There are many reasons why I love taking a trip to Disney World. It’s been one of my favorite destinations since I was three years old. However, it wasn’t until I visited as an adult that I realized how much fun food I’d been missing out on in my earlier trips. If you have an opportunity to make the trip, I strongly recommend checking out whichever Festival is going on at EPCOT for some creative Disney World Food Inspiration.
Shortcut Links
In general, EPCOT has some of the most diverse in park dining options across the Disney World complex. Most of the countries in the World Showcase have multiple restaurants at different experience and price tiers. Those restaurants are certainly worth checking out. However, I suggest balancing restaurant visits with the “pop-up” food stands that are part of whichever Festival is going on while you’re there. There are typically 4 Festivals at EPCOT throughout the year.
- Festival of the Arts (For 2024: January 12 – February 19, 2024)
- Flower and Garden Festival (For 2024: February 28 – May 27, 2024)
- Food and Wine Festival (For 2024: July 25 – November 16, 2024)
- Festival of the Holidays (For 2024: November 29 – December 30, 2024)
This time around we were there for the Festival of the Arts. While there is various art on display, I would still categorize the event as a food & beverage festival. Each of the “pop-up” food stops has a small menu of tapas size plates plus beverages unique to that location. The food and beverages are intended to tie in with the theme of the Festival.
As with my trip to the Minnesota State Fair last year, there are way more foods and beverages to try than I have space for in my stomach within a 2 day timeframe. So again, I had to prioritize. Enter my trusty spreadsheet with my priority ranking system, followed by my 10 point scale rating system for everything I did try. You have to be scientific about these things. 😛 Plus I needed a way to narrow down the giant list to a subset of dishes that I want to remake while accounting for dietary restrictions.
Prioritizing the List of Foods to Try
Regarding my Prioritization and Rating Systems, you’ll find they mirror the approach I employed on my Minnesota State Fair Food Odyssey. I started with the full list of menu items and then flagged those that I wanted to try. After that I went through and tagged each item with a Category and Subcategory (see below). From there I added a 1 to 5 priority rating, with 1 being the highest and 5 being the lowest. Dishes that seemed different from what I encounter on a regular basis received the highest priority. Finally, I tried to balance the 1’s and 2’s across each category.
Since I wasn’t going alone this time, I had Scar fill out his priorities too. (He’s a good sport.) We then tried to get as many of our collective “1”s and “2”s as possible. We got through 37 items (food and drink at EPCOT). That’s roughly 30% of the Festival menu. Plus, we tried another 21 items between Hollywood Studios and Disney Springs.
Categories for my Disney World Food Inspiration Trip
- Appetizers / Snacks / Starters
- Mains
- Desserts
- Drinks
I further labeled everything with subcategories such as Chicken, Beef, Cake, Mousse, Alcoholic, etc. However, there was enough variety in that list that it didn’t play much of a role in prioritization.
Figure 1. The process for prioritizing which food and drink items to try during the trip.
Rating the Foods and Beverages Tasted on my Disney World Food Inspiration Trip
Data is only useful if you can turn it into actionable insights, right? That means that I need to be able to analyze and evaluate the dishes tried in a consistent way. This is where my rating system comes into the picture. I use a 1 to 10 rating scale (1 = lowest, 10 = highest) across the following categories:
- Appearance
- Flavor
- Texture
- Cohesion of Dish
- Overall
Then I add more detailed notes on the tasting experience to help jog my memory later. This time around, Scar provided his ratings and reviews as well.
Of course, I made worksheets for us to use as we walked around Disney.
Figure 2. Worksheet for rating food and drinks as we tried them.
And printed out the list of questions that apply to each criterion.
Figure 3. List of criteria and associated questions for the evaluation of each food and drink item tried.
Finally, I have to go through the list again to decide what I want to attempt to remake with special dietary restrictions in play. That list also gets a prioritization of 1 to 5.
Foods Tried, Ratings, and Notes
A definitely bonus benefit of going with someone else and splitting plates and drinks is being able to try more things. We made it through 58 items over the course of 4 days (Thursday dinner through Monday Lunch). While most of the food was at Epcot’s Festival of the Arts, there were some other very yummy meals, so I’d be remiss not to include those as well. So now, without further ado, here is my list.
Top 5 Favorites
#1 Deconstructed BLT
Pork Belly, Onion Bread Pudding, Watercress Espuma and Tomato Jam
This was my #1, VIP, favorite dish of the festival. I must remake this in a keto friendly format. I have a good idea of how I will handle the pork belly, onion bread pudding, and tomato jam. The Watercress Espuma will take some experimentation.
#2 Deconstructed Key Lime Pie
Flexible Key Lime Curd, “Key Lime” Mousse, Graham Cracker Cake and Meringues (Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine item)
This fun reimagining of key lime pie was #2 overall and at the top of my dessert list. In this case, I can see my way to recreating most of the components of the dish, but I fully expect keto-fying the meringues to be a challenge as well as getting the texture right on the key lime curd. I can tell you up front that my plating is unlikely to be on the same level, but I’ll try.
#3 Tostada de Langosta
Chilled Lobster with Chipotle Aïoli, Onions and Mango on a Fried Corn Tortilla with Guacamole, Shredded Cabbage and Hot Sauce
This was my #2 favorite savory dish and #3 overall. The crisp tostada made a perfect bed for the creamy guac, crispy shredded cabbage, and sweetness bite of the lobster. The hot sauce was a great top off.
#4 Vol-au-Vent de Saumon et Epinards, Sauce Chardonnay
Puff Pastry with Salmon and Spinach and a Chardonnay-Shallot Sauce (served warm)
Making a keto-fied puff pastry has been on my list for a while now. Maybe this’ll be my impetus to finally get to it. Even without it, the salmon, spinach and Dijon cream sauce are to die for. However, the puff pastry really adds the right textural contrast and “fluffiness” to the dish.
#5 Deconstructed Strawberry Mint Julep with Bourbon
Frozen Mint crushed ice, Strawberry purée, bourbon
I liked the presentation of this cocktail. To get the nicely balanced flavor, you definitely needed to mix all the elements together which lost some of the cool look but it was worth it. Once mixed it was delicious.
Appetizers / Starters / Snacks
Roasted Bone Marrow with Onion Marmalade, Pickled Mushrooms and Petite Lettuce
Roasted Bone Marrow with Onion Marmalade, Pickled Mushrooms and Petite Lettuce
The plating for this dish was impressive. However, it was highly impractical for eating and there wasn’t much bone marrow in it. The Onion Marmalade was quite tasty. However, that and the sourdough bread overpowered all other flavors in the dish. The pickled mushrooms probably added some umami flavor in there somewhere but it was lost to the onion and sourdough. The bone marrow suffered the same fate.
Oyster-Brie Soup
Creamy Brie Soup with a Fried Oyster and Champagne Foam
This was good, but the more nuanced flavor of the brie got a little lost in the heavy cream. As someone who loves heavy cream, I still thoroughly enjoyed the soup. However, if bothering with brie, I feel like I’ll need to think long and hard about how to allow that subtle of a flavor to stand out. I would also use a bit less breading on the fried oyster.
Verjus-Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese, Petite Lettuce, Blackberry Gastrique and Spiced Pecans
Verjus-Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese, Petite Lettuce, Blackberry Gastrique and Spiced Pecans (Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine item)
The presentation was great, as was the flavor and texture balance. I particularly liked the spicy pecans to stand up to the creamy tang of the goat cheese, the sweetness of the beets, and the tart-sweet combo of the blackberry gastrique.
Saumon Fumé Mousse et Aspic, Blini et Fromage de Chevre
Salmon Mousse, Smoked Salmon, Dill and Flaxseed Biscuit (served cold)
I really want to recreate this Salmon Mousse in a low carb format. I can see the path to doing it. It will definitely be a little bit of an undertaking since it will require 5 recipes–the salmon mousse, the dill biscuit, the goat cheese buttermilk cream, the herbed aspic, and the red pepper coulis. It’ll be worth it.
Espinacas a la catalana
Sautéed spinach with pine nuts, raisins and apples
This spinach had some great texture and flavor balance from the raisins, apples, and pine nuts, all tied together with the sauce. For recreation purposes, I’ll need to find something to use in place of the raisins and apples. I’m thinking maybe dried blueberries and I really need to try chayote squash as an apple substitute.
Gazpacho de Remolacha
Classic chilled soup made of red beets, tomatoes, and garnished with pistachios, goat cheese and orange segments
This was a delicious chilled beet soup. The texture and flavor were great. Sadly for me, I’d have to complete sub out the beets to make it low carb at which point it may be tasty, but it won’t be beet soup.
Croquetas de pollo
Traditional chicken fritters
I would describe these chicken fritters as the chicken and cream sauce part of a chicken pot pie encased in a breading shell and fried. I have an approach for recreating this in a keto-friendly way, but it will take some experimentation to get the same level of creaminess inside the croquette.
Pan con tomate et queso Manchego et Paletilla Ibérica
Toasted slice of crispy bread brushed with fresh tomato and topped with Iberico ham and Manchego cheese
If I can successfully recreate this style of bread in a keto-friendly way, I’m going to want credit as a miracle worker. It has a perfectly crispy crust that allows it to maintain structural integrity with an interior / crumb structure that is positively airy.
Burrata
Heirloom tomatoes / fresh corn / local sourdough
Whenever I get burrata, I keep thinking I should do something cool and inventive with it. This really isn’t particularly avant garde, but the heirloom tomato salad was absolutely delicious. Why try to fix something that’s not broken?
Pumpkin Fritters
bacon brown butter aioli / sage
Think hush puppies but with a pumpkin base and a sophisticated sauce. While I have ideas on ketofying these, maintaining their structural integrity during cooking I suspect will be a challenge.
Cauliflower Buds
Thai chili / cipollini onion / miso soubise / crispy shallot
I’ve been wanting a reason to get Rainbow Cauliflower for months. This dish seems like a fair enough motivation. However, I will need to work on keeping the buds crispy for serving.
Saganaki on Fire
Vlahotiri / Metaxa / crostini
As expected, this Saganaki was delicious. I do very much want to try this at home but have agreed with my other half that outside, on the driveway with a hose nearby would be the appropriate way to do so.
Mains
Deconstructed BLT
Pork Belly, Onion Bread Pudding, Watercress Espuma and Tomato Jam
This was my #1, VIP, favorite dish of the festival. I must remake this in a keto friendly format. I have a good idea of how I will handle the pork belly, onion bread pudding, and tomato jam. The Watercress Espuma will take some experimentation.
Tostada de Langosta
Chilled Lobster with Chipotle Aïoli, Onions and Mango on a Fried Corn Tortilla with Guacamole, Shredded Cabbage and Hot Sauce
This was my #2 favorite savory dish and #3 overall. The crisp tostada made a perfect bed for the creamy guac, crispy shredded cabbage, and sweetness bite of the lobster. The hot sauce was a great top off.
Vol-au-Vent de Saumon et Epinards, Sauce Chardonnay
Puff Pastry with Salmon and Spinach and a Chardonnay-Shallot Sauce (served warm)
Making a keto-fied puff pastry has been on my list for a while now. Maybe this’ll be my impetus to finally get to it. Even without it, the salmon, spinach and Dijon cream sauce are to die for. However, the puff pastry really adds the right textural contrast and “fluffiness” to the dish.
Carne Asada
Chipotle-Marinated Beef Sirloin, Grilled Queso Fresco, Nopales Salad with Queso Fresco Foam and Chicharron Dust
I really liked the contrasting colors of this dish. The meat honestly had a bit of the look of having been a long time under a heat lamp, but it was still tasty. The pickled peppers and onions did a nice job off-setting the saltiness of the fried cheese.
Braised Lamb Shank
Braised Lamb Shank with Saffron Couscous, Pickled Harissa Mix, and Nasturtium Chermoula
The lamb had a great flavor and was fork tender. You do need to like pickled vegetables for this dish (which I do). I’d be curious to replace the couscous with some version of chia for a lower carb remake.
Gnocchi Poutine with Red Wine-Braised Beef, Cheese Curds, Basil and Burrata
Crispy Gnocchi topped with Red Wine-Braised Beef, Cheese Curds, Basil and Burrata
This had a nice presentation and plating with a great contrast of textures in the dish. The gnocchi were crispy, the burrata was creamy, the cheese curds were chewy, and the beef was moist. However, I will say that the beef’s flavor was on the mild side. I would use a more flavorful spice blend. When I remake this, I’ll use a tried and tested keto gnocchi recipe, but will need to do some work to get the crispy exterior on it. For the beef, I might use my Savory Spiced Beef Roast flavor profile.
Tomato Soup with Pimento Cheese, Bacon and Fried Green Tomato Grilled Cheese
Tomato Soup with Pimento Cheese, Bacon and Fried Green Tomato Grilled Cheese (Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine item)
You really need to look at this as one dish nd not a seperate soup and sandwich. The soup by itself is fine but not that interesting. However, if you dip this elevated grilled cheese in the soup, it’s great.
Moroccan-Spiced Grilled Lamb Kebab with Carrot-Chickpea Salad and Garlic Aïoli
Moroccan-Spiced Lamb Grilled Kebab with Carrot-Chickpea Salad and Garlic Aïoli
The lamb kebab was nicely spiced and went well with the garlic aioli and the carrot-chickpea salad. Recreating the kebab and aioli will be fine. For the salad, I’ll need to pick new ingredients as none of them are keto-friendly.
Chorizo and Potato Empanada with Turmeric Aïoli and Annatto Aïoli
Chorizo and Potato Empanada with Turmeric Aïoli and Annatto Aïoli (Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine item)
This empanada was tasty, but the potato muted some of the other flavors. I, obviously, won’t have to worry about that when I keto-fy it, but will need to make sure I don’t run into the same issue with whatever I use as a substitute.
Cast Iron-Roasted P.E.I. Mussels with Sautéed Tomatoes, Garlic and Fresh Herbs
Cast Iron-Roasted P.E.I. Mussels with Sautéed Tomatoes, Garlic and Fresh Herbs
These were quite delicious and well done. The garlic rubbed toast was a perfect accompaniment. There wasn’t anything particularly unique about them, but that’s okay.
Gambas al Ajillo
The very, very famous tapa of shrimp sautéed with garlic
Simple but delicious. This garlic shrimp dish very much embodies that “do no harm” mantra that goes along with a lot of seafood and fish. (Meaning, they can often be enjoyed with very simple and quick cooking methods as long as you don’t overcook them.)
Wagyu Bun
Steamed Bun filled with American Wagyu Beef served with Green Shiso Sauce
We were wondering how this was going to be executed. The answer is that the Waygu beef was ground and mixed with a brown sauce to keep everything moist. It was tasty. However, if I recreate it, I’ll have to amp up the flavor of the ground beef. I liked the green shiso sauce, but I wanted more of it to go with the size of the bun. Scar, on the other hand, was quite happy with the green shiso sauce as it was.
Butifarra Casera con Mongetes
Josper-grilled pork sausage served with sauteéd white beans
The crispiness of the sautéed white beans served as a nice foil to the expected texture or the beans. The garlic aioli really brought the sausage and beans together for cohesion.
Ronto Morning Wrap
Eggs, Grilled Pork Sausage, Shredded Cheddar, and Peppercorn Sauce in Pita Bread
Although nothing particularly fancy, this wrap had good flavor and the peppercorn sauce added the right level of seasoning to it.
House-Made Meatballs
Triple cheese polenta / tomato sauce
While I’ve done a couple variations on ketofied polenta, I have a new approach to try that I think will better match the wonderfully cheesy base for these meatballs and sauce.
Duck and Dumplings
Smoked Duck Breast, Ricotta Dumplings, Baby Vegetables and Duck Jus
I liked the idea of this dish better than the execution. When I remake it, I’ll cook the vegetables a bit longer. I’m really most interested in reimagining dumplings in a keto-friendly way. I’d like to make them a bit less chewy and a bit more pillowy.
General Tso’s Chicken Shumai
General Tso’s Chicken Shumai
I always love the idea of shumai. However, in this case, while it was tasty, there really wasn’t much General Tso’s flavor present. I think maybe incorporating the flavor more fully into the ground chicken inside might help. Also, I really liked getting a bite of cucumber with the shumai, but that was nearly impossible with the way it was plated.
Desserts
Deconstructed Key Lime Pie
Flexible Key Lime Curd, “Key Lime” Mousse, Graham Cracker Cake and Meringues (Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine item)
This fun reimagining of key lime pie was #2 overall and at the top of my dessert list. In this case, I can see my way to recreating most of the components of the dish, but I fully expect keto-fying the meringues to be a challenge as well as getting the texture right on the key lime curd. I can tell you up front that my plating is unlikely to be on the same level, but I’ll try.
Crazy Chocolate Funnel Cake Sandwich
Mini Funnel Cake Sandwich with Vanilla Ice Cream, Rainbow Whipped Cream, Strawberry Sauce, Powdered Sugar and Sprinkles
I really didn’t expect to like this funnel cake ice cream sandwich. I’m not an ice cream sandwich person; and, on face value, I think making a funnel cake chocolate is a serious waste of a funnel cake. Fortunately, I was wrong. The chocolate of the funnel cake was not overwhelming. The ice cream had a texture more like a frozen soft serve which made it easier to eat. Also the raspberry sauce drizzle added a nice flavor contrast to the rest of the treat. Overall, it was a well balanced dish, which I was not expecting.
Ichigo Mochi – Daifuku
Daifuku Mochi filled with Fresh Strawberry, Sweet Azuki Bean Paste and White Chocolate served with Strawberry Cream
The plating of this dessert was very pretty and the strawberry flavor / theme was carried through every element of the dish. While I would love to ketofy this, I don’t currently have any brilliant ideas of how to pull it off. Hopefully, I’ll get a flash of brilliance.
Blueberry-filled Pastry Tart with Purple Icing
Blueberry-filled Pastry Tart with Purple Icing (Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine item)
I had blueberry pop tart in mind and I was not disappointed. That’s pretty much what this one was. The crust was more sugarcookie like than pastry. I thoroughly enjoyed this since it is what I thought it would be. However, compared with many of the other dishes at the festival, there was nothing particularly unique, complex, or stand-out about it.
Flan al estilo tradicional de mamá Marisa con espuma de crema catalana
A classic Spanish custard with ‘espuma’ of Catalan cream
Delicious, sweet, and creamy with the perfect texture.
Helado de Brioche
Brioche Ice Cream
This brioche ice cream was exactly as advertised. It was a vanilla ice cream base that tasted like a brioche. I have an inkling of how I’ll remake this as a keto-friendly ice cream. However, I suspect it will take a few iterations to get the flavor profile just right.
Apple Strudel
Apple Strudel with Vanilla Custard
This apple strudel was delicious. The pastry crust had the right blend of tenderness and flakiness. The apples were soft but not mushy. However, my absolute favorite part was that it was served with vanilla custard instead of ice cream and it was on the side. I do not like anything “a la mode” because I don’t whatever the main thing is to get soggy. In my mind this is the right way to handle the situation–custard instead of ice cream and on the side. Wonderful!
Tiramisù Bread Pudding
Bread Pudding made with Mascarpone Cream and Espresso Drizzle served with choice of Bacon or Sausage
Although officially billed as a breakfast main, this is really just an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast. That said, it was delicious. The texture of the bread pudding was perfect and consistent throughout. The only real “tiramisu” flavor that I got out of it was from the mascarpone cream and espresso drizzle. It wasn’t baked into the bread pudding itself. When I remake this one, I will probably change that and incorporate the coffee or espresso in the baked product.
Hummingbird Cake
Banana-and-Pecan Cake dipped in Cream Cheese Icing with Caramel Sauce and Warm Pineapple Compote
I had been really excited to try this and confess that I was a bit disappointed. The cream cheese icing was really sweet and kind of overkill for the rest of the cake. The cake itself was a little dry. In terms of recreating this dish, I can see my way through the cake, the caramel sauce, and a revised version of the cream cheese icing (for which I’ll use a buttercream made with buttermilk). However, the Warm Pineapple Compote will be a bit of a challenge.
Artist Palate Sugar Cookie
Artist Palate Sugar Cookie
This was a really cute sugar cookie that looked like an artist’s palate with color dabs of paint on it. It was also part of the prize for completing the “Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine” at the Festival.
Drinks
Deconstructed Strawberry Mint Julep with Bourbon
Deconstructed Strawberry Mint Julep with Bourbon
I liked the presentation of this cocktail. To get the nicely balanced flavor, you definitely needed to mix all the elements together which lost some of the cool look but it was worth it. Once mixed it was delicious.
Chai Tea Mint Mimosa
Twinings Chai Tea with Key Lime Sparkling Wine and Mint
This Chai Tea Mint Mimosa was surprisingly good with well-balanced flavors and a nice presentation. The chai tea was layered on top of the sparkling wine which trapped the bubbles at the bottom of the flute, allowing for dispersal as you drank.
Smokey Banana Bliss Margarita
Ten to One Rum, Ilegal Mezcal Joven, Banana Purée and Lime Juice
This cocktail was surprisingly better balanced that I expected from a banana drink. The smokiness of the mezcal held its own against the banana liqueur. It wouldn’t be my “go to” drink, but I did enjoy it.
Frozen Scotch Cocktail
Scotch and Herbal Tea garnished with a Chocolate Nail
This had a nice slushy consistency and the chocolate nail (literally a dark chocolate stick molded in the shape of a nail) added a nice flavor enhancement to the drink. This was not a “Lori” drink; although I do think the dark chocolate was the right addition to make it a balanced drink.
Elderflower Liqueur Cocktail
St. Germain Liqueur, Sparkling Wine and Mint
While I enjoyed this cocktail, my other half did not. It is definitely on the very sweet side of things. If you like ice wine, I’d say there’s a good chance you’d like this drink. If not, maybe just take a sip of someone else’s. The mint leaf garnish didn’t really add much for me.
Grape Smoothie with freeze dried SKITTLES bite sized candies
Grape Smoothie with freeze dried SKITTLES bite sized candies (nonalcoholic)
This was really more of a grape milkshake than a smoothie. It was really good but really filling and really sweet (which is pretty much what I expected). In terms of presentation, this one was very cutely done. The purple drink was served in a plastic glass with Disney’s Figment (who is a purple dragon) face on the front and tail on the back. The whipped cream topping was appropriate and expected. The freeze-dried skittles were fun from an initial presentation point of view. However, they didn’t really go with the flavor and the colors started to come off as they got into the liquid of the drink which diluted the nice purple color. Picky, I know.
Pistachio Palette Cold Brew
Pistachio Palette Cold Brew (available in World Discovery): A flavorful masterpiece featuring Shakin’ Jamaican Cold Brew, Pistachio Syrup and Milk, topped with Whipped Cream and Colorful Sprinkles (spirited version includes Bailey’s Irish Cream)
I added 2 shots of Bailey’s to this which kind of overpowered the pistachio flavor. In general though, it was quite tasty.
Realism Roseberry Cold Brew
A lively swirl of flavors featuring Shakin’ Jamaican™ Cold Brew, Strawberry Rose Syrup and Milk topped with Whipped Cream and Colorful Sprinkles (spirited version includes Bailey’s Irish Cream)
I had the spirited version with 1 shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream. In retrospect, I should have done 2 shots of Bailey’s in this one and 1 shot in the Pistachio Latte. Live and learn. Anyway . . . this was very tasty albeit super sweet. There was nothing subtle about the roseberry flavor unlike the pistachio one.
Wildberry Smoothie
Wildberry Smoothie
This was pretty much an expectedly sweet berry smoothie. While tasty, there was nothing particularly unique about it. It was part of the prize for completing the “Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine” (i.e. getting at least 5 of 6 special dishes) at the Festival.
Nutty Irishman
Espresso, Bailey’s Irish Cream Liqueur, and Frangelico Liqueur topped with Whipped Cream
Tasty coffee cocktail, but I’m curious if I could get it to a smoother flavor. As with me and most coffee cocktails, I’d like the alcohol to blend more seemlessly into the flavor of the drink.
Chai Tea Espresso
Chai Tea Iced Espresso
You get a good sense of the chai flavor in this coffee drink but the cinnamon is dominant.
Keel Farms Blueberry Lavender Hard Cider, Plant City, FL
Blueberry Lavender Hard Cider
This hard cider would make a nice summer porch sipper. It was definitely on the sweeter side, so I would suggest keeping that in mind. I liked it, but it was a bit too sweet for my other half. I don’t see a keto version of this in my near future.
Frozen Mango Pina Colada
Mango Smoothie, Rum, Pina Colada Mix
A tasty, frozen mango flavored pina colada. It was refreshing in the heat. Definitely sweet, so if that’s not your thing, I’d suggest the margarita instead.
Masu Sake in a Traditional Personalized Wooden Cup
Masu Sake in a Traditional Personalized Wooden Cup
Sake, just in a wooden box.
Charles Lafite, Brut Rosé Prestige, Méthode Traditionnel Champenoise
French Rosé Sparkling Wine
A solid brut rosé for summer (or just warm weather) sipping. No particularly stand-out notes.
Caprese Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary with a Caprese garnish
This was a tasty, well-balanced Bloody Mary. However, the only thing particularly “caprese” about it was the chunk of fresh mozzarella and the cherry tomato on the skewer as garnish.
Blanc de Bleu Cuvée Mousseux with Boba Pearls
Blanc de Bleu Cuvée Mousseux with Boba Pearls
This cocktail sounded interesting but it had some issues. I can be fine with the blue sparkling wine. I had expected something more like a boba tea. However, these boba pearls were the ones with a liquid center that pop when you bite them. Again, that’s okay but extra sweet that wasn’t really needed. However, the biggest problem was that this was served in a plastic champagne flute, so all of the boba were stuck at the bottom and you couldn’t get to them until you drank all of the sparkling wine. Then you were just basically pouring the liquid-filled pearls into your mouth without the wine, so it really wasn’t very cohesive.
Blueberry Cocktail
Nigori Sake with Sweet Blueberry, Cream and Yuzu
This was a mistake. The cream had separated and clumped. It didn’t look appealing and didn’t particularly taste appealing.
Tesselaarsdal Pinot Noir, South Africa
Pinot Noir
A very young, somewhat acidic pinot noir. I wouldn’t get this again.
Summary
As expected, my Disney World Food Inspiration trip was a fun and delicious experience. Now comes all of the recipe creation and experimentation work that follows. You’ll have to tune back in to find out which dishes I recreate first.
Appendix: Ratings of all Foods & Drinks Tried
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