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

[2xcited2sleep]

Six days until we arrive at food and winefor those there now...are there still the Dooney food and wine totes available ?

Just checked at the Port of Entry store for you and they’re out. The CM did say they’re expected to be restocked but didn’t know timeline. Not sure about MouseGear- assume she was speaking for both.

 

[Chisoxcollector]

We tried some more items over the weekend. Only items we tried for the first time (this year) will be listed. For a sortable table of all 64 items we’ve tried this year, click the link in my signature.

Costine di Maiale (Italy) - 9.0/10 - These ribs were meaty, flavorful, and fall off the bone tender. Best of the Fest!

Freshly Baked Carrot Cake (Hops & Barley) - 8.5/10 - Really sweet and delicious. Mine was served hot and seemingly fresh.

Kalua Pork Slider (Hawai’i) - 8.0/10 - Every year I’m kind of lukewarm on this slider. But this one was hot, and full of tender, juicy, flavorful pork, with just enough pineapple to balance it out.

Creme Brûlée (France) - 8.0/10 - I much prefer this version with the chocolate custard at the bottom to last year’s with the fruit jelly.

Twinings Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea and Chocolate Shake (Chocolate Studio) - 8.0/10 - An odd mix of flavors that is surprisingly delicious and refreshing on a hot day.

Roasted Lamb Chop (Australia) - 7.5/10 - The one I got was very fatty. The one bite of meat was very tender and delicious, but I’d really like more than one bite of meat.

Impossible Burger Slider (Earth Eats) - 7.5/10 - I ate this and the Steakhouse Blended Burger back to back, and actually preferred this!

Italian Margarita (Italy) - 7.5/10 - Very refreshing on a hot day. Can barely taste the alcohol, so it isn’t the best value for $10.

Chocolate Picante (Flavors from Fire) - 7.0/10 - Very, very rich and sweet. Good, but I had a hard time finishing it.

Steakhouse Blended Burger (Flavors from Fire) - 6.5/10 - Very bland, and kind of dry.

Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle (Chocolate Studio) - 6.5/10 - I have never understood the raves for this. It tastes like chocolate ice cream.

Spice-Crusted Verlasso Salmon (Active Eats) - 6.5/10 - I got a very small piece of dry, bland salmon.

 

[gwynne]

@Chisoxcollector Who knew Italy would have great ribs? Can't wait to try them.

 

[Tootles75]

Those ribs look fantastic. Was already looking forward to them, but definitely won't miss now. Great photos! Thanks for posting.

 

[osufeth24]

The chocolate truffle was one of my favorites. Sure it tasted more like ice cream than a truffle, but still tasted great

 

[Haley R]

We tried some more items over the weekend. Only items we tried for the first time (this year) will be listed. For a sortable table of all 64 items we’ve tried this year, click the link in my signature.

Costine di Maiale (Italy) - 9.0/10 - These ribs were meaty, flavorful, and fall off the bone tender. Best of the Fest!

Freshly Baked Carrot Cake (Hops & Barley) - 8.5/10 - Really sweet and delicious. Mine was served hot and seemingly fresh.

Kalua Pork Slider (Hawai’i) - 8.0/10 - Every year I’m kind of lukewarm on this slider. But this one was hot, and full of tender, juicy, flavorful pork, with just enough pineapple to balance it out.

Creme Brûlée (France) - 8.0/10 - I much prefer this version with the chocolate custard at the bottom to last year’s with the fruit jelly.

Twinings Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea and Chocolate Shake (Chocolate Studio) - 8.0/10 - An odd mix of flavors that is surprisingly delicious and refreshing on a hot day.

Roasted Lamb Chop (Australia) - 7.5/10 - The one I got was very fatty. The one bite of meat was very tender and delicious, but I’d really like more than one bite of meat.

Impossible Burger Slider (Earth Eats) - 7.5/10 - I ate this and the Steakhouse Blended Burger back to back, and actually preferred this!

Italian Margarita (Italy) - 7.5/10 - Very refreshing on a hot day. Can barely taste the alcohol, so it isn’t the best value for $10.

Chocolate Picante (Flavors from Fire) - 7.0/10 - Very, very rich and sweet. Good, but I had a hard time finishing it.

Steakhouse Blended Burger (Flavors from Fire) - 6.5/10 - Very bland, and kind of dry.

Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle (Chocolate Studio) - 6.5/10 - I have never understood the raves for this. It tastes like chocolate ice cream.

Spice-Crusted Verlasso Salmon (Active Eats) - 6.5/10 - I got a very small piece of dry, bland salmon.

I agree about the truffle. I didn’t like it at all. I didn’t expect it to taste just like chocolate ice cream and I don’t like chocolate ice cream

 

[sherlockmiles]

I agree about the truffle. I didn’t like it at all. I didn’t expect it to taste just like chocolate ice cream and I don’t like chocolate ice cream

I didn't think it tasted like chocolate ice cream. I would liken it to a thick, creamy mousse. I really enjoyed it.

The variety of the F&W offerings is what I love most - something for everyone.

 

[MamaKate]

We tried some more items over the weekend. Only items we tried for the first time (this year) will be listed. For a sortable table of all 64 items we’ve tried this year, click the link in my signature.

Your sortable list is awesome! Thanks

 

[patster734]

Just checked at the Port of Entry store for you and they’re out. The CM did say they’re expected to be restocked but didn’t know timeline. Not sure about MouseGear- assume she was speaking for both.

Last year, they were selling the D&B bags and totes at the International Gateway store, World Travelers.

 

[gismo1554]

So I tried a few items last week when I was over in Florida and wanted to share some mini reviews

• Cabornara Ravioli (Italy) - Tastiest thing I had. Great pasta and lovely filling. If you like cabonara this is a must.
• Italian Margarita (Italy) - Really refreshing in the Florida heat
• Hummus Fries (Morocco) - Wasn't really sure what to expect with these and was pleasantly surprised. The crispy crumb outside was nice and hummus inside was good. The sauce had a bit of spice in and added a lovely flavour. It was also a huge portion in my opinion and could have been shared easily.
• Fondue (France) - So I love cheese and especially a fondue but this was a little disappointing. It was OK but I wouldn't go for it again I don't think. The bread really didn't do much and there wasn't enough to take all the cheese.
• Cider Flight (Appleseed Orchard) - Didn't actually like any of the three ciders. The best out of the bunch was the lemoncello one but they were all rather odd tasting.
• Caramel Apple Popcorn (Appleseed Orchard) - It tasted really different but nice. Not sure what I had expected but def it more to be just caramel than apple but it was a good mix of the two. Just as an aside I purchased this as a snack credit but then tried to get the next day as one and was told they weren't so I shouldn't have had the day before!
• Cheddar Cheese Soup (Canada) - I've had a million times and its still really tasty but in the heat I should have given this a miss. The pretzel bread went well with it however. Definitely looks smaller this year but is so rich that it was plenty for 1 and in fact I ended up throwing some of it away.
• Loaded Macaroni Cheese (Active Eats) - I was really looking forward to this but it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. I thought it lacked seasoning (needed a good hit of salt) and although the crumb was OK the taste of the sauce was bland. If anything it was just a generic macaroni cheese with a little crumb sprinkled on.

 

[sherlockmiles]

So I tried a few items last week when I was over in Florida and wanted to share some mini reviews

• Loaded Macaroni Cheese (Active Eats) - I was really looking forward to this but it turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. I thought it lacked seasoning (needed a good hit of salt) and although the crumb was OK the taste of the sauce was bland. If anything it was just a generic macaroni cheese with a little crumb sprinkled on.

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

 

[randumb0]

So I tried a few items last week when I was over in Florida and wanted to share some mini reviews

• Hummus Fries (Greece) - Wasn't really sure what to expect with these and was pleasantly surprised. The crispy crumb outside was nice and hummus inside was good. The sauce had a bit of spice in and added a lovely flavour. It was also a huge portion in my opinion and could have been shared easily.

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

 

[tlmadden73]

Not sure if this is the right place .. but ..
Question on "Eat to the Beats Dinner packages" Is this an extra cost on top of what you'd spend on food at whatever restaurant you pick?
What does it get you? What is "guaranteed seating"? (Never been to Eat to the Beats concert series before).

Do you pick which concert time you want to go to at time of reservation?

Just look for something fun/special to do with the wife for anniversary. We want to eat somewhere in World Showcase (going without kids!) and thought this might be a nice extra since we want to eat at one of those restaurants anyway .. (probably).

Or is just taking advantage of the Food & Wine booths (and just sorta "snacking" at many booths through dinner) a better option? I guess we can eat at one of these sit-down restaurants ANY time.

*shrug*.

 

[Deb & Bill]

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.

My photos are posting crazy, but I'll leave them until I can fix them. Can you believe I forgot to take a photo of the rack of lamb? It was really beautiful.

 

[crazy4wdw]

 

[crazy4wdw]

Not sure if this is the right place .. but ..
Question on "Eat to the Beats Dinner packages" Is this an extra cost on top of what you'd spend on food at whatever restaurant you pick?
What does it get you? What is "guaranteed seating"? (Never been to Eat to the Beats concert series before).

Do you pick which concert time you want to go to at time of reservation?

Just look for something fun/special to do with the wife for anniversary. We want to eat somewhere in World Showcase (going without kids!) and thought this might be a nice extra since we want to eat at one of those restaurants anyway .. (probably).

Or is just taking advantage of the Food & Wine booths (and just sorta "snacking" at many booths through dinner) a better option? I guess we can eat at one of these sit-down restaurants ANY time.

*shrug*.

It works very similar to the Epcot Candlelight Processional dinner packages. The fee includes an appetizer, entree, dessert and nonalcoholic beverage. The fee does not include gratuities. You'll need to "play around with the reservation" to obtain a specific concert time. You might be better off calling 407-WDW-DINE and asking them to search for a specific concert time. Even with the package, you'll need to get in line at least 30 to 45 minutes prior to the start time of the concert.

 

[MrsTomMorrow14]

This is one I use (there could be others) - WDW Food&Wine. Note this is an unofficial app made by another fan - not affiliated with Walt Disney Co.

View attachment 433824

Thanks!!

 

[TeresaWen]

@Chisoxcollector Who knew Italy would have great ribs? Can't wait to try them.

The ribs are amazing. My husband and I have had them twice so far.

 

[tlmadden73]

It works very similar to the Epcot Candlelight Processional dinner packages. The fee includes an appetizer, entree, dessert and nonalcoholic beverage. The fee does not include gratuities. You'll need to "play around with the reservation" to obtain a specific concert time. You might be better off calling 407-WDW-DINE and asking them to search for a specific concert time. Even with the package, you'll need to get in line at least 30 to 45 minutes prior to the start time of the concert.

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.

 

[disneygirl1972]

Can the Kim Crawford slush, formerly at the New Zealand stand, be found elsewhere?