Taste of Disney

October 2015 Trip Review

During my two week trip I was able to visit the booths on 6 different days (one of these with my DH) and tried 19 items from 13 booths. I’m going to combine these all into one review though, so let’s get started on our tour of the 20th Annual Epcot Food & Wine Festival booths.

Sadly I didn’t make it to any of the 7 Marketplace kiosks located in Future World. I had planned to try something from the two booths inspired by ABC’s t.v. show, The Chew, but failed to carry out my plan. Hopefully they will be back next year so that I will have another opportunity. Did anyone get to try any of their offerings? What did you think?

I also only got to two of the 7 booths located in Showcase Plaza. The first of these two, Farm Fresh, was the very first booth that I visited on this trip. I had heard about how good their Mac ‘n’ Cheese was and was anxious to try it for myself.

Loaded Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Nueske’s Pepper Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Peppers and Green Onions

This was a little heavy on the green onion but otherwise was delicious. It ended up being one of my favorites of the 19 that I tried this year and I rated it a 5 out of 5. (or Very Good, Excellent)

The other booth I visited (along with my DH) in the Showcase Plaza area was Hawaii.

From the Hawaii kiosk we had the…

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

Our opinions differed on this. I had had this just last year and thought it wasn’t as good as I remembered it being previously. My husband, who hadn’t had this slider since 2011, thought it tasted the same. He rated the slider a 4 (Good) and I gave it only a 3 (Okay).

My husband and I also visited the Patagonia booth and tried two out of their three food offerings. The first of these was the…

Roasted Verlasso Salmon with Quinoa Salad and Arugula

I had had this last year and really liked it but this year the salmon tasted a bit “fishy” so I let my DH eat most of it. Last year I would have given this dish a solid 4 but this year it received only a 3 (Okay).

Since he ate most of the salmon dish, I got to have most of the other item we chose from the Patagonia booth.

Beef Empanada

And a look inside…

I rated the Beef Empanada a 4 (Good).

Next up is New Zealand, which I visited during one of my solo trips to the booths.

Lamb Meatball with Spicy Tomato Chutney

This was better than I remembered it being when I tried it years ago. I gave it a 4 and was glad I gave it another try.

Australia was another kiosk that I visited during my first day at the booths.

I debated as to whether to get the Lamb Chop or the Shrimp and I think I may have made the wrong choice.

Grilled Sweet and Spicy Bush Berry Shrimp with Pineapple, Pepper, Onion, and Snap Peas

This was just okay (rating of 3) and was my least favorite dish of the four I tried my first day.Then on to the Mexico booth, which is usually one of my festival favorites. On one of my solo visits to the booths, I again had the Shrimp Taco, something I had enjoyed here last year.
Taco de Camaron: Battered Shrimp, Pico de Gallo, Pickled Onions, and Chipotle Mayonnaise

This was again good and I rated it a 4. However, the new item that I tried from the Mexico booth was even better.

Chilaquiles de Pollo: Corn Chips layered with Seasoned Chicken, Queso Fresco, Sour Cream and Cilantro

For some reason I was expecting the corn chips to be crunchy but instead they were soft and more like a baked corn tortilla. I really enjoyed this dish though and rated it a 5.

Skipping China, the next booth I visited was South Korea. During my day at the booths with my husband we spoke with a couple who claimed that the short rib dish here was excellent. We were already past the South Korea booth and didn’t want to backtrack, so I made it a goal to try the short rib on my next visit to the booths.

Bulgogi BBQ Short Rib with Steamed Rice and Cucumber Kimchi

 

This was not only the absolute worst thing I tasted at the Food & Wine festival this year but in all six years that I have attended the festival. It had a nasty, burned flavor and after one bite of the ribs and a few bites of rice and cucumber, this went into the nearest garbage can. Needless to say, this dish rated a 1.  We had much better luck at the next booth, the Refreshment Cool Post…

…where my husband and I shared the Frozen Brown Elephant.

This was a frozen Coke with creamy Amarula liqueur added. YUM! We both gave it a 5!