by Beth Keating
Review
DisneyBizJournal.com
March 3, 2024
The 2024 EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival is here, a bit earlier than usual, but who is complaining? We’re more than happy to welcome spring early.
This year, there are eighteen Outdoor Kitchens at the festival, with another five or so locations that are permanent fixtures, like Connections, Swirled Showcase, and the Refreshment Port, that are serving something special for the season. In addition, Farmers Feast has a rotating menu, so every few weeks you’ll discover a whole new set of dishes.
That’s quite a few booths to visit, but when you consider that this year’s food fest is putting more than 60 new items on the menus, in addition to the returning favs, that’s a lot of sample dishes to peruse. The Outdoor Kitchens open at 11 a.m. each day, and cook up your dishes until park close.
We started our visit this week with what turned out to be our favorite dish of the festival so far, the new-this-year Veal Loin with Spring Pea Risotto ($8.50). This goodie was being served at the EPCOT Farmers Feast (near Test Track), and was part of their “Early Bloom Menu,” which runs until March 30, when the “Springtime” selections take over.
The veal was excellent, a very tender trio of thinly cut small slices, perched on a bed of pea risotto blended with Arborio rice. While the veal was lightly seasoned, it was gently done so that the flavor of the meat really had a chance to shine through. A pool of red wine syrup was plated underneath the risotto, and was a very interesting addition to the plate, because it offered two different experiences, depending on how you were spooning it up. By itself, the red wine syrup was a tad bitter, and we almost avoided it, but when we scooped up a serving that had mixed itself with the pea risotto, it was a whole different taste. In fact, it was kind of delightful, providing a nice contrast between the slightly sweet and creamy pea risotto and the more earthy wine syrup. Peas can sometimes come on strong, but this was a delicately flavored rice dish that actually benefitted from the red wine. Quite unexpected. This is a dish we’ll get again.
Cue the sad violins for this next one: We’d missed the Grilled Street Corn on the Cob at the last few festivals, once because they’d run out, and once because we got there after the booth was closing. Dang, because we’d really wanted to try it! So, this time around, we made the corn on the cob one of the first stops of the day. It also was on the menu at the Farmers Feast. This year, it was served as Corn on the Cob with Savory Garlic Spread and Plant-Based Cheese ($5.75). It counts as a Garden Graze item, if you are doing the hunt.
After a winter of crummy, tasteless corn on the cob from local supermarkets, we were really looking forward to this…. But it didn’t quite hit the mark. Maybe that’s our fault for building it up so much in our minds. The corn itself was very good, super sweet and crisp with that great corn “pop” when you bit into it. Unfortunately for us, the garlic seasoning overwhelmed the dish, and all we initially tasted was a TON of garlic! The garlic-cheese spread was mounded high, but only on one side, so when we picked the cob up, a lot of the mixture slid off – which turned out to be somewhat helpful for us. We were able to flip the cob to the side without the pile of seasonings, and enjoy a much less pungent section of the corn. While the corn itself didn’t disappoint, the dish would be better toned down a touch.
Next up was a stop at the Lotus House in the China Pavilion, a spot we often bypass because the line is sometimes too long (they usually have great boba drinks). This year, the lines weren’t unmanageable, and we ordered the Spicy Mala Chicken Skewer with Creamy Peanut Sauce ($6.75), the Pan-fried Vegetable Dumplings ($5.50), and a new-for-the-festival rum-based Dragon Dynasty ($14.50). This is one of those times we should have watched what people were walking away from the booth with first, before ordering. Disappointingly, neither of the food samples wowed us. And I do use the word sample purposefully – the dumplings were just TWO mini dumplings, a single bite each, leaving you essentially with a dumpling bite that cost you $2.75 for each small dumpling. A few shreds of purple cabbage provided a sparse base. Not the best bargain. The sauce was a nicely tangy sauce, and the dumplings were soft inside and crisp at the corners, but… two. Might have been worth the $5.50 price for four of the minis, but we’re not going to recommend that you waste your time with the dumplings. Likewise, the chicken skewer was just mediocre (think pre-packaged, food court quality). The sauce was indeed a little spicy, as advertised.
The Dragon Dynasty was the best of the booth, and was a light cocktail made with Baijiu Spirit, Light Rum, Dragon Fruit, Piña Colada Mix and Soda Water. It wasn’t super sweet, and was a very low-key glass to walk on to the next event with.
The France booth doesn’t usually disappoint us, but this was a 50-50 win here for this festival. (By this point in the day, we were beginning to think we were choosing pretty poorly this year!) The Fleur de Lys in the France Pavilion had some new treats to offer, but we’re going to recommend you walk away from one of them. Note to readers who haven’t heard us say this before: We love duck in our house! So suffice to say we were really looking forward to this one – and were sorely let down.
The new Parmentier de Canard A L’Orange ($7.95) was one of the sloppiest and visually unappealing dishes we’ve seen at the festivals. But we tried it anyway, because… duck!! It was supposed to be a dish of “Pulled Duck Confit with Orange Sauce and Garlic-Rosemary Mashed Potatoes.” What it was in real life was a plate somewhat akin to a hot open turkey sandwich, except with duck instead, and served on a bed of mashed potatoes. The gravy was thick and congealed, and you had to pick through it to find the shreds of duck. The duck we did uncover was tender and very “duck” flavored, but the mess of sauce on top was a disservice to a mostly decent duck. We just couldn’t get past the texture, and left most of it in the bowl. We also didn’t get a hint of orange at all. We did get strong garlic powder flavors with the potatoes, however. Not getting this again.
On the other hand, the Croissant au Fromage de Chèvre, Herbes et ail Rôtie ($6.95) at this booth was very nice. A croissant stuffed with a rather decent amount of tangy goat cheese, herbs and roasted garlic, this was a flaky pastry filled with a soft, Boursin-like cheese, and served warm. Yes to this one!
We’ve never missed a stop at the Hanami Kitchen in the Japan Pavilion, because they always have the Frushi ($7.75) for Flower & Garden. This time, we picked up the new Ramen Cup ($8.50), a clear plastic cup of ramen that reminded us of the old McDonald’s shaker salads. This “ramen salad” mix was unexpectedly served cold, with some shredded carrot, a few assorted greens, two or three small cubes of chicken, and a Dashi Broth with Chili Oil and Yuzu pooled in the bottom. Because we didn’t realize initially that all the “broth” was in the bottom, we began eating and thought the ramen noodles on the bland side. Well, duh… we were supposed to shake it up first. Once we did that, the noodles were much tastier, with even a tiny bit of a kick.
We headed toward the Magnolia Terrace in the American Adventure Pavilion next, where we’d had a number of good meals in the past, and figured we’d give it a try while listening to some music from the Garden Rocks concerts. At Magnolia Terrace, we opted for the Muffuletta Panini ($6.25) made with ham, salami, Mortadella, Provolone and Swiss. This pressed sandwich was a winner, flavor wise, but just be forewarned it’s only a half sandwich. While it does have some of the traditional olive spread on the sandwich itself before being pressed, there is an extra scoop of olive salad on the plate in case you want to add more to your sandwich, or if you are just an olive aficionado. The muffuletta was served warm and crispy, with the meats shaved thinly enough so that they melded together well when pressed. Crunchy outside and soft inside, it was a pleasant sandwich that made up for some of our other bad choices during the day.
Of course, the Bayou Cocktail ($12.50) helped as well. Created with Spiced Rum, Coconut Rum, fruit punch and orange juice, it was definitely a fruit punch centric drink, but not as sweet as you would think. The alcohol on the back end cut the sweetness a bit, and the orange juice gave it a stronger citrus vibe than typical fruit punch. Overall, it’s a fun and fairly light cocktail which will be even better as the weather gets hotter. Oh, one weird thing? The orange garnish was speared with a few olives in the middle, perhaps in order to tie the drink to the muffuletta theme? It didn’t matter though, because the olives soaked up the orange juice from the slice they were paired with, and became a very different fruit!
We also paid a visit to the Northern Bloom in the Canada Pavilion. Canada is always a seafood heavy booth, and indeed, it stocked a Seared Scallops ($7.75) this time around. This was a small sampling of scallops, just two for the plate, but filled out with crisp green beans, an assortment of varied types of Marble potatoes, and drizzled with a brown butter vinaigrette. The veggies were cooked well, and nice filler, but the scallops were the real reason for the stop at the booth. They were fresh tasting, and were top dressed in crumbled bacon, which gave a salty dimension to the blander scallops. We didn’t mind the chewier crumbled bacon, but they were a bit of an odd choice, since they seemed more like the kind of bacon bits you’d get on a restaurant salad bar, as opposed to real fried bacon.
We stopped by the Florida Fresh kitchen, on the pathway between the Swirled Showcase and the old route to Figment to continue the seafood quest. (There are some new construction walls currently blocking the pathway.) Apparently, though it is a bit off the main pathways, no one seemed to have trouble locating the place, because the line was consistently long. At this Outdoor Kitchen, they are dishing out a new Grilled Warm Lobster Tail with Key Lime Butter ($11.25); a new Cubanito with Mojo-Marinated Pork Belly, Ham, Swiss Cheese, Pickles and Stone Ground Mustard Sauce ($6.50); and a Florida Strawberry Shortcake ($5.00). The shortcake is also a Garden Graze item.
The Grilled Lobster Tail was a must-do for the festival for us with an especially intriguing Key Lime butter. It didn’t disappoint. The tail was a decent size, especially for a festival booth, and fresh, and the preparation and butter gave it a unique lime-smoky accent. And you could add to the lime flavoring by squeezing as much, or as little, lime juice from the accompanying lime as you'd like. We’d get this again … and again.
The Cubanito was a tasty, small sandwich. The bun had a nice, crispy outside. The pork belly ham flavor came through strong, and the Swiss cheese was a bit gooey – in a good way. Also, the sandwich had just the right amount of stone ground mustard sauce, and the pickle added a refreshing crunch.
Okay, we didn’t get to the strawberry shortcake … yet. But we will return because, well, it’s strawberry shortcake.
For our finale of the day, we happened to stroll past the beer cart in the United Kingdom Pavilion. There, they were offering a drink called a “Scottish Thistle” ($9.75), which though advertised as a new drink, didn’t actually appear in the Flower & Garden passport.
We’ll say up front that this was a lovely afternoon drink, but totally does not look like the picture on the advertising placard. We were expecting a sipping cocktail, but in reality, it’s a frozen, slushy type drink not unlike the very popular ones in the France pavilion (IYKYK!!). This UK version of a grown-up slushy was a concoction of Fords Gin with lemon, blackcurrant, and cucumber syrups. The Scottish Thistle was not overly sweet, and very cucumber forward, in case the cucumber garnish on the swizzle stick didn’t give it away! It will surely be very popular when the temperatures start to rise.
The Flower & Garden Festival runs until May 27, 2024, so you still have plenty of time to scout out some of your favorites. Don’t forget about that ever-changing menu at the Farmers Feast Kitchen, either. You might have a chance to find even more plates to pique your interest.
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Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.
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