2021 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival - Concluded on November 20, 2021

[Simba's Mom]

My wife and I ate both lunch and dinner at the festival today. It was pretty packed, especially in the evening. It was also very hot. I loaded up on SPF 100 sunscreen and still got a pretty bad sunburn on my face. We skipped the France booth because there were literally 50+ people in line, maybe more.

Here are my rankings of the items we tried:

Great
- Maple Boursin Cheesecake (Refreshment Port) - 10.0 - This has always been great, and this year is no exception.
- Corned Beef Corner Route (Flavors From Fire) - 9.0 - Ours had a comically large amount of beef.

Very Good
- Spicy Hako Sushi (Japan) - 8.5 - Only two pieces, but very tasty and quite spicy.
- Roasted Porchetta (Swanky Saucy Swine) - 8.0 - Potatoes were very plain, but pork was tender and flavorful.
- Beef/Chicken/Lamb Kabobs (Tangierine Cafe) - 8.0 - All 3 meats were very good. Beef and chicken were cold, but still tasty.
- Chilaquiles con Chorizo (Mexico) - 8.0 - Really flavorful chorizo and salsa verde.
- La Clasica Reyes Margarita (Mexico) - 8.0 - Nice spicy kick. Best festival margarita in a while.
- Capirotada de Chocolate (Mexico) - 8.0 - Large portion loaded with chocolate. Wife's favorite item of the festival so far.

Good
- Stone-Baked Moroccan Bread (Tangierine Cafe) - 7.5 - Bread was fresh and the three dips were all good.
- Wild Mushroom and Truffle Tart (Rotundra Bistro) - 7.5 - Flavor is subtle but nice.
- Pistachio Cake (Tangierine Cafe) - 7.5 - Very basic and light.
- Griddled Cheese (Greece) - 7.0 - Not as good as the previous version. I think it's a different cheese.

Decent
- Tempura Shrimp Sando (Japan) - 6.5 - Ours had barely any crab or green onions. It was literally a tempura shrimp on a Hawaiian type roll. Not bad at all, just underwhelming.
- Schinkennudeln (Germany) - 6.0 - I usually really like this, but this serving was greasy and kind of gummy.
- Soy-Glazed Sticky Ribs (Swanky Saucy Swine) - 6.0 - Sauce had a good flavor, but both ribs had lots of weird little chewy/hard bits that made them hard to eat.

Mediocre
- Crispy Barbecue Pork Rinds (Swanky Saucy Swine) - 5.0 - These were really hard and hurt our teeth. Pimento cheese was decent.
- Schofferhofer Wild Cherry Hefeweisen (Germany) - 5.0 - I'm not really a beer guy, but the grapefruit version is much better.

Bad
- Teriyaki-Sesame Wings (Brew-Wing) - 4.0 - These were really sour.
- Garlic-Parmesan Wings (Brew-Wing) - 3.0 - I ate two. First was meh but not terrible. Second tasted like a used dish rag. Both were really dry.
- Deconstructed Pavlova (Australia) - 2.0 - We usually love this. But it was literally served hot. The meringue was melting, and the pastry cream and fruit were very warm. It was gross. They need to keep these refrigerated before serving.

Mexico and Tangierine Cafe were the clear winners of day 1. We stayed at the Swan tonight, and will be back for lunch tomorrow. We'll definitely be hitting up France, China, and Hawaii, and finishing the cheese stroll.

On a side note, my wife was super excited because she got to talk to the Trackers.

Thanks very much for the reviews and thanks for all those lines you must have stood in. I also was there for the first day of the F&W Festival, but every booth had such a long line! I'm going again next Tuesday-hoping for shorter lines, especially at Tangerine Cafe.

 

[Chisoxcollector]

Not sure if anybody posted it, but the completer item for the cheese stroll is a strawberry Cheesecake soft serve. It's delicious!

 

[Disneyboy24]

Any Russian, Ukrainian, and Dutch food like Borsch, Varenyky, kapsalon, bamischijf, stamppot, blini, and pelmeni?

 

[auntlynne]

Any Russian, Ukrainian, and Dutch food like Borsch, Varenyky, kapsalon, bamischijf, stamppot, blini, and pelmeni?

It‘s not that international of a festival.

 

[HashberryOTG]

Not sure if anybody posted it, but the completer item for the cheese stroll is a strawberry Cheesecake
soft serve. It's delicious!View attachment 590003

Is that glass or plastic?

 

[Micca]

cheese stroll

Cheese stroll??? Where can I find out more about that, please?

 

[Haley R]

Not sure if anybody posted it, but the completer item for the cheese stroll is a strawberry Cheesecake soft serve. It's delicious!View attachment 590003

Can you buy this without doing the cheese stroll lol?

 

[Chisoxcollector]

Is that glass or plastic?

Plastic.

Cheese stroll??? Where can I find out more about that, please?

Sorry, cheese stroll is my shorthand for Emile's Fromage Montage. Details are at the link below.


https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/emiles-fromage-montage/

Can you buy this without doing the cheese stroll lol?

I should have asked, as the wife wants a second one lol. We might go back next weekend. I'll try to remember to ask.

 

[Haley R]

Plastic.



Sorry, cheese stroll is my shorthand for Emile's Fromage Montage. Details are at the link below.


https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/emiles-fromage-montage/

I should have asked, as the wife wants a second one lol. We might go back next weekend. I'll try to remember to ask.

Thanks! It looks really good but I don’t want to do the whole stroll

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

What is the Emile Cheese Crawl???? We love the Remy scavenger hunt. My kids are both teens and we still do the Remy hunt. But I've never heard of the cheese thing and I LOVE cheese!!!!

Cheese Crawl (Emile's Fromage Montage)
Here's a link to a great article that explains it. You buy five specific items containing cheese and receive a sixth cheese item as a 'prize'.

Are you judging my standard order of "one of each food item and a beer flight"?

Haha, no, I love your standard order, but my wallet doesn't!

Can you buy this without doing the cheese stroll lol?

According to the article posted above, the cheesecake soft serve cannot be bought separately. You must complete the cheese stroll.

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

@Heather07438 - were these all pre-made, or did it seem like you could leave off the bacon?

I'm so annoyed at all the pork/meat products being put onto food that would otherwise be vegetarian. I was really excited about Emile's Fromage Montage, but then realized that 3 of the 5 "cheese" products have meat in them. And TWO different s'mores desserts that my family would have otherwise loved, (IMO) ruined.

It looks like the candied bacon is sprinkled on top, so hopefully, they could leave it off. I'm assuming it's not also baked into the funnel cake. Everything looks like individual ingredients that are assembled to order, otherwise the ice cream would melt.

Also, I've read that to complete the cheese crawl, you can get more of one item and skip others, as long as you've purchased 5 total items of any combination on the list. I know that's not necessarily helpful to have to buy doubles of things, but it is an option if you wanted to avoid the meat choices.

 

[Chisoxcollector]

We tried a few more items today for lunch. It wasn't nearly as busy as yesterday, though a few lines were pretty long. We ended up skipping China because the line was super long when we got there. Next time!

My rankings are below. Items that I tried today are in bold.

Great
- Maple Boursin Cheesecake (Refreshment Port) - 10.0 - This has always been great, and this year is no exception.
- Tuna Poke (Hawai'i) - 9.0 - Really fresh and light, seasoning was delicious. Shrimp chips (prawn crackers) were stale and inedible, but we didn't care.
- Corned Beef Corner Route (Flavors From Fire) - 9.0 - Ours had a comically large amount of beef.
- Teriyaki Glazed Spam Hash (Hawai'i) - 9.0 - Just as good as previous years. This serving had much less peppers than usual, which for me is a good thing.

Very Good
- Spicy Hako Sushi (Japan) - 8.5 - Only two pieces, but very tasty and quite spicy.
- Roasted Porchetta (Swanky Saucy Swine) - 8.0 - Potatoes were very plain, but pork was tender and flavorful.
- Beef/Chicken/Lamb Kabobs (Tangierine Cafe) - 8.0 - All 3 meats were very good. Beef and chicken were cold, but still tasty.
- Chilaquiles con Chorizo (Mexico) - 8.0 - Really flavorful chorizo and salsa verde.
- Hot Beef Sandwich (Hops & Barley) - 8.0 - Loaded with tender beef. Vegetables are pretty spicy.
- La Clasica Reyes Margarita (Mexico) - 8.0 - Nice spicy kick. Best festival margarita in a while.
- Capirotada de Chocolate (Mexico) - 8.0 - Large portion loaded with chocolate. Wife's second favorite item of the festival so far.
- Stone-Baked Moroccan Bread (Tangierine Cafe) - 8.0 - Bread was fresh and the three dips were all good.

Good
- Passion Fruit Cheesecake (Hawai'i) - 7.5 - Good solid cheesecake, but there is nothing really special about it.
- Deconstructed Pavlova (Australia) - 7.5 (was 2.0 the first time) - We tried this again. It was much better than the first time, but the fruit wasn't very sweet. Can't really blame them for that, though.
- La Passion Martini Slushy (France) - 7.5 - Good, but a bit syrupy.
- Wild Mushroom and Truffle Tart (Rotundra Bistro) - 7.5 - Flavor is subtle but nice.
- Pistachio Cake (Tangierine Cafe) - 7.5 - Very basic and light.
- Griddled Cheese (Greece) - 7.0 - Not as good as the previous version. I think it's a different cheese.

Decent
- Tempura Shrimp Sando (Japan) - 6.5 - Ours had barely any crab or green onions. It was literally a tempura shrimp on a Hawaiian type roll. Not bad at all, just underwhelming.
- S'mores Whoopie Pie-lon (Flavors From Fire) - 6.0 - Not bad, but the whole thing was the same texture. The graham cracker was soft and mushy. Basically just tasted like chocolate.
- Schinkennudeln (Germany) - 6.0 - I usually really like this, but this serving was greasy and kind of gummy.
- Soy-Glazed Sticky Ribs (Swanky Saucy Swine) - 6.0 - Sauce had a good flavor, but both ribs had lots of weird little chewy/hard bits that made them hard to eat.

Mediocre
- Crispy Barbecue Pork Rinds (Swanky Saucy Swine) - 5.0 - These were really hard and hurt our teeth. Pimento cheese was decent.
- Schofferhofer Wild Cherry Hefeweisen (Germany) - 5.0 - I'm not really a beer guy, but the grapefruit version is much better.

Bad
- Beignet aux Trois Fromages (France) - 4.0 - The flavor wasn't bad, but it was a big pile of mush. The beignet couldn't hold up to the cheese filling.
- Teriyaki-Sesame Wings (Brew-Wing) - 4.0 - These were really sour.
- Garlic-Parmesan Wings (Brew-Wing) - 3.0 - I ate two. First was meh but not terrible. Second tasted like a used dish rag. Both were really dry.

 

[helenm29]

Booked my trip just this week for Oct. 26-Nov. 3. Can't wait to Food & Wine at both Epcot AND Swan/Dolphin this year!!

Booked my trip just this week for Oct. 26-Nov. 3. Can't wait to Food & Wine at both Epcot AND Swan/Dolphin this year!!

Hey fellow planner! we planned our stay October 21 through November 7th! cannot wait! I'm sad that so far they don't have anything going accept for food booths and eat to the beat...I loved those classes you used to be able to take and the special dinners. Keep your fingers crossed!

 

[patster734]

Does anyone know if this year’s merchandise includes Brews Around The World? I haven’t seen them when looking at websites reporting on this year’s merchandise.

 

[KNovacovschi]

Ok I was excited for everything on the Italy booth menu this year however after seeing the prices and Dennys review and look of the Mezzelune Croccanti I am now disappointed. I think they have the most expensive offerings this year. They were pretty much empty inside.

 

[OKW Lover]

Bad
- Beignet aux Trois Fromages (France) - 4.0 - The flavor wasn't bad, but it was a big pile of mush. The beignet couldn't hold up to the cheese filling.

Agree. Although I wouldn't quite say "bad". I much preferred what it was served last year on the baguette.

 

[preemiemama]

We tried a few things tonight. The mushroom filet from Canada was great but small. The bread pudding from Mexico was really good and a decent size- One of the better deals I think. The lobster roll from Hops snd Barley was really good- real chunks of lobster meat! Spanakopita from Greece was ok but nothing special. Their wine flight was also pretty good. Lamb and chicken kabobs from Morocco were solid but the bread was the standout there. Not a bad night!

Also, we ate some of our food in Marrakesh. It had really strong air conditioning and only a few people were there. Nice spot to sit snd eat!

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

I was excited to try the Beignet at the France booth when I go later this year. But all I have seen are bad reviews. May skip that one and just get both waffle options at Belgium instead lol

 

[Farro]

I was excited to try the Beignet at the France booth when I go later this year. But all I have seen are bad reviews. May skip that one and just get both waffle options at Belgium instead lol

I know!!! I never got to try the melted brie in the bread bowl thing they had, so was looking forward to this, but yeah, doesn't sound good.

I'm going to try the escargot, gets great reviews.

 

[dachsie]

We tried a few more items today for lunch. It wasn't nearly as busy as yesterday, though a few lines were pretty long. We ended up skipping China because the line was super long when we got there. Next time!

My rankings are below. Items that I tried today are in bold.

Great
- Maple Boursin Cheesecake (Refreshment Port) - 10.0 - This has always been great, and this year is no exception.
- Tuna Poke (Hawai'i) - 9.0 - Really fresh and light, seasoning was delicious. Shrimp chips (prawn crackers) were stale and inedible, but we didn't care.
- Corned Beef Corner Route (Flavors From Fire) - 9.0 - Ours had a comically large amount of beef.
- Teriyaki Glazed Spam Hash (Hawai'i) - 9.0 - Just as good as previous years. This serving had much less peppers than usual, which for me is a good thing.

Very Good
- Spicy Hako Sushi (Japan) - 8.5 - Only two pieces, but very tasty and quite spicy.
- Roasted Porchetta (Swanky Saucy Swine) - 8.0 - Potatoes were very plain, but pork was tender and flavorful.
- Beef/Chicken/Lamb Kabobs (Tangierine Cafe) - 8.0 - All 3 meats were very good. Beef and chicken were cold, but still tasty.
- Chilaquiles con Chorizo (Mexico) - 8.0 - Really flavorful chorizo and salsa verde.
- Hot Beef Sandwich (Hops & Barley) - 8.0 - Loaded with tender beef. Vegetables are pretty spicy.
- La Clasica Reyes Margarita (Mexico) - 8.0 - Nice spicy kick. Best festival margarita in a while.
- Capirotada de Chocolate (Mexico) - 8.0 - Large portion loaded with chocolate. Wife's second favorite item of the festival so far.
- Stone-Baked Moroccan Bread (Tangierine Cafe) - 8.0 - Bread was fresh and the three dips were all good.

Good
- Passion Fruit Cheesecake (Hawai'i) - 7.5 - Good solid cheesecake, but there is nothing really special about it.
- Deconstructed Pavlova (Australia) - 7.5 (was 2.0 the first time) - We tried this again. It was much better than the first time, but the fruit wasn't very sweet. Can't really blame them for that, though.
- La Passion Martini Slushy (France) - 7.5 - Good, but a bit syrupy.
- Wild Mushroom and Truffle Tart (Rotundra Bistro) - 7.5 - Flavor is subtle but nice.
- Pistachio Cake (Tangierine Cafe) - 7.5 - Very basic and light.
- Griddled Cheese (Greece) - 7.0 - Not as good as the previous version. I think it's a different cheese.

Decent
- Tempura Shrimp Sando (Japan) - 6.5 - Ours had barely any crab or green onions. It was literally a tempura shrimp on a Hawaiian type roll. Not bad at all, just underwhelming.
- S'mores Whoopie Pie-lon (Flavors From Fire) - 6.0 - Not bad, but the whole thing was the same texture. The graham cracker was soft and mushy. Basically just tasted like chocolate.
- Schinkennudeln (Germany) - 6.0 - I usually really like this, but this serving was greasy and kind of gummy.
- Soy-Glazed Sticky Ribs (Swanky Saucy Swine) - 6.0 - Sauce had a good flavor, but both ribs had lots of weird little chewy/hard bits that made them hard to eat.

Mediocre
- Crispy Barbecue Pork Rinds (Swanky Saucy Swine) - 5.0 - These were really hard and hurt our teeth. Pimento cheese was decent.
- Schofferhofer Wild Cherry Hefeweisen (Germany) - 5.0 - I'm not really a beer guy, but the grapefruit version is much better.

Bad
- Beignet aux Trois Fromages (France) - 4.0 - The flavor wasn't bad, but it was a big pile of mush. The beignet couldn't hold up to the cheese filling.
- Teriyaki-Sesame Wings (Brew-Wing) - 4.0 - These were really sour.
- Garlic-Parmesan Wings (Brew-Wing) - 3.0 - I ate two. First was meh but not terrible. Second tasted like a used dish rag. Both were really dry.

I am so glad you posted your reviews. The blogger reviews have been all over the place. Looking forward to any more you may provide. Was curious about the shrimp and the crab dishes at Rotunda Bistro