Epcot Food and Wine Festival 2013: Germany

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Continuing clockwise around World Showcase, we pass right past the Brewer’s Collection (because there’s only so much one can drink without ending up at Guest Relations) and land in Germany. If you do stop at Brewer’s Collection, there are some really interesting beers to try, including the much-hyped Schofferhofer Grapefruit (which is generally better in the bottle than what I’ve gotten at Food & Wine which last year was a bit skunky) and BraufactuM Roog Smoked Wheat Beer which I am very sad that I didn’t get to try. I’ll be on the lookout for that one.

Germany booth Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Deutschland!

But this is about the Germany booth and the food at that booth, and we DID try each of the offerings here. Sadly nothing really stands out here as a “must-try”. It’s all fine comfort food, but not terribly exciting.

First, the Schinkennudeln (Pasta Gratin with Ham and Cheese.)

Schinkennudeln at Germany booth Epcot Food and Wine 2013

That’s mac and cheese to you and me

It’s fine. Hard to go wrong with mac and cheese. I sort of wish they’d just leave out the ham though, so that there could be an additional vegetarian dish at Food and Wine. My vegetarian friends have precious few items that they can sample, and end up eating mostly desserts. It would be so easy to omit the ham here – it’s not doing much for the dish.

A little less successful is the Roast Bratwurst in a Pretzel Roll.

Roast Bratwurst in Pretzel Roll Germany Food and Wine 2013

“Not impressed,” says Mr. MouseChow

That’s one long brat! Overall it’s pretty mediocre, and we just didn’t really enjoy this. The roll is fine, though for some reason we like it much better at the Biergarten restaurant. If you’re a completist and must try everything at Food and Wine, then go for it, but otherwise I’d skip it.

And for dessert, there’s Apple Strudel with Werther’s Original(r) Karamel & Vanilla Sauce.

Apple Strudel at Germany booth Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Gotta love Werther’s Karamel

As you might expect, the apples, caramel, and vanilla sauce were really yummy. The crust though was sort of hard to eat – not flakey or crispy, so it made it hard to cut with the side of a fork. Still, this was my favorite dish in Germany.

The best part of eating in Germany though? Sitting at a little table near the fountain in the middle of the German pavilion while mini-MouseChow played the Agent P game and made Doofenshmirtz come out of the clock tower. (We also made a pass through Karamel Kuche and got some chocolate and caramel covered strawberries. Mmmmm….)

Chocolate and caramel strawberry at Karamel Kuchel

Best thing we ate in Germany

And ya know what? You can get this year-round.

 

Wordless Wednesday – EPCOT Food and Wine Fest

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Last night, we announced the first ever MouseChow.com EPCOT Food and Wine Festival package! I’m incredibly excited to be able to bring this to my MouseChow readers, friends, and Disney Food Lovers everywhere, so I had to include it in the Wordless Wednesday blog hop hosted by Deb at focusedonthemagic.com.

Make sure you read all about our super-fun package, packed full of awesome stuff you can’t find anywhere else. But in the meantime, here’s a very large beer from the Biergarten in the German Pavilion at EPCOT.

Beer from Biergarten in German Pavilion Epcot

Very Large Beer from German Pavilion, EPCOT

…because the name may be Food and Wine, but we know it’s oh so much more.
Focused on the Magic Wordless Wednesday
Have you been to the Food and Wine festival? Did you have a good time? Want to go back? Send me an email and I’ll send you a quote! dawn@mousechow.com.

And share your experiences below! Happy hopping…

5 Must-Eat Treats at EPCOT World Showcase

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So you’re strolling through the World Showcase in EPCOT, possibly sipping some adult beverages along the way. Which snacks are worth your calories and taste buds as you tour the World? I’ll count down my 5 favorites, though I’m sure I’m forgetting something…

5. French Fries in the American Pavilion

French Fries at American Pavilion - EPCOT

French Fries at American Pavilion - EPCOT

I know, fries may seem a little boring. But I’m very picky about fries, and these are pretty darned good, especially when you’re walking from the direction of Germany with a beer in your hand. They’re hot, crispy, salty, and good dipped in honey mustard. Also good with frozen Coke, which can be had at the American Pavilion. (Like how I got an extra snack in there?)

4. Chocolate/caramel-dipped strawberry from Karamell-Kuche in the German Pavilion

Chocolate Caramel Strawberry Karamell-Kuche Germany EPCOT

Chocolate Caramel Strawberry at Karamell-Kuche Germany - EPCOT

This needs no explanation. Werther’s caramel, milk chocolate, big ripe strawberry.

3. Kaki-Gori with cream, Japan Pavilion

Kaki-Gori, Japan Pavilion, EPCOT

Kaki-Gori, Japan Pavilion, EPCOT

This is one of the most refreshing, delicious things you can eat on a hot Florida day. If you’re from Louisiana or Mississippi, you may recognize this – it’s the closest I’ve had to a snowball outside of Louisiana. The ice is shaved very fine and soft, with delicious, high-quality fruit syrup, with or without cream. Oddly, this is the orange flavor. It’s very red. And very good.

2. School Bread, Kringla Bakeri og Cafe in the Norway Pavilion

School Bread, Kringla Bakeri og Cafe, Norway in EPCOT

School Bread, Kringla Bakeri og Cafe, Norway in EPCOT

Ahhhh….school bread. It has a cult-like following, and with good reason. So what is it? Imagine a raised yeast doughnut with no hole, filled with vanilla pastry cream, and topped with icing and toasted coconut. Perfection in its simplicity.

And MouseChow’s favorite World Showcase snack is…..{drumroll please}…

1. Scotch egg at Rose and Crown Pub, UK Pavilion

Scotch egg, Rose and Crown Pub, UK Pavilion - EPCOT

Scotch egg, Rose and Crown Pub, UK Pavilion - EPCOT

Wow, my arteries are hardening just thinking about this scrumminess. The Scotch egg is a hard-boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, and deep fried. It’s served with fried bread, mustard sauce, and a small green lightly-dressed salad. The sausage is very nicely spiced, and it’s all a bit salty, greasy, and exactly perfect with a pint of Bass ale.

It sure was hard to narrow this list down to 5! I can think of several I left out that could easily have made it, and I’m sure you can too. So what did I miss? Feel free to discuss while I sit here in the corner with my Scotch egg.