Lyndsay Burginger

The 7 Food Stands We Loved Most at Disney's Flower and Garden Festival

If you haven't visited Walt Disney World Resort in a few years I highly suggest making a trip down to Orlando, Florida and getting your Minnie and Mickey Mouse fix. While I may be a bit biased (I used to work in the production kitchen at EPCOT) I am always overwhelmed with the amazing festivals the amusement park puts on.

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With three different festivals going on throughout the year (The Festival of the Arts, The Flower and Garden Festival, and Food and Wine Festival) you can expect to eat delicious food to your stomach's content.

Disney's Flower and Garden Festival

Lyndsay Burginger

Running from February 28th to May 28th, the EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival is for foodies and horticulturalists alike.

Serving up fantastic dishes from its outdoor kitchens to stunning Disney character topiaries, you'll forget you stepped into an amusement park.

Disney's Flower and Garden Festival

Lyndsay Burginger

And that's not all- end your day at the garden rocks concert series welcoming headliners such as Night Ranger, Smash Mouth and Rick Springfield.

This past weekend, my foodie friends and I ate around the world, thanks to the EPCOT Flower & Garden Festival. Here's what we ate.

Epcot-Food-12

Lyndsay Burginger

While the festival has been going on since 1994, the addition of outdoor kitchens was only back in 2013. Today, there are 15 different outdoor kitchens which feature food around the entire world showcase including dishes from Morocco, Canada, Mexico and Germany.

There is also the honey bee-stro, a new outdoor kitchen to showcase the flavors of honey, courtesy of the National Honey Board. Some dishes include a honey tandoori chicken flatbread and a local wildflower honey-mascarpone cheesecake. Let's get eating!

1. La Isla Fresca

Tropical Freeze

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This outdoor kitchen showcases tropical fare from the Caribbean. From Jamaican-braised beef to a sugar cane shrimp skewer, this food booth is the perfect starting off point for your feast around the world.

We decided to try their Tropical Freeze served with Cruzan mango rum. A blend of tropical juices with a hint of mango rum really makes this drink perfect for the beach or the pool deck.

2. Jardin de Fiestas

Jarin de Fiestas

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We've made it over to Mexico! This booth is serving up some of your favorite Mexican cuisine. We couldn't contain ourselves and ordered three items from the menu.

The first, pictured above, is chilaquiles served with ranchera sauce, chorizo, Mexican cream and cotija cheese. It was out-of-this-world delicious.

Pork Taco Epcot

Lyndsay Burginger

We also indulged ourselves in a pork taco. This pork has been slow-braised and is served with a tart apple relish, goat cheese and chile de árbol sauce. You'll want seconds of this taco for sure.

3. The Berry Basket

Mint Berry Julep

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Berry good! Located in the showcase plaza, this berry-fied booth is plump with your favorite berries. Try out the lamb chop served with a quinoa salad and blackberry gastrique or the wild berry buckle served warm with a pepper berry gelato.

On the drinks side the booth showcases local blueberry IPA, a blueberry moscato and our personal favorite, a Twinings green tea berry mint julep. While there is not mint leaves in the drink itself (it gets its flavor from a mint simple syrup) we loved the flavor. Who knew that green tea and bourbon whiskey paired so beautifully?

4. Lotus House

Chicken Dumplings Epcot

Lyndsay Burginger

We were really excited when we got to this booth in China because these fried chicken dumplings topped with a peanut sauce were so easy to share. Other dishes at the booth include vegetable spring rolls, peach bubble tea and spicy meatballs served with crispy tofu.

5. Primavera Kitchen

Asparagus Frittata

Lyndsay Burginger

Primavera, which means spring in Italian, is just that. We decided to get two offerings at this booth. The first, which is pictured above, is a Frittata di Asparagi which is served with a mixed greens salad.

Italian Margarita

Lyndsay Burginger

But the star of the show was the Italian Margarita. Frozen and mixed with limoncello and tequila, this drink tasted like a frozen lemonade. It is dangerously good.

6. Hanami

Ginger Beef Yakiudon

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If you are looking for a fun and tasty noodle dish, the Japanese outdoor kitchen is where it's at. Thin-sliced beef, onions and noodles are tossed together on the grill and then topped with soy and ginger. The best way to eat this dish is with a pair of chopsticks. If something a bit sweeter is on your list, try out the frushi served with pineapple, strawberry and melon.

7. Fleur de Lys

Disney's Flower and Garden Festival

Lyndsay Burginger

By the time we got to France, our stomachs were starting to get full. We decided to finish up our world feast with a large chocolate macaron lollipop. While it was a bit thicker and heavier than a normal macaron (it reminded all of us of a whoopie pie), it was still delicious.

And with that we had completed our entire loop around the world. While there are a few drinks and dishes we missed (how on earth did we pass by the maple pound cake?) we were three happy and full foodies.
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