For those who haven't read my previous post or haven't visited the Festival before, each year the Festival includes Global Marketplaces where you can taste your way around the world, live entertainment and fun activities the whole family can enjoy.
On my August trip I was able to try a handful of Festival offerings and on my most recent trip we tried even more tasty treats (and enjoyed a few items again!) With that, let's get on with the review...
Mac & Eats
Location: Near Mission: SPACE
The Mac & Eats booth is new to the Festival this year so we were very excited to try it! It should be no surprise that the menu here includes a variety of macaroni and cheese options. We decided to try the Truffle Macaroni and Cheese and we were not disappointed. (It's hard to be disappointed by cheese and truffles!) I would give this dish a 9/10. It was really tasty with some good flavors but it was a little heavy on a hot day. We thought the $5.75 price tag was a really good value for this item.
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| Truffle Macaroni & Cheese Served with Herbed Panko |
Donut Box
Location: Near Test Track presented by Chevrolet
I was really looking forward to this booth because I love donuts but sadly, I was disappointed with my selection. We went with the Chef's Donut of the Day and chose the Cookies'n Cream Donut. Maybe my expectations were set too high but I just didn't love the donut. In fairness, I only tried the one donut so maybe I just chose poorly. The donut flavor was good but not great. The consistency of the donut was a little heavier/denser than I like my donuts and it also had a hefty price tag of $5 for one donut. I didn't think it was worth the price or the calories. It was a pretty disappointing 4/10.
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| Chefs Donut of the Day - Cookies'n Cream Donut |
Brew-Wing at the Epcot Experience
Location: The Epcot Experience (Formerly known as the Odyssey Building)
If you read my last review of the Food & Wine Festival you know that I had positive reviews of the two wing flavors I tried on my last trip. My husband decided to try the Garlic-Parmesan Wings this trip and I'm sad to report that I did not enjoy them as much as I enjoyed the Barbecue Wings and Mango-Habanero Wings. I prefer wings with some heat and these were just blah with minimal flavor. They are the mild wing options, so I knew I wasn't going to get any heat, but I thought at least the flavor would be better on these wings. The Ranch dressing helped but if you have to smother something in Ranch to make it taste good, why bother. My husband ranked the wings at a 6/10 but they only got a 4/10 for me.
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| Garlic-Parmesan Wings |
Hawai'i
Location: Near Disney Traders
I really enjoyed the Hawai'i booth on my last trip so I knew we had to stop here again. We also had to stop at the Hawai'i booth because we were doing Emile's Fromage Montage and one of the menu items is located at this booth. (Read my Review of Emile's Fromage Montage if you're interested in learning more about this challenge.)
This visit we ordered the Passion Fruit Cheesecake and I just couldn't resist ordering another AULANI Sunrise. I told you in my last review that I would most likely order it again! The AULANI Sunrise was just as delicious as the last time I ordered it. I'd still give this drink a 9/10. It's Vodka, Pineapple Juice and Grenadine. Simple but delicious.
The Passion Fruit Cheesecake is one of the Emile's Fromage Montage menu items and it was really good! I love macadamia nuts and the flavors of the cheesecake were really tasty. I'd give this dish an 8/10.
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| AULANI Sunrise and Passion Fruit Cheesecake |
Mexico
Location: Mexico pavilion in World Showcase
At the Mexico pavilion, I opted to just order a beverage. We had already eaten a good amount of food and I knew I needed to pace myself. I order the El Tigre Margarita: Ojo de Tigre Mezcal with Pomegranate, Prickly Pear, Pineapple, and Ginger Juices served on the rocks with a Hibiscus Salt Rim. This was a very tasty margarita and you could definitely taste the tequila in the drink so you knew it was in there. I'm a big fan of flavored margaritas so the El Tigre was a great choice. I would give this beverage a 7/10.
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| El Tigre Margarita |
China
Location: China pavilion in World Showcase
Next up was the China booth where we tried the ZiRan Beef Bao Bun and the Kung Fu Master beverage. If you read Maci's review, you know she was disappointed with the ZiRan Beef Bao Bun but I thought the flavors were pretty good. I did have an issue with the $7.25 price for the size of the Bao Bun. It's not really a dish you could share unless you each only wanted a bite and for that price, I'd like to have a larger, more shareable portion. I'd give the dish a 6/10 once you factor in the high price tag.
The Kung Fu Master was another expensive drink at $13.50 but it did taste good. It wasn't as good as the AULANI Sunrise but I really liked it. It's Absolutely Vodka, Triple Sec, Mango Syrup, and Orange Juice. I'd give the drink an 8/10.
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| China booth menu |
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| Kung Fu Master and ZiRan Beef Bao Bun |
Shimmering Sips hosted by CORKCICLE®
Location: Near Port of Entry
To close out our day tasting our way around the Food & Wine Festival, we stopped at the Shimmering Sips booth for a mimosa. I tried the Mimosa Flight on my last trip but this time I decided to just get the Tropical Mimosa which was my favorite from the flight. The Tropical Mimosa was delicious again with its Sparkling Wine and Passion Fruit, Orange and Guava Juices. I'd rate this beverage at a 10/10.
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| Tropical Mimosa with Sparkling Wine and Passion Fruit, Orange and Guava Juices |
Have you visited the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival yet this year? Let us know your favorite food and/or beverage offering from this year's Festival in the comments.
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