If you are visiting the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival this weekend, let me start by admitting I am entirely jealous. This week, I am living vicariously through my local friends, who are cast members and guests enjoying the festivities. While I’ve got a few Flower and Garden surprises for the weekend, I wanted to share three of my best tips with you to make sure you enjoy all the food and drinks that this festival has to offer. Hopefully, they serve you as well as they usually do me.
Know Your Outdoor Kitchens
There is nothing worse than filling up only to find your perfect menu item just around the corner. When it comes to trying all the best items at an EPCOT festival, the key is to do your research in advance and know what is on offer, as well as where to find it. Familiarize yourself with the menus at each outdoor kitchen and make a list of your favorites that you don’t want to miss out on. Then, be sure that you know where each one is located. There is no use in deciding it’s time for the Spicy Chicken Gumbo with Andouille Sausage only to realize that it’s waiting for you in the American Adventure pavilion, and you are standing outside Spaceship Earth. Here is a refresher on where you can find each of the kitchens:
Graze Is the Name of the Game
Don’t think about your food experience as a sit-down feast. Instead, try reframing that thinking as more of a day-long grazing session. Grabbing items here and there as they come up will make it easier to enjoy more unique dishes from a variety of different kitchens as you move throughout the park. You could even try to aim to get at least one food item and one beverage item per kitchen to make sure you get the most out of the festival and push yourself to try new flavors. But what if you need to try more than one thing? That leads me to my next tip…
Get One and Share Everything
Instead of everyone ordering their own option from each location, get one of a few different things and share it all. Trying a few bites of everything will lead you to new dishes, and you might discover that you like a whole new flavor profile that you’d never even considered. That way, there is no pressure to finish the item you’ve committed to. If you aren’t a big fan of that new Sope de Chilorio, you didn’t put all your metaphorical eggs in one basket, err… kitchen. Remember, you can always go back and get a second round of anything that feels life-changing, but nothing beats being a bit more adventurous and coming across something unexpectedly wonderful.
They are simple rules, but they make it way more fun. Someone out there needs to grab a serving of the Seared Scallops from Northern Bloom for me. Okay, fine, I’ll take the new Grilled Warm Lobster Tail with Key Lime Butter from Florida Fresh as well. That sounds incredible.
