Friday, September 25, 2015

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival 2015

This afternoon, I attended the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, which started today, and runs through November 16th.


I picked up a festival passport at one of the festival shops as I headed into the World Showcase.  


Both vegetarian (V) and gluten free (GF) options are labeled in the festival passport.  


My first stop was at the new Sustainable Chew and Chew Lab marketplaces, which are inspired by ABC's The Chew.  Gluten Free options include:
  • Pork spareribs with red wine, fennel, and cheesy mascarpone grits
  • Vanilla panna cotta with fresh figs and pistachio brittle
  • Olive oil poached salmon with fresh corn, bacon, and pepper jam
  • New York strip steak with parsnip silk, balsamic glaze, and arugula foam
  • Liquid nitro chocolate-almond truffle with warm whiskey caramel


I enjoyed the vanilla panna cotta with fresh figs and pistachio brittle, which had a fruity top and bottom layer that added more flavor to the dessert.  The Cheese Studio marketplace also features a panna cotta, but it is made with sweet goat cheese, and served with guava gelle.


I also liked the olive oil poached salmon with fresh corn, bacon and pepper jam.  The combination of the fresh salmon with the sweetness of the corn was really delicious.


When I stopped at the Chase Lounge for some much needed water and air conditioning, I discovered that both of my pictures of the New York strip with parsnip silk, balsamic glaze and arugula foam were blurry.  When I saw the dish, I was concerned that the steak was undercooked, even though I like my strip steak medium rare.  Thankfully, it still tasted good, and all the elements on the plate worked well together.


 My favorite dessert of the day was the liquid nitro chocolate-almond truffle with warm whiskey-caramel.  The chef I watched make it took a scoop of what looked to be chocolate mousse, then exposed it to liquid nitro.  The dessert is then finished off with the sauce and almond, which looks like breadcrumbs.  It was delicious, and the portion was generous.


Gluten free options at the Dominican Republic, Greece, and Desserts & Champagne marketplaces include:
  • Roasted pork with mangu, pickled red onions and avocado
  • Greek salad in a cone
  • Chocolate cherry explosion


The chocolate cherry explosion tastes like chocolate mousse with a hint of cherry.  There is praline on the outside, and it is garnished with two pieces of chocolate and a cherry.  The presentation was beautiful, the mousse was creamy, and I enjoyed the combination of chocolate and cherry.  


I was happy to see that all the food at Scotland is gluten free with the exception of the dessert.  The Scotland marketplace features traditional haggis with rutabaga and mashed potatoes, fresh potato pancake with Scottish smoked salmon and herb sour cream, and seared sea scallop with spinach-cheddar gratin and crispy bacon.  The Farm Fresh marketplace has griddled yard bird with braised greens and house-made habanero sauce, a dish I enjoyed last year, and a nice selection of gluten free ciders.


Patagonia has two returning favorites of mine, the grilled beef skewer with chimichurri sauce and boniato puree, and the roasted Verlasso salmon with quinoa salad and arugula chimichurri.  Australia has two gluten free options - grilled sweet and spicy bush berry shrimp with pineapple, pepper onion, and snap peas, and grilled lamb chop with mint pesto and potato crunchies.  At the Mexico marketplace, the corn chips layered with seasoned chicken, queso fresco, sour cream, and cilantro are labeled gluten free.


The Africa marketplace features a dish I enjoyed last year, the Berbere-style beef tenderloin tips with onions, jalapenos, tomato and pap.


There are three gluten free options at the Brazil marketplace:
  • "Little Hidden One" layered meat pie with mashed yucca
  • Crispy pork belly with black beans and tomato
  • Brazilian cheese bread


I really liked the Brazilian cheese bread last year, but I make it at home, so I decided to try the layered meat pie, which reminded me of shepherd's pie.  This might have been my favorite dish of the day.  The mashed yuca was creamy and cheesy, and the meat underneath was so flavorful.


Ireland and Canada have two of my returning favorites - warm chocolate pudding with Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur custard, and Le Cellier wild mushroom beef filet mignon with truffle butter sauce.  You can read about all my returning favorites in my 2014 Epcot Food & Wine Festival review.  I have highlighted the dishes that are available this year to make it easier to find those reviews.


If you have a Chase debit or credit card, be sure to stop at the Chase Lounge at the American Adventure Pavilion.  It is a great place to sit down and relax, and enjoy a complimentary drink.  You can read about the Chase Lounge in last year's Food & Wine post here.  

September 27, 2015 Update


After church, we headed to the Epcot Food & Wine Festival for lunch, one of our favorite fall traditions.  My first stop was the Australia marketplace, where I ordered both gluten free dishes.  The grilled sweet and spicy bush berry shrimp with pineapple, pepper, onion and snap peas lived up to its name.  It was a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy, and the shrimp were cooked perfectly.  This might have been my favorite dish of the day, and I will definitely be stopping at the Australia marketplace the next time we are at Epcot to order the shrimp again.


My second favorite dish of the day was also from the Australia marketplace.  I wasn't sure I was going to like the grilled lamb chop with mint pesto and potato crumbles, because I am not particularly fond of mint, but the taste of mint was extremely subtle, and I probably wouldn't have realized what I was eating if I hadn't read the description.  The lamb was nice and tender, and the pesto was slightly sweet.  The potato crumbles on top added a nice crunch to this amazing dish, and I found myself wanting another lamb chop, but I had more food to sample on our walk around the World Showcase.


While I was in line at Australia, my family was at the Patagonia marketplace ordering both of their gluten free dishes, which are returning favorites of ours.  Last year, I loved the roasted Verlasso salmon with quinoa salad and arugula chimichurri, but today, I was not impressed.  The salmon was overcooked, and I found the quinoa and arugula chimichurri to be pretty unexciting.


My daughters both ordered the grilled beef skewer with chimichurri sauce and boniato puree, which has been one of their favorite dishes at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival for several years.  I did not sample it myself today, but my girls both gave it a big thumbs up.  They also had the Beijing roasted duck in a steamed bun with hoisin sauce from China, and the Ravioli alla Caprese from Italy, neither of which is gluten free.  When I asked them which one was their favorite dish, they said they loved all three equally.


My husband's favorite dish of the day was the corn chips layered with seasoned chicken, queso fresco, sour cream and cilantro, a gluten free dish from the Mexico marketplace.  He also enjoyed the chicken sausage with creamy polenta and Minus 8 onion jam from Canada, and the yuca souffle topped with griddled cheese from the Dominican Republic marketplace, which I could not try, because they were not gluten free.  


If you are a fan of Le Cellier's filet mignon, you will enjoy the "Le Cellier" wild mushroom beef filet mignon with truffle butter sauce from the Canada marketplace.  There is nothing not to love about this dish.  The filet was tender and cooked just how I like it, and I enjoyed every bite with a little bit of mushroom and truffle butter sauce.


Unlike my last visit, I restrained myself and had only one dessert, the warm chocolate pudding with Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur custard from the Ireland marketplace.  It was just as delicious as it has been in previous years.  The chocolate pudding reminds me of a flourless chocolate cake, and it is complemented perfectly by the Irish cream liqueur custard.


Between my husband and I, we sampled all five of the gluten free desserts available at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival this year.  Not being a fan of goat cheese, I was reluctant to try the sweet goat cheese panna cotta with guava gelle from the Cheese Studio.  Mitch said it had the texture and taste of ricotta, and wasn't as sweet and smooth as the panna cottas he has had in the past, but he liked it.  

October 19, 2015 Update


Yesterday, we had lunch at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival.  The first dish I tried was the pork spareribs with red wine, fennel, and cheesy mascarpone grits from Sustainable Chew.  I am not sure where the fennel was, because I could not taste it at all, which was fine with me, because I have never enjoyed anything that tastes like black licorice.  My whole family loved the grits, and I was left wanting more after I took my last bite.  The spareribs were tender, and I enjoyed the spicy kick they had from the peppers on top.  Overall, I would have to say that this is one of my favorite dishes this year, and I hope to enjoy it again before the festival ends.


At the Dominican Republic marketplace, I tried the roasted pork with mangu, pickled red onions and avocado.  The mangu, which is mashed plantains, tasted like a white bean or pinto bean mash.  I liked all the elements of this dish, but would definitely not order it again this year, because there are too many other dishes I like better, like the shrimp from Australia, which I had for the second time yesterday.


I did try a bite of my daughter's grilled beef skewer with chimichurri sauce and boniato puree from Patagonia, and wished I had ordered one for myself.  Instead, I opted for the griddled yard bird with braised greens and house-made habanero sauce.  The chicken was incredibly crispy, just like last year, and the habanero sauce was the perfect level of spiciness for me, but I did not enjoy the greens, so they were passed off to my husband to eat.  

November 6, 2015 Update


Last Saturday, I had dinner at the Brazil marketplace.  I ordered both the layered meat pie with mashed yucca, and the Brazilian cheese bread.  I have always loved Brazilian cheese bread, and it is great to have a gluten free bread option at the Epcot Food & Wine Festival.  The layered meat pie with mashed yucca was just as delicious as the last time I had it, and remains one of my favorite dishes from this year's festival.  


What are your favorite gluten free dishes at the 2015 Epcot Food & Wine Festival?

3 comments:

  1. Nothing for us in Italy or Germany again? =( I do love Italian food. But I'm sure I won't starve.

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  2. Thanks for doing this! Headed there now and can't wait!

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  3. This is invaluable information! Thank you so much! I've been a celiac for 15 years and am so happy I know what to expect before going this Friday!

    ReplyDelete