The 2014 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is still going strong until May 18, 2014. This is the 21st year for the Flower & Garden Festival which started back on March 5th. The festival has a number of Topiaries around Epcot and the Outdoor Kitchens around World Showcase feature seasonal dishes, sweets, craft beers, wines and more. This post is a food guide to the Outdoor Kitchens complete with menus and photos of dishes and beverages.

 

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This is the second year for Outdoor Kitchens at the annual Epcot Flower & Garden Festival. It is important to note this is not a food and wine festival and it is different from the Epcot Food & Wine festival held in the Fall, with completely different food and beverage offerings. The Flower & Garden Festival is to celebrate the Spring time, being outdoors, and enjoying the food and beverages in a laid back atmosphere. “It’s a great fit because Flower & Garden is all about outdoor living and being outside, family and good times, food fits right in…” says Epcot Executive Chef, Jens Dahlmann.

This is definitely the vibe at Epcot right now. A very chill atmosphere to enjoy food and drinks with many Florida inspired dishes to try. I’ve gone twice and enjoyed myself in a relaxed setting. If you love food or enjoy drinking craft beers or cocktails, make sure to go soon. Lots of food and drinks to discover!

 

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The food is just an added bonus to the Flower & Garden festival. Many sites to be seen and experienced including various flowers and plant species, Topiary Displays of Disney characters, HGTV Designer Presentations, Flower Power Concert Series, and Interactive Play Areas for Kids. I recommend Tinkerbell’s Butterfly Garden for a fun experience to observe butterflies flying around in an enclosed flower garden. This attraction along with many areas for the Epcot Flower & Garden festival are included in general park admission. There are certain experiences that have an additional cost with limited availability and of course the food and beverages are an additional cost, à la carte.

Flower & Garden Festival Outdoor Kitchens

The 11 Outdoor Kitchens all feature small plates and drinks with various pricing. To get a taste of each Outdoor Kitchen, I suggest sharing each plate because you can get full really fast trying each dish by yourself. The same goes for drinks, share the craft beers and wines to get a taste of each or else that will get you tipsy fast (unless that’s what you want). Check out the menus and photos below and look for the Droolius Top 5 at the end of this post.

 

Urban Farm Eats Eat: • Pickled beet salad with goat cheese cream, mizuna and pistachios • Land-grown eggplant “scallop” with romesco sauce and spaghetti squash • Ghost pepper-dusted tilapia with crisp winter melon slaw and mint oil featuring The Original Sauce Man’s Kick It Up Rub Drink: • Cucumber lemon spa water, finished with a sprig of fresh mint • The Vegan Vine Chardonnay • The Vegan Vine Cabernet Sauvignon • Redbridge Gluten-Free Sorghum Beer, Anheuser-Busch (St. Louis, Missouri)

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Land-grown eggplant “scallop” with romesco sauce and spaghetti squash

 

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Pickled beet salad with goat cheese cream, mizuna and pistachios

 

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Ghost pepper-dusted tilapia with crisp winter melon slaw and mint oil featuring The Original Sauce Man’s Kick It Up Rub

 

Jardin de Fiestas Eat: • Tacos al pastor – Corn tortilla filled with achiote-marinated pork, garnished with grilled diced pineapple, onions and cilantro • Quesadilla de hongos con queso – Flour tortilla filled with mushrooms and cheese • Flan de chocolate Abuelita – Mexican chocolate custard Drink: • Tecate draft beer • White Mexican sangria • Franbuesa (raspberry) margarita on the rocks • Tequila flight – blanco, reposado and añejo

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Tacos al pastor – Corn tortilla filled with achiote-marinated pork, garnished with grilled diced pineapple, onions and cilantro

 

Lotus House Eat: • Beijing-style candied strawberries • Spring pancake with grilled chicken and green apple • Vegetable spring rolls Drink: • Popping bubble tea • Kung Fu Punch – Vodka and triple sec with mango and orange juice • South Sea Storm – Guava juice with light and dark rum • Plum wine • Tsing-Tao beer • Lychee aerated water

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Spring pancake with grilled chicken and green apple

 

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Beijing-style candied strawberries

 

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Florida Fresh Eat: • Watermelon salad with pickled onions, BW Farm baby arugula, feta cheese and balsamic reduction • Shrimp and stone ground grits with andouille sausage, sweet corn, tomatoes and cilantro • Florida kumquat pie Drink: • Watermelon passion fruit slush featuring Simply Lemonade® • Hurricane Class 5 White Sangria featuring Simply Lemonade, Florida Orange Groves (St. Petersburg, Florida) • Garda Italian Wine Blend, Quantum Leap Winery (Orlando, Florida) • Rogue Valley Pinot Noir, Quantum Leap Winery (Orlando, Florida) • Blonde Ale, Orlando Brewing Company (Orlando, Florida) • Cotton Mouth Belgian Style Witbier, Swamp Head Brewery (Gainesville, Florida) • Feast of Flowers Farmhouse Ale, Florida Beer Company (Cape Canaveral, Florida) – Festival Exclusive! • Florida Avenue Blueberry, Cold Storage Craft Brewery (Tampa, Florida) • Beer Flight – Blonde Ale, Cotton Mouth Belgian Style Witbier, Feast of Flowers Farmhouse Ale and Florida Avenue Blueberry • Simply Orange

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Shrimp and stone ground grits with andouille sausage, sweet corn, tomatoes and cilantro

 

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Watermelon salad with pickled onions, BW Farm baby arugula, feta cheese and balsamic reduction

 

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Craft beers from around Florida

 

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This is a festival exclusive craft beer (which half was shared before taking a photo). The Feast of Flowers Farmhouse Ale from Florida Beer Company in Cape Canaveral, Florida is a special brew developed just for the festival, inspired by the flavors of Florida.

 

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New to this year’s festival is the first face of a Disney princess character on a topiary, this one showcasing Snow White. Usually the topiaries depicting Disney princesses are an empty face silhouette, but they have started with Snow White this year with plans to have more princess faces at future Flower and Garden Festivals.

 

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Topiaries of a few of the Dwarfs from Snow White.

 

Primavera Kitchen Eat: • Caprese – Fior di latte mozzarella, roasted peppers and olio verde • Three cheese manicotti – Egg pasta stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, tomato sauce and béchamel • Torta di ricotta – Lemon cheesecake with limoncello-marinated strawberries Drink: • Placido Pinot Grigio • Placido Chianti • Bosco del Merlo Prosecco • White peach bellini – Prosecco and white peach puree • Strawberry rossini – Prosecco and marinated strawberries • Frozen Italian primavera – Assorted fruit slushy with limoncello and vodka • Moretti Lager • Moretti La Rossa

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Torta di ricotta – Lemon cheesecake with limoncello-marinated strawberries

 

The Smokehouse: Barbecue and Brews Eat: • Pulled pig slider with cole slaw • Smoked beef brisket with collard greens and jalapeño corn bread • Smoked turkey “rib” • “Piggylicious” bacon cupcake with maple frosting and pretzel crunch featuring Nueske’s® Applewood Smoked Bacon Drink: • Magic Hat #9, Magic Hat Brewing (South Burlington, Vermont) • Maduro, Cigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida) • Fat Tire, New Belgium Brewing Company (Ft. Collins, Colorado) • Billy’s Chilies, Twisted Pine Brewing Company (Boulder, Colorado) • Beer Flight – Magic Hat #9, Maduro, Fat Tire and Billy’s Chilies • The Original Rib Shack Red Wine

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You can smell the smoke and BBQ in the air as you approach The Smokehouse outdoor kitchen.

 

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Chef Jens Dahlmann, Epcot Executive Chef, joins us for a BBQ lunch, saucing the Pulled Pig Slider, and giving us the inside scoop about the food and beverages at this year’s outdoor kitchens.

 

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Pulled pig slider with cole slaw

 

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Smoked beef brisket with collard greens and jalapeño corn bread

 

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Smoked turkey “rib”

 

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Billy’s Chilies, Twisted Pine Brewing Company (Boulder, Colorado) – A spicy beer that nicely compliments any smokey BBQ dish with a spicy bite.

 

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“Piggylicious” bacon cupcake with maple frosting and pretzel crunch featuring Nueske’s® Applewood Smoked Bacon

 

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Walking towards Japan there is a collection of trained Bonsai trees. This Bonsai tree with flower is 50 years old and has been training for 10 years. More prized Bonsai trees are on display, with different ages and years in training.

 

Hanami Eat: • Frushi – Fresh pineapple, strawberries and melon, rolled with coconut rice, topped with raspberry sauce, sprinkled with toasted coconut and served with whipped cream on the side • Temaki hand roll – Sliced Panko fried chicken, curry sauce, rice and pickled julienne carrots wrapped with Nori  • Hanami sushi – A flavorful combination of salmon, scallop and beef-topped rice balls served atop a shiso violet sauce • Japanese puffed rice cakes with green tea whipped cream and azuki Drink: • Kirin draft beer • Pinepple Paradise with Yuzu Slushie – Frozen blend of sweet sake, pineapple juice and crème, flavored with a hint of Yuzu citrus juice • Orange Mango Slushie – Frozen blend of Nigori sake, mango and orange juice

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Temaki hand roll – Sliced Panko fried chicken, curry sauce, rice and pickled julienne carrots wrapped with Nori 

 

Taste of Marrakesh Eat: • Lamb brewat roll with prunes and sesame • Harissa chicken kebab with couscous salad • Baghrir – Moroccan pancake with honey, almonds and argan oil Drink: • Mint iced tea • White sangria • Guerrouane red • Casa Beer • Desert Rose – Sparkling wine with pomegranate liqueur

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Lamb brewat roll with prunes and sesame

 

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Mint iced tea

 

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Fleur de Lys Eat: • Gnocchi Parisien à la Provençal – Parisian-style dumplings with vegetables and mushrooms • Confit de canard, pommes de terre Sarladaise – Pulled duck confit with garlic and parsley potatoes • Macaron à la fleur d’ Oranger – Orange blossom macaron with white chocolate ganache Drink: • La Vie en Rose frozen slush – Vodka, Grey Goose Orange, St. Germain Liquor, and white and red cranberry juice • Kir Imperial – Sparkling wine, Chambord and black raspberry liquor • Rosé pamplemousse cocktail – Rosé wine mixed with natural grapefruit syrup • Kronenbourg Blanc 1664 – Fruity white beer with citrus notes

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Gnocchi Parisien à la Provençal – Parisian-style dumplings with vegetables and mushrooms

 

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Confit de canard, pommes de terre Sarladaise – Pulled duck confit with garlic and parsley potatoes

 

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Buttercup Cottage Eat: • Freshly baked potato and cheddar cheese biscuit with smoked salmon tartare • Field greens with Plant City strawberries, toasted almonds and Farmstead stilton • Pork and apple sausage roll with house-made piccalilli • Freshly baked lemon scones with berry preserves and crème fraiche Drink: • Chilled rose blush lemonade featuring Simply Lemonade with Raspberry (nonalcoholic) • Twinings® Cold Brewed English Classic with lemon grass syrup • Berry tea cocktail – Twinings Cold Brewed Mixed Berry Tea with Florida Cane vodka and Plant City strawberry, flavored with raspberry and açaí syrup • Iron Horse Fairy Tale Cuvee • Deloach Pinot Noir

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Freshly baked potato and cheddar cheese biscuit with smoked salmon tartare

 

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Pork and apple sausage roll with house-made piccalilli

 

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Freshly baked lemon scones with berry preserves and crème fraiche

 

Pineapple Promenade Eat: • Pineapple soft serve • Pineapple soft serve with Myers’s dark rum • Pineapple soft serve with Parrot Bay coconut rum • Sweet potato cinnamon waffle with pineapple soft serve Drink: • Frozen desert violet lemonade featuring Simply Lemonade (nonalcoholic) • Tropical Mango Pale Ale, St. John Brewers (U.S. Virgin Islands) • Once Upon a Vine’s The Lost Slipper Sauvignon Blanc

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Pineapple soft serve with Parrot Bay coconut rum

 

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Frozen desert violet lemonade featuring Simply Lemonade (nonalcoholic)

*photo from 2013 Flower & Garden Festival

 

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Festival Center

 

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The Festival Center is the place to go for design and gardening stage demonstrations, HGTV Theater, where to see HGTV Celebrity Presenters. There’s also the Intermissions Café serving food, drinks, and wines. The Festival Merchandise is sold here as well.

Intermissions Café

 

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Eat:
• Grapes
• Fruit & cheese plate
• Vegan trio
• Southwest chicken wrap
• Tuna salad with pita
• Side salad
• Asian tuna salad with noodles
• Caprese Push-Pop – Tomato, mozzarella and balsamic

Drink:
• Hurricane Class 5 White Sangria, Florida Orange Groves (St. Petersburg, Florida)
• Garda Italian Wine Blend, Quantum Leap Winery (Orlando, Florida)
• Rogue Valley Pinot Noir, Quantum Leap Winery (Orlando, Florida)
• Martini Prosecco
• Strongbow Cider, Bulmers Cider Company (White Plains, New York)
• SweetWater Blue, SweetWater Brewing Company (Atlanta, Georgia)

 

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Festival-themed Merchandise sold inside of the Festival Center.

 

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The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is here until May 18th! I suggest going on weekday for a more relaxing pace, but the weekends are great too for discovering all of the food and drinks at the festival. Learn more about the festival on: official website

The following are my top favorite items at this year…

The Droolius Top 5 picks for 2014 Epcot Flower & Garden Festival:

1. Smoked beef brisket with collard greens and jalapeño corn bread

2. Beijing-style candied strawberries

3. Pineapple soft serve with Parrot Bay coconut rum

4. “Piggylicious” bacon cupcake with maple frosting and pretzel crunch featuring Nueske’s® Applewood Smoked Bacon

5. Freshly baked potato and cheddar cheese biscuit with smoked salmon tartare

 
Words and photos by Julius Mayo Jr.
Content and photos © Droolius.com 2014

 
Disclaimer: I was invited to experience one trip to the Flower & Garden festival as media. I was not compensated to write this post and all opinions are always my own.