Flower and Garden Festival: Treats and Eats Part 2

In our first installment of the series we looked at some of the "garden focused" Epcot Flower and Garden Festival booths.  In this installment, we will look at the booths around World Showcase that feature ingredients and items inspired by the country or region represented.

While the World Showcase in Epcot is filled with great regional cuisine any time of year, the additional food options that come with the Flower and Garden Festival are always a welcome treat! As you approach World Showcase from Future World, you are faced with a decision - left to Mexico, or right to Canada (or do you get crazy and hop on a Friendship Boat and start in the middle!?)  For today's adventure, let's start to the right and head towards Canada.

Canada's Northern Bloom is a great stop for those meat and potatoes lovers in your travel party.  We tried quite a few things here but the pavilion itself is known for the tucked away, Le Cellier Steakhouse, so their beef treats never disappoint!  The other thing Canada is known for is maple syrup, so we also tried some of their maple treats!  The pound cake was an interesting take on the dessert and the milkshake was tasty but a heavier drink for sure.

Menu for Northern Bloom

Beef Tenderloin Tips, Mushroom Bordelaise Sauce, Whipped Potatoes with Garden Vegetables

Griddled Maple Pound Cake with Warm Peach Compote and Sweet Corn Gelato featuring Burton’s Maple Syrup

Maple Popcorn Shake with Crown Royal Maple Whisky

As you make your way further around the world, the next booth you'll come across is Fleur de Lys outside the France Pavilion.  This is historically a very crowded booth at Epcot festivals but with good reason.  It's absolutely one of my favorites!  The slushy adult beverages are very popular here, they are refreshing and a cool treat on a hot day.  We tried most of the menu here and loved it all!

Tarte au Chévre: Goat Cheese Tart with Caramelized Onions on a flaky Pastry Crust and La Vie en Rose Frozen Slushy: Grey Goose Vodka Orange, St. Germain Liqueur, White and Red Cranberry Juice

Canard Confit à la Provençal: Braised Duck Confit with Tomatoes and Olives on Polenta

Macaron au Chocolat en Sucette: Large Chocolate Macaron Lollipop

Taste of Marrakesh is technically the next booth you'll encounter but we skipped that one this time with just too much other tasty food to try! Onto Hanami outside the Japan Pavilion! This booth is home to another fan favorite that's fun for all ages, the frushi! However, the Japanese-style fried chicken was actually one of my favorite dishes of the whole festival this year.  It was crisp and delicious with some unique flavors.

Chicken Karaage with Nanban Sauce: Japanese-style Fried Chicken served on a bed of Shredded Cabbage and topped with a Soy and Vinegar-based Dressing

“Ichigo Sun” Strawberry Lemonade Cocktail with Sake, Strawberry Purée and Lemonade

Frushi: Fresh Pineapple, Strawberry and Melon rolled with Coconut Rice garnished with Whipped Cream, Berry Sauce Drizzle and Toasted Coconut

As we approach the halfway point at the American Pavilion, it's hard to ignore the delicious smell of the BBQ coming from the Smokehouse: Barbecue and Brews.  The menu seemed very similar to years past for me, so I just saved my appetite for our next stop. Primavera Kitchen is the booth outside of Italy and has a lot to offer for the less-adventurous eaters out there, but it is no less delicious for it!  This booth has actually been one of my least favorites in years past, but it really impressed me this year.

Loved the placement of the topiaries this year! 

Tri-Colored Cheese Tortellini, Sage Butter and Chicken Veloute and Villa Sandi Prosecco

Menu for Primavera Kitchen

Germany's Bauernmarkt: Farmer's Market was a big hit with our potato loving family! This is another great stop for kid friendly items and they are very reasonably priced as well which is always a plus.

Hugo Cocktail with Sparkling Wine, Elderflower and Mint and Toasted Pretzel Bread topped with Black Forest Ham and Melted Gruyère Cheese

Potato Pancakes with House-made Apple Sauce and Warm Cheese Strudel with Mixed Berries 

We are well on our way through the World Showcase at this point and getting quite full, but we still have two stops left!  We stop by Lotus House outside the China Pavilion for drinks as they have fun bubble tea options that are kid friendly before heading to Jardin de Fiestas outside the Mexican Pavilion to wrap up our worldly adventures for the day.

“Panda” Bubble Tea: Classic Milk Tea with Black and White Bobas, Pirates of the China Sea: Dark Rum, Peach Syrup and Piña Colada Mix, and Kung Fu Punch: Vodka, Triple Sec, Mango Syrup and Orange Juice

Another pavilion where I love the topiaries!

Tlacoyo: Blue Corn Masa topped with Black Bean Spread, Ground Chorizo, Queso Fresco and Mexican Cream

Rosé Sangria: Withers Rosé Wine, Tequila Blanco, Elderflower and Ginger Liqueur, Pineapple, Cactus Pear and Ginger Juices

Now that our bellies are so full from all the tasty treats, we have made it through the World Showcase country inspired food booths of the Flower and Garden Festival.  Have you had a chance to go this year?  Tell us your favorite treats in the comments!

Want to plan a trip for this or other Epcot festivals?  Reach out to your Kingdom Konsultant agent today to learn more!

- Agent Maci