REVIEW: The Masterpiece Kitchen Misses the Mark at the 2020 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts

Alicia

REVIEW: The Masterpiece Kitchen Misses the Mark at the 2020 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts

“Artistically-plated dishes featuring some of the world’s finest ingredients” is how EPCOT describes The Masterpiece Kitchen food studio for the 2020 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. Well, we here at WDWNT love fine ingredients, so this is sure to be a hit for us!

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Menu for The Masterpiece Kitchen at the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts

Food:

  • Charcuterie Palette with Artisan Cured Meats and Cheeses featuring Nueske’s ® Applewood Smoked Beef – $14.00
  • Wild Mushroom Risotto, Aged Parmesan, Truffle Shavings and Zinfandel Reduction – $9.25
  • Smoked Verlasso Salmon and Cream Gâteau with Egg Yolk Cream, Paddlefish Caviar and Micro-herbs – $7.00
  • Vanilla, Rose Water and Pistachio Panna Cotta – $8.00

Beverages:

*Price per bottle is an average price of the spirit at your local liquor store.

The Smoked Verlasso Salmon and Cream Gâteau comes to The Masterpiece Kitchen in 2020, having been at The Painter’s Palate the previous year.

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Offerings from The Masterpiece Kitchen at the 2020 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts

Photos of Menu Items from The Masterpiece Kitchen at the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts

Charcuterie Palette with Artisan Cured Meats and Cheeses featuring Nueske’s ® Applewood Smoked Beef – $14.00

Charcuterie Palette with Artisan Cured Meats, Nueske’s Smoked Beef and Cheese $14.00
Charcuterie Palette with Artisan Cured Meats and Cheeses featuring Nueske’s ® Applewood Smoked Beef – $14.00
The Masterpiece Kitchen
Charcuterie Palette with Artisan Cured Meats and Cheeses featuring Nueske’s ® Applewood Smoked Beef – $14.00

A solid charcuterie board with lots of different flavor profiles. We enjoyed each of the items presented: The cheeses were supreme and the meats were on point, except for the pâté near the back of the plate. This one just didn’t match any of the other flavors presented and ended up just being bad. The price for this dish seems a bit expensive, but they’re fresh-slicing the meats for every order, like how the Spain booth originally served the charcuterie in a cone from Food & Wine in 2017.

Wild Mushroom Risotto, Aged Parmesan, Truffle Shavings and Zinfandel Reduction – $9.25

REVIEW: “The Masterpiece Kitchen” Food Studio – Epcot International Festival of the Arts 2017
Wild Mushroom Risotto, Aged Parmesan, Truffle Shavings and Zinfandel Reduction – $9.25

This is my second favorite dish of the entire EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, so much so that I wish I could order a full-sized entree featuring it. The cheese and risotto blend together perfectly, and the mushrooms were very flavorful, proving especially tasty when soaked into the risotto.

Smoked Verlasso Salmon and Cream Gâteau with Egg Yolk Cream, Paddlefish Caviar and Micro-herbs – $7.00

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Smoked Verlasso Salmon and Cream Gâteau with Egg Yolk Cream, Paddlefish Caviar and Micro-herbs – $7.00

While presented beautifully, the portion was a bit small for the price. The salmon wasn’t as fresh as it could’ve been, and was so thin that it lacked a bit of substance. If the salmon was fresher and served a bit cooler, the other ingredients would make this dish sing. However, due to that “fishy taste” that was hard to ignore, this is a thumbs down for us.

Vanilla, Rose Water and Pistachio Panna Cotta – $8.00

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Vanilla, Rose Water and Pistachio Panna Cotta – $8.00
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Vanilla, Rose Water and Pistachio Panna Cotta – $8.00

While we’ve enjoyed this item in years past, we found this to be a complete disappointment. They used very cheap white chocolate to cover the panna cotta this year in a rose shape, which ruins the whole thing. Many in our group likened it to Pepto Bismol or amoxicillin suspension. As for the panna cotta itself, the consistency and style is very similar to the cheesecake from Satu’li Canteen on Pandora at Animal Kingdom. I will say it has a unique flavor from the rose water. The pistachio flavor is a nice contrast though, but it’s still pretty subdued in the taste department.

Weihenstephaner Original Lager, Freising, Germany (5.1% ABV) – $4.50

Masterpiece Kitchen
Weihenstephaner Original Lager, Freising, Germany (5.1% ABV) – $4.50

One of the better lagers of EPCOT. Crisp on the front end, smooth on the back. A fine choice.

Perrier-Jouët Belle Époque Brut Champagne, Champagne, France ($160/bottle) – $29.00

Perrier-Jouët says that this champagne “reveals aromas of flowers and white-fleshed fruit enveloped in candied citrus notes that give it an expansive mouthfeel.”

The Meeker Vineyard Winemakers’ Handprint Merlot, Sonoma County, CA ($45/bottle) – $11.00

The Meeker Vineyard describes this Merlot: “Dark fruit like currants and cherries marry on the nose with hints of toffee and caramel. The wine explodes on your palate with more cherries, and hints of the best strawberry rhubarb pie you’ve ever had. There’s no shortage of subtle, toasty oak and big, powerful tannins throughout the palate and finish of this wine.”

Pinord La Dama Reserva Familiar Brut, Spain ($12/bottle) – $12.00

Wine Enthusiast‘s Michael Schachner describes this wine: “Mild citrus aromas are clean and fresh. A tight, pure palate of crisp acidity is par for good Cava, while this basic brut deals a sampling of white-fruit flavors rolled into one.”

Pinord La Dama Reserva Familiar Brut Rosé, Spain ($18/bottle) – $12.00

Wine Enthusiast‘s Michael Schachner describes this wine: “A light-pink color is backed by a simple nose that’s nondescript but fresh and clean. A slightly foamy but firm palate isn’t all that deep or rich, while mild grapefruit and blood orange flavors finish steady.”

Classic Sidecar with a Chocolate Twist – $10.00

REVIEW: “The Masterpiece Kitchen” Food Studio – Epcot International Festival of the Arts 2017
Classic Sidecar with a Chocolate Twist – $10.00

If you enjoy a good Sidecar, this won’t disappoint. For those unaware of the ingredients:

The sidecar is a cocktail traditionally made with cognac, orange liqueur (Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Grand Gala or another triple sec), and lemon juice. In its ingredients, the drink is perhaps most closely related to the older brandy crusta, which differs both in presentation and in proportions of its components.

About half of our group liked this and half did not, so your results with it may vary. The chocolate twist is a nice touch.

Location of The Masterpiece Kitchen at the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts

The Masterpiece Kitchen is located on the World Showcase Promenade adjacent to the Canada pavilion. You can find it at number 19 on the map below.

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The Masterpiece Kitchen always has unique twists on food and drinks, and this year is no different!

1 thought on “REVIEW: The Masterpiece Kitchen Misses the Mark at the 2020 EPCOT International Festival of the Arts”

  1. I just had a terrific classic sidecar at the Contemporary’s California Grill! Now I can’t wait to compare it to the EPCOT Festival version with a chocolate twist!

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