Enchanted Rose – $6.49

Opening Bites

Enchanted Rose: Dark chocolate mousse rose.

This year, the dessert has dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. However, we could not tell a difference. It has bitterness, but we definitely think it is milk chocolate. This dish is still not good. The presentation is great, though. 

Rating out of 7: 2 

Figment Fantasy Cake – $5.79

Figment’s Inspiration Station at The Odyssey

Figment Fantasy Cake: Sponge cake filled with strawberry whipped cream topped with a white chocolate ganache, orange icing, and white chocolate Figment wings.

This was fine. We wish it were slightly softer, but the orange icing was tasty. It is great for pictures, though!

Rating out of 7: 4

Chile Relleno Taco – $8.75

El Artista Hambriento

Chile Relleno Taco: Flour tortilla filled with seared beef tenderloin, poblano pepper, black beans, and salsa roja.

The pepper is the most flavorful part of this dish. Both the tortilla and beef are chewy (not in a good way). It was almost as if we could not decipher between the two. Overall, for Mexico booth dish, this was disappointing and not worth the cost. 

Rating out of 7: 2

Polenta Pasticciata – $8

L’Arte di Mangiare

Polenta Pasticciata: Polenta, bolognese, Parmesan, mozzarella, and tomato sauce.

This is incredibly hard and hard to cut. The texture is awful. The polenta has an odd film on it and feels similar to a block of cheese. The sauce is the only saving quality because it isn’t terrible. 

Rating out of 7: 1 

Sake Flight – $19.75

Goshiki

Sake Flight: Peach, mango, and strawberry-flavored Nigori sake.

These cannot be purchased separately. The flavors are mango, strawberry, and peach. The peach is bitter and tart with a bad aftertaste. The mango is better but not by much. The strawberry is the most drinkable but still not great. All three are oddly thick. 

Rating out of 7: 2

Layered Berry-Piña Colada Smoothie with Rum – $14.75

Vibrante & Vívido: Encanto Cocina

Layered Berry-Piña Colada Smoothie: Spiced rum, wild berry, piña colada, and strawberry.

This is the exact same drink as the non-alcoholic version but with rum. However, we could not taste the rum. Maybe they forgot to actually put the rum in it, though it does taste watered down in comparison to the non-alcoholic version. When spending an extra $10 to add a splash of rum, we’d like to be able to taste it.

Rating out of 7: 1

Sparkling Spectacle Gâteau – $5.99

Deco Delights

Sparkling Spectacle Gâteau: Vanilla bean mousse with a golden caramel center and apricot jam on a hazelnut cookie.

This has a horrible texture and tasted a bit like paper. We had to dig for the apricot, but it was still bad even with the fruit flavor. 

Rating out of 7: 1

Classic Mojito – $16.50

Connections Eatery

Classic Mojito with mint foam.

This is very good. The mint foam adds some great flavor, and the drink itself is strong enough that you can taste the liquor. Even if you do not typically like mojitos, we think that you will enjoy this refreshing take on the drink. We would get this again. 

Rating out of 7: 7

Peppercorn-crusted Striploin – $9.29

The Artist’s Table

Peppercorn-crusted Striploin with grilled asparagus, potatoes au gratin, and au poivre butter.

The steak is perfectly prepared with the perfect amount of salt. The potatoes are also fresh with a lot of flavor. We would get this again.

Rating out of 7: 7

Dark Chocolate Torte – $6.49

The Artist’s Table

Dark Chocolate Torte: Flourless chocolate cake, whipped cream, and raspberries

This is a spectacular dish. The crunch is perfect and far surpasses many other similar cakes we have had in the past. It is warm, moist, and one of the best things we had all day.

Rating out of 7: 7

Wild Berry Funnel Cake – $12.50

Funnel Cake

Wild Berry Funnel Cake: Funnel cake sandwich with vanilla ice cream and powdered sugar topped with brown sugar brandy-wild berry compote, whipped cream, and dark chocolate sauce.

This is excellent. The sweet berry mix is so pleasant and the funnel cake is cooked perfectly. We do wish there was a little more ice cream, but that does not take away from this dish deserving a 7/7. 

Rating out of 7: 7

Gâteau de Crabe, Bisque de Homard, Crème Citron et Aneth – $11.95

L’Art de la Cuisine Française

Gâteau de Crabe, Bisque de Homard, Crème Citron et Aneth: Crab cake, lobster bisque, and lemon-dill sour cream

This is fantastic. The lemon-dill sour cream is perfect on the back end. The crab cake and lobster bisque are also delicious, offering a hearty dish for the festival. 

Rating out of 7: 7

Upside Down Shake – $5.29

Fictional Victuals

Upside Down Shake: Yellow cake soft-serve featuring Twinings English Breakfast Tea (Non-alcoholic beverage).

This shake is crazy. The soft-serve tastes just like cake, and the presentation is great. We loved this. 

Rating out of 7: 7

The Architecture of Drip – $10.99

Sunshine Seasons

The Architecture of Drip: Blueberry-flavored gelato topped with scoops of banana and berry whipped cream, a waffle cone, and sprinkles.

This is one of the best things we have ever had at a festival. The Land milkshakes have been hits the last three festivals, but this might be the best. The blueberry-flavored gelato is excellent and does not taste artificial at all. The banana and berry whipped cream is also delicious and fresh. 

Rating out of 7: 7

Honorable Mention

Taiyaki – $7.75

Goshiki

Taiyaki: Crisp, flaky fish-shaped chocolate-flavored pastry filled with custard and served with whipped topping

This is not traditional taiyaki. We did not expect much from this, but it is actually great. The flaky chocolate pastry is nice and the sweetness of the cream was good. The whipped cream also worked well with the rest of the dish. This might be the best festival offering in Japan. 

Rating out of 7: 7