Welcome to a food studio review for the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, taking place in the park Friday-Monday from January 13th through February 20th, 2017. This review will cover “Cuisine Classique” kiosk, which is located near the Germany pavilion in World Showcase.
Cuisine Classique
Food:
- Braised Short Rib with Parsnip Purée, Broccolini, Baby Tomatoes and Aged Balsamic – $7.50
- Seared Red Snapper with braised Ratatouille and Lemon-Thyme Beurre Blanc (GF) – $7.50
- Port Wine Poached Pear, Vanilla Panna Cotta and Pistachio Crumbs (GF) – $6.00
- Artist Palette Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookie – $5.50
Beverages:
- Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – $4.00
- Bell’s Two Hearted American-style India Pale Ale – $4.00
- Duck Rabbit Milk Stout – $4.00
- Beer Braising Flight – $9.00
- Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva Art Series – $5.50
- Dasani Bottled Water – $3.00
Braised Short Rib with Parsnip Purée, Broccolini, Baby Tomatoes and Aged Balsamic – $7.50
This dish was pretty solid, offering a well-cooked short rib over a parsnip puree, which blended well. I don’t know why there is so much balsamic on everything at this festival, but this probably could have done without it. Not a great dish, not a bad dish, just kind of middle-of-the-road. Otherwise, it tasted home cooked and the vegetables were quite good.
Seared Red Snapper with braised Ratatouille and Lemon-Thyme Beurre Blanc (GF) – $7.50
There’s nothing too crazy about this Red Snapper dish, but it was really good and a nice-sized portion (a fairly thick piece of fish) for the price. I would probably order this again, but I’m often partial to the festival seafood dishes.
Port Wine Poached Pear, Vanilla Panna Cotta and Pistachio Crumbs (GF) – $6.00
The surprising winner here is this port wine poached pear. I honestly have maybe tried a pear once in my life, and I wasn’t crazy about it, but this pear was delicious. With the vanilla panna cotta and pistachio crumbs spread over it, you will be hard pressed to find a better non-chocolate treat at this event. You also get the entire pear with this dish, a rarity for an Epcot festival plate.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – $4.00, Bell’s Two Hearted American-style India Pale Ale – $4.00, Duck Rabbit Milk Stout – $4.00, Beer Braising Flight – $9.00
According to Josh of EasyWDW.com, this is the best beer flight you can get at the event, and I would have to agree. I LOVED the Duck-Rabbit Milk Stout and I will be ordering that in a single serving for sure the next time I visit this booth. The Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and the Bell’s Two Hearted American-style Indian Pale Ale were also enjoyable if you like such drinks. If all three might be of interest to you, you absolutely can not go wrong by ordering this flight.
If you are like me and prefer a dark beer, the milk stout is the way to go.
“Absolutely can not go wrong by ordering this flight” is an understatement, considering it includes THE iconic pale ale of a generation-plus, one of the top overall breweries in the United States, and one of the best Milk Stouts produced right now in the U.S.