easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 easyWDW Epcot Food and Wine Festival Blog Posts 2014

Scotland

Our adventure begins with the first booth towards Canada and continues from there.

The Sea Scallop and Potato Pancake are new. The Glennfiddich Scotch is available by the glass at three different price points rather than last year’s flight.

There are only two sizes of beer at the Festival this year. Individual beers are six ounces. As part of a flight of four (as we’ll see at Brewer’s Collection, Belgium, etc.), each is four ounces. There are no 22-ounce Festival souvenir cups available anywhere.

Vegetarian haggis with neeps & tatties (griddled vegetable cake with rutabaga and mashed potatoes) - $3.75.

According to Wikipeida, “Haggis is a savoury pudding containing sheep’s pluck (heart, liver and lungs); minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally encased in the animal’s stomach and simmered for approximately three hours. Most modern commercial haggis is prepared in a sausage casing rather than an actual stomach.”

As many have pointed out, I’m not exactly sure how you make a vegetarian version of that. What we end up with is a dense vegetable patty packed full of vegetables, grains, and spices. There’s a lot to chew and the flavor is kind of a bland mishmash of vegetables. Several bites of mashed potatoes and whipped rutabaga accompany

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 the patty. Both were creamy with a lot of flavor. For vegetarians, it’s a great dish. Meat eaters can probably do better.

The $4.25 Fresh potato pancake with smoked Scottish salmon and herb sour cream pairs a fluffy, lightly pan-fried potato pancake with a thin layer of quality cold smoked salmon and a dollop of sour cream with chives. This is one of the simpler dishes we’ll run into and a nice “safe” bet, so long as you like smoked salmon. Recommended.

Seared Sea Scallops are a Festival mainstay, this time served on top of spinach- cheddar gratin and crispy bacon for $4.50. This is my favorite presentation thus far, with several bites of creamy, cheesy greens and a pile of bacon aiding the subtle flavors of the scallop. It’s a solid seven or eight bites and recommended.

The $2.75 Cranachan (cran-uh-kin) with raspberries, toasted oats and whipped cream disappointed. There were no raspberries on the bottom, which is common with a traditional presentation and the overall dish was bland, with little flavor from the unseasoned oats. It’s also unlikely any whiskey is involved as it traditionally is. With desserts like the France creme brulee and the Hops and Barley carrot cake on the horizon, I think this is best skipped.

Innis & Gunn Original is probably the second most unique beer at the Festival, behind only the Smoked Roog from the Brewmaster’s Collection. This 6.6% Scottish Ale has stronger vanilla and toffee notes than the bottle indicates with a serious oak-y finish. While I want to like it, it’s too sweet for me to drink more than a 12-ounce cup (so you’re golden since you can only get 6 ounces this year). Store price: 25 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce. ABV: 6.6% Value: Very good.

The Loch Lomond featuring Glenfiddich 12 year - $11 is on the far right. A Loch Lomond is scotch, Drambuie, and dry vermouth. The drink is mostly/all alcohol with the sweet, honey flavored liqueur helping ease the oak flavor of the scotch. It’s a winner if you like scotch and despite being more expensive than most mixed drinks, is a good value considering the alcohol content.

A 750ml bottle of 12-year Glenfiddich is $30, compared to $100 for the 18-year. And if you’re going to go, you might as well go big, so I recommend the 18 year. You may want a 12-year (and okay, get the 15-year too) to compare and contrast the flavors.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Hawaii

Hawaii is just a few steps away.

Your Slider is 25 cents more expensive and your Poke is 50 cents more expensive. Pineapple Sweet Wine replaces last years Gewurztraminer, the IPA takes the place of the Pipeline Porter, and it’s an “Aulani Sunset” with Sammy’s Beach Bar Rum instead of a “Aulani Sunrise”with Ocean Vodka. It’s also 50 cents less expensive!

Kālua pork slider with sweet and sour Dole Pineapple chutney and spicy mayonnaise - $3.75 is one of the most popular items at the Festival, thanks to its relative simplicity. I like this one a lot. The spicy mayo helps cut the sweetness from the pork and pineapple chutney, making the flavor profile more complex than you might expect. The rolls are fresh and there’s a decent spoonful of pork on each slider. Recommended, though the preparation isn’t particularly unique.

This year’s $4.50 Tuna poke with seaweed salad and lotus root chips may be the healthiest option at this year’s Festival. Your money buys you just three bites of tuna on top of seaweed with toasted sesame seeds spooned on top. The tuna seemed to be high quality fish with an attractive pink color and the seaweed retained a nice crunch. It’s not a filling dish for the money, but it is nice, light, and unlike most items, nicely chilled. Sort of recommended, but it’s not going to fill you up and it’s probably $1 overpriced, even for the Festival.

Big Wave Golden Ale is a 4.4% American Blonde Ale. It’s a smooth, easy drinking, light option and a nice choice if someone in the group wants to get something a little more interesting than a Bud Light, but isn’t quite ready for the next step. The value isn’t great, but at least you’re not spending $5 on a 6-ounce Moretti! Store price: 12 cents/ounce. Festival price: 54 cents/ounce. Rarity: Common. ABV: 4.4% Value: Below average.

The Castaway is a 6% IPA and less bitter and hoppy than your typical India Pale Ale, but retains a tropical, citrus piny-ness (not a word) with a grassy aftertaste. It’s very good here with temperatures remaining high into October. Store price: 11 cents/ounce Festival price: 54 cents/ounce. Rarity: Common ABV: 6% Value: Average.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 That’s the $3.50 Maui Splash Sweet Pineapple Wine on the left with the Poke on the bottom, the Sunrise to the right, and the Tzatziki Martini on top. Despite the description, the Pineapple Wine was not particularly sweet and suffered from an alcohol-y, acidic flavor. With what is probably a low ABV, this one is best skipped.

This year’s $6.75 Aulani Sunset with Rum is another pineapple/passion fruit juice mess with virtually no alcohol to speak of. I suppose you could say it’s refreshing, but don’t expect it to pack a punch, because it doesn’t. Not recommended. Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is located on the walkway up to World Showcase from the Imagination Pavilion or shortly after the Desserts and Champagne booth as you walk towards Canada on the right. As a major sponsor, Puerto Rico is a compound with several tables and live music (probably only on the weekends). This is an all-new menu.

The $4.25 Ensalada de carrucho — Caribbean conch salad with onion, tomato and cilantro offers perhaps the most unique presentation in this paper cone. This is a light and refreshing cold salad with a salty kick from the conch. It’s the most interesting dish here.

The $4.50 Carne guisada con arroz blanco — Slow-braised beef with Puerto Rican-grown rice. Our beef was mushy and overcooked like a stew that had been left on for a few hours too long, but the sauce had a nice subtly spicy kick to it that was soaked up nicely by the rice. You may have more luck on the beef front than we did.

The $3.50 Tostones – Fried Green Plantains with Mayo- Ketchup were the single worst Festival item I’ve ever been served. I would ordinarily chalk it up to first day jitters, except Epcot Executive Chef Jens Dahlmann handed them to me himself. The Tostones were already a last minute change from Sweet Corn Sorullitos, which were served at several fake media previews leading up to the event. What we received resembled wet cardboard with less flavor. I’d rather chew tires. You may have better luck.

The $3.50 FlanCocho — Vanilla caramel custard with chocolate coffee cake is a highlight of the Festival with a caramel-y custard and a soft coffee cake bottom that helped cut the sugar from the flan. Easily worth the 75 cent upcharge over Scotland’s Cranachan.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Medalla Premium Light. It tastes like a can of corn shaken with a bottle of Orlando water. Easily one of the worst beers at the Festival. And it’s not on draft, so you get half of someone else’s bottle. Store price: 11 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 4% Rarity: Fairly common Value: Terrible

For five bucks, the Frozen San Juan Breeze with Don Q Limón is one of the better values. Like many Epcot frozen drinks, it’s the non-alcoholic version with rum poured on top. Even with the cast member pouring more rum over the ice than in the drink, I still came away with a better drink than most others here. And the Breeze itself has a nice flavor that isn’t too sweet. Recommended.

Gasolina is a popular brand of pre–mixed, pouch cocktails in Puerto Rico, this time in the “Sangriiiia” flavor at 7.5% ABV. Your money is better spent on wine. Desserts and Champagne

Desserts and Champagne takes over for Promenade Refreshments during the Festival. Yes that is $32 for a glass of Dom P.

Dessert Trio. There was a time (last year) when the desserts were available individually for $1.75 or as a trio for $4. This year, it’s just the trio.

The spongy Chocolate Cheesecake suffered from four slippery layers that didn’t want to play together. The Passion Fruit Coconut Creamsicle was the best of the bunch, but still tasted like fruit jelly. The Blueberry Lime Cheesecake was creamy and refreshing, but lacked texture. Overall, I’d wait for Ireland or France on the dessert front or skip back over to Puerto Rico for the flan.

The website spares no expense when it comes to Food and Wine, this time with a $153 bottle of Dom Perignon champagne, but it does however wonder what the endgame is. Nobody really buys a $150 bottle of champagne to enjoy the flavor. And the website has to imagine the number of people dropping $32 a glass is fairly slim. In fact, when I asked around 3pm on the first day of the Festival, a cast member confided in me that no glasses had been sold. On the other hand, offering an expensive glass often causes people to spend more than they would otherwise.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Store price: $6.12/ounce Festival price: $8/ounce ABV: 12.5% .765 Value: Excellent The value is actually excellent compared to the other options.

Brut Rose is a crisp and elegant champagne with hints of orange and rose on the aftertaste. Store price: $1.73/ounce Festival price: $3/ounce. ABV: 12.5% Value: Average.

Nectar Imperial is great paired with fresh fruit. On its own, you’ll taste the honey sugar on the backside. It’s my favorite of what’s offered here. Store price: $2.17/ounce Festival price: $3.13/ounce ABV: 12% Value: Excellent

Good luck pronouncing this one. I’m not real sure why I bother since nobody seems to be able to pick up on the fact that ‘Ohana is not “O’hana’s,” but Moet is a Dutch name and pronounced “Mo-wett,” not “Mo-aye.” Store price: $2.96/ounce Festival price: $5.69/ounce. ABV: 12% Value: Bad

If you’re going to go big, go for the Dom P. If you want to settle, go for the Nectar Imperial.

This year’s S’mores is nearly identical to last year’s. I didn’t care for the texture of the whipped milk, which is kind of foamy and yucky (in my opinion). There’s only a subtle chocolate flavor amid the whipped mess. You might have a better experience.

Refreshment Port

Refreshment Port gets into the action a bit: It’s probably not worth a special stop.

Though the Croissant Doughnut is one of the most delicious items anywhere, sweet and fluffy.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Greece

Moving on to Greece. Perennially popular, we see a few new items:

The Moussaka is new, the cheese is up 25 cents, and the gyro is up 50 cents. The Tzatziki Martini is an all-new cocktail.

The $4.25 Moussaka on the right with the cheese to the left and the martini on top.

This probably looks gross, but tasted great and is my favorite vegetarian option from the Festival. It has a layer of eggplant and potato on the bottom, then a layer of tomato and other vegetables, before being topped with a thick layer of cheese. Very hearty for the money and highly recommended.

This year’s $3.75 Griddled Greek cheese with pistachios and honey remains one of the best dishes at the Festival and one that should appeal to the masses. It’s a hearty slab of cheese sweetened with honey and nuts. You really can’t go wrong. With that said, ours wasn’t done up quite as much as previous years.

The $4.25 Chicken gyro with tzatziki sauce is a skip in my opinion – a chintzy portion and a fairly simple preparation. It does feature relatively plain flavors should you be traveling with someone with limited tastes. You can probably get the sauce on the side.

$4 buys you two spanakopita(s), which are flaky pastries filled with spinach, feta cheese, and other spices and stuff. They are quite good, though it’s not a lot of food for your money. The flaky crust easily breaks open to reveal the savory spinach and cheese inside.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 The white wine is the Domaine Skouras Moscofilero – $3.50. This is a fruity white wine with a nice floral aroma. I think it’s a bit rarer than some of the other wines and authentically Greek, making it recommended.

A kind of blurry Alpha Estate Axia Syrah-Xinomavro - $4.25. This authentically Greek wine has a lot going on – spice and plum seemed to be the predominant flavors. I don’t think it pairs well with anything offered here, but it would go well with the Canada Filet.

The $7.75 Tzatziki martini featuring Crop Organic Cucumber Vodka and BOLS Natural Yoghurt Liqueur tastes more neutral than you might expect, almost like water mixed with cucumber. It didn’t seem to pack much of a punch and there wasn’t all that much to it. Best skipped I think.

Canada

Canada Proper is located on the walk into the excitement that is the bitter north.

There’s actually nothing new on the menu, save for Dasani Sparkling Lemon taking over for Seagram’s.

At $7.25, the “Le Cellier” wild mushroom beef filet mignon with truffle butter sauce may be the most expensive item at the Festival. Mine was fatty and lacked much sauce with an overall gristle quality. You may have better luck.

The Seared rainbow trout with bacon, frisee and maple Minus 8 Vinaigrette – $4.75. The fish was well cooked and the sweet, syrupy maple vinaigrette complemented the subtle fishy flavor of the trout. The bacon added another layer of flavor. We really enjoyed this one and I think it’s the best value at the Booth.

This picture of the Canadian cheddar cheese soup – $4.25 was taken by Michael last year. I flat out refuse to purchase a cup because of the absurd price, but I seem to be the only one as these cups print money for Disney. The soup is otherwise creamy and cheesy and salty and wonderful. I’d pay the money if it came with a pretzel roll/stick of some kind instead of just three bites in a cup.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Monica sent in this picture of the $5.25 Mission Hill Family Estate Syrah in the background. She was not impressed with the wine, which runs about $25/bottle if you can find it.

Moosehead Lager is a decent 5% ABV American Pale Lager brewed by Moosehead Breweries in New Brunswick, Canada. This is basically your Budweiser option, though it has more flavor than your typical American macro. It’s refreshing, easy to drink, and relatively light. The Unibroues are much better, with higher alcohol content and a lower price by the ounce. Store price: 11 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce Rarity: Fairly common ABV: 5% Value: Average

Ashley sent in this precarious picture of the Ice Wine from last year. $5.75 buys you about an ounce of what would cost you about $40 for a 375ml bottle (half a regular wine bottle). Unfortunately, there is no indication that the pour will be so small, leading to a lot of unpleasant (humorous) cast member interactions, particularly from those guests that began their expedition on the walk toward Mexico. Anyway, Neige is intense with a sweet apple cider flavor. It pairs very well with the Cheddar Soup. At 12% ABV, it’s not much more boozy than the Canada Cart Unibroues, but it does have a pleasantly sweet apple flavor.

The pour on the 7.5% Neige Bubble is better and the flavor is similar, though less acutely apple. A bottle runs $21.99 at the Festival Center, so you may want to pick one up and do the Food and Wine thing back in your hotel room. CANADA CART

Yes, we would be remiss not to mention the Canada Cart, home to excellent Unibroue on draft and excellent St. Ambroise bottled beer.

The Trois Pistoles (twaw piss-toe-lee), a 9% ABV Belgian Strong Dark Ale, is outstanding. I get excited about it because it’s not only great, but a 750ml (25.36 ounce) bottle of Trois Pistoles in stores would run you $9 – $11. These Unibroues are an absolute steal compared to what you’d pay for something like Guinness or Sierra Nevada. Maybe the best deal I’ve ever seen on a beverage at Walt Disney

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 World. All of that said, the Trois Pistoles isn’t going to be for everyone – sweet raisins dominate with a spicy complexity not found in most brews. Being a Belgian beer, there is a lot of flavor from the yeast with an earthy finish. It’s going to be a little out there for the Bud Light crowd, but try to convince your brain to like it.

You could make an argument that La Fun du Monde is one of the best beers in the world. This complex 9% Tripel is perfectly balanced, rich, and crisp with tart apple and pear flavors mixing in with the traditional bananas, cloves, and yeast. There’s a little bit of pepper on the back end. Truly magnificent, this is on any serious beer drinker’s shortlist. It’s also a bit more accessible than the Pistoles for those looking to expand their horizons a bit.

Cherry Ephemere is a 5.5% fruit beer similar in style to Sam Adams Cherry Wheat, but without that yucky medicinal quality. Cherry Ephemere is officially unavailable in the United States and Epcot is one of the only places you’ll find it. As you would expect, the predominant flavor is cherry with some bready yeast. Cherry beers are not my favorite style, but this is much more drinkable than the Sam Adams and remains an excellent value. Highly recommended, though not as outstanding as the other two entries. NOTE: NO LONGER AVAILABLE – SEE BELOW

The St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout is excellent and relatively difficult to find in the states. Canada does only offer it in a bottle, but per-bottle pricing outside Canada is going to be $3-$5, making it a better value than most of the other options, including anything at the UK, Italy, France, etc. As is typical from the variety, St-Ambroise is chocolatey with oatmeal and robust malts.

The Apricot Wheat is decidedly more summery and a better fit for the typical Florida afternoon. It has a natural, subdued sweet apricot flavor without the medicinal aftertaste that plagues most fruit beers.

The $8.75 Torontopolitan is the best frozen drink we’ll see until France. It’s slightly sweet and slightly tart with more vodka than most.

ADDENDUM

Continuing the world’s best coverage of the Canada Cart, we return to see that they’ve exchanged the Cherry Ephemere for Apple Ephemere and added the wines on tap to the menu.

Apple enjoys a hefty dose of green caramel apples up front with a slightly tart, bread-y finish, ultimately coming in at 5.5% ABV. It’s quite good and quite rare on draft, though both La Fin and the Pistoles are more complex with 9% ABVs.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Ireland

Familiar Ireland returns in the same location as the past few years near Rose & Crown Pub.

The Fisherman’s Pie returns at the same price point, the cheese is up 25 cents, and the pudding is now topped with sponsored Kerrygold liqueur custard instead of sponsored Bailey’s liqueur custard. The Irish Coffee is the same price and the shot of Kerrygold liqueur is new. Guinness is the same price, but only available in a 6-ounce draft.

The Lobster and Seafood Fisherman’s Pie – $6.25 is one of my favorite dishes. It looks deceptively small, but it’s packed with hearty potatoes, cheese, seafood, and the ingredient list is something like 30 things long. It is one of the more expensive items, but I’d budget for it if you can. It is quite filling, so you may want to share.

The Kerrygold cheese selection: Reserve Cheddar, Dubliner with Irish Stout, Skellig – $4 served with soda bread and a chutney. We enjoyed these cheeses far less than what’s served at Hops and Barley, though I’m not sure I could tell you why. The flavors may have been a bit more foreign than we’re used to. If you like cheese, it’s hard to fault the options here and I don’t regret the purchase – it just wasn’t for us.

Warm Chocolate Pudding with the $7 Chilled Irish Coffee featuring Bunratty Potcheen in the background. Potcheen is largely undrinkable straight and in my opinion, the Belgian coffee upcoming is an easier-to-drink proposition. It does pair nicely with the couple bites that is the incredibly rich chocolate pudding. The creamy coffee does help mask the alcohol flavor from the potcheen, which comes in at 45% ABV, leaving a sippable beverage. I think the French Crème Brûlée up next is a better value, but this is as chocolate-y as it gets.

Guinness is another prevalent beer that’s on nearly every restaurant menu nationwide. It’s a 4.2% Irish Dry Stout that is not a personal favorite. At least what we get in the United States seems bland and watery, but you should pick up on some roast malts, burnt coffee, and subtle chocolate notes. Store price: 12.5 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 4.2% Value: Poor If you love Guinness, my advice is to head into the Pub next door:

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 The pour, which is important when it comes to Guinness, is assuredly better inside the pub. And the cost per ounce comes down about 20% to 46 cents. On the other hand, the booth is a good opportunity to give it a whirl if you’ve never tried it. It’s an easier drinking brew than you might expect from the color and actually has fewer calories than orange juice or skim milk. So it’s basically healthy.

I attended the Bunratty Meade beverage seminar because I thought it would be a good way to get at the Honey Wine. That’s it on the far left. It’s a very sweet wine that tastes strongly of honey and very little of alcohol, despite having an ABV of 14.7%. It should be available in stores for around $17/bottle (and it’s available at the Festival Center for $22). Purists would tell you that it’s not a traditional mead, which would be fermented honey wine. This is a white wine with honey and spices added to it. Assuming you start drinking around the World in Mexico (and for most, even in Canada), you won’t care. Honey Wine is otherwise sweet with little flavor from the alcohol showing through.

Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur is a new product that’s currently only available in Illinois and Florida here in the U.S. A bottle would run you $19.99, making $7.25 for a shot of 17% ABV liqueur a spendy proposition. France

A surprising number of changes at France this year, which typically offers some of the best received items. The escargots arrive in a tart instead of those three cute little bread bowls. The Pasta Gratin is new. The Bourguignon returns for 25 cents more money. A Sea Salt Creme Brulee replaces last year’s milk chocolate version and the Slush is a slightly different composition. You may be able to tell how popular France is with the ladies.

The Tartelette aux escargots — Escargot tart with garlic, spinach, bacon and parmesan – $4.35 is a significantly lighter, better composed dish than the butter/garlic bombs that were served in brioche during past Festivals. The pastry portion is crumbly and offers a different texture, but the flavor is much the same, just less intense. Recommended.

Another thing about France…it’s always impossible to make at least one incredible dish look appetizing. The $4.95 Gratin de crozets de Savoie — Wheat pasta gratin with mushrooms and Gruyere cheese is a top five pick this year – piping hot, creamy, cheesy, and so decadent. Ignore the picture and pick one up, particularly if you’re looking for something filling and vegetarian. I “don’t like mushrooms,” but still loved the alfredo flavors.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Unfortunately, this year’s $5.25 Boeuf bourguignon — Braised short ribs in cabernet with mashed potatoes disappointed on two different occasions over two days. The potatoes underneath are atypically dense and the beef on top is stew quality. The Potato and Leak Waffle with Braised Beef upcoming in Belgium is $1 less and a more satisfying dish.

Yummmmm, the $4.25 Crème brûlée caramel fleur de sel — Sea salt caramel crème brûlée topped with caramelized sugar might be my favorite dessert at this year’s Festival and not something most people are probably attempting to make on a daily basis, which is another bonus. The cream is surprisingly light and the dish is sweet without being overwhelming. Very good.

5.5 ounces of Kronenbourg Blanc out of a bottle, not to be confused with the regular Kronenbourg 1664 that’s served throughout the Pavilion all year, will run you $3.75 at this year’s Festival. Store price: 20 cents Festival price: 68 cents/ounce ABV: 5% Value: Average Blanc is stupid expensive in Florida for some reason. Back home in Seattle, a 6-pack would run you $9.79 (15 cents an ounce) instead of $12.99. A bottle would also run you $6.92 at Be Our Guest at Magic Kingdom, compared to $7.50 here. ANYWAY, Blanc is a decent witbier, crisp and light with citrus notes that are marred (in my opinion) by too much coriander. It’s not as cloying as some wheat beers. I personally wouldn’t order one but you can do much worse!

Wine pricing is always insane in France. La Crema at Hops and Barley is $1.50 less and significantly better, but if you want a white from the booth….this is it.

A bottle of Chateau Bonnet cost $18, compared to $5.95 for 2.5 ounces at the booth. This is medium-bodied with blackberry and cherry notes backed up by some oak.

A $7.75 Sparkling Pomegranate Kir is about 3.75 ounces of lousy sparkling wine topped with pomegranate liqueur – not really a compelling value, but what is?

This year’s $9.95 La Passion Martini Slush — Vodka, Grey Goose Le Citron, cranberry and passion fruit juice is sweeter than previous iterations with less of an icy texture. Is there any alcohol in it? Probably not much, but it doesn’t seem to matter considering the number of people walking around with them.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Brazil

Brazil takes over in Belgium’s usual spot this year. Don’t worry, Belgium is just a few feet toward Morocco. Pretty seating with the possibility of live music (probably only on weekends). The Crispy Pork Belly is the only returning food item, at the same price as last year no less. The Carnaval Moscato actually DOUBLED in price over last year to a whopping six bucks. The Caipirinha is up 50 cents.

The $4.50 Moqueca de Pescado — Regal Springs premium tilapia with coconut lime sauce and steamed rice is a nice portion for the money. While tilapia is not ummmmmm exactly a premium fish, it works here to soak up the coconut and lime flavors from the sauce. There is a bit of spice to the dish, but it’s far from overpowering. I’m not sure it’s unique enough to compel a purchase given tilapia’s prevalence, but it is prepared well, flaky and fresh.

This year’s $5.25 Crispy pork belly with black beans, tomato and cilantro is better and one of my top five dishes from the Festival on flavor and value. It’s also a good example of a dish that’s “the same” as last year, but improved heartily. It’s high quality meat with little fat and a crispy texture, despite sitting in the generous spoonful of flavorful black beans. I hope you have the same luck!

Lisa was perhaps looking forward to the $3.25 Pao de queijo — Brazilian cheese bread more than any other new item. What we received on day 2 was significantly better than day 1, but these are gluten free, and suffer because of it. It’s otherwise largely flavorless bread surrounding melted cheese that also lacks much flavor. For two hunks at this price point, they may be worth a shot, but lower those expectations.

So the description on this thing is “Cocada- Brazilian Coconut Candy – $1.75). I was expecting a pre-packaged candy of some kind, but received this very dense, very sweet, very chewy hunk of coconut candy. You’re really going to have to like coconut to enjoy this one, but for the money, everyone might as well grab a fork and dig in.

Xingu (pronounced shin-goo) is a 4.7% schwarzbier from Cervejaria Sul Brasileirain in Jacarei. It’s not as rare here in the states as you might expect and local Total Wine stores would sell you a six-pack for $10.49. Taste is a little sweet and caramel-y with a toasted malt finish. Mouthfeel is thin, but these dark beers are not as boozy as you might expect. Store price: 15 cents Festival price: 54 cents/ounce ABV: 4.7% Value: Average It’s an interesting beer and while your local superstore probably stocks it, most people probably haven’t tried it.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 I recommended Carnaval Moscato last year at the $3 price point, but $6 is pretty nuts for a bottle that would run you $12 at the store. Particularly when said moscato is 7.5% ABV, which almost makes it not even worth swallowing. Avoid.

The Monte Paschoal Reserve Tannat at $2.75 is priced right and is more intense than the French wines, thanks to the tannat grape and Campanha Gaucha terroir where it’s produced. It pairs exquisitely with the pork – not so much the fish or waffles in Belgium.

The caipirinha (ky-pee-REE-nyah) is Brazil’s national cocktail, made here with. Cachaca is mostly unknown here in the U.S., but the pure sugar cane spirit is the most common hard liquor in Brazil. Anyway, this particular drink is served blended with the subtle sourness of the limes masking the taste of the liquor. It’s a refreshing cocktail that’s boozier than it tastes, unlike a lot of mixed drinks that we’re going to run into with hardly any alcohol content. Recommended. Belgium

Belgium moves a few feet down toward Morocco. Each of the waffles return 25 cents more expensive. Stella Artois Cidre replaces Leffe Brune.

Another apology is in order on the $4.25 Potato and leek waffle with beer-braised beef, which is another dish that is significantly better than it looks. Several large bites of tender, slow cooked beef top a freshly pressed waffle. It’s basically beef stew over a waffle with a little bit of an onion-y kick from the leeks. Highly recommended, despite the unfortunate look.

More sweetly decadent is the Belgian waffle with warm chocolate ganache and whipped cream – $3.25. The freshly made waffles here are great and the chocolate ganache and whipped cream help bring out its naturally sweet flavor without overwhelming the waffle. Extremely good.

Mmmmmmmmm, for those of you not in the mood for chocolate, the $3.25 Belgian waffle with berry compote and whipped cream is a nice alternative. There was a time (two years ago) when waits for the waffles were long, but they seem to have streamlined things and longer waits than the other popular booths are uncommon.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 The Chilled coffee featuring Godiva Chocolate Liqueur is back. The drink was too chocolatey for me, perhaps due to some unadvertised chocolate syrup. And the cup is not particularly large considering how easy it is to drink. You may have better luck.

It’s pronounced “who-garden,” though you’re more than welcome to ask the female cast member how good the ho garden is this year. Hoegaarden is a light and refreshing 4.9% witbier, better than the Kronenbourg Blanc, with lemon and orange notes. Store price: 11 cents Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 5% Value: Bad

Miss you 22-ounce souvie cup. A favorite of young, mid-level managers that don’t want to order a Miller Lite in public, Stella is a decent 5% Euro Pale Lager. Store price: 11 cents Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 5% Value: Bad You could do worse (hello Moretti), but any of the other options are more interesting.

Leffe Blonde is slightly harder to find than Stella, which is available at just about every convenience store in the U.S., but not by much. It’s actually a pretty decent Belgian Pale Ale, though the beer snobs among us will say that this is “no Belgian Pale Ale.” At 6.6% ABV, it’s also boozier than most of the beers offered at the Festival, including the other two here. The good news is that despite having more alcohol, you’re not going to taste it. It’s nice and crisp. Expect to taste cloves, bananas, and other spices. But be beware, this is a gateway to other more robust (and expensive) Belgian Ales. Store price: 11 cents Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 6.6% Value: Poor It pains me to rate the value as “poor” but it is pretty expensive compared to the store price of $7.49 for a 6-pack. With the highest ABV, it is the best beer value at this particular booth and all three are at least on draft, which is a bonus.

Cidre arrived stateside last year to compete with the other macros launching lines under various names, including MillerCoors who owns Crispin and Redd’s Apple Ale and Boston Beer (Sam Adams) who launched Angry Orchard in 2011. Figuring out who owns what can be confusing. Even our heralded Unibroue is owned by Sapporo in Japan. Anyway, Cidre is clean, crisp, and a bit too sweet for me. This may be a nice opportunity to give it a whirl without committing to a 4-pack. Store price: 16 cents Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 4.5% Value: Poor Remember that the flights consist of four beers that are four ounces each, for a total of 16 ounces for $9.25. That’s the same 58 cents per-ounce price as the 6-ounce cups.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Morocco

Morocco is the Spice Road Table of the Festival and usually sees the shortest lines of any booth.

The Spicy Shrimp Roll replaces the Chili’s-quality Harissa Chicken Roll. The Guerrouane White Wine replaces the Ksar. Casa Beer will now run you the equivalent of eight bucks for a 12- ounce bottle.

The $5 Kefta Sandwich is basically a Moroccan meatball sandwich with the beef further back in the pita and the vegetables stuffed closer to the opening. The pita is on the bland side and I think most people will prefer the lamb meatball at New Zealand.

The $5 Spicy Shrimp Roll with cilantro and Mint Sauce is not particularly spicy. Nor is it particularly shrimp-y, instead stuffed mostly with cabbage, carrots, and other vegetables. I wanted to like it more than I did. If there was some more spice, some more flavor from the mint sauce, and some more shrimp, it would be a standout item. But as it stands, you probably want to skip it.

Baklava is horrendously time consuming to make, which is one of the reasons why it’s usually expensive. At $2.95, Morocco’s is reasonably priced. Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of stacked layers of phyllo dough in between layers of melted butter and filled with chopped nuts (along with whatever else). The baklava here is sweet and moist with a distinct nutty, cinnamon-y flavor. Fortunately, the baklava doesn’t tend to be dried out here at the booth like it does at Tangierine Cafe. Recommended, especially if you haven’t tried it before.

Casa Beer. Store price: ? Festival price: 67 cents/ounce ABV: 5% Value: Yuck Total Wine at least doesn’t sell 6-packs for $7.49 like the Belgian beer, but four bucks for half of somebody else’s bottle is pretty rough pricing on what is basically a Heineken. The “Juice Bar” that doesn’t actually serve juice on the opposite side of Spice Road will sell you a 12-ounce bottle for $7.45 after tax, which is a little less expensive. Casa is otherwise always available in Morocco.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Zniber Guerrouane Blanc is probably going to be difficult to track down outside of Epcot and Morocco tends to fill the cups to the brim, unlike most booths that have pour stoppers that only allow two to three ounces. It’s still a $4 cup of a $14 bottle, but you could do worse.

The $5 Sangria is on the left and the $7 Mimosa Royale on the right. Morocco serves a sweet Spanish sangria that tastes more of sugar than alcohol. It’s pre-made from a bottle and isn’t anything special, but it’s sugary and here if you’re in the market. The Mimosa Royale is what you would expect from champagne and orange juice. Neither is a compelling value, but they’re both here if you’re in the market. Japan

Japan has cash registers on both sides. It’s not uncommon for one side to have 30+ people and the other to have fewer than five, so check on both should you encounter a long line. The Spicy Hand Roll is similar, if not exactly the same as last year. The other two new food items are new, as are each of the beverages.

This year’s $4.95 Spicy Hand Roll — Tuna and salmon with Kazan Volcano sauce is about the same quality as the sushi Katsura Grill and the various resort quick services offer year around. You may order it without the volcano sauce if you don’t want the slight kick that it offers. Your money and stomach space are probably better spent elsewhere, but this is a good opportunity to try likable fast food sushi if you’re unfamiliar.

The $5.50 Teriyaki gyoza bun — Steamed-bun filled with chicken, vegetables and sweet teriyaki may be a more interesting prospect, if for no other reason than we haven’t seen anything like it in the past few years, though China offered a similar vegetarian version for the last Flower and Garden Festival. This is a substantial dumpling stuffed mostly with chicken in a not-too-sweet teriyaki sauce as the description stipulates. I’m not sure it’s different enough to be highly recommended, but it’s a decent portion with nice flavor, particularly for someone looking for something a “little out there” without delving into kimchi dogs or something.

The $5.95 Chirashizushi — Salmon, shrimp, crab and egg served over seaweed salad and ginger rice has all of the sushi components without the roll. It’s more food than it probably looks and was fresher with more pronounced flavors than the Hand Roll. At six bucks it’s pretty expensive, but I think it’s the best prepared dish here this year.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 $7.50 buys you about three ounces of 15% ABV Kikusui Ginjo sake. This tasted more strongly of alcohol than previous offerings with some faint fruitiness. Instead, you may want to give the Sake Flight at the outdoor sake bar a whirl. The Sake Bar inside Mutsukoshi Department Store also has a lot of options.

The Sake cocktails at the Food and Wine/Flower and Garden booths are always an expensive proposition for a little cup with little alcohol content, and this year’s $7.50 Sake Sunrise might be the worst of the bunch. It tasted more of banana liqueur and pineapple juice than anything and just fell flat, particularly if you’re trying to enjoy it with sushi. SKIP.

$7.95 buys you a can of what the menu calls “Sparkling Peach Sake Gell.” It’s hard to describe it without ruining the “surprise,” but this is a very odd gel-like sparkling liquid that tastes faintly of peaches and carbonated water. I guess the texture would best be described as watered down jello. While (absurdly) expensive and canned, it is potentially unique. I’ve never had anything in my mouth quite like it.

Kirin Ichiban. Probably the worst value we’ll see outside of Moretti in Italy, Total Wine will sell you a 25-ounce bottle for $2.49 or a 6-pack for $6.99. This is otherwise the Budweiser of Japan at Coedo prices with a grainy, malty, corn-y flavor. Most people will want to wait for Hops & Barley or pick up a larger Kirin draft elsewhere in the Pavilion for around $8. Store price: 10 cents/ounce Festival price: 63 cents/ounce ABV: 5% Value: Crying Block and Hans

Block & Hans serves wine during this year’s Festival instead of those $9 bottles of Hopageddon.

A decent lineup of wine.

While our 22-ounce beer mugs have gone the way of Maelstrom (too soon), you can order your wine in one of these generic “stemless” plastic cups for $4. Just in case, you know, the wine wasn’t already ruined by sitting around in 100 degree temperatures, you can help warm it with your hands.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc. “The 2012 vintage honors Mr. Mondavi’s legacy in full, showing remarkably high aromatics: a lush, floral and tropical mélange intertwined with lime zest, wet stones, fresh herbs and lemon curd. The generously fruity, mouthfilling flavors feature an intriguing, textured minerality, the creamy richness lifted by lively, refreshing acidity. Lingering fresh lime and lemon verbena finish.” Yeah okay. This is actually a very good wine for the money, here or at the store. Nice and crisp without too much sugar. Store price: 61 cents/ounce. Festival price: $1.25/ounce. ABV: 13.5% Value: Great.

The Great American Wine Company Chardonnay. This is a nice basic, no-nonsense chardonnay with a high ABV. Well balanced. Store price: 47 cents/ounce. Festival price: 92 cents/ounce. ABV: 13.9% Value: Great.

The Great American Wine Company Red Blend. I’ve somehow misplaced my bottle of red picture, so this shot of the wine at the U.S. Pavilion store will have to do. Bottles are also available at most resort stores. Primarily zinfandel, this is a very drinkable wine low on tannin and light on acidity, if not a bit too sweet. The price is right to give it a shot. Store price: 47 cents/ounce. Festival price: 92 cents/ounce. ABV: 13% Value: Good.

Mondavi produces approximately 400,000 wines under a variety of labels, but their Napa Cabernet is one of their better, modestly priced bottles. Otherwise, this is a pretty intense, bold cabernet. Store price: 75 cents/ounce. Festival price: $1.58/ounce. ABV: 14% Value: Good.

For whatever reason, the sparkling wines are a significantly worse value than other wines at most Marketplaces. You do get a solid four ounces compared to the usual 2.5-3 ounces in the other cups, but the value proposition remains poor. Blanc de Noirs otherwise has some soft strawberry and cherry notes and a pleasant aftertaste. While the value isn’t great, it’s a better value than most other sparkling wines in this area, particularly when compared to Brazil’s moscato. Store price: 63 cents/ounce. Festival price: $1.56/ounce. ABV: 13% Value: Bad.

Apfel Eis Apple Ice Wine. Neige in Canada is the same price for the same pour, but the bottle price of the Canadian ice wine is $10 more than Still River’s here. You only get about one and a half ounces of the pricey ice wine, which sells for $26/bottle at the Festival Center. Flavor is similar to apple juice, smooth, almost like candy. I like ice wine but it’s awfully expensive. Store price: $1.97/ounce. Festival price: $3.84/ounce. ABV: ?% Value: Poor.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Hops and Barley

The compound that is Hops and Barley returns out in the corner of the U.S. Pavilion with additional picnic table seating added. Ms. Bean must have thought better of it as her frozen lobster food stuffs have been replaced with new items. Last year’s Florida Fresh slider moves here, now topped with pimento cheese. The Snapshot is new and the Leinenkugel moves here from “Craft Beer.” The pinot noir is also new, replacing last year’s Fairy Tale Cuvee.

With CHEESE no longer with us, the $5 Artisan cheese plate featuring Cabot Cloth-wrapped cheddar, Purple Haze chèvre goat cheese and Cave Man blue cheese moves here. We ran into the Cabot at Victoria Falls as part of a larger $15 cheese plate. This is otherwise a nice collection of cheese with some nice fruit and nut pairings. Recommended if you’re in the market.

The $6.25 Baked lobster alfredo is one of the most expensive items at the Festival. Once you breach five bucks, I think you have to put a bit more thought into what you select. Fortunately, this is packed with fresh lobster meat and the mild cheese works to enhance the flavor instead of work against it, like at Columbia Harbour House’s seafood mac and cheese. It’s a decadent and relatively filling few bites. At the price, I’m not sure it’s compelling, but it is very good should you spring for it.

An unattractive look at this year’s $4.25 Florida grass-fed beef slider with pimento cheese. This doesn’t work as well as last year’s with the pimento cheese separating from the water and creating a gloppy mess. The dish depends entirely on how well cooked the patty is and quality runs the gamut from perfectly grilled to bone dry. You could theoretically order it without the cheese, but that sort of defeats the purpose. Not recommended, unfortunately, though you may have better luck.

Sam Adams Octoberfest. This is a 5.3% marzen, similar to the Altenmunster at the Brewer’s Collection. This is another common beer this time of year, though it’s certainly worth trying. Expect a sweet malty flavor that’s easy to drink. Store price: 11 cents/ounce. Festival price: 58 cents/ounce. ABV: 5.3% Value: Average.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 New Belgium Snapshot. Snapshot debuted in February 2014 as a refreshing, unfiltered wheat beer with a hint of citrus backed up by coriander. It’s worth a taste, particularly as part of the flight. Store price: 12.5 cents/ounce. Festival price: 58 cents/ounce. ABV: 5.3% Value: Average.

Cherry Wheat has a medicinal quality that I don’t care for and is my least favorite beer of the Festival. Your tastes may be different, but four ounces as part of the flight is plenty. It otherwise tastes like someone mixed too much cherry extract with the Snapshot above. Store price: 12.5 cents/ounce. Festival price: 58 cents/ounce. ABV: 5.4% Value: Average on cost, lousy on taste

Leienkugel’s Summer Shandy. The beer snob in me won’t allow me to recommend this refreshing shandy, low on alcohol and higher in price compared to the store than most others. Mouthfeel is more of a flavored soda with artificial flavoring. It’s a good option for someone that “doesn’t like” beer or wine. Store price: 8 cents/ounce. Festival price: 58 cents/ounce. ABV: 4.2% Value: Lousy

La Crema Sonoma is a ubiquitous chardonnay and among the safest bets for those unfamiliar with wine. Unfortunately, it’s overpriced here at the booth, but that may give you an opportunity to try something a little more interesting. La Crema is otherwise rich and creamy with some lingering spice. It’s a great wine to have in the fridge, but not a great value here. Store price: 59 cents/ounce. Festival price: $1.42/ounce. ABV: 13.8% Value: Poor

Cambria Pinot Noir. This is one of the best wines at the Festival at a decent price. Earthy with a healthy dose of spice, it has a nice tannin structure. Store price: 75 cents/ounce. Festival price: $1.50/ounce. ABV: 13.9% Value: Great

Chase Lounge

The Chase Lounge returns to the U.S. Pavilion. Any Chase branded debit or credit card will get you and up to nine other people upstairs. If you don’t have a card, you may be able to make a friend. And if you see me I’d be happy to take you up!

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 The gig is the same as last year. There may be an initial wait, particularly on weekends. Once you get upstairs, they have Coke Freestyle machines with complimentary soda, in addition to tea and coffee.

It’s nicely air-conditioned, the soda is “free,” and you can bring whatever you want up with you.

Einstok White, a couple Kim Crawford wines, and Martini Prossecco are available for purchase, in addition to some pretzels.

Fife & Drum

Fife & Drum in front of the U.S. Pavilion offers two additional items.

$3.50 buys you half a bottle of the hilariously titled Mmmhops beer, brought to you by the Hanson brothers. I wish I could say the beer is as amazing as the name, but it’s grainy, malty, and tastes largely of burnt caramel and butterscotch. Mustang Brewery doesn’t distribute much further than Oklahoma, so you may want to give this one a try just to say you did. Store price: 15.3 cents Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 7.5% Value: Liberty Inn

Liberty Inn offers two wines during the Festival, both served in kegs.

Hess Shirtail Creek Vineyard Chardonnay. Your pour quality may vary as the wine is served from a tap, unlike most Marketplaces where you’re limited by the pour top. This particular Hess is relatively rare and is nice and crisp with tropical notes. The thing about Liberty Inn is that they are often agonizingly slow. Despite the potential value, you probably want to skip it unless you’re eating here. Store price: 79 cents/ounce. Festival price: 75 cents/ounce. ABV: 13.5% Value: Outstanding

Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Also served out of a a keg, you have a better chance of receiving a generous pour. This isn’t as bold as the Napa Mondavi, but the toasty oak notes open up to red plum and cassis. Very good and a menu staple. Store price: 75 cents/ounce. Festival price: $1.06/ounce. ABV: 13.5% Value: Very good.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Italy

The Cannoli is the only returning food item. La Rossa is a new addition as are the non-Placido wines.

A pretty lousy picture of the Ravioli alla caprese — Cheese ravioli, tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan and basil, which is five or six smaller ravioli hidden underneath a layer of cheese. This is not a revolutionary dish, but it’s easily accessible for those with limited tastes and adventurous eaters should also be satisfied. While $6 is getting up there, it’s a lot of food. Recommended.

The $5.75 Filetto di pollo, con funghi al marsala — Chicken tenderloin, cremini mushrooms, marsala sauce and ciabatta bread. The marsala sauce is on the watery side, the chicken is light on the seasoning, and the dish is made long in advance and served out of a steamer box. Best skipped. You could do worse but we preferred the ravioli.

The Cannoli al cioccolato (chocolate- covered cannoli filled with sweet ricotta, chocolate and candied fruit) - $4 is a decent way to finish your sampling if you’re planning to stop for another item, but I’m not sure I’d wait in line specifically for it. The chocolate tends to be bitter with only a little filling inside. You may have better luck, but I’d bet the password to the website that these are defrosted and served.

Moretti. Considering I already threatened physical violence if you order the Puerto Rican rum over the scotch, I’m not sure what I can say if you order a 6-ounce Moretti for five bucks. Maybe force you to follow TouringPlans recommendations on your next vacation? Store price: CHEAP Festival price: EXPENSIVE ABV: WHO CARES Value: NOT GREAT BOB

La Rossa is at least 7.2% ABV, but paying $10 for what amounts to a 12-ounce draft is nuts.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 I won’t waste your time going into detail about the other wines, but paying as much for a glass of Placido as you would for a 1.75 liter bottle is not great.

The $10 Italian Margarita is refreshing and a good value for the money, even if the alcohol content may not be high. It’s a lot more drink for your money than the French “martinis” and has a nice tart flavor. While it’s not at all Italian, it is tasty if you’re looking for something of this variety. Poland

The Sauerkraut Pierogi replaces last year’s Zapiekajsagsadhgai (sp) and the wine is new.

This year’s $5.25 Kielbasa and potato pierogi with caramelized onions and sour cream. I saw the size of the pierogi and laughed, thinking that Mrs. T’s must have come out with mini pierogi and lo and behold, here they are. The presentation is considerably better than past years with a heaping scoop of onions and two nicely grilled slices of kielbasa, in addition to between two and four bites of pierogi. I’ve never considered these to be much of a value, particularly for their freezer quality, but they remain popular. The sausage is nicely spiced and the pierogi have an approachable quality. I’d recommend it for four bucks, but $5.25 is rough.

The $5.25 Sauerkraut pierog (interestingly, pierogi is the plural of pierog) with pork goulash comes with one large pierog(i) (Mrs T’s doesn’t make a sauerkraut mini) bathed in a thick, hearty goulash with several large bites of tender stewed pork. While traditional, the sauerkraut filling was new to me and the flavor complemented the subtly spicy goulash well. It’s still pierogi from a freezer, but this dish has some cool things going on, elevating its value.

Okocim’s O.K. Beer might have the most honest label of all time. Of all time. This 5.6% Euro Pale Lager is “literally” okay with a clear, crisp flavor with very little aftertaste, making it perfect for afternoon drinking here during the Florida fall. There is virtually no hoppy bitterness or sweetness to speak of. Store price: 14 cents/ounce. Festival price: 58 cents/ounce. ABV: 5.6% Value: Average. It’s not a personal favorite, but it is an easy drinking beer and I’ve never seen it on draft anywhere else.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Can’t help on the pronunciation of the Donausonne Blaufränkisch Hungarian Wine. Store price: 39 cents/ounce. Festival price: $1.08/ounce. ABV: 11% Value: Bad. Low on alcohol content and high in price compared to $10 for a bottle at the store, Donausonne is the brand and Blaufränkisch is the grape variety, popular with Eastern European countries where it’s predominantly grown. It has a fruity, jammy quality to it and is sweeter than most of the wines we’ve sampled thus far. It’s definitely different and you may want to pick a cup up because of that, even if the monetary value is poor.

The $8.75 Frozen Szarlotka (Apple Pie) featuring Zubrowka Bison Grass Vodka was my favorite frozen drink last year. I liked it so much I picked up a bottle of Zubrowka at the store (about $25 for 750ml) and it mixes great with apple juice all year around. The Szarlotka tastes much like an apple pie with a pleasant texture and a subtle kick from the alcohol. Very good.

Germany

Germany and the Brewer’s Collection return in between Germany and the Refreshment Cool Post/China, this year with Singapore across the way instead of CHEESE, much to the disappointment of Lisa and women around the world.

The Schinkennudeln is 25 cents more expensive. The Berliner replaces the usual Apple Strudel and a couple of the wines are new, in addition to the riesling flight.

The $3.50 Schinkennudeln — Pasta gratin with ham and cheese is one of the most accessible items at the Festival, potentially perfect for kids (and dads) that have turned their noses up at the thought of peirogi goulash. It’s a nice portion for the money, though it is now available all year at Sommerfest. Hearty and cheesy. Very good.

This year’s $5 Roast bratwurst in a pretzel roll features what should be familiar flavors for anyone that’s ever enjoyed a brat. The pretzel roll is amusingly short considering the long, thin sausage, but the rolls are fresh and it’s a decent portion for the money. There are certainly more interesting items abound, but this is a tried and true Festival dish.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 The $3.25 Berliner — Yeast doughnut filled with apricot jam is a departure from the usual cake/strudel that the Marketplace has served for the last few years. This was served a bit chilled, which seemed odd for a donut, which are typically served at least at room temperature. At least on the first day, there was very little apricot filling to speak of and it was otherwise a lot of dough chewing. You’re probably better off hitting the Krispy Kreme at home, but if for some reason you’re looking for a donut, it’s here.

The $4.25 Riesling Flight was unexpected and it’s a fun way to try three different sweet white wines for not a lot of money. Recommended.

Brewer’s Collection

With seating in between it and Germany.

The Radeberger Pilsner, Schofferhofer Grapefruit, and Altenmunster Oktoberfest are available year around.

Purchasing a 20-ounce draft of any of those reduces the per-ounce cost by about 25%. Don’t get the Schofferhofer from the Bier kiosk inside the Pavilion as it will be a 12- ounce bottle instead of a 20-ounce draft.

I won’t bore you with a beer-by-beer rundown of the various BraufactuM beers, other than to say I recommend each as it’s unlikely you’ll ever see them anywhere else. Of the choices, the Colonia and Palor are the two most drinkable for the Coors Light crowd, making Flight #1 your best bet. Flight 2 is far more interesting, particularly the Roog, which is a 6.3% rauchbier. It has a strong, smoky aftertaste. Very good.

Remember that the regular Marketplace pours are 6-ounces and as part of the flight, each is 4-ounces. The per- ounce cost is about the same either way. Try to make some friends and you can put together a flight of 6-ounce beers and cry while reminiscing about the good old days (2013) when Disney would sell you a 22-ounce draft.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Singapore

Singapore moves from closer-to-Norway to across-from-Germany. The Mahi Mahi is 25 cents more expensive, but the menu is otherwise the same.

The Lemongrass chicken curry with coconut and jasmine rice for $3.75 was a pleasant surprise that reminded me a lot of a Thai green curry dish. It’s a larger portion than it looks in the picture and a good value for the money.

My $4.50 Seared mahi mahi with jasmine rice and “Singa” sauce was prepared perfectly, retaining moisture and the singa sauce was pleasantly sweet. The jasmine rice soaks up a bit of the flavor from the fish and sauce, but isn’t anything special on its own. We enjoyed it and it’s probably one of the healthier items available.

Tiger Beer. This is another of the Budweiser of ______beers, this time from Singapore. Your money buys you half of an 11.2 ounce bottle of standard American adjunct lager with mild sweet graininess dominating the palate. The Brewer’s Collection beer is a lot more interesting. Store price: 13 cents/ounce. Festival price: 54 cents/ounce. ABV: 5% Value: Poor.

The Marqués de Caceres Satinela next to this year’s Singapore Sling. Store price: 39 cents/ounce. Festival price: 83 cents/ounce. ABV: 12% Value: Average. This white rioja is one of the least expensive wines at the Festival and one that is particularly fruity and light with just a touch of acidity. While not technically “good,” it’s inexpensive and satisfying.

The $8 Singapore Sling is perennially the strongest drink at the Festival. While it doesn’t “taste good,” it’s worth holding your nose and trying to suck down six ounces of pure alcohol. At least on the first day of the Festival, we were served a shockingly drinkable version almost completely devoid of gin. Unless things have changed, the website is forced to revoke its recommendation.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Refreshment Cool Post

The Cool Post is always there, but it serves a slightly different menu for the Festival. Actually, I think the switch in yogurt flavors and the addition of the undrinkable Billy’s Chilies are the only changes.

A Billy’s review from the Flower and Garden Festival: Be very careful with Billy’s Chilies from Twisted Pine in Boulder, Colorado. This 5% chili beer tastes like carbonated jalapeno water. This is the first beer I’ve thrown out in some number of years and they were going in the trash left and right as people unknowingly sipped their 6-ounce sample from the flight. You’ve been warned.

The $9.50 Mango Starr Smoothie with African Starr Rum is a gigantic waste of time, money, calories, and diabeetus. It’s not a smoothie so much as your standard Disney frozen beverage with a generic, overly sweet orange flavor and virtually no alcohol. PASS.

This is not a picture of the Chocolate and Dulce de Leche Frozen Yogurt, but it’s almost a picture of the Dulce de Leche Frozen Yogurt. I managed to snag a bite right out of Tom Corless’ mouth and it is extremely rich. Consider ordering one to share. Africa

Africa returns in the Africa Cool Post vicinity in between Germany and China.

Disney doesn’t do much at Epcot unless somebody else is paying for it or it otherwise destroys the cultural awareness and hope that once made EPCOT a uniquely inspiring experience (RIP Horizons). Sponsorship apparently knows no bounds as the African Marketplace is somehow brought to you by the mushroom lobby.

Last year’s “Berbere-style Beef returns the same, only renamed as “Beef Tenderloin Tips” with a price tag that’s 25 cents more expensive. The Bobotie replaces the Spinach and Paneer Cheese Pocket, which seems unfortunate as it was a hearty and reasonably priced vegetarian dish. Wolftrap Red replaces Porcupine Ridge Syrah.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 A picture of the Beef tenderloin tips berbere-style with okra, jalapeños, tomato and pap with the Chenin Blanc in the distance. You can smell how spicy it is as you walk by. That spiciness overwhelmed whatever other flavors were going on for me. The pap underneath, which is ground corn porridge, soaks up the lingering spicy sauce from the beef. If you like spicy dishes, you should enjoy the beef here. But if you don’t, it’s best to steer clear. The quantity is a good value for the money. But it’s really spicy.

The $4.50 South African bobotie with turkey and mushrooms® with a bite gone for your viewing pleasure. The menu would probably benefit from a bit more of a description – bobotie is traditionally minced spiced meat baked with an egg topping. These are made well in advance and served out of a steamer box, so your quality may vary based on how fresh it is. Mine ended up rather soggy with the moisture from the egg pooling at the bottom. This one is packed with turkey, but amusingly, it’s virtually devoid of mushrooms™. While there are a lot of spices, it is not particularly spicy. With the eggs, I think this one is best enjoyed earlier in the day. I’ll give it a moderate recommendation despite some quality issues with my particular dish.

A good wine for good money, Man Vintners chenin blanc is crisp, fruity, and approachable in the lingering Florida heat. Store price: 39 cents/ounce. Festival price: 83 cents/ounce. ABV: 13.5% Value: Good. This is probably the highest rated wine for the least $, but it doesn’t pair too well with either dish here. Don’t let that stop you.

Another good value out of South Africa with Fairview’s pinotage, a medium-bodied, earthy red wine with lingering spice. It pairs very well with the beef. Store price: 55 cents/ounce. Festival price: $1.08 cents/ounce. ABV: 14% Value: Good.

The lousiest picture yet, this time of a Wolftrap Red bottle back home in Seattle. Store price: 39 cents/ounce. Festival price: 83 cents/ounce. ABV: 14.5% Value: Good. Another quality South African wine, Wolftrap is smooth and rich with lighter tannins than the pinotage. Very easy drinking and modestly priced.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 South Korea

Africa is right behind me with South Korea ahead, followed by China. Farm Fresh is a bit further ahead across from Norway.

Both food items return for 25 cents more money. The iCing Rice Brew is new.

I enjoyed the $4 Kimchi dog with spicy mustard sauce. The spicy mustard sauce was indeed spicy, but no more than your typical spicy brown mustard from the supermarket. In this instance, the kimchi on top was more like a crispy vegetable topping. I doubt this stuff has been sitting underground in jars for months like traditional kmchi, but you never know. Overall, it’s an interesting take on a common hot dog and comes recommended.

$3.75 Roasted pork lettuce wrap with kimchi slaw. This one is milder in flavor than the dog with a nice scoop of pork on top of lettuce and then topped with vegetables. It’s difficult to eat without a fork, but it’s a lot of food for the money and offers a nice refreshing flavor, particularly in the afternoon heat. Also recommended.

Bokbunjajoo — Bohae black raspberry wine is sweet up front and tart on the back end, not unlike raspberries. At 15%, there’s more grain alcohol presence than most of the other wines we’ve sampled, in addition to the graininess that comes with it. There’s also a heavy artificial sweetener presence. It’s worth a taste if you’re looking for something a little out there, but it’s not a great wine or a great value.

The $8 Soju Fruit Slushy featuring Jinro Chamisul Soju tastes as orange-y as it looks with virtually no flavor from the alcohol. It’s extremely refreshing, particularly in the afternoon, which is still going to be hot through the end of October. It’s a good value if you’re looking for a refreshing frozen cocktail, but these aren’t going to get you smashed.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 China

Offering primarily familiar flavors, China may well do more business than any other booth. The Beijing Duck replaces last year’s (tasty but the machine proved unreliable) Silk Ribbon Ice Cream. Both alcoholic drinks are 50 cents more expensive and the Mango Green Tea with Popping Bubbles is all new. I may start cussing if we discuss the price of half a bottle of Tsingtao.

The $6.50 Beijing roasted duck in a steamed bun with hoisin sauce is among the most expensive items at the Festival, but like the lobster alfredo, duck is on the expensive side. The bun is chewy and light without having much flavor on its own. That’s okay because the tender, roasted duck in a partially-crystallized hoisin sauce packs a salty, sweet punch and there’s a lot of it piled into the bun with red and green onion on top. It’s a unique dish that I recommend if you don’t mind the higher price point.

The $5 Mongolian beef in a steamed bun is quite good, albeit not the largest portion at this higher price point. However, the soft bun does a nice job of holding together the numerous ingredients, including a few hearty bites of stir-fried beef. The creamy sauce also works to temper the spice from the stir-fry while still allowing those flavors to shine through. At five bucks, I’m not going to give this one two thumbs straight up, but it is quite good. The duck is more unique.

The $5.50 Black pepper shrimp with Sichuan noodles. The three-to-four shrimp themselves are kind of sad and gummy compared to what we’ll see in Australia, but it is a heaping portion of the noodles underneath, which might help soak up some of that alcohol. It’s a hearty dish overall and best shared if you want to sample a lot of different things. The overall flavor is kind of bland and one-note considering what it could be, but it does agree with the typical American palate.

Four dollars buys you two chicken potstickers, which I would have trouble differentiating from the big bag of Ling Lings I buy at Costco. They are expertly pan- fried and delicious, but it’s about a dollar per bite and the flavors are straightforward.

The website weeps. Defenders would point out that Tsingtao is the #2 best- selling beer in the world, but Clorox is the #2 best-selling bleach and I’m not sure I want to drink that either. If for some reason you have a stroke and accidentally order half of someone else’s bottle of 4.8% American adjunct lager, you can expect a largely skunky light bear backed up by stale grains. Or like the other standard lagers, it’s refreshing on a hot afternoon. Just real expensive. Store price: 8 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents ABV: Not enough Value: Ugh

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 The Su Yuen Red Blend is very low on tannins and rich in fruit with a smoky, spicy finish. It’s overpriced at the booth, but a decent enough wine otherwise. Store price: 47 cents/ounce Festival price: $1.16/ounce ABV: 13.5% Value: Below average

Su Yuen Reisling. This is a very dry riesling, almost like a chardonnay with a mineral flavor. The chenin blanc in Africa would be a better choice.

The Chinese cocktails, while far from authentic, are typically some of the strongest of the Festival. This year is no different with the $8.50 Kung Fu Punch with Vodka and Triple Sec offering a refreshing, orange-flavored drink with a healthy pour of alcohol on top. Highly recommended if you’re looking for an easily sippable drink with a relatively high alcohol content.

The $8.50 Happy Lychee with Tequila and Vodka tastes strongly of tequila with a tinge of flavor from the cheap vodka and possibly a spritz of water to help with volume. It does not taste particularly good to those who don’t like a strong dose of tequila, but if you’re looking to get your money’s worth on your pricey mixed cocktail, this is another to put on your short list.

The $6.50 Mango green tea with popping bubbles is non-alcoholic and while expensive, is incredibly refreshing if you’re hot and sweaty, like I was running around on the first day of the Festival taking all these menu pictures. I’m not sure where the recommendation comes down with the high price, but it is very refreshing without any cloying sweetness and the popping bubbles are fun to try and slurp up.

Farm Fresh

Florida Fresh is repurposed as “Farm Fresh” for this year’s Festival. The Key Lime Wine and Riesling return from past Festivals.

The Nueske’s Pepper Bacon hash with sweet corn, potatoes, hollandaise and pickled jalapeños is a spicy, salty proposition. It’s predominantly smoky bacon and nicely seasoned stir-fried potatoes, topped with a hollandaise sauce and a couple thin slices of jalapeno. Bacon lovers will rejoice, but mine was unpleasantly salty, particularly in the heat of the day when you’re already thirsty.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 The $4.50 Griddled “yard bird” with braised greens and house-made habanero sauce is a larger piece of chicken than it probably looks like with crispy skin and a healthy dose of salt. Fortunately, the habanero sauce has a nice pepper flavor and a lot of spice. The overall flavor profile is not unlike spicy buffalo wings. There’s a few bites of crunchy, salty (in a good way) braised greens underneath. While it’s a straightforward dish, it’s executed well and a large portion. Recommended, particularly if some of the other items are a little too exotic.

All beer is on draft here, which is a nice bonus. Orlando Brewing’s I-4 is medium bodied and light on hops with a citrus quality to it. It’s far from outstanding, but Orlando Brewing doesn’t distribute very far and it’s a unique opportunity to give something a try that you probably won’t see again. Recommended because of that. Store price: 15 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 6.5% Value: Above Average

Mildly interesting aside – Baba Black Lager is brewed in Utah where any alcoholic beverage over 4% ABV must be sold in a state-run store. Only beers with ABVs of 4% or less can be served on draft. So that’s why you see Baba come in right at 4%. Anyway, Baba is an exceptional black lager, full of roasted malt and coffee flavors with a light, smooth character. Store price: 14 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 4.0% Value: Above average

Cold Nose Brown Ale is Duke’s most popular beer straight out of Jacksonville, Florida. This has a nice nutty taste with a lighter mouthfeel than you might expect from this variety, helped by low carbonation. With some caramel sweetness, it’s a very good beer and recommended for those looking for something interesting that will probably be difficult to find back home. Store price: 13 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 6.0% Value: Above average

Cigar City continues to expand their reach, this time with the Florida Cracker Belgian-Style White Ale with predominantly citrus and coriander notes. I am not the biggest fan of coriander, so this is not a personal favorite of mine, but it’s very good for the style and flavor profile. Store price: 12 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 5.0% Value: Barely above average

Eroica Reisling. This is a highly rated riesling, fresh and light on the palate with mild sweetness and earthy minerals. Store price: 79 cents/ounce Festival price: $1.58 cents/ounce ABV: 12% Value: Good

Old Vines Zinfandel. This traditional zinfandel is also rated well and would pair nicely with the chicken. It’s full bodied and smooth with black cherry and toasted oak notes. It’s pricey, but a higher quality wine than most. Store price: 78 cents/ounce Festival price: $1.58 cents/ounce ABV: 15% Value: Good

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Mexico

Mexico returns to the left of the pyramid. The Shrimp Taco features a slightly different presentation than past years, the Sweet Corn Cheesecake replaces the Rice Pudding, and the Mango-Strawberry Margarita replaces last year’s Mango Habanero Margarita.

The $5.50 Shrimp taco — Fried shrimp, pickled habanero pepper and onions on a flour tortilla consists of a couple fried shrimp underneath peppers, onions, and a creamy sauce. The shrimp were prepared well, but became soggy sitting underneath the spicy chipotle mayo. Because Mexican food tends to be inexpensive, the price point seems high on these tacos, which would be a better value for $4.50. But you’re on vacation, which is exactly what the Daz is banking on.

The $5.50 Rib eye taco — Marinated rib eye, roasted chipotle salsa and grilled scallions on a corn tortilla. Portion size looks small, but it’s actually a large portion of spicy beef topped with green onions and a chipotle salsa. Squeezing fresh lime juice on top adds another layer of flavor. It’s worth trying, but it is on the expensive side of things and it will likely fill you up a bit more than you’re expecting.

Lisa enjoyed the Sweet corn cheese cake, which has a pronounced, rich corn flavor, more than I did. It’s semi-sweet with the whipped cream and caramel sauce adding another element of flavor. It’s otherwise interesting and a “little different,” while still playing it safe. I don’t think it’s worth waiting for on its own if lines are long, but you might want to attach it to the end of an order.

Your Budweiser option in Mexico is Dos Equis, a staple of just about every convenience store in the country. It’s certainly not terrible as part of a $7.99 six pack after a day mowing the grass, but the price here is awfully rough for what amounts to a macro-brewed light lager. The flavor is overwhelmingly malts and grains with very little hops. Not recommended. If you actually have been mowing the lawn all day and find yourself looking for a Dos XX, the 20-ounce drafts available at La Cantina and elsewhere for $8 are a better value. Store price: 10 cents/ounce. Festival price: 63 cents/ounce. ABV: 4.3% Value: Still wringing out the tears over the Kirin in Japan

$12.50 buys you three 1-oz cups of unnamed tequila. With the sheer number of Festival “sponsors,” it’s surprising that Patron or Milagro or something hasn’t come to the rescue of the Mexico Pavilion. Anyway, in the grand scheme of things this is a decent value if you’re looking to get your drink on. There’s easily twice as much alcohol here than in the $8.50 margarita.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 The Mango-Strawberry Margarita tasted like fruit punch with no flavor whatsoever from the tequila, to the point where it could have just as easily been non-alcoholic. The flavor is otherwise not overpoweringly sweet and if it actually had some tequila in it, would be quite good.

Australia

Staffed by cast members with “Goo-day mates” of varying authenticity, Australia returns as a perennial favorite. Each of the food items are 25 cents more expensive and all the wines/beer are new.

Garlic shrimp with roasted tomatoes, lemon myrtle and rapini – $4.75 with three plump, perfectly grilled shrimp with their tails on. This is a safe bet with just a subtle garlic flavor tempered with the lemon myrtle. Very good, but not very interesting in the grand scheme of things.

The $6.25 Grilled lamb chop with mint pesto and potato crunchies tends to be a bit fatty and the “potato crunchies” are fancy potato chip flakes, but the lamb is another above-average dish and a great use of a snack credit. While there is not much flavor from the mint, the crunchies soak up the flavor from the lamb and they do an excellent job of grilling each chop.

The Pavlova (crispy meringue shell with fresh berries and vanilla custard) – $3.50 is no longer brought to you by Driscoll’s, which either means they’re still serving Driscoll’s without the mention or we’re receiving non-branded berries, which seems distinctly unpatriotic. The meringue is indeed crispy and the vanilla custard subtly sweet. The few berries on top are fresh and liven things up a bit. It’s a fun and relatively inexpensive dessert to share early (or late) on in your Food and Wine expedition.

Coopers Brewery Limited is Australia’s largest and only wholly-owned brewery, dating all the way back to 1862 when some guy brewed beer in his house. They are also the world’s largest producer of home brewing equipment. Foster’s is probably better known, but it’s actually owned by the British firm SABMiller. Their Original Pale Ale looks hazy and has a thinner- than-you-might-expect mouthfeel with a floral hoppy aroma. It’s an easy drinking beer and because it’s not a staple of every AM/PM on the planet, comes recommended if you haven’t tried it before. Store price: ? cents/ounce. Festival price: 58 cents/ounce. ABV: 4.5% Value: Average depending on whether it’s hard to find in your area

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Both white wines tasted like wine. They’re inexpensive enough that they’re worth a try, particularly as I couldn’t find bottles locally.

New Zealand

A major change of scenery for New Zealand, which has historically been located closer to Morocco. The Lamb Meatball returns 25 cents more expensive and the Pinot Gris replaces the Pinot Grigio.

“Green Lip” seems like an unfortunate name for a food item, but the turquoise edge is indeed pretty. Otherwise, $3.50 buys you three Steamed Green Lip Mussels with Garlic Butter and Toasted Bread Crumbs. These were grit free and tasted like garlic butter with a crunch from the bread crumbs. They were really quite good and come recommended in front of the other items at this booth. Also easily shareable.

The Lamb meatball with spicy tomato chutney - $5.25 is exactly the same as last year’s. Despite advertising a spicy tomato chutney, I thought it was a bit on the bland side. But the various spices do give the meatball a bit of character. A fairly substantial meatball hides underneath, wrapped up inside an airy bread bowl. The meatball itself was spicier than the chutney on top. I enjoyed this one too and it’s a reasonable portion for the money. I’m not sure it’s special enough to go out of your way for though.

Venison sausage with pickled mushrooms℠, baby arugula and black currant reduction - $4.25. The black currant reduction is slightly sweet and adds some sugar to the sausage, which is much more meaty than game-y. The arugula is more of a side salad and the mushrooms™ had a gummy texture that made them “feel” like they came from a can. The sausage wasn’t flavorful enough for me to go back to get another, but it’s another dish worth a try.

Kim Crawford wines are from New Zealand and the Unoaked Chardonnay is a bit different than most, with no woody flavor from the typical oak barrels used in the fermentation process. That leads to more of a pineapple, fruity flavor than your typical chardonnay. Lisa and I didn’t care much for it, but it is a little different and potentially worth trying. Store price: 63 cents/ounce. Festival price: $1.16/ounce. ABV: 12.5% Value: Great.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir. It’s more expensive than most pours, but what you receive is an elegant, complex red with dark cherry and strawberry notes. Recommended for those that will enjoy it over some of the less expensive options. Store price: 75 cents/ounce. Festival price: $1.58/ounce. ABV: 13.5% Value: Average.

Mohua Sauvignon Blanc. This is the grassiest sauvignon blanc I’ve ever tasted with a crisp acidity and a grapefruit aftertaste. It’s not for everyone, but this is a nice way to sample the style. Store price: 55 cents/ounce. Festival price: 88 cents/ounce. ABV: 13.5% Value: Great. Patagonia

I’m not real sure who deemed it necessary to re-purpose Argentina as “Patagonia,” but here we are with basically the same menu as the largely bankrupt country last year. The Empanada and Beef Skewer return for 25 cents more money each. The Pascual Toso Sparkling Brut is a whopping $1.50 more expensive than last year and the Cono Sur wines are new.

This year’s $4.50 Empanada may be the least exciting looking item at any Marketplace. And it’s about what you would expect with a flaky fried crust leading to spicy beef, onions, and pepper inside. As I’ve mentioned in past years, I’d love a dollop or two of sour cream to liven things up even more. This is otherwise a relatively “safe” dish for the unadventurous, though kids may stick their noses up at the presence of onions. There are certainly more interesting flavor profiles out there.

The $5.50 Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato purée is a Festival favorite and one of their biggest sellers, but I haven’t had as much luck. On my samples, I’ve only received a couple bites of overcooked, shriveled beef. The website will give it another whirl on Thursday. The puree underneath is really good though.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 The $4.75 Roasted Verlasso salmon with quinoa salad and arugula chimichurri. The salmon is expertly roasted, but the arugula didn’t add much to the dish other than color. The quinoa underneath is refreshing and soaks up the flavor from the salmon nicely. There are more interesting dishes out there, but this is a reasonable value and the dishes are generally executed very well.

The Pascual Toro Sparkling Brut has nearly doubled in price from last year, but remains the least expensive champagne-esque wine available. You could pick up eight glasses for the same price as a glass of Dom P from Desserts and Champagne and it’s $2 less than the Carnaval Moscato in Brazil with about 75% more alcohol. While it’s not a great value compared to the $10/bottle store price, it remains recommended if you’re looking for a sparkler in the area.

The Pinot Noir Rose is interesting and significantly sweeter and more fruity than your regular pinot. At $2.50, it’s worth a try if you’re in the market.

Terrazas Reserve Malbec. Argentina used to offer several Terrazas varietals, but the single offering left is their best. Aficionados will want to spring for the extra cost over the Cono Sur Pinot Noir, which is a good value compared to the $20 bottle price. terra

terra returns as the vegetarian-friendly Marketplace that you’ll run into first if you head toward Mexico.

Each of the food items are new and the Paperboy Red replaces last year’s Vegan Red.

A potentially unattractive look at the $4.25 Blackened Chick’n Breast, farro wheat and spicy gumbo sauce featuring Gardein Chick’n Breast, which features a sizable chunk of Chick’n topped with a spicy gumbo sauce over farro wheat. This replicates the texture and flavor from “real” chicken and rice quite well and should be a favorite among vegetarians. Meat eaters may be surprised how much they enjoy it.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 The $4.25 “CraB’less CraB Cake” with pepper slaw and Cajun remoulade featuring Gardein comes with “quotations marks” that aren’t mine for once. This was perhaps the most surprising dish of the Festival and packed a very nice crab flavor topped with an excellent, spicy remoulade sauce. I dare say two of these would be better than the Maryland Crab Cakes Liberty Inn introduced back in August. This should be another favorite of vegetarians and meat eaters may want to pick one up as well. It’s seriously tasty.

The $2.25 Chocolate-blood orange cupcake with tofu icing was worse. Anyone familiar with BabyCakes’ vegan treats should be aware of just how dense they tend to be and this cupcake is no different, offering a very dense, subtly chocolate hunk of dough with a squirt of blood orange gel in the middle. The tofu icing is similarly dense and doesn’t offer much flavor different than the cake itself. Vegans may enjoy a “safe” choice, but there are far better desserts out there.

The $2.75 Fresh Watermelon Juice is exactly what it sounds like – a few sips of not-quite-chilled-enough watermelon juice. You’re probably better off saving your money for a melon back home, but if for some reason you’re in the mood, it’s here.

Redbridge Beer. No comment.

Vegan Wines. Apparently wine is not vegan, despite being made from grapes. According to the Vegan Vine website: “Animal products can be utilized as fining or filtration aids in the wine making process. They assist by removing solids. Although typically filtered out of the wine prior to bottling, the use of these animal ingredients can make many wines unsuitable for vegans. The most common animal ingredients used in making wine are: (1) Isinglass: a very pure form of gelatin from sturgeon fish bladders (2) Gelatin: extract from boiled cow’s or pig’s hooves and sinews (3) Albumin: egg whites (4) Caseins: a protein from milk”.

So when I say the wine “tastes like wine,” I guess I’m really saying that it tastes like sturgeon fish bladders and egg whites. It’s not an award winning white and for this money, there are better wines abound.

Paperboy Red arrives in interesting packaging. Amusingly, plastic is about the least sustainable substance on earth and the bottle is basically made from it, even if the outer portion is recyclable, should anyone actually remember to follow the instructions after enjoying a bottle or two. This is otherwise a supermarket quality red that lacks the complexity of the better wines we’ve enjoyed, particularly the Terrazas at Not Argentina for only a quarter more. It’s a skip at $3.50.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Craft Beer

Last and ummmmmmmmm maybe not least is this year’s Craft Beer Marketplace, which has moved to the Odyssey Building that connects the Test Track area in Future World East with the World Showcase area around Mexico. Historically, Craft Beer has enjoyed its own booth right on the way into World Showcase.

The new area may or may not be less convenient. Last year, I’d pick up a 22-ounce Dogfish Head Namaste in a souvenir cup for $12.25 most days before beginning the trek through World Showcase. This year, you’d have to go a bit out of your way up through Future World East and toward Test Track with your eye on a six-ounce Punkin Ale. This year’s area is an air-conditioned, dedicated space potentially away from the crowds. Depending on the time of day and whether or not I’m in attendance, it has a fun bar feel or a sad retirement home feel.

Hopefully whoever typed up the definition of “craft beer” was not the person that screwed up the name of the Goose Island, which is 312 for the area code of where the beer is produced, rather than some sort of Dr. Strangelove countdown. Also note the odd placement of the wording that each beer comes with snack mix, something that was not offered to me on my first purchase.

Also, food.

The $3.75 House-made country pâté with picked carrots and farmhouse bread that seems to have arrived without the bread. I am not a pâté person and didn’t care much for this mixture of unnamed ground meat and fat minced into a sort of crumbly blob of cold meat fat stuff. I’m not saying don’t order it, I’m just saying expect to be served four decent slabs of pâté.

The $3.50 Muffuletta pinwheels with house-made pickles sounded promising, but the sour, vinegar-y juice from the pickles was soaked up by the pinwheels long before we ordered them, resulting in a soggy mess of brine and tears. Too sour for me.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Eight whole wheat crackers that look and tasted suspiciously like water crackers arrive alongside the Spicy pimento cheese dip for $3.75. The spicy dip is similar/the same as what’s served with the slider from Hops and Barley and has a nice kick to it, helped by the peppers and onions sprinkled on top. It’s not necessarily a compelling dish, but it’s the most edible here and pairs nicely with the beer.

Onto the beer. We’re going to assume the “cost” of the snack mix is $1 and the beer “actually” costs $3.50 each, like most at the other Marketplace beers that don’t arrive avec snacks.

Sierra Nevada Kellerweis. Like most Sierra Nevada brews, Kellerweis is very good and very available at most grocery stores around the country. Like most hefeweizens, it’s a light beer with banana and clove notes with a crisp aftertaste and no hop bitterness. With the low ABV and ease of access, this would not be my single choice here, but it’s a nice introduction to the style. Store price: 11 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 4.8% Rarity: Very common Value: Below average

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. If memory serves, Dogfish Head’s very popular seasonal pumpkin ale enjoys the highest ABV at the festival and is arguably the best beer served at any Marketplace. The flavor is spiced pumpkin with brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The flavor profile is not for everyone, but you only have to commit to a 6-ounce cup or as part of a flight, a 4-ounce cup. Try to ignore the obnoxiousness that is the pumpkin craze and give it a whirl. Store price: 19 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 7% Rarity: Seasonal, so it’s only available in the fall and potentially only at nicer grocery stores/specialty stores in the 31 states where they distribute. Value: Great, relatively speaking

Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale. While it seems like stores stock a lot of Spoetzl’s Shiner varieties, the Wild Hare Pale Ale seems difficult to find. This is a relatively hoppy beer considering the thin mouthfeel with a mildly bitter aftertaste. Pretty average overall. Store price: 12 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 5.5% Rarity: “Feels” Rare Value: Average

Abita Purple Haze. Abita’s fruity purple haze is a good “beer alternative” for someone that doesn’t like the traditional flavor profile of most lagers and ales. It’s a little artificial tasting with a prominent raspberry flavor balanced nicely with the wheat and hops. It’s awfully expensive at the Festival as a 6-pack runs around $7.49 at most grocery stores across the country, but you may have success forcing this one on someone that rolls their eyes whenever you pop open one of those Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. Store price: 10 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 4.2% Rarity: Very common Value: Below average

Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale. Distributed by the monolith that is InBev, Goose Island beer became more prevalent in 2012 after the company purchased Goose Island for 38.8 million. Their Urban Wheat is decent with a mildly sweet aroma and a touch of bitterness in the middle, surrounded by bland grains and wheat. Not outstanding, but you could do a lot worse. Store price: 13 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 4.2% Rarity: Common Value: Average

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended easyWDW Food and Wine 2014 Florida Beer Co. Sunshine State Pils. Virtually nothing good comes out of Florida. This season’s American Horror Story, based around a circus of murderous curiosities is based in Florida, presumably after the producers flew over and saw just what we’re dealing with down here on the way to a more pleasant destination. Anyway, Florida Beer’s version of the German-style pilsner is a good effort from a company that generally puts out beer in different flavors of cough syrup. As is typical from the style, it’s lightly hoppy with a grassy citrus flavor. Prima Pils it is not, but you’re probably not going to find it back home, which means you may want to take the opportunity to see how we suffer. Store price: 13 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 5% Rarity: Rare outside Florida Value: Average

Magic Hat Dream Machine IPL. At least it’s not #9. Magic Hat’s IPL is a decent “India pale lager” with pine-y hops and a crisp, tangy aftertaste. While absolutely forgettable, the ABV is a bit higher than others and it’s a relatively straightforward beer. Store price: 11 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 5.7% Rarity: Relatively common Value: Below average

Terrapin Rye Pale Ale (Not Pictured). A personal favorite, Terrapin’s Rye Pale Ale is a citrus- y American pale ale balanced nicely with the sharp, spiciness of the rye. It’s not for everyone, but it’s worth a taste as one of the better examples of the style. Store price: 14 cents/ounce Festival price: 58 cents/ounce ABV: 5.3% Rarity: Common in the south and up the east coast, but rare elsewhere Value: Good EXTRAS

In related news, Disney may have dropped Maelstrom, but they replaced Bud Light with Iceland’s Einstok White Ale. This is the only location in the United States that offers it on draft. $8.50 buys you 16 ounces of 5.2% Icelandic White, an excellent witbier that dwarfs the likes of Blue Moon and Hoegaarden on taste and quality. It’s still not Norwegian, but it’s one of the best and most interesting beers now available in World Showcase. Einstok’s Dopplebock will be the exclusive winter beer available all over Hollywood Studios once the Osborne Lights start up next month as well.

The bottle conditioned version is more yeast-y, but anyone that enjoys beer should add the draft to their World Showcase shortlist.

Legend: Recommended Somewhat Recommended Neutral Not Recommended