Personally, Flower & Garden is my favorite of all the EPCOT festivals. Beautiful weather, topiaries everywhere, and some of my favorite festival food. The DIS Unlimited was of course there the first day of the festival to check out lots of new offerings. Take a look at what we tried before you make your “must-have” list for the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival, now through May 27th!
A great way to start your day at the festival is the BRUNCHCOT booth near Test Track. The team tried the Biscuits and Gravy for $6.75, made with Impossible chicken fried steak and Impossible sausage gravy. As the resident Southerner, I was a little harder on this item than the rest of the team. However, we all agreed the flavor was great, and the portion size was large. The biscuit was dry but the gravy had a nice kick which helped bring it back to life.
Nearby BRUNCHCOT is the Farmers Feast booth where we sampled the Veal Loin and Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake. The veal loin is served with spring peas, Arborio rice, and red wine syrup for $8.50. We all agreed the spring pea base reminded us of risotto and it was phenomenal. The veal on the other-hand was inconsistent. Craig found some veal pieces to be dry while others were cooked well.
The upside-down cake was served with crème fraiche whipped cream for $4.75 and was the clear winner of maybe the entire festival! The cake was moist and the strawberries were fresh giving it the perfect favor profile for Flower and Garden! This was a highlight of the day and should absolutely be on your must-do list.
Connections Eatery is also getting in on the flavors of Flower and Garden, where we tried the limited-time Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich for $12.49 and Blood Orange Margarita for $15. Unlike the other locations or booths for the festival, the sandwich was a full-size portion and would have been a filling meal by itself. Ryno and I both agreed it did not taste spicy or sweet like we expected it to. The addition of the pickles and red cabbage slaw gave it a nice bite, and while we liked the sandwich, there are more adventurous items to be had elsewhere. For that reason, Craig said he would not get it again. The margarita was sweet and consisted of Teremana Blanco Tequila (Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson’s tequila), triple sec, orange juice, hibiscus syrup, and blood orange sour mix. It was refreshing and the sweetness took away from some of the acidity of the blood orange.
Next up we visited The Citrus Blossom and Florida Fresh located inside the Odyssey. This large space offers plenty of tables in the addition to a wide-array of the Orange Bird festival merchandise. At The Citrus Blossom, we decided to try the beer flight for $10.25, which consisted of Southern Tier Brewing Company Orange Twist Imperial Ale, Left Hand Brewing Lemon Drop Shandy, and Stone Brewing Tangerine Express Hazy IPA. Neither Ryno nor I enjoyed any of the beers enough to get any of them again. The flavors of each beer were very overpowering. This is also where you can pick up the ever-popular Orange Bird sipper.
Over at Florida Fresh, we tasted the Grilled Warm Water Lobster Tail for $11.25, Cubanito for $6.50, and Florida Strawberry Shortcake for $5. The lobster tail was the biggest offender of this year’s festival. As Craig said, the lobster smelled “pungent,” and I would agree. We were very bold, and all gave it a try and hated it. The key lime butter was amazing but not enough to save the smelly, chewy lobster. The Cubanito helped us recover from the horrible taste. It was a standard Cuban sandwich but delicious all the same. The strawberry shortcake was one of Craig’s favorites last year so he had to compare it to this year’s version now served on a pound cake. In the end, he liked last year’s version with the shortbread base better, but the strawberries were very fresh and still a fantastic dessert choice.
At the Refreshment Outpost, Ryno and I decided to cool off with two festival beverages. Ryno chose the SweetWater Brewing Co. Half-A-Gummie Fruit Punch IPA for $12. Ryno felt this beer tasted less like an IPA and heavy on a fruit punch taste. I chose the Lavender Martini served with Boyd & Blair Potato Vodka, lavender, and lemon for $11. The cocktail was pre-mixed and the lemon flavor was over-powering, however, it still was a good value in terms of Disney cocktails.
On to the Hanami booth in Japan, Craig chose the Orange Blossom Brewing Co. Cherry Blossom Green Tea Pilsner for $9.50, and Ryno and I shared the Ramen Cup for $8.50. Craig enjoyed his pilsner and thought it was both unique and refreshing. The ramen salad is served cold in a cup meant to be shaken with fresh vegetables, grilled chicken, and dashi broth with chili oil and Yuzu. I liked it more than Ryno but thought the price point was a little high. The chili oil and Yuzu packed a great flavor and completely made the dish!
Another clear winner of the festival was the Honey-Glazed Cauliflower for $5. Served at the Honey Bee-stro, the cauliflower had honey-roasted carrot puree, wild rice pilaf, spring vegetables, honey-blistered grapes, and sunflower brittle. The carrot puree was incredible and brought a nice balance to the sweetness of the honey. We all agreed this was an item we would get again!
Our last treat for our first visit to the Flower and Garden Festival brought us to the Pineapple Promenade made famous for the violet lemonade. We instead enjoyed the 12-ounce pour of the Copperpoint Tropical Hibiscus Blonde Ale for $9.75. We didn’t get much of this hibiscus flavor, but it was a refreshing and bright beer for spring weather.
Watch our full review here! What were your favorites and what should we try on our next visit?
