REVIEW: Festival Favorites Brings Back Classics with Mixed Results at the 2021 Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

Alicia

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REVIEW: Festival Favorites Brings Back Classics with Mixed Results at the 2021 Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

New to the 2021 Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival is Festival Favorites, a booth where favorite dishes from festivals-past make their return. This booth was also added to last year’s Food & Wine and Festival of the Holidays, as well as this year’s Festival of the Arts. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed being able to revisit some of our favorite food and drinks from over the years, so let’s head into World Showplace and see what’s been selected for Flower and Garden!

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Menu for Festival Favorites at the Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

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Food:

  • Watermelon Salad with Pickled Onions, Feta and Balsamic Reduction (Gluten/Wheat-Friendly) – $4.25
  • Beef Brisket Burnt Ends and Smoked Pork Belly Slider with Garlic Sausage, Chorizo, Cheddar Fondue and House-Made Pickle – $7.50
  • Fried Green Tomatoes with Blue Crab-Fennel Salad, Remoulade and Smoked Paprika Oil – $6.25
  • Key Lime Tart with Toasted Meringue – $4.75

Beverages:

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

  • Frozen Lemonade (Non-Alcoholic) – $3.50
  • 🆕 3 Daughters Brewing Maple Bacon Stout, St. Petersburg, FL (7.3% ABV) – $4.50 & $8.50
  • Frozen Lemonade with Firefly Blackberry Moonshine ($18/bottle) – $11.75

The Watermelon Salad last appeared at the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival at Urban Farm Eats in 2017, while the Beef Brisket Burnt Ends and both versions of Frozen Lemonade come from THE SMOKEHOUSE: Barbecue and Brews, last seen in 2019. The Fried Green Tomatoes arrive from Refreshment Port and the Key Lime Tart comes from Florida Fresh, where they both were last year.

Photos of Menu Items from Festival Favorites at the Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

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Watermelon Salad with Pickled Onions, Feta and Balsamic Reduction (Gluten/Wheat-Friendly) – $4.25

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This is basically the beet salad from previous years. It’s still good, though we preferred to the beets to the watermelon. The watermelon tastes fresh and is bursting with flavorful juices. This is an excellent healthy and refreshing dish for the hotter months.

Beef Brisket Burnt Ends and Smoked Pork Belly Slider with Garlic Sausage, Chorizo, Cheddar Fondue and House-Made Pickle – $7.50

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The bread on this sandwich is soft but doesn’t compliment the meat well. The ratio is off, like it’s 80% bread and 20% meat. There’s a charred aftertaste that doesn’t overcome the bread until after you have eaten it.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Blue Crab-Fennel Salad, Remoulade and Smoked Paprika Oil – $6.25

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The tomato is good, fresh, and well-breaded, but unremarkable. The crab is incredibly fishy with a spicy kick on the back end, but the dish doesn’t work because of it. We would be happy if it was just tomatoes.

Key Lime Tart with Toasted Meringue – $4.75

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This is one of the festival’s better desserts, with a rich key lime flavor. It’s soft in texture and creamy. The tartness cuts the sweetness perfectly and it’s well-balanced.

*NEW* 3 Daughters Brewing Maple Bacon Stout, St. Petersburg, FL (7.3% ABV) – $4.50/$8.50

From correspondence with 3 Daughters Brewing: “Deep brown in color with a thick tan head and sweet bacon aroma. It has a strong roasted chocolate flavor with hints of chocolate but very little hop presence. This porter has a good amount of body from the flaked oat addition, low carbonation and finishes sweet.”

Frozen Lemonade with Firefly Blackberry Moonshine ($18/bottle) – $11.75

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This went down nice and easy! It was tart from the lemon with a hint of sweetness from the firefly blackberry moonshine. It wasn’t too boozy. We thought it was a nice, balanced frozen drink.

Location of Festival Favorites at the 2021 Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

Festival Favorites is located inside the World ShowPlace Pavilion, at #27 on the map below.

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Are any of your favorite menu items back at Festival Favorites this year? Let us know in the comments!