EPCOT Food & Wine Festival 2019
About a year ago, I had enjoyed a vacation at the Walt Disney World Resort. During my stay, I discovered that the resort’s annual Food & Wine Festival was being held at the EPCOT theme park. Below is a sample of the food I had enjoyed at the festival:
EPCOT FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL 2019
Twinings Pumpkin Spice Chai and Chocolate Shake - This was a damn good drink. It was refreshing and delicious.
Roasted Irish Sausage with Colcannon Potatoes and Onion Gravy - This was a pretty decent dish from Ireland's booth at the festival. However, I thought the onion flavor in the gravy overpowered everything.
Crème Brûlée - I do not know what to say about this famous French dessert. I realize that it is highly regarded by many. But if I must be honest, I found it overrated. The hardened caramelized sugar layer on top added much needed flavor to the dish’s bland custard. What else can I say?
Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans and Tomato - I liked this dish from the Brazil booth, but I did not love it. My problem was that the black beans seemed to overwhelm the pork belly. Come to think of it, I thought it nearly overwhelmed the tomato topping.
Kāalua Pork Slider with Sweet-and-Sour DOLE Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise - Oh . . . my . . . God! This was my favorite selection at the festival. It was soooo damn good. The mixture of roast pork, pineapple and spice was . . . what can I say? It was nirvana inside my mouth.
Traditional Sicilian Cannoli - This dessert from the Italy booth was excellent as always. In fact, I later bought a regular size cannoli at one of the coffee booths at the Italy Pavillion.
New England Lobster Roll - This traditional American sandwich was excellent. The lobster meat was fresh. And it wasn’t overwhelmed by the mayonnaise.
Apple Strudel with Vanilla Sauce - This dessert from the Germany dessert was probably my favorite one at the festival. It was delicious and the vanilla sauce blended well with it. More importantly, I was provided with a nicely sized portion of it. Excellent!
Piri Piri Skewered Shrimp with Citrus-Scented Couscous - I suspect that the seasoning for this dish (piri piri) originated from Mozambique. Nevertheless, this was probably my second favorite dish at the festival. The mixture of the grilled shrimp with the couscous and the tomato-based topping was superb.
Teriyaki Chicken Bun - This dish from the Japan booth was not only delicious, but also surprising since the filling made from chicken, vegetables and Teriyaki sauce was cooked inside a bao - a bread I usually associate with China. Nevertheless, it was damn good.
Nigerian Meat Pie - This was a delicious selection for me, but it did not exactly knock my socks off. I did not realize that curry was popular in Nigeria. Ignorant me.
The Impossible Burger - I am not usually a big fan of the plant-based meat substitute, but this Impossible burger nearly knocked my socks off. It was better than the beef burger served at another booth.
Chicken Dumplings with Chinese Slaw - This was a nice little item that I found tasty, but not exactly mind blowing. I do wish the serving could have been a little bigger.
Spice-Crusted Verlasso Salmon - This excellent smoke salmon was fresh and full of flavor. And I say thank goodness, because the quinoa salad that accompanied it taste like horsefeed to me. But the latter is quite tolerable if you mix this excellent salmon and the avocado topping with it.
Smoked Corned Beef with Crispy Potatoes, Cheese Curds, Pickled Onions, and Beer-Cheese Fondue - I would say that this was my third favorite dish at the festival. It was sooo good and a nice hefty portion was provided. The mixture of the smoked meat, potatoes and fondue nearly blew my mind. However, I wish they had left out the cheese curds. Unnecessary.
Pacifico True Striped Bass Tostada with Slaw and Fire-roasted Tomatillo Sauce - The festival provided another dish featuring fresh seafood - this time, striped bass. I had my doubts about it being served with slaw and on a deep fried tostada, but I ended up enjoying it very much.
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I do have one minor complaint about the festival. I realize it was the "Food & Wine Festival", but I wish that it had provided more unusual drinks that were NOT alcoholic . . . like that shake I had experienced. Have any of you been there lately?