallop to Bill, but ate the white fish (it was very good). The cheese was a blue cheese (not Roquefort), with some multi grain bread placed on a bed of ground pistachios. The raspberry macaron was the one I had seen posted before and it was very good. Our table mates were very pleasant and we had a great time talking while eating. It was really amazing how much we all had in common.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Here they are sideways until I can fix them. I can't currently drink wine, so I was given a bottle of sparkling water. The tiny tart was an amuse-bouche to start the meal. Goat cheese with tomato in puff pastry.

 

[TeresaWen]

If anyone is concerned about attending one of the special event lunches due to food allergies don’t be! I attended three - Mediterranean food & wine pairing at spice road, Italian regional lunch at Tutto Gusto, and French Family meal traditions.

The chef at each event did a fantastic job of either adjusting the dish or substituting something else. I felt completely safe and everything was delicious.

 

[Deb & Bill]

New England Lobster Roll without the mayo and Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese icing at Hops & Barley (had that twice this week)
Beer Braised beef with smoked Gouda mashed potatoes and Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote at Belgium
Boeuf Braise a la Bordelaise with Pomme Dauphins - really, really good and Crème Brulee at France
Cheddar and Bacon Soup and Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon at Canada (get these every time we go to F&W)
Chocolate Baklava at Morocco (don't share this, it's too good)
Ropa Vieja Empanada wasn't as good as it was in previous years (Islands of the Caribbean - used to be Patagonia I think)
Grilled Sweet and Spicy Bushberry Shrimp and Roasted Lamb Chop, also deconstructed Pavlova at Australia
Liquid Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle and Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tart at the Chocolate Studio
Lump Crab cake and Baked Shrimp and Scallop Scampi Dip (ooooh, this was so good) at Coastal Eats
Kenyan Coffee Barbecue Beef Tenderloin with Sweet Potato and Corn Mealie Pap and Kachumbari Slaw - Africa (my husband had this and he said the meat was very tough, not tenderloin)

If you are a scallops fan, get them anywhere you can. They were all good according to my husband (I'm not a fan).

We ate all of these in three days and did two dining events on two other days. There were a lot of booths that we didn't even go to because we were either getting full or had somewhere we had to go and couldn't stop.

 

[clippers6]

Are there any special take home food items for Food and Wine?

The only ones I’ve heard of so far are the maple syrup in Apple Orchard and Ghirardelli chocolate in The Land.

Looking for some food items for my foodie coworkers covering for me while I’m at WDW.

 

[houseofmouse5]

We are a party of 2 and will be attending the French Family Meal what are the seating arrangements?
A couple of years ago we went to the French Breakfast and there were some couples who had a table to themselves but they sat us with another couple.
This would have been perfectly fine except the other couple was really difficult to keep a conversation going and it felt so awkward after a little bit. It actually made the breakfast not that great of an experience.

 

[Deb & Bill]

We are a party of 2 and will be attending the French Family Meal what are the seating arrangements?
A couple of years ago we went to the French Breakfast and there were some couples who had a table to themselves but they sat us with another couple.
This would have been perfectly fine except the other couple was really difficult to keep a conversation going and it felt so awkward after a little bit. It actually made the breakfast not that great of an experience.

Your seating is assigned to a table. You will be escorted to your table and the waiter will tell you where to sit. Ours was a table for six and each pair of two was seated with one guest on each side of the table. We arrived first, so we were seated at the end next to the window. The next two guests were seated next to us and the last two seated next to them. It was the same set up we had last year. The first time we did it we were seated at a table with the bench seating against the wall and chairs on the other side. The three of us (our son joined us that year) were seated on the bench and the other three guests who arrived after we did were seated on the chairs. All three times we had wonderful table mates and talked all during the meal. It's like you are all long lost family members.