I just returned from a whirlwind weekend at my favorite Epcot festival, Festival of the Arts, and wanted to share food photos/reviews. 
I had finally convinced my sister to accompany me to Disney so that she could experience Disney through my food-centric lens. Sheâs been to Epcot before but didnât get to focus much on the food as her family is all about the attractions. Not so with me! As Disney Food Blog puts it, âFood IS a theme park!â As it was only the 2 of us (instead of my usual family of 5), I was also able to try out the Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs. So we were all set for a pretty fabulous weekend trip.
But for weather. 
It actually didnât snow much (and accumulated very little in NYC) but it was enough to delay our flight about 2 1/2 hours. In the grand scheme of things, that wasnât too bad (nothing like the nightmare from my first Disney trip when our flight was cancelled and the airline booked us on a flight 2 DAYS later), but it still sucked. The flight delay cost us a leisurely evening exploring Gran Destino but Iâm grateful our flight wasnât outright cancelled.
We arrived at Gran Destino a little after midnight (and were thus too late to nosh at any of the lounges like I had originally planned). But we were happy with our beautiful room and went to bed ASAP to get an early start the next day.
Day 1 of Gluttony:
We shared a light and fluffy chocolate croissant from Barcelona Lounge in the morning and fueled ourselves with a Café Bombon (Espresso and Sweetened Condensed Milk)
Walt-approved
Surprisingly, there was only 1 other guest on the bus we caught to Epcot and we were through Epcot security by 7:53am for Early Entry at 8:30am. We rope-dropped Soarinâ and I was super excited as it was my first time with the California version. Donât hate me but I actually prefer the World one. I like the transitions between the scenes more in the latter and I find the different world locations more interesting. But Iâm still glad to have experienced the original Soarinâ.
After Soarinâ, we walked through the (new to us) Moana Journey of Water exhibit. I think itâs a nice addition to Epcot- relaxing, pretty, and educational in a fun way. I can imagine it would be refreshing, too, in the summer. On a side note, this was a freak weather weekend in Orlando as it went down to the 30s at night and was only in the 50s during the day. Despite it rising to the 50s during the day, it still felt cold enough that we kept our WINTER jackets on pretty much all day and had to bundle up in hats, scarves, and gloves at night. Never thought Iâd do that in Disney World. We thought that perhaps the cold weather would keep people away but the sunny weather mustâve won out. Most of the lines for the food booths built up quick, much faster than when I attended last yearâs Festival of the Arts (also on a regular weekend). Perhaps it was because this was only the second weekend of the festival whereas I went during the fourth weekend of last yearâs.
As we waited for the food booths to open at 11am, we browsed the World Showcase while looking for various chalk art characters and hidden Figments.
First food booth:
LâArt de la Cuisine Francaise
Frozen French Martini: Grey Goose Vodka, Chambord liqueur, pineapple, orange, and grape juices with lemon-lime foam. This was tasty with a bit of alcoholic kick.
Duo de Saumon Hot and Cold: Vol-au-Vent de Saumon et Epinards, Sauce Chardonnay (Puff pastry with salmon and spinach and a chardonnay-shallot sauce, served warm) and Saumon Fumé Mousse et Aspic, Blini et Fromage de Chevre (Salmon mousse, smoked salmon, dill, and flaxseed biscuit, served cold).
If you like salmon (and sushi textures), youâre more likely to appreciate this dish. I enjoy trying unique items so I really liked this offering.
Moelleux aux Noisettes, Croustillant Noisettes, Coulis Framboise et Mangue (Molten Valrhona chocolate cake, hazelnut crunch, and mango-raspberry coulis)
Decent chocolate dessert but not my favorite of this trip. It wasnât bad but it also didnât leave much of an impression.
Vibrante & VĂvido Encanto Cocina
Passion Fruit-filled Mango Cheesecake with coconut-pineapple cake, dragon fruit gelée, and dragon fruit-strawberry sauce, Chorizo and Potato Empanada with turmeric aïoli and annatto aïoli, and Coconut and Passion Fruit Smoothie.
The cheesecake and smoothie were very fruit forward and enjoyable. The smoothie paired especially well with the mildly spicy empanada. This was one of my favorite booths because the drink, savory item, and dessert were all solid hits.
As we continued counter clockwise around the World Showcase, we also had fun looking at the art displays.
And being amused by the items in the Japanese Mitsukoshi Dept store.
We wanted to try out more of the food from the festival but balked at the crazy long lines. So we kept walking and searching for a more palatable line. We rested for a bit on the benches inside the China Pavilion before browsing the Shanghai Disney exhibit in the House of the Whispering Willows.
We needed another seated break (we did a total of 28000 steps by the end of the day!) so we rode the Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico after a less than 10 minute wait. We then bypassed the huge lines at the booths clustered near the entry into World Showcase, hoping that the crowds were starting to die down at the booths in Future World. No such luck but we were pretty hungry by then so we bit the bullet and joined the long food lines.
The Deconstructed Dish
Deconstructed BLT: Pork belly, onion bread pudding, watercress espuma, and tomato jam
The pork belly was nicely crispy but I could take it or leave it with the onion bread pudding.
Deconstructed Key Lime Pie: Flexible Key Lime Curd, âKey Limeâ Mousse, Graham Cracker Cake, and Meringues. Yummy, just like last year, but of course, you have to enjoy the tartness of key lime to like this dessert.
We forewent the Deconstructed Strawberry Mint Julep as we planned to try the listed Frozen Watermelon and Dragonfruit flavored Slushies at the nearby Refreshment Station. But when we got there, they only had typical Slushy flavors that you can find in any theme park. So that was a bit of a disappointment.
Cuisine Classique
Beef Wellington: Mushroom duxelles, prosciutto, and puff pastry with red wine demi-glace
A tasty dish, especially with the sauce. But not that memorable.
Cast Iron-roasted P.E.I. mussels with sautéed tomatoes, garlic, and fresh herbs
Decent serving size and quality, considering itâs being served in a theme park at a counter service.
El Artista Hambriento (The Hungry Artist)
Carne Asada: Chipotle-marinated beef sirloin, grilled queso fresco, Nopales salad with queso fresco foam and chicharron dust and Smokey Banana Bliss Margarita: Ten to One Rum, Ilegal Mezcal Joven, banana purée, and lime juice
A bit chewy but the flavor of the beef was really good. However, this beef dish was quite pricey for the small portion. The margarita was delicious and unique- Iâd definitely recommend it!
Before heading back towards World Showcase Plaza, we enjoyed a bit of the Disney on Broadway Concert with the cast of Frozen (Cassie Levy and Patti Murin) in the American Pavilion.
Pop Eats!
Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese
I wouldâve rather had the Pimento Cheese, Fried Green Tomato, and Bacon version of the grilled cheese but my sister was getting pretty full by then and I knew from last yearâs experience that I wouldnât be able to finish that version myself. So we split the basic Grilled Cheese. Truthfully, there really isnât anything special about this Grilled Cheese or the Tomato soup. If you have a hankering for grilled cheese, Iâd recommend the more interesting version. But note that itâs pretty heavy/filling and wonât leave you much room to try more food.
Rock the Dots White Chocolate and Orange Mousse with vanilla bean chiffon cake
This I LOVED. Favorite dessert of the trip. Not too sweet, a bit of crunch from the hard chocolate drizzle, and the mousse is smooth.
We then returned to Future World to ride Spaceship Earth (a first for my sister!) and to enjoy Moana Journey of Water at night.
And seriously, SE is spectacular at night.
We had more time to kill so we also rode the Seas with Nemo (basically a walk on). I had to search a bit around the still existing Wall-Cot before I found the new area in World Celebration. Pretty but much smaller than I expected considering all the coverage from Disney bloggers when it first opened.
We then planted ourselves on the cold stone seating areas on the bridge leading to World Showcase to wait for Luminous. We probably couldâve gotten closer to the railing (and thus a better view) as we were there pretty early but we wanted to beat a swift exit after the fireworks. I was determined to enjoy Gran Destino a bit before the shops/lounges closed for the night. While we waited, I also took a few pictures of the nearby chalk art. I was in awe over how much detail the artists were able to convey with chalk.
After Luminous, we hoofed it to the buses and had time to stop by Panchitoâs in Coronado Springs and Dahlia Lounge. The latter was pretty crowded (the indoor portion that is. NOBODY was on the outdoor deck because it was just too cold) but we were able to snag the last open table.
Ponche de Frutas (Pomegranate Juice, Sweet-and-Sour, Pineapple, Blackberry, Lime, Soda Water) and Hibiscus-Mint Limonada (Minute MaidÂź Premium Lemonade, Hibiscus-Grenadine, Mint and Soda Water). I had the former and have loved it ever since trying it at Toledo during my last trip to Disney.
Croquettes with Jalapeño-Cilantro Pistou and Warm Churros with Chocolate Sauce
The croquettes were interesting (mushy inside with crunch on the outside) but I donât think I would order them again. If you want croquettes, Iâd advise trying the ones from Jaleo instead. The churros were unfortunately very greasy and heavy. The chocolate sauce was also nothing special. In all, the drinks were good but the 2 food items we ordered were a miss.
I may have wished for better luck with the food in Dahlia Lounge but this was a pretty great Epcot day. Onto the next day!
The smoothie isâŠa smoothie. Very fruity. But the Coconut Passion Fruit Smoothie at Vibrante & Vivido: Encanto Cocina is leagues better.
