My sisters and me at the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot in Disney World. I’m on the left
I apologize for not posting lately. It’s been awhile. It seems life is getting in the way. Teaching, kids, cooking dinner on a nightly basis, trying to get a few hours sleep each night, you know the drill.
I have a ton of things I want to write about, but let’s start with Disney. Specifically, the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot in Disney World. I have always wanted to go and this last fall, I got the chance. I turned the big 50 last September and I wanted to celebrate and do something different. So I planned a trip with my two sisters and off we went to Florida!
Desserts & Champagne Booth – Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Rose
We did do a few other things; Halloween Party at the MK, shopped and dined at Disney Springs, but the main reason we went was for the Food & Wine at Epcot. The Food & Wine Festival is held every fall. There are many things to do including dozens of booths that offer food and drinks from countries all over the world, celebrity chef appearances, wine tastings, special tours, concerts, and special food demonstrations. We really just wanted to try the different foods and drink offered at the various booths.
We were only planning two days at Epcot, so we decided to stay at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. It literally is next to Epcot and was a 9 minute walk from out hotel room to the International Gateway Entrance of Epcot.
So, let’s commence. What countries did we visit? What did we eat and drink? I think there were 34 booths to visit and we managed to hit 21 of them. We probably would have gotten to a few more, but I made my sisters go on the Mission Space ride, and one of them got sick so we had to go back to the hotel. Lesson learned. Wait to go on rides!
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- Islands of the Caribbean – Quesito: Puff Pastry with Sweetened Cream Cheese and Guava Sauce paired with a Frozen Mojito.
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- The Chocolate Studio – Liquid Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey Caramel paired with a Rosa Ragale Sweet Red Sparkling Wine.
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- The Wine and Dine Studio – Trio of Artisan Cheese: La Bonne Vie Goat Cheese served with Dried Cranberry Bread, Karst Cave-aged Cheddar Cheese served with Fig Compote, and Stateboro Blue Cheese served with Spiced Candied Walnuts paired with Conundrum White Blend 25th Anniversary, Kurt Russell’s GoGi Goldie Chardonnay, and Robert Mondavi Winery Maestro Red Blend.
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- Greece – Chicken Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce and Spanakopita
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- Refreshment Port – Croissant Doughnut with Cinnamon and Sugar paired with a Pineapple Dole Soft Serve Ice Cream with Barcadi Coconut Rum.
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- Patagonia – Beef Empanada
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- Hawai’i – Mai Tai featuring Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum.
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- Scotland – Fresh Potato Pancake with Scottish Smoked Salmon and Herbed Sour Cream paired with Innis & Gunn Irish Whiskey Aged Stout.
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- Canada – Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup served with a Pretzel Roll, Le Cellier Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce paired with Neige Premiere Apple Ice Wine from Quebec and Fielding Estate Red Conception from Niagara Peninsula.
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- The Chew Collection – Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Mousse with a Caramel Drizzle
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- Farm Fresh – Loaded Mac & Cheese with Nueske’s Pepper Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Peppers and Green Onions paired with Woodchuck Rapsberry Hard Cider.
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- Germany – Schinkennudeln: Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese paired with Radeberger Zwickel Pilsner.
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- Mexico – Taco de Camaron: Battered Shrimp served over a Flour Tortilla with Crispy Purple Cabbage and Chipotle Mayonnaise paired with a Jalapeno Margarita on the Rocks.
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- Hops and Barley – Freshly Baked Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Icing paired with an Anchor Brewing Liberty Ale.
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- ltaly – Pennete alla Parmigiana: Baked Ziti and Chicken Parmigiana, Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese paired with Prosecco, Fantinel Borgo.
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- Poland – Kielbasa and Potato Pierogi and Caramelized Onions and Sour Cream paired with a Frozen Szarlotka, Apple Pie featuring Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka.
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- Germany – Schinkennudeln: Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese paired with Radeberger Zwickel Pilsner.
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- Belguim – Beer-braised Beef served with Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes and a Belgian Waffle with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream paired with Leffe Blonde Belgian Pale Ale and a Stelle Artois Hard Cider.
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- Morocco – Spicy Hummus Fries with Cucumber, Tomato, Onions and Tzatziki Sauce paired with Mimosa Royale: Sparkling WIne and Orange Juice topped with Orange Liqueur.
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- France – Croissant aux Escargot Croissant with Garlic and Parsley, Boeuf Bourguignon: Cabernet Sauvignon braised Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes, Creme Brulee Caramel Chocolat paired with Merlot & Cabernet Blend, Bordeaux, Chateau les Graves de Barrau and St. Germain Sparkling Kir: Sparkling Wine and St. Germain Elderflower liqueur.
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- The Eiffel Tower of France in the background.
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- In Morocco
How did we eat all that you ask? Well the serving sizes offered weren’t that big. We ordered one plate and the three of us shared. The drinks were the same; we ordered one drink and shared. Each serving and each drink cost anywhere from $3.00 to about $7.00, so splitting the cost between the three of us saved us money and room to eat and drink more!
We spent most of our time in between eating and drinking wandering around the World Showcase exploring the different countries. Each country has some sort of marketplace offering authentic items from that country. I bought a beer stein for my husband in Germany and a pair of chopsticks for one of my kids in Japan. We wanted to ride the Frozen After Ever Viking Ship ride in Norway, but the line was 90 minutes long and fast passes were long gone, so that will have to wait for another time.
I am so glad we made the trip to visit the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot. Everything was delicious!! I can’t decide what was my favorite, as I enjoyed everything. Disneyland decided to host a small Food & Wine event last year at California Adventure. I did not go, but they are planning a bigger one this year starting in March, so maybe I will go. If I do, I will let you know how it compares. Have you ever attended the International Food & Wine Festival at Epcot? If so, leave me a comment and tell me what you liked best.
I’m so proud of you and your polka dots. I miss all my fabulous colleagues. You are definitely one talented girl!
Ilene, Aww, you are so sweet. Thank you!! Things are great at school. Hope all is well with you!
Have always wanted to go but haven’t made it yet! Food looks awesome! What a fun trip!
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