Fourteen Days of Food Booths - Epcot Food & Wine Festival 2014

[NejTheLion]

The pork belly that I had was definitely crispy. It was getting a bit dry, but I prefer that over it being less cooked and still gelatinous. I've seen other reviews that suggested theirs was not crispy enough, so this dish could be suffering from inconsistency. The beans had a firm texture to them, which is how I prefer beans--not completely mushy. They also had a rich, porky flavor, so that was introduced somewhere in the cooking. The topping was essentially a pico de gallo and brought some freshness.

 

[NejTheLion]

This was a very dark, very strong beer. It had a mix of bitter coffee and licorice flavors. Smooth but quite bold in taste.

 

[NejTheLion]

This dish was more about lobster flavor than actual lobster meat. The lobster was infused into the creamy, cheesy Alfredo sauce, which was delicious, but there were only 2-3 small bites of lobster in my portion. The dish used macaroni for the pasta, and it was topped with breadcrumbs for texture. For me, this was more of a pasta dish than a lobster dish.

 

[NejTheLion]

Unfortunately, this dish was a bit boring. Nothing was especially wrong with it, but nothing was exciting either. The ravioli didn't have much flavor. The tomato sauce didn't have much depth. It mostly tasted of tomatoes and salt. I was wishing for basil to make it more dimensional. The mozzarella baked on top was actually my favorite part. It had that fresh, creamy taste that you get with good mozzarella. You can probably get something more interesting at your neighborhood Italian restaurant, so I can't recommend you go out of your way for this one.

 

[NejTheLion]

Prosecco wouldn't generally be my pairing of choice with a red sauce pasta, but I was looking for something a little bubbly after several heavy dishes in a row. This one was very light with a soft fizziness. Mostly apple and pear tastes with some slight flowery notes.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

This was probably the biggest surprise for me at the preview dinner, and it doesn't disappoint here at the festival. The dish is composed of a soy-based protein designed to resemble ground meat, cooked with tomato and onion, with slices of eggplant and potato on the bottom, all covered in melted cheese. I think this stands up incredibly well without meat, given that the spices and other flavors in the dish are the most important factor. The protein has a very similar texture to ground meat. While not flavorful on its own, it takes on the other flavors very easily. I could pick up the traditional spices of cinnamon and allspice, which I appreciate in savory dishes. I was also impressed that the eggplant was not cooked so long that it was mush. It still had a toothsome quality to it. This is another one that is extremely filling, but quite tasty.

I don't eat red meat or poultry, and this is one of the things I'm looking forward to trying the most.

 

[NejTheLion]

As you can see from the size, this is certainly a miniature cupcake and nothing near the size of the standard Disney creations. It was filled and topped with a tofu mixture that reminded me of a thick chocolate mousse. It was a little bit grainy in texture, but not so much that it was offputting. The cake wasn't too dense, and while I wouldn't put this up there with traditional baking, for someone who is vegan, I think this would fill the need of wanting a cupcake. The one thing I would have liked to have tasted was more blood orange. I thought there might be a blood orange custard inside, but that wasn't the case, so I missed that tartness.

 

[Aerinha]

You just reviewed two of my top must tries, the pork slider and the crispy pork belly (pretty much a fan of the pig if you can tell)and the cupcake, which I am curious about. Glad to know they are worth a try .

Can you ask them to leave the spicy mayo off the pork slider?

 

[NejTheLion]

You just reviewed two of my top must tries, the pork slider and the crispy pork belly (pretty much a fan of the pig if you can tell)and the cupcake, which I am curious about. Glad to know they are worth a try .

Can you ask them to leave the spicy mayo off the pork slider?

As I saw them plating the slider, the mayo was the last thing squeezed on. So that shouldn't be a problem to leave off.

 

[Volkswagenphreak]

I should start by saying that when I visited Hawaii, I had Kalua pig about every other day. This slider isn't quite as amazing, but I thought it was very good. In past years, I've found it could be small or dry, but neither was the case this time. The pork was tender and juicy, and it had been marinated with ginger. The mayo had a decent amount of heat (I'm assuming there was a little sriracha mixed in), and the pineapple chutney gave a little acidity. There was a lot of pork on my slider, and it was definitely the dominant component. Everything worked well in this dish for me.

thanks for reviewing this and the pork belly! This one is a must try for me, it's making my mouth water as I think about it

 

[NewRVLady]

I am kinda disappointed about the soy product in the Moussaka

I make a sort of vegetarian version of this-all veggies, sauce and cheese

BUT-I really appreciate these reviews Jen -you really do a good job describing

 

[Linda67]

Really excellent reviews
Your descriptions are wonderful and really do give us a very good idea of what to expect with each dish
thanks!

 

[Disnut4925]

Such great reviews - please keep them coming!

 

[jm106]

Wonderful reviews. So awesome so many great items

 

[butiflfeet]

Your reviews are really great! Thanks for taking one for the team and tasting all of these dishes for us

 

[nolanboys]

Thank you so much for posting these reviews. Definitely taking notes of what to try in a little more than a week!

 

[kelly3927]

I just found your thread and read thru every review! Thank you for all the great reviews. We leave in 27 days and will be enjoying our first F&W festival!

 

[Princess_Nikki]

I'm finally here! Woohoo! Can't wait to try some good food tomorrow!

 

[lisatav]

Thanks for all your reviews. I've updated my must try list with dishes you loved but never considered before. Very excited to get my own chance to try everything in 20 days!

 

[LilyWDW]

I am kinda disappointed about the soy product in the Moussaka

I make a sort of vegetarian version of this-all veggies, sauce and cheese

BUT-I really appreciate these reviews Jen -you really do a good job describing

I was too! I can't have soy products due to a medical condition. I can't see of any reason to use "fake" meat in this item. Just make it vegetarian by using, *gasp*, vegetables! There are so many delicious and amazing vegetarian meals that there is zero reason to resort to soy products.

I'm also sad because of the tomato in the fisherman's pie. Another one I can't have.

OP, I really appreciate the pics and reviews. They give me a great idea of what I can and can not have. So I am loving this.