2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival Preview
Disney’s Food and Wine Festival at Epcot will take place at Epcot from September 14-November 11, 2016. In late June, Disney offered a preview of the upcoming event to the media and Tables in Wonderland members. Since I was in Orlando at the time I decided to purchase a ticket and attend, and I was not disappointed! Since 1995, Disney has been tantalizing taste buds of Epcot guests with delicious small plates at this event. As the festival expands, so do marketplace booths where you can purchase food and beverage samples. Also part of the festival are seminars and classes which are available for an extra fee. One of the best things of the Food and Wine Festival is how Disney brings in new items and integrates them with old favorites. The preview event I attended featured some of these new selections.
“The Chew” is back
The ABC television show The Chew will be represented by a new food booth. Featured from here is the Grilled Beef Skewer with Romaine, Apricots and Feta Cheese. Although I am not a fan of Feta, I did like the beef. This booth will also have a dessert: Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Mousse with Caramel Drizzle.
Chocolate Studio
Another new booth is the Chocolate Studio and the Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey-Caramel from 2015 is returning. I admit to skipping this because I was just too full to consume a heavy chocolate dessert on a 96 degree Florida afternoon but here’s a photo from the display table.
Greenhouse Guru
In 2016 look for a sustainable-themed, eco-friendly kiosk called Greenhouse Guru, hosted by Village Farms. They’ll feature greenhouse grown tomato dishes straight off the vine. At the Greenhouse Guru, you’ll find a tasty Duck Confit with Creamy Polenta and Fire Roasted Salsa. I had a small taste of this and thought it was pretty good.
Islands of the Caribbean
Mojo Pork with Black Beans, Cilantro Rice and Pickled Red Onions from the Islands of the Caribbean booth was a very tasty plate. However I thought of Qdoba while eating it and I think it was the rice. It was not a fancy dish but it had a lot of flavor and I would order it in a restaurant. Even Qdoba. For dessert, there was a puff pastry Quesito with sweetened cream cheese and guava sauce which tasted like a little cheesecake in a crunchy dough. It was delicious and would be easy to eat on the go.
Hops and Barley
The pièce de résistance for me came from the popular Hops and Barley booth: New England Lobster Roll. I absolutely love lobster and growing up in New England it was something I ate often as a kid. Between the scallops and the lobster roll, I was in food heaven. Succulent, buttery lobster meat on warmed and toasted buttered Parker House rolls and unlimited amounts? It was divine, and judging by the line at this station I wasn’t the only fan. This tends to be a pricey option to purchase at the Festival but if they’re as generous with the lobster at the fall festival as they were at this preview, the lobster roll would be worth it.
Also at Hops & Barley is a Smoked Beef Brisket and Pimento Cheese served on Griddled Garlic Toast.
South Korea
A surprise to me was the South Korea booth. They were cooking up Korean style BBQ Beef with Steamed Rice and Cucumber Kimchi. This beef was quite good but I confess to skipping the kimchi.
Wine and Dine Studio
Another new item is the Wine and Dine Studio which will be in the Next Eats section of Future World. Since the preview event mainly featured new items, I was able to try the Pork Tenderloin with Cannellini Bean Ragout and Zinfandel Reduction. It was absolutely delicious and I would order this for dinner somewhere. As fussy as it sounds, it is basically a piece of pork tenderloin with some really great sauce. To me, this is a meal which should be put on a menu somewhere, and I immediately thought of The Wave… of American Flavors at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Disney—if you’re reading this… it belongs at The Wave. Please.
Also at the Wine and Dine Studio they had a Seared Scallop with Truffle Celery Root Puree, Brussels Sprouts and Wild Mushrooms. This was another fantastic item. Thankfully they weren’t rationing scallops (and for what we paid for this event I’m glad they didn’t!) and I ate several of these.
Beverages
While I highlighted some of the food, we did have beverages as part of the event and I’m glad that someone else was driving. I became quite fond of Moet Ice Imperial champagne. It was served over ice with mint but was great straight in a glass on its own. This was one of the best things I’d ever drank, and I would compare it to a super expensive wine cooler. But hey, its Moet and Chandon! Would I buy it? Perhaps for a special occasion but I might not share it with anyone. It was that good.
While I was making friends with the Moet guy, most people were partaking of the Robert Mondavi Winery Maestro Red Blend. My table mates proclaimed it delicious while I skipped it. By now I’d had too much lobster and scallops and champagne. Sorry no photo; line was pretty long and lighting at the table was too dim for decent photos.
In closing…
There was so much to eat and drink here that while I showed up hungry, there was absolutely no way I was going to be able to try it all. This really is an event where it would be beneficial to bring in someone with whom to share plates for ‘just one taste’. I couldn’t justify picking up a sample plate for just one bite. I had made three new friends at the event at our little table for four as I had shown up solo, they were as impressed with the offerings as me and I did have a good time and enjoyed the company. Here are photos of the featured items and many of them will be a Snack credit on Disney’s Dining Plan. Prices will be posted closer to event opening to stay tuned to this site.
