We’ve successfully made it through the FIRST DAY of the 2019 Epcot Food and Wine Festival!

From now through November 23rd, the Festival will offer a variety of culinary events around Walt Disney World’s Epcot. Of course, the bites and sips from the Food Booths are a festival highlight. Not sure what items to sample? Here are our Best of the Fest recommendations!

If you’re planning a visit to this year’s Festival, then you’ll want to start putting together your MUST EAT list… and that’s where we come in! The DFB Team taste-tested every item at the Festival to show you the items you can’t miss!

Be sure to click over to our Marketplace Booth Page to see pictures of every single dish at the Festival. Just click through the links for each booth to see pictures of all your favorite dishes, along with every single new one for 2019!

Are you ready? Because it’s time to DIG in!

Warm Raclette Swiss Cheese at The Alps

Let’s start with warm cheese at The Alps! This one is an AJ favorite!! You guys know that I lived in Switzerland for a year, and raclette (melty raclette cheese poured over bread, boiled potatoes, gherkins, and other goodies) as a staple.

And Disney’s actually done a great job with it here! The half-wheel of raclette is melted right in the booth, and shaved off beautifully onto the veggies and bread. Pungent and delicious, this one is a must-do for my cheese-fans out there.

Spanish-style Paella with Botifarra and Roasted Chicken at Spain

Spain is serving a Spanish-style Paella with Botifarra and Roasted Chicken with a little bit of heat! Flavorful and cooked to perfection!!

If you’re looking for a larger portion, this is a great buy.

Jerk-spiced Chicken with Roasted Sweet Plantain Salad and Mango Chutney Yogurt at Islands of the Caribbean

For Islands of the Caribbean, Jerk-spiced Chicken with Roasted Sweet Plantain Salad and Mango Chutney Yogurt is a stand-out!

While this dish hasn’t wowed us in previous years, this time around the chicken is cooked on an outdoor grill! You WILL taste the difference. It was a DFB team favorite!

Citrus Sunrise and Chai-Quila at Joffrey’s

For a refreshing beverage, stop by Joffrey’s for a Citrus Sunshine in Canada. Opt for this drink over the Aulani Sunrise at Hawai’i.

At the Odyssey cart by Joffrey’s, we like the Chai-quila.

Roasted Lamb Chop and Deconstructed Pavlova at Australia

At Australia, the Roasted Lamb Chop had great flavors. It’s a twist on the lamb chops of the past at this booth and we loved the update.

For a not-too-sweet dessert, one member of the DFB team really enjoyed the lightness of this option.

Spicy Hummus Fries and New York Strip Steak Green Shermoula Flatbread at Morocco

The Spicy Hummus Fries at Morocco were delicious, as always, even with the sauce update — we needed more sauce, though!

The flatbread (it was a taco) had a really good kick to it!

Maple Bourbon Boursin Cheesecake AND Blueberry Wine at The Cheese Studio

Let’s look at two returning favorites. First, The Cheese Studio is worth a visit for the Maple Bourbon Boursin Cheesecake.

This creamy, decadent treat is made better-than-your-usual-cheesecake (and that’s saying something!!) thanks to that hint of bourbon in the caramel sauce.

BUT, the Sparkling Blueberry Wine by Florida Orange Groves Winery wowed us again! [Read more…]