Review: 2019 Epcot International Festival of the Arts- Part 2
Yesterday, I shared with you all the first part of my Epcot International Festival of the Arts review, looking at what I experienced in Future World and Showcase Plaza. Today, I finish up my review by walking around World Showcase. First up, I’ll check out the remaining food booths, starting in Mexico and working my way clockwise to Canada. Once again, Figment and Pineapple Tiki Stitch join me.
El Artista Hambriento (The Hungry Artist)- Mexico
Here my brother and I tried the Sopes de Chilorio and the Chocoflan. Both were very tasty, but I preferred the sopes over the flan.
The Painted Panda- China
This was actually the only food booth I visited this day that left me disappointed. I cannot do spicy very well, so I opted out of the Dragon and Phoenix dish. I am not a fan of tomatoes, so the Plum-infused Cherry Tomatoes dish was not appetizing. In order to try something from this booth, I got the Crystal Mooncake. The texture of this non-baked rice dessert was off-putting, and I did not care for the flavor. The best thing? It had a nice look to it.
Refreshment Outpost
I tried this shrimp dish last year, and was not a fan… so I passed on it this year.
Cuisine Classique- Germany
As much as I enjoyed the taste of the Seared Corvina fish dish at this location, the look of it served compared to the picture left a lot to be desired. Most of the dish was already pre-made and in a warming box until ordered. I feel like this booth was just “phoning it in”.
L’Arte di Mangiare (The Art of Eating)- Italy
This booth had one of my favorite dishes of the whole Festival this year. The Barbabietole Dolci, Caprino Fritto dish, which had candied beets and goat cheese fritters, was delicious. Also, this dish was composed in full in front of me… a stark difference to the previous food booth.
The American Adventure
All of the permanent food locations here are offering some special foods and beverages for the Festival. Unfortunately, none of them sounded appealing to me, so I did not partake.
However, I did check out The Artist’s Table, where I had the Beef Wellington, and it was so good. One of my top five dishes of the Festival, for sure.
Takumi Table- Japan
As soon as I heard that the Festival had a Sushi Donut available, I knew I had to try it… and it did not disappoint. The only issue was that not all of my wasabi was on the side… they included a dallop of it in the center of the donut. I am not a fan of wasabi, so that was a unexpected, and unwanted, surprise. Still, I would get it again.
Mosaic Canteen- Morocco
Here I had the Mediterranean Flatbread, which I believe I also had last year. It was pretty tasty, but could have been better with more feta cheese… but that’s probably because I love cheese.
L’art de la Cuisine Francaise (The Art of French Cooking)- France
At this location, both my friend Stephanie and I had the Creme de Brie en Petit Pain and shared a Frose, one of the few drinks in World Showcase that I have been able to enjoy (I am not a fan of the taste of alcohol). With the brie in the bread bowl… not as good as some dishes I have had at the France location, but it was still very tasty. Creamy cheese in a bread bowl… you really cannot go wrong.
The Masterpiece Kitchen- Canada
Another dish I had last year that was good enough to have again this year was the Wild Mushroom Risotto, and again it was delicious. A few of us actually got this dish throughout the day, it was worth getting repeatedly. Sadly, I did not get there again to try the Charcuterie Palette, which looked delicious.
Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company
Located throughout Epcot, each of the Joffrey’s locations have a special Italian Espresso based alcoholic drink. I did not get a picture of it (and it basically looked like a regular drink), but my brother did get the Starry Night Latte drink from the Canada location.
In addition to the food booths around World Showcase, we had a fun time doing a few things throughout the countries tied to the Festival.
Disney on Broadway
Expanded this year to each night of the Festival, the Disney on Broadway Concert Series takes place at the America Gardens Theatre three times a night. Each day, a new pair of Disney Broadway stars take to the stage to perform some of their famous songs. The best part is that each duo have a different line-up of songs, so there is a lot of variety throughout the Festival.
The night we were there, Kerry Butler and Kevin Massey gave a fun performance, singing songs from Tarzan, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Newsies, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and a medley from Frozen. I saw Kevin at the Festival last year, and he was once again a lot of fun. This was the first year seeing Kerry at Epcot (I have seen her on Broadway before), and I have always loved her voice. She did not disappoint this time. Unfortunately, I could only see them for one of the three shows. I usually try to see multiple performances a night, this concert series is that good.
Artful Photo Ops
Set up throughout the World Showcase, Disney invites guests to step into paintings, recreating famous scenes or representing famous people. They are a lot of fun, and in good weather you might even find Photopass photographers there to help you capture the memories. Here is a sampling of the pics I took with my friends that day.
Photopass: Festival Frame & Figment
Last up, at locations in the park, Photopass photographers have a special Festival frame and a Figment Magic Shot for guests to enhance their Festival memories. My brother and I were joined in these photos by my friend Stephanie, and we had a lot of fun doing these shots on the bridge between France and the International Gateway.
Well that’s it for my Epcot International Festival of the Arts 2019 review. As always, we had a great time at the Festival, and thank you to the Cast Members throughout the park for making it a memorable one. From the food to the artistry to the music, Disney has hit a home run with their newest Festival, and I look forward to seeing how it will grow in the coming years.
