Lori and Jen spent a lovely opening day at EPCOT’s Flower and Garden Festival!
EPCOT’s Flower and Garden Festival started March 1st and runs until July 5th – so plenty of time to go check it out!
There is so much to do at the festival! Before we get into our favorite (the food and drinks) we should mention there are other things to do here. There is the butterfly garden, the beautiful topiaries, Garden Rock concerts featuring Daughtery, Journey front man, Starship, Rick Springfield, Plain White T’s, Commoners and Simple Plan and more!
Let’s be real – the real reason we go to Festivals is for the food and drinks, so lets dive in!
We concentrated on only the new food and drink items in the booths, so take a look at what this years festival has to offer.
Brunchcot
(Left) Fried Cinnamon Roll Bites with cream cheese frosting and candied bacon – delicious as always
(Middle) Lox Benedict on Everything Focaccia with everything-spiced cream cheese, shallots, crispy capers, and hollandaise (New) – This was amazing – nothing crazy but just really good food
(Right) Froot Loops Shake (Non-alcoholic) – I can not describe how much we love this drink
Citrus Blossom
(Top Left) Orange Sesame Tempura Shrimp with orange chile sauce (New)
(Top Right) Citrus Baked Brie with preserved lemon marmalade, limoncello-macerated blueberries, and spiced marcona almonds (New)
(Bottom left) Lemon Meringue Pie: Lemon curd, lemon mousse, and toasted meringue (New)
(Bottom Right) Bella Strada Spritz (New)
This entire booth is amazing and shouldn’t be missed – all of these items are great you can’t go wrong with any of them
Fleur de Lys
(Left) La Vie en Rose Frozen Slush: Vodka, Grey Goose L’Orange Vodka, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, and white and red cranberry juices – always a Mousekemom Favorite
(Middle) Daube de Boeuf à la Provençal, Compote de Tomate au Romarin Gnocchi à la Niçoise: Provençal-style braised beef, rosemary tomato, and niçoise gnocchi (New) – This was surprisingly delicious and giving Canada a run for their money
(Right) Kir àla Poire: French sparkling wine with Monin desert pear – Very Refreshing
Hanami
(Left) Hanami Sushi: Assorted Nigiri sushi with lemon-cured salmon, soy-marinated tuna, and cured mackerel (New) – Great Price and very fresh and delicious
(Right) Nigori Dragon Fruit Sake Cocktail (New) – DO NOT PURCHASE – horrible is a generous word to describe this drink.
The Honey Bee-stro Hosted by National Honey Board
(Left) Chicken and Waffles: Crispy honey-brined chicken and honey sweet cornbread waffle with whipped honey butter and spicy honey (New) – Such a disappointment – chicken was over cooked and dry
(Right) Pollinator Flatbread with honey-whipped mascarpone, honey caramelized onions, blueberry gastrique, prosciutto, honey-whipped goat cheese, arugula, honey vinaigrette, and bee pollen (New) – so disappointing too, not enough flavors for so many ingredients
Jardin de Fiestas
(Left) Quesadilla de Flor de Calabaza: House-made masa tortillas with squash blossoms, bacon, onion, zucchini, and cheese (New) – delicious, not typical Quesadilla but so good
(Right) Mala Hierba Margarita: Centinela Tequila Reposado, elderflower-chamomile tea, Abasolo Corn Whiskey, and UNA Flower-infused Vodka with a chile salt rim (New) – So strong, but delicious and worth every penny!
Primavera Kitchen
(Left) Caesar con Gamberett: Baby gem lettuce, shrimp, Caesar dressing, and crispy bread crumble (New) – SO BAD – I repeat so bad – nothing good with this at all. Frozen shrimp, and just awful design
(Right) Tortelloni Primavera: Spinach tortelloni, sweet butter, pancetta, corn, peas, and fava beans (New) – this was ok, for Italy booth dare I say good
Tangerine Café
(Left) Hummus Trio: Traditional Hummus, Red-Beet-and-Black-Garlic Hummus, and Avocado-Herb Hummus, served with Moroccan Bread and Crispy Papadam (New) (Plant-based) (Garden Graze) – this was pretty good – Beet and Garlic was our favorite.
(Right) Orange Blossom-Saffron Cake (New) – Not our favorite very strong on the White Chocolate flavor
Refreshment Port
Shrimp Scampi Poutine with cheese curds, lemon-garlic cheese fondue, spinach, and artichokes (New) – It looks horrible we understand, but if you like shrimp and garlic – you have to get this!
What are you most excited to Try? Want to hear more detail, listen to our podcast episode.