Spontaneous Saturday: Epcot Food & Wine Festival (Insanely Pic Heavy)

Epcot has the Food & Wine Festival every fall usually for around 6 weeks. Epcot is basically divided into two sections. There is Future World and World Showcase. World Showcase is set up in 11 pavilions each representing a different country.

This is neat on it's own, but at the Food & Wine Festival they add around 20 more additional regions and countries with their own food/wine stands.   Each country has around 2-3 small dishes you can enjoy and 2-3 drinks. The food comes on small plates and they range from $3.25-$7.50, which I think is pretty reasonable.

My boyfriend, and I decided to really soak up this venture this year. We have season passes to Disney, and we live around 20 minutes away so we took full advantage. We visited the Food & Wine festival 5 times over the 6 week course this year! We got to try a lot of food. We typically avoid the alcohol there. One, because we only stay for 2 hours or so and drive home. Two, the alcohol costs just as much and often more than the food. We'd rather eat than drink!

Here are the pics and descriptions of what we ate this year. I'm leaving a review out because there are SO many pictures. Be mindful we're not complete gluttons, this was over 5 separate visits! :P Oh! I can't vouch for the authenticity of the foods from the region either.


Australia

 Grilled Lamb Chop with Mint Pesto and Potato Crunchies

Belgium

Steamed Mussels in Hoegarrden Beer Broth with Baguette

Canada

"Le Cellier" Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce

Chicken Chipotle Sausage with Sweet Corn Polenta and "Minus 8" Onion Jam

Caribbean

Jerk Spiced Chicken Drumstick with Mango Chutney

China

Mongolian Beef in a Steamed Bun

Florida Local

White Corn Arepa with Mangalista Pork Rillette and Zellwood Sweet Corn Salad

France

Coq au Vin sur Gratin de Mararoni (Red Wine Braised Chicken, Mushrooms, Pearl Onions and Macaroni Gratin)

Creme Brulee au Chocolat au Lait (Chocolate milk Creme Brulee topped with Caramelized Sugar)

Escargots Persillade en Brioche (Garlic and Parlsey Snails in Brioche)

Germany

Apple Strudel with Karamel and Vanilla Sauce

Schinken Nudel (Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese)

Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll

Hawaii

Kalua Pork Slide with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise

Hops & Barley- America

Lobster Claw Cuddler (not sure what's so cuddly about it lol) chilled with Herb Mayonnaise.

Maine Lobster Roll

Ireland

Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Baileys Ganache

Lobster and Seafood Fisherman's Pie

Italy

Salsiccia e "Papacelli" Napoletani (Sweet Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onions)

Japan

Sukiyaki Beef Pan (Marinated thinly sliced Rib Eye with Sauteed Onions and Teriyaki Sauce served in a bun)

Spicy Hand Roll (Tuna and Salmon with Chili Pepper, Soy Sauce, and Sesame Oil topped with Kazan Volcano Sauce)

Mexico

Taco de Filete (Steak with Cascabel Pepper Sauce and Scallions, served on a flour Tortilla)

Taco de Camaron (Shrimp with Chipotle-lime Mayo, and Cabbage served on flour Tortilla)

Morocco

Kefta Pocket (Ground Seasoned Beef in Pita Pocket)

New Zealand

Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato Chutney

Seared Sea Scallop with Kumara-Red Curry Puree and Apple Radish Salad

Poland

Kielbasa and Potato Pierogie with Caramelized Onions

Scandinavia

Taste of Scandinavia (Cured Salmon, Herring, and Shrimp Salad)

Singapore

Seared Mahi Mahi with Jasmine Rice and "Singa" Sauce

South Korea

Lettuce Wrap with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw

and..that's a wrap! Believe it or not, this was not all they offered there. There was plenty more to try! If you're a foodie or just love food I really recommend visiting Epcot this time of year for the festival. It is a must do thing! We really enjoyed it this year!

Happy Saturday!

Around the World...Somewhat Part 2

This is the second edition to the Around the World...Somewhat Part 1 post.

It took my boyfriend and I two more trips to the Epcot Food & Wine Festival to be satisfied that we tried everything we wanted. We revisited some of the stands we did before, but tried different things from them. This is an accumulation of both of the days we went.

Also, just reminding you I'm not a food blogger. It's hard for me to describe and pinpoint flavors in spices. So, just expect a lot of this was good or this wasn't so good. I also can't vouch for the authenticity of certain countries' food. Don't blame me if what I got isn't really what that country serves! :P

Australia
Shrimp on the Barbie with Pepper Berry Citrus Glaze

I think the description explains this best. The shrimp was good. The sauce was interesting. This did not taste like anything unique or anything. I've had grilled shrimp a lot.


Canada
Chicken Chipotle Sausage with Sweet Corn Polenta

This sausage was spicy! It was almost too spice. It was really flavorful though, and the corn polenta on the bottom was sweet and delicious. The corn polenta was the perfect accompaniment to for the spicy sausage.


Maple and Moosehead Beer-glazed Salmon with Barley Salad

Joseph was really interested in this one. Honestly, cooked salmon is not my favorite fish. I really prefer salmon smoked. This was good though. It wasn't dry, the glaze on it was sweet and so was the barley salad. I'm sure if you're a salmon fan you would of enjoyed this.


China
Xinjiang Barbecue Chicken Stick

They really gave you a lot here! The meat of the chicken was tender and juicy. My problem with this is there was too much spice on this. It was not spicy or anything, but I felt the spices on this overpowered the chicken. 

France 

Coq au Vin sur Gratin de Macaroni (Red Wine Braised Chicken, Mushrooms, Pearl Onions, and Macaroni Gratin) 

 This was divine. I know it doesn't look appetizing on the plate, but it was amazing. The sauce was so rich and complex. The chicken was moist. The macaroni on the bottom was cheesy. Yum! I could of had another plate of this.

Hawaii

Tuna Poke with Seaweed Salad and Lotus Root Chips

I'm one of those few people on earth who does not care for raw fish or sushi type things. I know everyone is in love with sushi. I just don't get it. It doesn't have an appetizing flavor to me. This had similar sushi taste. I ate some of it. It was very fresh. The seaweed salad was really good. The texture of the seaweed salad was very bizarre. It was like chewing rubber bands. That was something I would have to get used to. 

Ireland

Lobster & Scallop Fisherman's Pie

 This was rich and creamy. There were full chunks of scallop and lobster in here. Delicious. There isn't much more to say!

Italy

Ravioli di formaggio all'Emiliana (Baked Cheese Ravioli with Creamy Beef Bolognese, Parmesan, and Mozzarella)

This was a massive portion for it being considered a small plate. It was very rich too. I did not want to eat all of this because I knew I'd be sick. It was just that rich and cheesy! The beef bolognese on the bottom was delicious. I'm so picky about my sauces. The tomato sauces you get here in the jar have ZERO flavor. It makes me want to cry. I love a very flavorful sauce, and this was just that.

Japan

Pork Kakuni

This was a type of braised pork. The flavors on this were great, but this meat was painfully dry. I needed to drink water along with it just to get it down. We couldn't stop eating it because the flavor was good, but it was just so dry. Sad sad. I hope it's not supposed to be like that?

Mexico

Crispy Shrimp Taco (Chipotle Lime Mayo and Cabbage on Flour Tortilla)

I loved this. I love all the components of this, the crispy shrimp, the crunchy cabbage, the spice of the sauces, and squeeze of lime. I love how acidity in a dish can really bring out all the other flavors. This was spot on. I could go for whole plate of these!

Poland

Kielbasa and Potato Pierogie with Caramelized Onions and Sour Cream

Errrr, not my favorite. The kielbasa was pretty generic, though I don't think I should of expected any different. This was my first time trying pierogies, and these were chewy, soggy, and cold. It was really unappetizing. I'm not sure if that's how they're supposed to be? The caramelized onions were good though. :-/ Blech.

Scandinavia 

Taste of Scandinavia (Shrimp Salad, Cured Salmon, and Herring)

I really loved this. I think it's probably because I grew up eating in a lot delis that had fish salads and smoked fish. I loved the cured salmon with the dill sauce. The shrimp salad was good too, though it probably could of used a little less sauce. The herring well, even though I grew up eating a lot of deli food, pickled herring was never one of my favorites. Joseph liked it though.

South Africa

Seared Filet of Beef with smashed Sweet Potatoes and Braii Sauce

Meat was good and tender. The potatoes were good. The sauce, for me personally was not good, and that's only because it reminded me of flavors in Indian food. Like sushi, I'm one of the few people on earth who does not really like Indian food. I'm sure most people would like it then, and I'm just weird. 

South Korea

Lettuce Wrap with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw

I liked this probably for the same reasons I liked the taco. All of the components in here just worked perfectly together. I loved the sweet pork with the spice of the kimchi slaw, and the crisp lettuce. I'm not entirely sure what the sauce was on top, but I know it had sesame seeds in it. I really enjoy a mix of textures and flavors in food. 

My overall favorites:

Australia Lamp Chop

France Coq au Vin

South Korea Boolgogi BBQ Beef

Mexico Crispy Shrimp Taco

Greece Chicken Souvlaki

These trips were filled with some hits and a few misses. Overall, I really enjoyed the Food & Wine festival. I understand a lot of these foods were probably tamed down for the American palette, which is understandable. I had not even heard of or tried a majority of these things before, and it was great to have an opportunity to try something different. Despite my lack of food knowledge, I think this helped me to understand what types of flavors and components I like in food. It was fun and delicious experience! 

Happy Tuesday!

Around the World...Somewhat Part 1

This is definitely not a nail polish post. This will actually be a food post. I'm not a food aficionado. I don't know how to describe textures, flavors, and etc like a top chef, but I wanted to share this post with you.

Yesterday, my boyfriend Joseph and I went to the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot. Epcot has the Food & Wine Festival every fall usually for around 6 weeks. Epcot is basically divided into two sections. There is Future World and World Showcase. World Showcase is set up in 11 pavilions each representing a different country. This is neat on it's own, but at the Food & Wine Festival they add around 20 more additional regions and countries with their own food/wine stands.

Each country has around 2-3 small dishes you can enjoy and 2-3 drinks. The food comes on small plates and they range from $3-$5, which I think is pretty reasonable. My boyfriend and I ended up sharing around 8 small plates and were stuffed by the end of it all. We plan on going back so we can try the stuff we missed, so look for part two in the next week or two.

Here is what we had yesterday! Be prepared to get hungry!

Australia
Grilled Lamp chop with Potato-Goat Cheese and Shiraz Reduction

This was the first thing we got, and it was delicious. The meat was really tender and juicy. It melted in your mouth. The Shiraz reduction was a great compliment. The potato salad was cold, it was ok. It really couldn't compete with that lamp chop. On that note, I apologize to the puppet Lampchop. You were just too good to resist.

South Korea
Boolgogi BBQ Beef with Steamed Rice and Kimchi

The beef in here was moist and tender. The sauce and spices on the beef was delicious. I cannot tell what was in it, but it was amazing (see, this is why I'm not a food blogger)! The kimchi was crisp and and fresh. It had the right amount of spice. The rice was perfectly sticky? :P

Singapore
Shrimp Cake on a Sugarcane Skewer with Singapore Noodles

I couldn't for the life me tell you what was in this, but it was good. It wasn't like your standard crab cake with little crab and lots of filler. There were full chunks of shrimp in this, and the sauce on top had a nice sweetness to it. I didn't care for the noodles they were cold.


Belgium
Steamed Mussels with Roasted Garlic Cream and a Baguette

I'm not a huge mussel fan, but these were good. The best part of this was the sauce. It was so creamy and rich. I love garlic too. I think I could of just had this sauce in a bowl with a spoon, and I would of been happy.

France
Escargots Persillade en Brioche (Snails in Garlic and Parsley Brioche)

I've only had escargot a few times. I've always had them in some type of butter sauce so they were really rich. These were a bit dry, and I know why. Those little mini bread bowls they were in soaked up all the buttery goodness. Those little bread bowls were heavenly!

Greece
Greek Salad with Pita Bread

Greek food is one of my favorites, so I'm bit more picky when it comes to this. I thought this was good. I typically hate raw onions and olives, but this tasted really nice together. It takes a lot for me to eat raw onions and olives.  It wasn't anything incredibly noteworthy though. The pita bread was well...pita bread.

Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki

Yes, I know what this looks like visually, but it tastes nothing like it. The chicken on here was so juicy and tender. The tzatziki sauce was the perfect texture. I like a thicker sauce. All kinds of yum right here!

Hawaii
Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise. 

When I saw the pineapple chutney my first instinct was "ewww". The onion and pineapple combination did not look appetizing. I tried it and it really was very good. The meat was moist, the chutney added sweet tang to it, the mayo added that hint of spice, and the roll it was on had a really tasty sweetness to it.

That was our delicious adventure yesterday. I've noticed as I've gotten older I'm more willing to just try things even if they are unfamiliar. I used to be one to ask for stuff without sauce or certain ingredients because I assumed I wouldn't like them. Now, not so much I'm enjoying how many components of a dish compliment and enhance the flavors of each other.

We'll be going back either next week or the week after to hit on some of the dishes we missed. I don't think you could do this festival in one day unless you spaced it out well, otherwise you'd be about ready to pop!

I hope you enjoyed this different post.

Happy Friday!