2015 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival

I am so excited that we will be in Florida for the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival. I love seeing all of the pretty topiaries, gardens and my favorite – the food marketplaces!!! The festival kicked off this week and I am loving all the posts about it. So, as my favorite part is the food, I thought I would highlight all of the fun choices (and many new items!) and what I am hoping to taste and drink.

Oh and before I forget, if anyone else is going, you can get a FREE (yes – FREE) passport book similar to the FREE one handed out at Food & Wine that lists each marketplace with the food & beverage offered and you can get it stamped too! The passports can be picked up at the festival center.

The brand new marketplace is Botanas Botanico, located between France and Morocco Pavilions and this kiosk will feature: Cachapas (sweet corn cake) served with Farmers Cheese, Seafood Ceviche, White Corn Arepa, La Tizana (fruit punch), Coconut Tres Leches, Polar Beer, Monte Paschoal Reserve Tannat and Monte Paschoal Natural Brut White Sparkling Wine.

Items to try: Cachapas con Queso, White Corn Arepa, and Monte Paschoal Natural Brut White Sparkling Wine

Urban Farm Eats is featuring: Kale Salad, Quinoa Vegetable “Naanwich”, Ghost pepper-dusted tilapia, Urban Bloody Mary, Cucumber Lemon Water, Hess Shirttail Creek Vineyard Chardonnay, King Estate Acrobat Pinot Noir and Crispin Blackberry Pear Cider.

Items to try: Quinoa vegetable “naanwich” with arugula pesto and oven dried tomatoes and the Crispin Blackberry Pear Cider (sounds delish and different)

Pineapple Promenade is featuring: a spicy hot dog with pineapple chutney, pineapple soft-serve (DOLE WHIP), spiked pineapple soft-serve with macadamia nut flavored rum OR Parrot Bay coconut rum, frozen desert violet lemonade, Ace pineapple hard cider, sparking pineapple wine, berry tea cocktail with Twining’s cold-brewed mixed berry tea.

Items to try: Spicy hot dog with pineapple chutney and I am torn between the Ace Pineapple hard cider and sparkling pineapple wine. Maybe both? Hehe. Last year I tried the pineapple soft serve with the coconut rum and it was okay, but I like the non-alcoholic version better.

Fleur de Lys is featuring: Gnocchi dumplings with vegetables and mushrooms, duck confit & potatoes, strawberry marshmallow macaroon, ice pop of iced tea, Grand Marnier, Peach raspberry liqueur and vodka, La Vie en Rose frozen slush, Kir Imperial and Kronenbourg Blanc.

Items to try: I am still dreaming about the duck confit with garlic and parsley potatoes. Even Christopher liked it last year. Looking forward to it. I have never tried a macaroon, and the strawberry marshmallow one sounds delicious. The Ice Pop sounds interesting, but I am not sure I can cheat on my Grand Marnier Grey Goose martini.

Taste of Marrakesh is featuring: falafel pocket, harissa chicken kebob, pistachio baklava, mint iced tea, white sangria, guerrouane red wine and desert rose cocktail.

Items to try: honestly, I tried the chicken kebob last year and it was nothing too spectacular and the baklava from Food & Wine in 2013 has scarred me from trying it again. Soooo if you can’t eat, drink? The desert rose cocktail sounds good - sparkling wine and pomegranate liqueur.

Hanami is featuring: curry bun, salmon sushi, frushi (fruit sushi), Kirin draft beer, Yuzu plum white slush, strawberry nigori and Karatamba sake.

Items to try: I am excited to try the new curry bun and I figured I should give plum wine another shot.

The Smokehouse: Barbecues and Brews is featuring: pulled pork slider, beef brisket hash, smoke Debreziner sausage, bacon cupcake, beer flight (& individual tastings) – Billy’s Chillies, Floridian Hefeweizen, Category 3 IPA and Maple Bacon stout, The Original Rib Shack red wine, frozen lemonade and R.C. Sweet Tea

Items to try: the pictures of the beef brisket burnt ends hash with white cheddar fondue and pickled jalapenos looks delicious. Well – minus the jalapenos, you all know I am baby when it comes to spice.  Last year I tried the bacon cupcake and it was alright, but I think it would be better as a cornbread with bacon in it. It is more like a yellow cake with bacon bits in it. The maple frosting is good though.

Primavera Kitchen is featuring: pinwheel of mozzarella, prosciutto and ciabatta bread, three cheese manicotti, limoncello panna cotta, Placido Pinot Grigio, Placido Chianti, Bosco Del Merlo Prosecco, Corbinello, and a white peach Bellini

Items to try: As I am a cheesy chick, I definitely want to try the pinwheel. The limoncello panna cotta sounds good too, as does the white peach Bellini. I have tried the Placido Chianti and it is really good, but I would like to try something else. It is also featured regularly at Food & Wine in Italy.

Lotus House is featuring: Candied strawberries, Kung Pao chicken bun, vegetable spring roll, oolong peach bubble tea, Kung Fu punch, South Sea Storm cocktail, plum white, Tsing-Tao beer and honey mango wine cooler.

Items to try: I think it would be fun to order a Kung Pao with a Kung Fu lol. So those would be my choices.  

Jardin de Fiestas is featuring: tacos al pastor, vegetable quesadilla, flan de chocolate, Tecate with Patron Citronge, white Mexican sangria, Blueberry pomegranate margarita and a tequila liqueur flight.

Items to try: I did not get a chance to try the tacos al pastor, which is a corn tortilla filled with achiote-marinated pork, garnished with grilled diced pineapple, onions and cilantro. Sounds yummy. The blueberry pomegranate margarita sounds delicious too. I can’t remember off the top of my head, but last year’s featured margarita did not sound good – I think it had a pepper flavor? Anyone remember?

Florida Fresh is featuring: a watermelon salad, shrimp and stone ground grits, Florida blueberry and lemon curd tart, watermelon passion fruit slush, key line sparkling wine, Blonde ale, Channel Marker Red Ale, Feast of Flowers Farmhouse Ale and Jai Alai beer. Of course, you can get a flight of all four too.

Items to try: the shrimp and stone ground grits sounds interesting and includes Andouille sausage, sweet corn, tomatoes and cilantro. I am really interested in trying the Key lime sparkling wine!

Now I am hungry thinking about all of the food! Pictures of this year's tastings are published on the Disney Food Blog - a comprehensive research I use to keep track of all of the happenings with food at Disney! All the pictures (except the cute one of Lady and the Tramp) are from this blog as cited. 

And of course (shameless plug) - you can purchase an Ellegant Decor Disney Vacation planner on my Etsy site to help keep track of all the marketplaces you would like to experience on your next trip!