A Short Trip to the 2009 International Food and Wine Festival

On Saturday, I had the opportunity to spend a few hours at Walt Disney World, so I went to Epcot to see what this year’s International Food and Wine Festival had to offer. As an annual passholder, I received a Festival Guide in the mail prior to the festival’s opening on September 25, so I was able to do a considerable amount of research and planning ahead of time.

2009 Epcot Food & Wine Festival Guide
2009 Epcot Food & Wine Festival Guide Map

Each year, Disney’s International Food and Wine Festival includes a wide variety of special events and this year was no different. Following is a list of events held at the Festival this Saturday (it’s quite an impressive list!):

• 10:30-11:45 a.m. – Cheese Tasting: Italy ($75 per person)
• 12:00-12:45 p.m. – Wine Seminar: Bodega Norton, Mendoza, Argentina ($8 per person)
• 12:00-12:30 p.m. – Authors Without Borders: The Competent Cook and Notes on Cooking – Lauren Braun Costello and Russel Reich (free)
• 12:45 p.m. – Book Signing: The Competent Cook and Notes on Cooking – Lauren Braun Costello and Russel Reich (free)
• 1:00-2:30 p.m. – Epcot Adventures in Wine Varietals: Celebrating the Zinfandel Grape ($80 per person)
• 1:00-2:00 p.m. – Culinary Demonstration/Wine Presentation: Tastes and Tales of a Chef ($8 per person)
• 2:00-2:45 p.m. – Wine Seminar: Achaval Ferrer, Mendoza, Argentina ($8 per person)
• 2:00-2:30 p.m. – Authentic Taste Seminar: Mushrooms, Gourmet Mushrooms Inc. (free)
• 2:15 p.m. – Book Signing: Charcuterie: Sausages/Pates/Accompaniments – Fritz Sonneschmidt
• 2:30-4:00 p.m. – Food and Wine Pairing: Tutto Italia Ristorante ($55 per person)
• 2:45-3:45 p.m. – Culinary Demonstration/Wine Presentation: Mexico Tourism Board ($8 per person)
• 3:00-4:00 p.m. – Mexico Tequila Tastings: La Cava del Tequila ($35 per person)
• 3:45-4:30 p.m. – Wine Seminar: Santa Ema, Maipo Valley, Chile ($8 per person)
• 3:45-4:15 p.m. – Authors without Borders: Eat Like There Is No Tomorrow (free)
• 4:30 p.m. – Book Signing: Eat Like There’s No Tomorrow (free)
• 4:30-5:30 p.m. – Culinary Demonstration/Wine Presentation: Taste and Tales of a Chef ($8 per person)
• 5:15 p.m. – Eat to the Beat Concert Series: Sister Hazel, American Gardens Theatre (free)
• 5:30-6:00 p.m. – Authentic Taste Seminar: Chocolate, Chuao Chocolate (free)
• 5:30-6:15 p.m. – Spirit Seminar: Tequila ($8 per person)
• 6:30 p.m. – Eat to the Beat Concert Series: Sister Hazel, American Gardens Theatre (free)
• 6:30-9:00 p.m. – Party for the Senses: Celebrating South American Cuisine, World ShowPlace Pavilion ($135 per person)
• 7:45 p.m. – Eat to the Beat Concert Series: Sister Hazel, American Gardens Theatre (free)

I’m not a foodie and don’t drink wine, so many of these events don’t appeal to me, but I can see how people can spend days attending the Festival in an effort to see as much as possible. For this trip, I knew I was leaving the park by 2:00 so I chose to spend the bulk of my time trying some of the food items available at the food kiosks in World Showcase. To start off the day though, I decided to see what the Festival Center in the old Wonders of Life pavilion was like.

There wasn’t much going on at the Festival Center when I was there, as the day’s first seminar was at 10:30. Since there weren’t any crowds, I was able to browse the stores and displays at my leisure. For people who enjoy cooking, there are lots of great items for sale in the Festival Center: cookbooks, aprons, towels, hot mitts, coasters, etc. I thought about getting a set of nice coasters to replace a cheap set that I currently own, but I didn’t really like their design so I passed. For me, the highlight of the Festival Center was just being in the old Wonders of Life pavilion. I think I’d only been in there once or twice when I was younger, so it brought back great memories of Cranium Command, Body Wars, Making of Me, and the Wonder Cycles.

After looking around for some time, it was just about 11:00 a.m. so I made my way to World Showcase to check out the food kiosks. Since I was traveling by myself and had limited money (and room in my stomach!), I decided I would make one loop around World Showcase Lagoon to review all of the menus and decide on three or four items to try. Unfortunately, it was unbelievably hot and humid when I was at Epcot, so buying items like cheddar cheese soup at Montreal, Canada and the gumbo at New Orleans, Louisiana were out of the question. On the positive side, I’d had both of those on prior trips to the Food and Wine Festival, so I took the opportunity to try some new food.

After almost an hour of reviewing menu boards, looking at what other people were buying and calculating how much I would spend (all of the food prices include tax, making this very easy for guests on a budget), I was back at World Showcase Plaza. Having determined that I could try four items for under $20.00, I went to the nearest food kiosk and purchased a gift card bracelet. Disney sells gift cards on an elastic-like bracelet to make it easier and faster for guests to buy food at the various kiosks. Whomever came up with that idea is a genius, because it allowed me to make a single purchase and saved me from fiddling with my wallet at every kiosk.

With gift card on hand, I went to the Santiago, Chile kiosk to try the Rock Shrimp Ceviche, priced at $4.75. When the cast member handed me the cup, I was surprised to see popcorn on top of the citrus-marinated rock shrimp. I didn’t know if I was supposed to mix the popcorn with the ceviche (the cup wasn’t large enough to easily stir the two items together), I ate the popcorn and ceviche separately. The ceviche was excellent, nice and cool with a little bit of tanginess from the citrus. When I returned home later in the day, I researched the ceviche/popcorn combination and learned that shrimp ceviche is served with popcorn in Ecuador, but I’m not sure why the combo was used at the Chile kiosk. If I return to the Festival this year I’ll have to ask someone.

My next stop was Paris, France for their Parmentier de Beuf Braisé au Cabernet ($4.50), known to English-speaking guests as Braised Short Ribs in Cabernet with Mashed Potatoes. Prior to my trip, I read on multiple Disney fan sites that this dish was not to be missed. When the cast member handed me my order, I wasn’t sure I’d received the correct item; the dish looked like mashed potatoes, but I didn’t see any beef. Assuming that they hadn’t mistakenly given me an order without the “main course,” I took a seat at a nearby bench and cut into the pile of potatoes. Sure enough, sitting under the mashed potatoes were the braised short ribs! Looking back, I’m guessing the dish was presented this way to make it easier to serve and less messy for guests to eat. The beef was nice and tender and the Cabernet added great flavor to both the ribs and the mashed potatoes.

Next, I walked through a very crowded World Showcase to the Mexico City, Mexico pavilion. There, I ordered a less than exciting Quesadilla con Chorizo, priced at $3.75. While the it was by no means bad, it tasted the same as any quesadilla you can order at your local Mexican restaurant. I was hoping the dish would have some great flavor but it seemed like the sausage was run of the mill. Unless you’re a huge fan of quesadillas or have a child who is a picky eater, I’d recommend passing on this dish and saving the $3.75 for something else.

My last stop was a kiosk sponsored by Edy’s Ice Cream called Flavorhood. Located in World Showcase Plaza, the stand sold individual cartons of vanilla, chocolate and mint chocolate chip Edy’s ice cream, priced at $3.25. After spending a couple hours in the oppressive heat and humidity, the ice cream really hit the spot. I didn’t take any pictures of the carton because I was afraid the ice cream would begin to melt before I could enjoy it.

So there you have it, a brief review of this year’s International Food and Wine Festival. The Festival is open daily at Epcot through Sunday, November 8, so there is still lots of time to try some great dishes. For a full lineup of the Eat to the Beat! concert series, see this post from June. For a more detailed review of the Festival, visit The Disney Food Blog where AJ has a great series of posts:

• First Look!: 2009 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival
• 2009 Epcot Food and Wine Festival: Today’s Food Photos!
• 2009 Epcot Food and Wine Festival: Tequila Tasting Seminar
• 2009 Epcot Food and Wine Festival: Festival Center
• 2009 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival: New Tastes From Rio and Bangkok
• Look Who’s Celebrating the Epcot Food and Wine Festival!
• 2009 Epcot Food and Wine Festival: Taste of Puglia Seminars
• The Baklava Throwdown at the 2009 Epcot Food and Wine Festival
• S.A Pruem Winery Seminar at the 2009 Epcot Food and Wine Festival
• 2009 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival: Marrakesh, Morocco, Food and Wine Pairing
• More Epcot Food & Wine Festival Food Photos

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