Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival

With as much snow as there is around the country, it’s hard to believe that the 21st Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is almost here!  The dates are March 5 – May 18, 2014.  Just three weeks away…

My favorite part about the Flower and Garden Festival is the topiaries.  It is amazing what Disney can do with plants and flowers, isn’t it?  And this year, there will be Kermit with his blooming banjo and Miss Piggy topiaries!  Also new for this year are the following: a Timon topiary, Mike & Sulley’s Monstrous Garden, Humming birds at home – a walk-through hummingbird garden, and a spotlight on fresh Florida crops.

Of course, there is also the Flower Power Concert Series taking place in the American Gardens Theatre.  The concerts are at 5:30, 6:45 and 8 p.m every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday during the festival.

2014 Schedule of Performers*:

• March 07-09: The Guess Who (American Woman)
• March 14-16: Gary Lewis & The Playboys (This Diamond Ring)
• March 21-23: The Orchestra Starring Former Members of ELO (Don’t Bring Me Down)
• March 28-30: The Lovin’ Spoonful (Summer in the City)
• April 04-06: Paul Revere & The Raiders (Indian Reservation)
• April 11-13: The Village People (Y.M.C.A.)
• April 18-20: The Grass Roots (Midnight Confessions)
• April 25-27: Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone (I’m Henry VIII, I Am)
• May 02-04: Starship starring Mickey Thomas (We Built This City)
• May 09-11: Chubby Checker & The Wildcats (The Twist)
• May 16-18: Alan Parsons Live Project (Eye in the Sky)

*The entertainment is subject to change without notice. Flower Power performances are included with Epcot admission.

For the second year, the Outdoor Kitchens will have food from all over the world (or World Showcase, that is).  The full menus are out, so let’s see what there is to choose from:

Florida Fresh

• Watermelon salad with pickled onions, BW Farm baby arugula, feta cheese and balsamic reduction
• Shrimp and stone ground grits with andouille sausage, sweet corn, tomatoes and cilantro
• Florida kumquat pie (TRYit! option)

• Watermelon passion fruit slush featuring Simply Lemonade®
• Hurricane Class 5 White Sangria featuring Simply Lemonade, Florida Orange Groves (St. Petersburg, Florida)
• Garda Italian Wine Blend, Quantum Leap Winery (Orlando, Florida)
• Rogue Valley Pinot Noir, Quantum Leap Winery (Orlando, Florida)
• Blonde Ale, Orlando Brewing Company (Orlando, Florida)
• Cotton Mouth Belgian Style Witbier, Swamp Head Brewery (Gainesville, Florida)
• Feast of Flowers Farmhouse Ale, Florida Beer Company (Cape Canaveral, Florida) – Festival Exclusive!
• Florida Avenue Blueberry, Cold Storage Craft Brewery (Tampa, Florida)
• Beer Flight – Blonde Ale, Cotton Mouth Belgian Style Witbier, Feast of Flowers Farmhouse Ale and Florida Avenue Blueberry
• Simply Orange

Hanami

• Frushi – Fresh pineapple, strawberries and melon, rolled with coconut rice, topped with raspberry sauce, sprinkled with toasted coconut and served with whipped cream on the side
• Temaki hand roll – Sliced Panko fried chicken, curry sauce, rice and pickled julienne carrots wrapped with Nori
• Hanami sushi – A flavorful combination of salmon, scallop and beef-topped rice balls served atop a shiso violet sauce (TRYit! option)
• Japanese puffed rice cakes with green tea whipped cream and azuki

• Kirin draft beer
• Pinepple Paradise with Yuzu Slushie – Frozen blend of sweet sake, pineapple juice and crème, flavored with a hint of Yuzu citrus juice
• Orange Mango Slushie – Frozen blend of Nigori sake, mango and orange juice

Jardin de Fiestas

• Tacos al pastor – Corn tortilla filled with achiote-marinated pork, garnished with grilled diced pineapple, onions and cilantro
• Quesadilla de hongos con queso – Flour tortilla filled with mushrooms and cheese
• Flan de chocolate Abuelita – Mexican chocolate custard

• Tecate draft beer
• White Mexican sangria
• Franbuesa (raspberry) margarita on the rocks
• Tequila flight – blanco, reposado and añejo
• Dasani® bottled water

Fleur de Lys

• Gnocchi Parisien à la Provençal – Parisian-style dumplings with vegetables and mushrooms
• Confit de canard, pommes de terre Sarladaise – Pulled duck confit with garlic and parsley potatoes
• Macaron à la fleur d’ Oranger – Orange blossom macaron with white chocolate ganache (TRYit! option)

• La Vie en Rose frozen slush – Vodka, Grey Goose Orange, St. Germain Liquor, and white and red cranberry juice
• Kir Imperial – Sparkling wine, Chambord and black raspberry liquor
• Rosé pamplemousse cocktail – Rosé wine mixed with natural grapefruit syrup
• Kronenbourg Blanc 1664 – Fruity white beer with citrus notes

Lotus House

• Beijing-style candied strawberries
• Spring pancake with grilled chicken and green apple
• Vegetable spring rolls

• Popping bubble tea
• Kung Fu Punch – Vodka and triple sec with mango and orange juice
• South Sea Storm – Guava juice with light and dark rum
• Plum wine
• Tsing-Tao beer
• Lychee aerated water

Pineapple Promenade

• Pineapple soft serve
• Pineapple soft serve with Myers’s dark rum
• Pineapple soft serve with Parrot Bay coconut rum
• Sweet potato cinnamon waffle with pineapple soft serve (TRYit! option)

• Frozen desert violet lemonade featuring Simply Lemonade (nonalcoholic)
• Tropical Mango Pale Ale, St. John Brewers (U.S. Virgin Islands)
• Once Upon a Vine’s The Lost Slipper Sauvignon Blanc

Primavera Kitchen

• Caprese – Fior di latte mozzarella, roasted peppers and olio verde
• Three cheese manicotti – Egg pasta stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, tomato sauce and béchamel
• Torta di ricotta – Lemon cheesecake with limoncello-marinated strawberries

• Placido Pinot Grigio
• Placido Chianti
• Bosco del Merlo Prosecco
• White peach bellini – Prosecco and white peach puree
• Strawberry rossini – Prosecco and marinated strawberries
• Frozen Italian primavera – Assorted fruit slushy with limoncello and vodka
• Moretti Lager
• Moretti La Rossa

Taste of Marrakesh

• Lamb brewat roll with prunes and sesame
• Harissa chicken kebab with couscous salad
• Baghrir – Moroccan pancake with honey, almonds and argan oil

• Mint iced tea
• White sangria
• Guerrouane red
• Casa Beer
• Desert Rose – Sparkling wine with pomegranate liqueur

Urban Farm Eats – NEW!

• Pickled beet salad with goat cheese cream, mizuna and pistachios
• Land-grown eggplant “scallop” with romesco sauce and spaghetti squash (TRYit! option)
• Ghost pepper-dusted tilapia with crisp winter melon slaw and mint oil featuring The Original Sauce Man’s Kick It Up Rub

• Cucumber lemon spa water, finished with a sprig of fresh mint
• The Vegan Vine Chardonnay
• The Vegan Vine Cabernet Sauvignon
• Redbridge Gluten-Free Sorghum Beer, Anheuser-Busch (St. Louis, Missouri)

THE SMOKEHOUSE: Barbecue and Brews

• Pulled pig slider with cole slaw
• Smoked beef brisket with collard greens and jalapeño corn bread
• Smoked turkey “rib” (TRYit! option)
• “Piggylicous” bacon cupcake with maple frosting and pretzel crunch featuring Nueske’s® Applewood Smoked Bacon

• Magic Hat #9, Magic Hat Brewing (South Burlington, Vermont)
• Maduro, Cigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida)
• Fat Tire, New Belgium Brewing Company (Ft. Collins, Colorado)
• Billy’s Chilies, Twisted Pine Brewing Company (Boulder, Colorado)
• Beer Flight – Magic Hat #9, Maduro, Fat Tire and Billy’s Chilies
• The Original Rib Shack Red Wine

The Buttercup Cottage

• Freshly baked potato and cheddar cheese biscuit with smoked salmon tartare
• Field greens with Plant City strawberries, toasted almonds and Farmstead stilton (TRYit! option)
• Pork and apple sausage roll with house-made piccalilli
• Freshly baked lemon scones with berry preserves and crème fraÎche

• Chilled rose blush lemonade featuring Simply Lemonade with Raspberry (nonalcoholic)
• Twinings® Cold Brewed English Classic with lemon grass syrup
• Berry tea cocktail – Twinings Cold Brewed Mixed Berry Tea with Florida Cane vodka and Plant City strawberry, flavored with raspberry and açaí syrup
• Iron Horse Fairy Tale Cuvee
• Deloach Pinot Noir

Intermissions Café

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

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

Did you notice the items that were marked as a “TRYit!” option?  The “TRYit!” option is a way to encourage kids (or those who are young at heart) to try new foods.  Do you think your children would like these choices?  I know I see at least one that I think my picky eaters would try.

If you are thinking about taking a trip to Walt Disney World for the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival, or really at any time, feel free to ask for a no-obligation quote for your trip!