Tink In The Parks: Soft Opening of the 2015 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival (PART 2)

Hello again, Hungry Tinkers!

      Let's get to the good stuff, right? Time to check out the booth menus at the 2015 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, and to review some of the awesome eats I got to try! Let's jump on it! (If you didn't read Part 1 yet, click HERE!)

     So we headed toward Canada first. At this point, it was only about 10:45am and the booths were not open yet, but I was able to grab photos of the menu items so you know what you have to look forward to!

 

We ended up trying the Kalua Pork Slider, when the Hawaii booth opened, later in the day. It normally comes with a pineapple chutney on it, but since it also contained mango, and The Hubs and I are both allergic to mango, we ordered one without the chutney. It was nice to hear that you could make slight alterations like that. Of course, they can't totally customize items for you, but if you need something without a sauce, etc, it seems like they are happy to oblige. The pork had a delicious seasoning, which was very reminiscent of the flavors of 'Ohana, over at the Polynesian. I believe the seasoning was coriander. It was slightly smoky and quite good. The "spicy mayonnaise" didn't have too much heat to it, and the sweet Hawaiian role was the perfect accompaniment. I bet with the pineapple chutney, it's amazing! I highly recommend it!

Kalua Pork Slider

 

 Can't wait to try the Cream Soda Float from Desserts and Champange!

 

The Dominican Republic stand looked tropical and fun!

 

 

Canada is always a crowd favorite and with the Cheddar Cheese soup AND Filet Mignon on the menu, this year will be no exception!

 

 

Over at the International Gateway, we ran into Ariel and Prince Eric, whom I have never seen in Epcot before. K was super excited to get a hug and since they had no line, he stayed to chat. 

Over in France, the Cast was getting coached before the booth opened. I'll be back for Creme Brulee!

 

 

 

 

  

 

When we hit the American Adventure, we ran into even more characters with virtually NO wait time, so K got to grab a whole bunch of more hugs and photos!

 

 

Moving on...

 

 

 

 

Something in South Korea smelled AMAZING! I'll have to head there this weekend!

 

We finally hit another open booth when we got to China! So of course, we HAD to stop and sample! We had the Chicken Potstickers, which came with a sweet/salty dipping sauce and were some of the BEST potstickers I have ever had! We also tried the Beijing Roasted Duck. It came in a steamed bun and had some scallions and onions and a Hoisin sauce. It was delicious! The bun was fresh and doughy and the meat was tender. There was a little more raw onion than I could handle, but it was still very tasty. I'll return for the Potstickers, but I won't get the Duck again. I'd rather try something else.

I do want to address something very important... This is the first time I have ever attended the event with our son, who had an egg allergy. I was very surprised to learn that there are NO allergy menus available at the kiosks. In fact, for allergy info, the booth's cashier will likely have to call a coordinator or chef for you, which, the couple of times we did it, was very time consuming. I am hoping that this was just because it was the soft opening, and not how allergies are handled for the whole festival. We shall see! Let me know if you have had experience with Food and Wine Festival and dietary restrictions! I'm interested.

 

Chicken Potstickers

Beijing Roasted Duck

I was disappointed to not see Watermelon Juice back in Mexico this year. I love that stuff!

 

The Craft Beer area, (in the old Odyssey building), wasn't open yet, but Guests were already buzzing about it!

 

 

 

Farm Fresh was open and had an incredible sounding mac and cheese, so we had to try it! OMG! The Loaded Mac and Cheese has peppers, onions, cheddar and bacon and it is SO good! The Hubs and I shared one and were kinda bummed we hadn't gone for two orders! I could have made this lunch on its own. DELICIOUS! I think it'll be a favorite this year!

 

Loaded Mac and Cheese

Over on the walkway between World Showcase and Future World, toward Imagination, there was a really nice space for the Artistry of Cheese and Wine booths. There was a good amount of seating and the booths were very nicely laid out. 

 

We had to try something from The Cheese Studio, because... it's CHEESE! We went for the Cheese Fondue with Sourdough Bread. The fondue itself was creamy and rich. The bread was just ok. Not a nice, moist, hearty sourdough like I would have expected. I'd skip this one next time. 

Cheese Fondue with Sourdough

     By the time we had reached back to Future World, it was time to leave to get D from school. Overall, I was very impressed with this year's festival offerings, even though we only got to see a few booths open. I can't wait to come back and devour more of the event! I'll be sure and pop a review in whenever we get a chance to sample some more Food and Wine goodness, but for now, Bon Appetit, Tinkers!