This past Sunday (October 5) I took my family to Epcot for a round of Food & Wine Fest to mingle with other Disney Foodies. The meet up didn't begin until 11 a.m. so we spent the first few hours riding Soarin' and Living With The Land (my personal favorite at Epcot). We then perused inside Mouse Gears checking out merchandise and awaiting for Club Cool to open at 10:30.
We went inside Club Cool so my mother and Jesse could have their first try of Beverly. An Italian soft drink that, well, is a required taste to say the least. I have trouble posting videos here so I apologize you don't get to see their reactions, but I can ensure you that it was pretty funny.
Eleven a.m. rolled around pretty quickly and we met up with other Disney Foodies for round two of Food & Wine Fest. We started at the Craft Beers Marketplace. Jesse ordered Craft Beer Flight Two which included:
- Goose Island, 312 Urban Wheat Ale
- Florida Beer Company, Sunshine State Pils
- Magic Hat Brewery, Dream Machine IPL
- Terrapin Beer Company, Rye Pale Ale
My favorite out of this flight was the Magic Hat and the Goose Island.
At Craft Beers I also got the Spicy Pimento Cheese Dip with Whole Wheat Crackers. I really enjoyed this with the beer flight we got and the flavors meshed well together. I do think they gave too much cheese dip or not enough crackers to go with it. I ended up throwing away a third of the cheese dip to my dismay.
We headed out and down towards the Canada Pavilion. My mom and Amara headed to the Hawaii Marketplace and scooped up a Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Dole Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise. Jesse and I have gotten this on previous trips so we skipped for now. On our anniversary trip we'll be trying out the beers here.
My mother also purchased the Aulani Sunset featuring Sammy's Beach bar Rum. Tasted pretty good and I may pick one of these up on a future trip.
Jesse and Amara both wanted to stop at Greece. We ordered the Chicken Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce and the Griddled Greek Cheese with Pistachios and Honey (not pictured). The gyro tasted good, about average to other gyros. Nothing made it stand out with an awe factor. The griddled cheese I've had on previous trips and is always such a good eat. The one Jesse got had been cooked far too long and didn't look anything like what I had ordered in the past. Well it did, but burnt pretty roughly.
Jesse also ordered the Alpha Estate Axia Syrah - Xinomavro. I really liked this wine. It was dry, but fruity. I'm considering buying a bottle to have on hand.
We then made our way through the United Kingdom Pavilion, stopping briefly for bathrooms, beers from the pub, and others got items from the Ireland Marketplace. We got to the bridge between the UK and France Pavilions and stopped for a Disney Foodies group photo.
We ended up ordering a La Passion Martini Slush and the Boeuf Bourguignon. I loved the slush and it was refreshing in the heat of course. The short ribs were delicious and just as great as the year before.
We next stopped at Brazil for the Crispy Pork Belly with Black Beans, Tomato, and Cilantro (Not pictured this time) and Jesse tried the Kaiser Brewery Xingu Black Beer.
After Brazil we made our way over to the America Pavilion for the Hops & Barley Marketplace. My mom and Amara got the Baked Lobster Alfredo and Jesse and I got the flight of beer and the Artisan Cheese Plate.
The Beer Flight included:
- Samuel Adams Octoberfest
- New Belgium Brewing Company, Snapshot
- Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat
- Leinenkugel's Seasonal Shandy
The Artisan Cheese Plate included:
- Cabot Cloth-wrapped Cheddar
- Purple Haze Chevre Goat Cheese
- Cave Man Blue Cheese
We really enjoyed every beer on this flight with zero complaints. My favorite from the four was the cherry wheat. The cheese plate was very delicious. It was hard to choose a favorite from the choices. I finished the cheddar first and then the blue cheese. I really can't pick a favorite because they were all so good.
We took another group photo as insisted by an onlooker who wanted to take a group shot of all of us. At this point we split off from the group because we had a very important FastPass to use and I wasn't about to lose it!
This past Sunday also marked the last and final day anyone would be able to ride Maelstrom. The kitschy, short, but warm hearted and spirited ride in the Norway Pavilion. Maelstrom opened up for it's first voyage in 1988 and was the last update Epcot's World Showcase has gotten. While I understand the importance of needing updates and new things to entice people, I was sad I would never be able to DISAPPEAR! DISAPPEAR! DISAPPEAR! again.
I'm glad my mom got to enjoy her first and final voyage before it closed. However I don't think she understands the true value this ride has in the hearts of us diehard Epcot fans.
Goodbye Malstrom. You will truly be missed. If not by many, then at least by me.
After our final voyage we headed to the Farm Fresh Marketplace. I was finally getting the Nueske's Pepper Bacon Hash with Sweet Corn, Potatoes, Hollandaise and Pickled Jalapenos (Not Pictured) and the Griddled "Yard Bird" with Braised Greens and house-made Habanero Sauce. The Potato Hash was so yummy and would love a big batch of this for a Sunday breakfast or brunch. So much flavor in this dish. The chicken was simply great and so far one of my favorite dishes. I don't like greens. I never have and thought I never would. The greens that came with the chicken were so well seasoned and salty it was a match made in heaven with the chicken. the habanero sauce tasted like regular old Louisiana Hot Sauce to me, but completed the dish.
Jesse then wanted to head back to Africa and get his helping of the Beef Tenderloin Tips Berbere-style with Okra, Jalepenos, Tomato and Pap. This is one of his favorite dishes from the festival. To me it's pretty bland. Jesse blamed me not eating the vegetables for the lack of flavor, but I hate okra.
By now we were about ready to go and it was drawing in our departure time (so we could arrive home at a decent time) and we made our way to Mexico for tacos...and was really let down. it wasn't that they were bad, but they weren't as good as previous times. It seems as though with each taco they put out, the quality goes down. I ordered the Rib Eye Taco and Jesse got the Shrimp Taco.
I also ordered a Mango-Strawberry Margarita...and got no salt? Where's my damn salt? The drink was good, but again, no salt. I need my salt.
On our way out we stopped for a family photo in front of Chef Mickey. We had a good day with friends, family, and food.
