It truly is one of the most beautiful times of the year at Epcot, now that the 2017 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival has officially begun!
The Epcot Flower and Garden Festival is Officially Underway!
From now through May 29th, Epcot guests will enjoy over seventy Disney-themed topiaries all over the park, special exhibits and seminars for all the Green Thumbs (and those aspiring Green Thumbs!) out there, and the Garden Rocks Concert Series (complete with Dining Packages this year).
Additionally, we’ll all enjoy a record number of FIFTEEN Outdoor Kitchens ! Much like the Marketplace Booths at the Food and Wine Festival, the Outdoor Kitchens are serving up small plates and beverages, but with a Spring focus on fresh-from-the-garden ingredients.
The Berry Basket Outdoor Kitchen, One of Two New Booths in 2017!
Our DFB Spring tradition is trying EACH AND EVERY dish, so let’s waste no time in sharing what we think are the items that you cannot miss at the 2017 Flower and Garden Festival!
Don’t forget to visit our 2017 Flower and Garden Festival Menu Page to see the full booth menus and ALL FOOD PHOTOS of this year’s menu items!
And, now… it’s time for…
The BEST of the FEST
Here are your MUST-EATS at the food booths this year:
Fairy Cocktail, Urban Farm Eats
Our first stop is Urban Farm Eats. We had the chance to try the Fairy Cocktail, a combination of Absinthe, Cucumber, and Lime, at the recent preview event, and we think that it captures the essence of sophistication and Spring perfectly.
Urban Fairy Cocktail
It’s the just-right sipper as you take in all of the cool exhibits that make up the Urban Farm Eats area!
Potato Pancake with Caramelized Ham, Onions, and Herb Sour Cream, Bauernmarkt
, the German-themed Farmer’s Market, offered a up a few new dishes, and one of our favorites was the savory Potato Pancake with Caramelized Ham, Onions, and Herb Sour Cream.
Potato Pancake with Caramelized Ham, Onions, and Herb Sour Cream
The shredded potato pancake held up nicely to the hearty toppings. Definitely a winner!
Warm Cheese Strudel with Mixed Berries, Bauernmarkt Farmer’s Market
But don’t skip dessert at Bauernmarkt. The Warm Cheese Strudel with Mixed Berries also wowed us.
Warm Cheese Strudel with Mixed Berries
There was plenty of rich, sweet Cheese Filling inside the flaky pastry, and the Berry Sauce complemented the flavors and textures nicely.
Carne Asada with Black Bean Cake and Cilantro Lime Sour Cream, Florida Fresh
Carne Asada with Black Bean Cake and Cilantro Lime Sour Cream
at Florida Fresh was one of the new dishes we were most anxious to try this year! And it didn’t disappoint.
Carne Asada with Black Bean Cake and Cilantro Lime Sour Cream
The tender Beef served atop a cake made of Black Beans and Rice offered familiar flavors in a whole new presentation.
Lamb Chop with Quinoa Salad and Blackberry Gastrique, The Berry Basket
The Lamb chop with Quinoa Salad and Blackberry Gastrique from The Berry Basket was one of the most beautiful dishes we tried on Flower and Garden Opening Day!
Lamb chop with Quinoa Salad and Blackberry Gastrique
And while the Lamb Chop itself — cooked perfectly on our visit, by the way — was a picture, the Quinoa Salad wowed us as well. And I’m totally making Berry Gastrique this weekend. 😀
Warm Wild Berry Buckle with Pepperberry Sorbet, The Berry Basket
Another of our favorite dishes Warm Wild Berry Buckle with Pepperberry Sorbet. And it was just as amazing out on the Promenade! The warm, moist Cake was so so so so good. But what truly elevates the dish is the Pepperberry Sorbet.
Warm Wild Berry Buckle with Pepperberry Sorbet
The cold, creamy, icy texture + the warmth from the spice is heaven! We’ll be back for seconds.
Twinings® Green Tea Berry Mint Julep, The Berry Basket
It took two trips to The Berry Basket to score the Twinings® Green Tea Berry Mint Julep, but it was so completely WORTH IT. The drink was incredibly refreshing, bursting with berry, but the tea and mint flavors also came through. After a very warm day with lots of walking, this was the perfect, light treat. GET THIS.
Twinings® Green Tea Berry Mint Julep (Non-Alcoholic)
And our recommendation? Skip the liquor here. I’m sure it’s good too. But I can’t see how it could possibly improve this delightful drink.
Remember, you can see pictures of ALL THE FOOD — from each new dish to all the returning items — by visiting our Flower and Garden Festival Menu page!
What are YOU most excited to try at the Flower and Garden Festival this year? Please let us know with a comment!
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I’m with AJ on my inability to eat cilantro. Most Festival dishes you can ask for them not to put it on, or it’s easily picked off. How prevalent was it in the Carne Asada with Black Bean Cake and Cilantro Lime Sour Cream?
Rach — It was mixed into the sour cream topping, as far as memory serves, so you should be ok by having the sauce left off. Double check at the kiosk, though. They’ll have a full list of ingredients.
All of the berries look wonderful!
Thanks, AJ. We’ll pick up our score card Monday and use your recommendations. My wife likes the look of the lamb chop and that mint julip.
Did that Fairy cocktail have any sugar in it, with the absinthe?
Mark — They were both fantastic. Let us know what you think.
I’m not going to the F & G this year but will be in 2018. Do they publish a cookbook of these Outdoor Kitchen creations?
My husband and I are from Washington state so we decided to come a few days early to the flower & garden festival (it takes that long for us old people to get past jet lag). On Feb. 28th (our 2nd day) we went to Disney Springs and went to the Coke a Cola rooftop to try some of the drinks we watched on DFB Utube. All which were very unique and very good. Thanks AJ & Joey. After leaving there we looked at the new Planet Hollywood menu and saw Guy Fieri had a menu up. Our favorite foodie personality. Walked around the corner and there he was!!! OK so I kinda lost it. I was glad to meet him & he was very nice. What a great food trip. Hope to see you all here.
Kim — What a great story! Sounds like your trip is off to a fantastic start! And yes, that rooftop bar is awesome. 😀
Debbie — Sometimes the books that are published around the Epcot Food and Wine Festival include recipes for all of the Festivals. We’ll be back at the Flower and Garden Festival tomorrow, so we’ll scope out the cookbook situation for ya.
Rach — I’m so sorry for the long time in responding. I spoke with a chef on Saturday about the dish, and he said that there was basically cilantro in every component, including the carne asada. However, in the cooked items (the beef and the black bean cake), it’s much less prominent, since cilantro doesn’t really stand up to heat all that well. You may be ok if you skip the pico de gallo and sour cream, but I can’t promise.
Debbie — I didn’t see any, but stay tuned to DFB. If we get our hands on any of the recipes, we’ll be sure to share them.
I had the Twinings Green Tea Berry Mint Julep with alcohol and it was wonderful!
Thanks for checking Brooke! Yeah I skipped it when I was there last week just in case. Not like there wasn’t a ton of other nummy items to have. 😎 (I do so love the “Crabless Cake” that used to be at the F&W vegan booth, so was very happy to see it back at F&G.)
Rachel — You’re welcome! I like the crabless cake, too. 😀