The time has finally arrived! Today is Opening Day for the 2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival in Walt Disney World!

But, as many of you know, yesterday was a “soft opening” for the tasting booths in Epcot’s World Showcase…which means I GOT TO EAT STUFF!

Yep — I sampled just about every single item on the menus yesterday (yes, I’m very, very full), and I’d love to share some of my favorite NEW eats for 2012!

2012 Epcot Food and Wine Festival NEW Favorites

Remember, if you want to see ALL of the photos I took yesterday and ALL of the food items available at the Epcot Food and Wine Festival this year, you’ll want to head over to our individual booth pages here.

Just click on the country you’d like to see and we’ll share both the menu and all of the food photos!

OK, let’s get started!

Spinach and Paneer Pocket at South Africa Booth

This is a brand new item at the festival this year, and I’ve definitely been looking forward to trying it.

A savory (and actually quite large!) pocket filled with ample amounts of spinach and paneer cheese, this vegetarian snack definitely makes the list. Get it in South Africa.

“Le Cellier” Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce

Well, I was definitely excited when I found out the Canada Booth was going to bring the fabulous Le Cellier filet with truffle butter sauce to the festival. But I was ecstatic when it turned out to be delicious!

I mean, come on — what if they overcooked it? What if there wasn’t enough truffle butter sauce? There was so much that could go wrong.

But it didn’t. The meat was tender and flavorful (and not overcooked — hooray!). And there was…dare I say it?…ENOUGH truffle butter sauce for me. ME! (That’s saying something, since I’m the person who orders an extra side of truffle butter sauce when I’m at the restaurant.)

Lemon Custard Verrine with Blueberry Compote at Desserts and Champagne Booth

You guys know how I feel about lemon curd…and how I feel about lemon curd paired with blueberries…so you can imagine how I feel about the Lemon Custard Verrine with Blueberry Compote at this year’s Desserts and [Read more…]