Now through November 11th, 2017, Walt Disney World cast members can enjoy 20% off food and non-alcoholic beverages at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.
The discount is in effect Monday through Thursday at 30 of the marketplaces:
The much-loved Tasting Sampler tabs are back at the 2017 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, but it may not be as great of a value as it once was.
The price for 8 tabs is $69.23 including tax. This makes the tabs worth about $8.66 each, down almost a dollar from last year if you bought the two pack with 16 tabs. There is no discount on buying two sets this year. At that price, it is a little harder to find a value, but your best bet would be to use the tabs on alcoholic beverages over $8.66 in price.
There are a few exclusions on the use of tabs:
All beers larger than 6 oz.
All tasting flights
Dom Perignon champagne
The Artist Palette of Wine and Cheese
For what it’s worth, you do also get a cute Remy pin with the purchase of the tabs.
So, will you be using any tabs at the Food and Wine Festival this year?
Welcome to a marketplace review for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival 2017, taking place in the park from August 31st through November 13th, 2017. This review will cover the brand-new “Flavors From Fire” kiosk, which is located behind Epcot Character Spot in Future World.
Flavors From Fire
Food:
Piggy Wings: Roasted Pork Wings with Korean BBQ Sauce and Sesame Seeds – $4.50
Smoked Corned Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes, Pickled Onions and Blonde Ale Beer Fondue featuring BelGioioso Romano and America Grana Cheeses – $5.00
Sweet Pancake with Spicy Chipotle Chicken Sausage, Onion Jam and Maple Butter Syrup – $4.00
Chocolate Picante: Dark Chocolate Mousse with Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder and Raspberry Dust – $3.25
Beverages:
Orlando Brewery Smokin’ Blackwater Porter – $4.25
Ravenswood Zinfandel, Napa Valley – $6.50
Swine Brine featuring Evan Williams Bourbon – $8.25
Piggy Wings: Roasted Pork Wings with Korean BBQ Sauce and Sesame Seeds – $4.50
While no longer at the Odyssey, the quality of the Piggy Wings has not changed and they are still rather enjoyable. Two wings for $4.50 isn’t a bargain, but these are still good enough that you’ll forget that they were over $2 each.
Smoked Corned Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes, Pickled Onions and Blonde Ale Beer Fondue featuring BelGioioso Romano and America Grana Cheeses – $5.00
A new favorite, this dish is pretty perfect. The smoked corned beef was flavorful and tender, the chips were good, and the beer fondue was the perfect pairing for it all. A absolute must at this year’s festival.
Sweet Pancake with Spicy Chipotle Chicken Sausage, Onion Jam and Maple Butter Syrup – $4.00
There have been a lot of similar pancake dishes at the Epcot Festivals through the years, but this is one of my absolute favorites. The chicken sausage is spicy and flavorful, there pancake itself is delightful, and the toppings tie the whole thing together nicely. This is yet another must from this booth.
Chocolate Picante: Dark Chocolate Mousse with Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder and Raspberry Dust – $3.25
A little bit about me: I love chocolate mousse and I love spice. So, may I introduce you to the love of my life: the Chocolate Picante. Not only could it stand a lone as a fantastic dark chocolate mousse, the peppers, powder, and dust on and in it make it that much better. It’s often hard to go wrong with any dessert at the festival, so this isn’t a huge surprise, but I’ll be ordering this a few times over the next… 2 and a half months? This festival is so long that i may actually get tired of going to it…
Swine Brine featuring Evan Williams Bourbon – $8.25
The Swine Brine is definitely the most unique of the new items offered this year at the festival, and many were surprised at just how good this ended up being. The drink is a combination of apple juice, lemon juice, bourbon, and mustard, which sounds pretty terrible. Needless to say, everyone in our group grimaced before they tried it, but they ended up enjoying it. I don’t suggest dropping the pork into it though…
I personally hate mustard, but it doesn’t have a strong presence in the taste, but neither does the bourbon. As good as the drink was, the wing on top paled on comparison to the Piggy Wings we had just eaten. Still, I would order this again.
Welcome to a marketplace review for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival 2017, taking place in the park from August 31st through November 13th, 2017. This review will cover the “Epcot Legacy Showplace & Craft Beers”, which is located inside The Odyssey, near Test Track in Future World.
Epcot Legacy Showplace & Craft Beers
Located inside of The Odyssey, Craft Beers is housed in the Epcot Legacy Showplace, featuring two nice exhibits about the history of Epcot, as seen in the video below:
There is also an awesome music loop of rare and obscure EPCOT Center music, all playing while a 17-minute montage entertains guests on the screen located on the stage:
Food:
Chilled Scotch Egg wrapped in Sausage with Mustard Sauce – $4.00
Zesty Cheeseburger and Cheddar Cheese Macaroni Handwich – $5.50
L’Orange Cotton Candy: A mixture of Lime and Orange Cotton Candy – $4.75
Beverages:
Bright Horizons: Sprite with Multi-flavored Boba Pearls (non-alcoholic) – $4.50
M.I.A. Brewing 305 Golden Ale, Doral, FL – $4.00
Playalinda Brewing Company Blonde Ale, Titusville, FL – $4.00
Chilled Scotch Egg wrapped in Sausage with Mustard Sauce – $4.00
I like Scotch Eggs generally and this was an enjoyable serving of them. You could probably make them just as well at home (even if you’re me and rather inept in the kitchen), but nonetheless, they are here if you want them.
Zesty Cheeseburger and Cheddar Cheese Macaroni Handwich – $5.50
The infamous Handwich of Disney lore (sold at the parks from 1988 until the early 1990’s) has returned for the park’s 35th anniversary and it lived up to all of my wildest expectations. I’ve owned a sign advertising the Disney Handwich for years, never thinking that one day I would actually get to experience one (as I had somehow missed them when I was younger), and that it would actually be good. For $5.50, this is easily shareable and could be a sizable snack option for one person. The bread cone was just fine, but the macaroni and cheese was absolutely delicious. I will be returning a few times for this, likely the best “comfort food” item at the event.
L’Orange Cotton Candy: A mixture of Lime and Orange Cotton Candy – $4.75
The description doesn’t lie, this is orange and lime flavored cotton candy in a bag. It isn’t bad, but I don’t like cotton candy to begin with, so I may not be the best person to judge this. Either way, personally, I’d skip this, even if it does reference a smell from Horizons…
Bright Horizons: Sprite with Multi-flavored Boba Pearls (non-alcoholic) – $4.50
What is it with Horizons and being incredibly disappointing? This is Sprite and boba balls and nothing more. We anticipate the cup may eventually say “Epcot 35” or something of the sort on it, but it appears that those cups have not arrived yet, making this drink fairly useless. I will deem it a “must-buy” once it references EPCOT Center in some way, of course.
Eastern Florida Flight – $9.00
The M.I.A. Brewing 305 Golden Ale was pretty straightforward and unique enough, the Playalinda Brewing Company Blonde Ale was nothing too special, but the Triple Chocolate Milk Stout was one of the best beers at the entire festival, being dark and flavorful, much more than the LeftHand Milk Stout served elsewhere on property.
Western Florida Flight – $9.00
No beer in this light stood out as something unique enough to get on its own, but the flight is good enough overall just to try in a group setting.
Welcome to a marketplace review for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival 2017, taking place in the park from August 31st through November 13th, 2017. This review will cover the brand new “Light Lab”, which is located in Future World West behind Club Cool and Epcot Character Spot. Strangely, this marketplace is split into two, with the 3 specialty beverages and the “glow nut” only available in a specially lit room, while beers are available just outside at a set of counters.
Light Lab
Food:
The Glownut (Limited Edition) – $3.00
Beverages:
T=C2: Vanilla Tonic Water and Cotton Candy (non-alcoholic) – $3.75
RGB: Citrus Apple Freeze (non-alcoholic) – $3.75
Bleu Spectrum: Blanc de Bleu Cuvée Mousseuz with Boba Pearls – $9.00
Left Hand Brewing Company Polestar Pilsner, Longmont, CO – $4.25
Playalinda Brewing Company Robonaut Red Ale, Titusville, FL – $4.25
Elysian Brewing Space Dust IPA, Seattle, WA – $4.25
Sixpoint Brewery Mad Scientist Radiant Flux, Brooklyn, NY – $4.25
Founders Brewing Company Green Zebra Watermelon Gose Ale, Grand Rapids, MI – $4.25
Blue Point Brewing Company Optical Illusion IPA, Patchogue, NY – $4.25
Space Flight – $9.00
Left Hand Brewing Company Polestar Pilsner, Longmont, CO
Playalinda Brewing Company Robonaut Red Ale, Titusville, FL
Elysian Brewing Space Dust IPA, Seattle, WA
Light Flight – $9.00
Sixpoint Brewery Mad Scientist Radiant Flux, Brooklyn, NY
Founders Brewing Company Green Zebra Watermelon Gose Ale, Grand Rapids, MI
Blue Point Brewing Company Optical Illusion IPA, Patchogue, NY
The Glownut (Limited Edition) – $3.00
Don’t let the lighting fool you, this was nothing special. Blue sprinkles and white icing with lighting that any non-DSLR camera simply can not capture doesn’t make this anything different than what it is: a doughnut you can buy at any of the Joffrey’s carts at any Walt Disney World theme park. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t bad, but it’s just an average doughnut that they will have in short supply each day.
T=C2: Vanilla Tonic Water and Cotton Candy (non-alcoholic) – $3.75
If you watch the video towards the top of this post, you can watch the “scientists” make this drink, which is pretty fun. Well, I wish it tasted half as fun. It’s basically sugar water. Sure, kids will have fun watching it be made, and it could make for a fun video for your social media account, but you might as well throw it away after that.
RGB: Citrus Apple Freeze (non-alcoholic) – $3.75
While this is slightly better, I still would not recommend it. It’s also called a freeze, but did not appear frozen in any way during the first two days of the festival. On top of that, it had no special presentation as they just had a bunch standing by and handed it to me once I presented my receipt. This seems like a waste at a booth with such a unique presentation style.
Bleu Spectrum: Blanc de Bleu Cuvée Mousseuz with Boba Pearls – $9.00
Taking a page from the Festival of the Arts, this is a glass of colored champagne with boba balls in it. While there is no straw this time, it’s still the exact same thing. While the boba balls and champagne together make for a good flavor, this isn’t the best way to enjoy them. Drinking it in this way means you are having a bunch of champagne followed by the boba. Not a bad drink option, but there has got to be a better way to ingest it…
Space Flight – $9.00
The Left Hand Brewing Company Polestar Pilsner was absolutely terrible, out of the eight people in our group, no one liked it. The Robonaut and the Space Dust were both good, but you can always find the Space Dust IPA at Geyser Point.
Light Flight – $9.00
The Mad Scientist Radiant Flux is a fantastic sour beer, the Green Zebra is a decent shandy, and Hoptical Illusion (which can be found at Abracadabar) was pretty awful in my opinion. I’m not sure either flight is worth it unless you really NEED to try all of these for yourself, but as always, you can just get the individual pours as well.
In review, the interior area of Light Lab is wonderfully themed and quite pleasant, it’s just a shame that there is almost nothing worth having from here.
Welcome to a marketplace review for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival 2017, taking place in the park from August 31st through November 13th, 2017. This review will cover “Earth Eats”, which is located in Future World West behind Club Cool, in the cluster labeled as “Next Eats”.
Earth Eats
Food:
Ricotta and Zucchini Ravioli with Rustic Tomato Sauce – $4.75
Grilled Beef Skewer with Romaine, Apricots, and Feta Cheese – $5.25
Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Mousse with a Caramel Drizzle – $3.50
Beverages:
Kurt Russell’s Gogi Wines Chardonnay “Goldie”, California – $10.00
Kurt Russell’s Gigi Wines Pinot Noir, California – $15.00
Redstone Meadery Black Raspberry Mead, Colorado – $7.00
Ricotta and Zucchini Ravioli with Rustic Tomato Sauce – $4.75
Vegetarian dishes usually aren’t my thing, but this particular ravioli is a real winner, The ricotta cheese and zucchini are blended together nicely for a flavor combination you won’t soon forget.
Grilled Beef Skewer with Romaine, Apricots, and Feta Cheese – $5.25
This is fine, but there are a dozen better beef dishes you can find at other marketplaces around World Showcase. Also, where did the accompaniments go? Below is a picture from last year, with more of the advertised cheese…
Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Mousse with a Caramel Drizzle – $3.50
I think I ordered the Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Mousse with a caramel drizzle at least 5-7 times last year when it debuted. I love any dessert with peanut butter, but the light mousse mixed with the caramel flavoring is just about perfect.
Kurt Russell’s Gogi Wines Chardonnay “Goldie”, California – $10.00, Kurt Russell’s Gigi Wines Pinot Noir, California – $15.00
Please enjoy my classy picture of wines over a receipt, with way too much silverware in the background and a dirty table underneath
Kurt Russell’s Goldie is honestly one of the best Chardonnay varieties you’re going to find at Epcot, let alone Food and Wine. It’s $50 a bottle for the 2013 vintage, making $10 a glass not the worst deal at the event. Considering the light crispness of the wine, it’s well validated at the price point, and somehow all comes back around to Guardians of the Galaxy being in Epcot…
The Pinot Noir comes in at $75 a bottle for the 2013 vintage, justifying $15 a glass. This wine brings forward notes of plenty of fruit, making for a very flavorful wine that most will enjoy. It’s a perfect use of those Tasting Sampler tabs we told you not to buy (but you probably did anyway).
Redstone Meadery Black Raspberry Mead, Colorado – $7.00
This thing is pretty weird. It’s basically an alcoholic carbonated drink with a black raspberry flavor. I thought it was quite refreshing for a hot day and probably a good choice for those who don’t like a strong alcohol taste with their drinks.
Welcome to a marketplace review for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival 2017, taking place in the park from August 31st through November 13th, 2017. This review will cover a brand new booth called “Active Eats”, which is located in Future World West, in the “Next Eats” cluster behind Club Cool.
Active Eats
Food:
Loaded Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Nueske’s Pepper Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Peppers, and Green Onions – $4.75
Roasted Verlasso Salmon with Quinoa Salad and Arugula Chimichurri – $5.50
Sweet Avocado Crema with Strawberries, Yellow Cake, and Tortilla Streusel – $3.75
Beverages:
M.I.A. Beer Company HRD WTR Cucumber & Lemon Lime Hard Sparkling Wine, Doral, FL – $4.00
Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Riesling, Columbia Valley, WA – $6.00
Evolution by Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, OR – $6.00
Loaded Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Nueske’s Pepper Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Peppers, and Green Onions – $4.75
Yes, the Loaded Mac and Cheese is still a fantastic blend of bacon, peppers, green onion, and cheese, and yes, the portion size can be small. We had two fantastic servings of this already, and while it may be on the tiny side, I think it is still worth buying if you enjoy dishes with a lot of spice.
Roasted Verlasso Salmon with Quinoa Salad and Arugula Chimichurri – $5.50
The Verlasso Salmon is well prepared and quite flavorful, and the quinoa salad is good enough. I wouldn’t tell you not to order this, but it also isn’t a dish that would come to mind when you ask me for the better dishes at the Festival.
Sweet Avocado Crema with Strawberries, Yellow Cake, and Tortilla Streusel – $3.75
Hands down the best new item of 2017, the avocado crema steals the show. I’ve had this twice now, and both times it was absolutely off the charts. The softness of the yellow cake, the sweet flavor of the strawberries and avocado crema, and the sugary crunch of the toppings make for a surprisingly good dessert. While you may be drooling over the return of your favorite chocolate snack this year, I think you may have a new favorite once you try this.
M.I.A. Beer Company HRD WTR Cucumber & Lemon Lime Hard Sparkling Wine, Doral, FL – $4.00
I can’t say that I’ve ever had “Hard Water”, but I can’t say it wasn’t refreshing or enjoyable either. Given that the event has started in August, an alcoholic drink closest in substance to water is a nice touch, even if it is a fad that never really caught on. Likely the most refreshing alcoholic drink at the event, I say give this a try.
Welcome to a marketplace review for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival 2017, taking place in the park from August 31st through November 13th, 2017. This review will cover a brand new booth called “Coastal Eats”, which is located in Future World West, in the “Next Eats” cluster behind Club Cool.
Coastal Eats
Food:
Lump Crab Cake with Napa Cabbage Slaw and Avocado Lemongrass Cream – $5.00
Baked Shrimp Scampi Dip with Sourdough Baguette – $5.50
Seared Scallops with Roasted Corn and Butterbean Succotash and Chili Chipotle Butter Sauce – $6.00
Beverages:
Erath Pinot Gris, Oregon – $6.00
Soter Planet Pinot Noir, Oregon – $7.00
Lump Crab Cake with Napa Cabbage Slaw and Avocado Lemongrass Cream – $5.00
This is a surprisingly healthy serving for Food and Wine and the flavor did not disappoint. While I’m pretty tired of avocado seemingly being on top of everything at these events, it pairs well here for a dish I would highly recommend for the seafood-lover.
Baked Shrimp Scampi Dip with Sourdough Baguette – $5.50
Another surprising sizable and shareable dish, the baked shrimp scampi is another I would recommend from this booth. The buttery and flavorful shrimp go nicely soaked into the sourdough bread.
Seared Scallops with Roasted Corn and Butterbean Succotash and Chili Chipotle Butter Sauce – $6.00
I have yet to be disappointed by a scallops dish at this festival, and this new attempt may be my favorite yet. The chili-chipotle butter sauce is fantastic, combining spice and flavor nicely with the perfectly seared seafood.
Welcome to a marketplace review for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival 2017, taking place in the park from August 31st through November 13th, 2017. This review will cover “The Chocolate Studio”, which is located in Future World West in the pathway to World Showcase near the Imagination pavilion.
The Chocolate Studio
Food:
Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey Caramel – $4.75
Sweet Dark Chocolate Raspberry Torte with Whipped Cream and Raspberry Dust – $4.25
Beverages:
Justin Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles – $7.00
Banfi Rosa Regale, Piedmont – $9.00
Lenotti Recioto della Valpolicella, Veneto – $10.00
RL Buller Fine Muscat, Rutherglen – $6.00
Liquid Nitro Chocolate-Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey Caramel – $4.75
The Liquid Nitro Truffle is still a delight and still on our absolute must list for the event for all the reasons we have been saying for years now.
Sweet Dark Chocolate Raspberry Torte with Whipped Cream and Raspberry Dust – $4.25
For those who prefer a dark chocolate flavor, the raspberry torte is absolutely sublime. A nice alternative to the truffle… or you could just get both…
Justin Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles – $7.00
This comes in around $30 a bottle outside of the festival, so $7 for a glass isn’t a terrible deal considering the majority of the festival prices. Pairs well with either chocolate dessert and it’s perfectly enjoyable.
Banfi Rosa Regale, Piedmont – $9.00
This is that bright red translucent wine that comes up whenever chocolate is advertised somewhere. It’s not bad, but $9 a glass is hard to swallow considering how readily available and inexpensive the wine is elsewhere.
Lenotti Recioto della Valpolicella, Veneto – $10.00
Fairly unique and difficult to find outside of the festival, we recommend this purchase which pairs well with the chocolates.
RL Buller Fine Muscat, Rutherglen – $6.00
Another fairly interesting wine for the festival, high ratings across the board on many wine enthusiast websites, and at $6 a glass it feels validated.
Welcome to a marketplace review for the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival 2017, taking place in the park from August 31st through November 13th, 2017. This review will cover “The Cheese Studio”, which is located in Future World West in the pathway to World Showcase near the Imagination pavilion.
The Cheese Studio
Food:
Braised Beef “Stroganoff” with Tiny Egg Noodles, Wild Mushroom, and Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese Sauce – $5.00
Savory Caramelized Onion and Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese Tart with Cold Arugula Salad and Aged Balsamic – $4.50
Cheese Trio: Profiterole topped with Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese and Orange Apricot Jam, Smoked Salmon Pinwheel with Boursin Shallot and Chive Cheese and Everything Seasoning and Strawberry Macaroon with Boursin Pepper Cheese – $5.50
Beverages:
Leth Steinagrund Grüner Veltliner, Austria – $5.00
Liberated Pinot Noir, California – $6.50
Braised Beef “Stroganoff” with Tiny Egg Noodles, Wild Mushroom, and Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese Sauce – $5.00
I would say that is is a good dish, not great. The “stroganoff” isn’t very flavorful, but the egg noodles underneath were quite good.
Savory Caramelized Onion and Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese Tart with Cold Arugula Salad and Aged Balsamic – $4.50
Not only is this a massive serving for $4.50, it is also as good as it is large. The cheese, arugula,balsamic, onion, and garlic all made for a pleasant combination that I will likely be back for. Well, at least if I leave plenty of room, because this thing is massive, likely as filling as your average counter service meal at Epcot.
Cheese Trio: Profiterole topped with Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese and Orange Apricot Jam, Smoked Salmon Pinwheel with Boursin Shallot and Chive Cheese and Everything Seasoning and Strawberry Macaroon with Boursin Pepper Cheese – $5.50
Another new favorite, this interesting take on the cheese trio is a must order. While the profiterole was a little forgettable, both the salmon and the macaroon were bursting with flavor and both tasted incredibly fresh.
Leth Steinagrund Grüner Veltliner, Austria – $5.00
The Gruner Veltliner is indigenous to Austria, where these specific grapes are grown and harvested. This white is worth a try if you’ve never had this variety of wine before, this is what Food & Wine is best at.
Liberated Pinot Noir, California – $6.50
Named for breaking the trend of overly ripe fruit and high alcohol contents of other pinot Noir. $18 for a fairly common bottle, interesting enough if you’re up for $6.50 a glass, but the Gruner Veltliner is a more unique option
