Welcome back, Disney Foodies!
Ready for Round Two of some delicious reviews? Earlier this week I gave you a tasty look into the opening of the first ever Epcot International Festival of the Holidays. (If you need to catch up, click HERE for Part One.) Today we are going to continue our little tour around the world and show you more of what this awesome Festival has to offer. Last I saw you, we were just finishing up our turkey in the American Adventure, right? Ok. Loosen that belt, and let's keep going...
Tuscany Holiday Kitchen
(Italy)
- What did we try? Carbonara
- How would I describe it? Pasta in a creamy, cheesy, bacony sauce
- How was the portion/value? We didn't get a lot for $7, but holy cow, was it worth it!
- What letter grade would we give it? A++ This might have been one of my favorite pasta dishes that I have ever had. And I'm Italian, so that's saying a lot! The pasta was perfectly al dente, the sauce was rich, smokey and creamy and the bacon was perfection. I want a full order or this like RIGHT NOW.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Ohmygodyes!
- What did we try? Salami and Lentils
- How would I describe it? Chunks of soft salami on top of lentils
- How was the portion/value? For $7 we got two pieces of salami and about 1/2 cup of lentils. This one seemed too expensive.
- What letter grade would we give it? C- I didn't like the flavor of the salami at all, but then again, I'm not a big fan of salami, other than deli meat salami. The lentils were ok, and my son gobbled them up pretty quickly.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Nah.
- What did we try? Apple Fritters
- How would I describe it? Fried dough with fresh apples in it, in a sticky sweet sauce.
- How was the portion/value? Woah. The Italian food was expensive. $7 got us two fritters that weren't particularly big. I don't think it was a good deal.
- What letter grade would we give it? B- Flavor and texture-wise, these were ok. Nothing amazing, but decent. The ones they served at the Cookie Nook were better... and cheaper.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? No, thanks.
Bavaria Holiday Kitchen
(Germany)
- What did we try? Cheese Plate
- How would I describe it? Three different cheeses: Brie with a crostini, Cheddar and ButterKase with ham.
- How was the portion/value? $5.25 isn't terrible but the portions should have been bigger for that amount.
- What letter grade would we give it? B All three cheeses were enjoyed. They were flavorful and had nice accompaniments, but none of them blew us away.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Not worth it.
- What did we try? Cheese Fondue
- How would I describe it? A bread bowl filled with melted cheese and served with steamed carrots, zucchini and mini potatoes.
- How was the portion/value? $8.25 seems like a lot, but this thing could easily be shared among 2-3 people, or no one would blame you if you made it a little meal for one.
- What letter grade would we give it? A+ One of my very favorites from this Festival. This cheese fondue was SO good. It was sharp and creamy, and the veggies were perfect with it. The best part though was eating the bowl itself. SO GOOD!
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Absolutely. In fact, I would like it daily.
Shanghai Holiday Kitchen
(China)
- What did we try? Beef Bao Bun
- How would I describe it? Marinated beef and veggies on a pillowy, fluffy bun, with a fortune cookie on the side.
- How was the portion/value? $6 is a little high for this little bun.
- What letter grade would we give it? B+ The meat had a nice flavor, and the bun was so soft and fluffy! Other than being pretty messy to eat, this was a winner.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Probably not. It was good, but I'd rather try something else next time.
- What did we try? Aerated Flavored Water
- How would I describe it? Peach soda in the coolest can ever.
- How was the portion/value? $3 is on par with what Disney charges for a soda in the parks.
- What letter grade would we give it? A- This was a delicious, light peach flavored soda, but can we talk about how amazing this can is??? It's a clear can! It's actually a bottle/can hybrid. It's a cottle. Or a ban. Either way, it's awesome.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Yep. I liked the soda and I must have another one of these cans.
Kringala Bakeri Og Kafe (NOT an official Festival booth)
(Norway)
I decided to include this review because it is listed under "Additional Offerings" for the Holiday Festival, so why not, right?
- What did we try? Traditional Holiday Rice Cream
- How would I describe it? Uber creamy rice pudding, topped with strawberry puree.
- How was the portion/value? $3.49 is totally reasonable for this one.
- What letter grade would we give it? A- Rice cream is sooooo good. If you like rice pudding, this is it's creamier, sexier cousin. My only complaint... too much strawberry.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Sure.
Las Posadas Holiday Kitchen
(Mexico)
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| Hey, look! The new Margarita bar opened! |
- What did we try? Bunuelo Navideno
- How would I describe it? Cinnamon sugar pita chips topped with whipped cream-like topping and a blueberry.
- How was the portion/value? $3.95 wasn't too bad... if I liked it.
- What letter grade would we give it? D- This is described as a fried pastry, but that would lead me to believe that it's fried dough like a churro. This is fried, hard dough, like a pita chip. It was very unpleasant to eat and even worse since the "whipped cream" wasn't even real cream.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? No, no and no.
The Cookie Nook
(The Odyssey Center)
- Warm Apple Fritter with Cinnamon Ice Cream and Warm Caramel Sauce – $4.75
- Snowflake Sugar Cookie – $4.00
- Snickerdoodle Cookie: Sugar Cookie rolled in Cinnamon Sugar – $3.50
- Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookie – $3.50
- Gingersnap Cookie with Cream Cheese Icing and Cranberry Jam, $4.50
- Sachertorte: Chocolate Cake with Apricot Jam and Dark Chocolate Glaze – $4.75
- Decorated Gingerbread Cookie – $4.00
- Holiday Tree Sugar Cookie – $4.00
- Chocolate Chunk Cookie – $3.00
- Brew Hub Pumpkin Spice Dunkelweiss – $4.25
- Playalinda Brewing Company Sparkling Christmas Coffee Blonde – $4.25
- Central 28 Beer Company Joy From the World Holiday Dubble – $4.25
- Cranberry Sprite Punch with Pear Vodka – $9.00
- Holiday Beer Flight – $9.00
- Specialty Red Wine – $6.00
- Specialty White Wine – $6.00
- Florida Orange Groves Sparkling Cranberry Wine – $6.00
- Nestlé Chocolate Delights Hot Cocoa with Crème de Menthe – $8.00
- Nestlé Chocolate Delights Hot Cocoa (non-alcoholic) – $3.00
- What did we try? Apple Fritter
- How would I describe it? Fried dough with fresh apples and cinnamon ice cream
- How was the portion/value? $4.75 was much more reasonable than the $7 that Italy charged
- What letter grade would we give it? B+ A tasty, cinnamony fritter with plenty of sweet apple flavor and really good cinnamon ice cream.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Maybe.
- What did we try? Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookie
- How would I describe it? A chewy chocolate cookie with peppermint flavor and candy cane shaped sprinkles.
- How was the portion/value? $3.50 was reasonable for a large cookie.
- What letter grade would we give it? A- The cookie was fresh, chewy and chocolatey. It had a nice peppermint bite to it. I just wish it was topped with actual candy cane, rather than dyes sprinkles.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Yum, sure!
- What did we try? Gingersnap
- How would I describe it? A chewy molasses cookie with tons of cream cheese frosting and lots of cranberry jam.
- How was the portion/value? $4.50 was reasonable, considering the size of this cookie.
- What letter grade would we give it? A+ This cookie was SO good, and I was totally NOT expecting to like it. I am not a frosting girl and this had gobs of it, but it was not an overly sweet frosting, and the tart cranberries cut the sweetness. So delicious!
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? I 100% will!
Holiday Sweets and Treats
(World Showcase Plaza)
- Peppermint Sundae made with chocolate ice cream, whipped cream, and peppermint candy – $4.99
- All-Beef Hot Dog – $8.49
- Shipyard Candy Cane Coffee Porter – $4.25
- Frozen S’Mores with Dutch Caramel Van Gogh Vodka – $10.00
- Nestlé Chocolate Delights Hot Cocoa with Assorted Cordials – $9.00
- Nestlé Chocolate Delights Hot Cocoa (non-alcoholic) – $3.00
- Frozen S’Mores (non-alcoholic) – $4.50
- What did we try? Peppermint Sundae
- How would I describe it? Chocolate soft serve with whipped cream and candy cane pieces
- How was the portion/value? $4.99 is high for what is pretty much plain ice cream.
- What letter grade would we give it? C Plain. Super plain. I mean, it was ok soft serve, but it would have been SO much better with hot fudge. It needed hot fudge!
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? Nope. I'll hold out for ice cream from France.
Feast of the Three Kings
(World Showcase Plaza/Caribbean Themed)
We didn't get around to trying anything from here. I did have the coquito last year and it was delicious, but I'll have to try the rest later in the season.
Refreshment Port (NOT an official Festival booth)
(World Showcase Plaza)
Again, I decided to include this review because it is listed under "Additional Offerings" for the Holiday Festival.
- What did we try? Chocolate Peppermint Glazed Croissant Doughtnut
- How would I describe it? Deep fried croissant with mint chocolate icing and sprinkles.
- How was the portion/value? $6.49 is a lot for this. It IS large, but I think $1 less would be a lot more reasonable.
- What letter grade would we give it? B+ As a general rule of thumb, Refreshment Port's cronuts are awesome, (and egg-free, much to my son's delight), but this one was incredible. I LOVED the mint chocolate flavor! My only complaint was that it was greasier than the regular cronut, but I think that's due to the peppermint oil.
- Will we get it again, when we return to the festival? At least once before the Festival is over.
Yukon Holiday Kitchen
(Canada)
We didn't make it around to this booth either, so no reviews yet, but that salmon looks great!
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So, there ya have it! That's everything we managed to try at Festival of the Holidays on opening weekend. I plan on updating you when I get a chance to try some more stuff, so keep an eye on the Kingdom Konsultant Blog. Oh, and if you're thinking, "Now I must plan a trip so I can eat all of the delicious food", contact the agents here at Kingdom Konsultant Travel, who would be happy to hook you up with a sweet holiday journey.
Until next time, kiddos, have a magical week!
- Jenn aka "Tink"
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