We spent a couple of days grazing at the food booths and enjoying the topiaries. (Note: Don't graze at the topiaries.) A number of our choices were on the "Try It" menu of healthful fruit- and veggie-focused fare. As much as we loved the brisket, a couple of the "Try It" dishes were among our favorites.
One tip: If crowds aren't your thing, try visiting during lunchtime. It got pretty crazy in the evenings.
Here's a brief look at our delicious tour of the Flower & Garden Festival:
Florida Fresh
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| Watermelon salad |
The dish: Watermelon salad with pickled red onions, baby arugula, feta cheese and balsamic reduction
The skinny: I may never eat watermelon without feta cheese again. It's that simple. We had brisket and brie and heirloom tomatoes as we grazed around the World Showcase, but this was probably my favorite dish. The combination of sweet watermelon, peppery arugula and salty feta was an absolute delight. Try it, indeed!
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| Potato pancakes |
Bauernmarkt: Farmer’s Market
The dish: Potato pancakes with house made apple sauce
The skinny: The lines at this kiosk near Germany seem to be more for the beer flights than the food, but the potato pancake is worth the stop too. It's nice and crisp outside and tender inside, and the applesauce actually tastes like apples. Like some of the other dishes we tried, it was a bit salty, but not too much.
The Smokehouse: Barbecue and Brews
The dishes: Pulled pig slider with cole slaw and smoked beef brisket with collard greens and jalapeño corn bread
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| Smoked beef brisket |
The skinny: Skinny? Nothing at this barbecue in the American Adventure courtyard will make you skinny. But it won't make you sorry either. Both of these dishes are meal-sized. I'd guess the brisket dish includes 3 or 4 ounces of brisket, half a cup of collards and a two-inch cube of corn bread -- and every bit delicious. The meat is moist and tender, and the collards have a bit of crispiness to them. Only the corn bread left me wanting a little more. The brisket was the only dish I ordered more than once, and that's just because brisket is definitely not part of my usual diet. The "slider" is not the mini size you may be used to. The bun is closer to the size of a standard hamburger bun. It's piled high with tasty pulled pork and cole slaw. It's just a bit spicy. I'd suggest ordering this dish without the bun -- leave yourself room for the next stop on your grand tour.
Hanami
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| Frushi, sushi roll |
The dish: Frushi, a sushi roll filled with strawberries, pineapple and cantaloupe with coconut rice
The skinny: This was probably the most unusual thing we tried, and it wasn't all that daring. What it was, though, was delicious. The fruit was ripe and sweet, and the rice had a subtle sweetness I wasn't expecting. The roll is served with a subtle raspberry sauce and whipped cream. The lovely thing about this dish is that nothing in it is sweeter than the fresh fruit.
The Cottage: Savories, Trifles and Tea
The dishes: Potato, chive and cheddar cheese biscuit with smoked salmon tartare and sour cream; baked goat’s brie with kumquat chutney; Waterkist Farms heirloom tomatoes with house-made mozzarella, Minus 8 vinegar and basil
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| Baked goat's brie with kumquat chutney |
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| Dole Whip with rum |
The skinny: British food gets a bad rap if you ask me. I actually like bangers and mash and meat pies. And I love the Rose & Crown. (All of which may make you highly skeptical of this entire review, but at least all my cards are on the table now.) So, we tried all three food offerings on the Cottage menu. Top marks went to the goat's brie, which is wrapped in a tasty pastry. The cheese is mild but flavorful. If anything, it could have been warmer, and it was a bit overpowered by the chutney. But yum. The tomatoes were tasty, but the mozzarella was a little rubbery. Finally, the biscuit with salmon tartare was delicious. The tartare was perfect, but the biscuit was a bit overdone (the perils of mass production, I think). All in all, high marks for the Cottage.
Pineapple Promenade
The dish: Dole Whip with Siesta Key spiced rum
The skinny: What can I say about the Dole Whip with spiced rum? Every time I try to find the words, I drift off into a reverie. But I'll try. First of all, this is not the giant Dole Whip you'll find over at the Magic Kingdom, so you'll likely be sober when you finish it. (Unless, of course, this isn't your first drink of the day.) The spiced rum is the perfect complement to the pineapple ice cream, especially once you mix it up a bit. I hope they never take this off the menu. And I hope they start to explore, I don't know, maybe vanilla soft serve with Godiva liquor, Kahlua or orange vodka? Start working on that, Imagineers.
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