Join us in welcoming guest author Rebecca Dolan! After sampling ALL of the vegetarian menu items at the 2013 Epcot Food and Wine Festival, she’s sharing her review with us. Read on…

Vegetarian Food at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival

The offerings at this year’s Epcot International Food and Wine Festival may err on the meaty (or fishy) side of things, but there are a number of nods to vegetarians around the World Showcase Lagoon. The veg options may not be terribly exciting, but there are enough to keep herbivorous appetites at bay. After sampling all of the items conveniently marked with a green “V” on the Food and Wine Festival menus, we’ve reviewed both the entrees and desserts below.

Savories

Africa:

The spinach and cheese paneer pocket was one of my favorite vegetarian noshes. Since it’s fried, it can be a tad heavy, and perhaps not the best on a scorching Florida afternoon. The golden flaky pastry exterior yields to a filling that’s much like the saag paneer you’d find at an Indian restaurant.

Cheese: I personally did not care for the almond crusted blue cheese soufflé, as it was a bit soggy. But, blue cheese lovers might enjoy it as a unique vessel by which to enjoy its pungent bite, which is cut by a dollop of fig jam on top.

The cheese booth’s other offering was a trio of (what else?) cheeses: Flagship Reserve Cheddar, La Bonne Vie Triple Crème Brie and Wijngaard Goats Gouda. It’s a pretty standard cheese board and didn’t disappoint.

Greece: What would a Greek booth be without spanikopita, or cheese- and spinach-stuffed phyllo pockets? Though a tad on the greasy side, they were plump with filling. A bit like Africa’s spinach pockets, this version is slightly tangy thanks to the use of feta rather than mellow paneer.

As advertised, the Taste of Greece is not vegetarian, due to the addition of [Read more…]