Farewell Flower and Garden Festival 2018

Today is a sad day in the Disney World. Today marks the last official day of the 2018 EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival. The second best time of the EPCOT year, (right after Food and Wine of course). If you haven't gotten to enjoy this festival before, trust us, it's one you definitely don't want to miss. And if you have enjoyed this festival before, you know exactly what we're talking about!

We lovingly refer to this festival as "Food and Wine Halftime" because that's kind of what it's become. There's about half as many booths as the Food and Wine Fest, but it's growing every year. Honestly, sometimes we kind of like the fact that there's half as many booths. It feels less overwhelming, and you get to try more things at each booth (especially if you only get to visit once). PLUS, there's amazing topiaries and beautiful flowers throughout the park.
Below are some of the highlights for us of this year's festival!

The Honey Bee-stro

This was a new booth for this year, and it's so cute! I love this area, and the food and drinks were great!
​One of our favorite stands of the festival!

Honey-Peach Cobbler Freeze with Blueberry Vodka and
Honey Tandoori Chicken Flatbread with White Cheddar Cheese, Charred Veggies, and Clover Honey Sour Cream.

Pineapple Promenade

This is somewhat of a famous booth at Flower and Garden festival. It's the booth that not only offers Dole Whip and Dole Whip WITH rum (both classic favorites), but also the ***Violet Lemonade***

This frozen flavored lemonade has built up such a following you can now purchase shirts, pins, hats, and more all over the internet to show your extreme fandom for the drink!
I mean...what can we say? We're fans of it, too. It's THAT good.

La Isla Fresca

Easily the cutest booth of the festival, as you can probably tell by how many pictures we took of it.
​AND my own personal favorite drink, as well. 

The tropical freeze with mango rum. This was by far my favorite drink this year. It has real chunks of mango on top, and I'm pretty sure I drank the whole thing in about 4 minutes. Oops.

The Sugar Cane Shrimp Skewer with Steamed Rice and Coconut-lime Sauce was also awesome!

The Berry Basket

To be honest, with a booth dedicated to berries, I definitely thought I was going to enjoy this stand more than I did. The blueberry moscato was not great (didn't even get a picture of it, sorry), and the Green Tea Berry Mint Julep was just okay.

I will say, this drink photographs SO well. And, it did get better when we mixed it around. When they first handed it to us (and you can see this in the photo) all of the liquor sank to the bottom.
​The bottom as in, where my straw was, as in, I took a huge gulp of bourbon and was not happy with the taste. But, like I said, it photographs SO well. Haha :)

Jardin de Fiestas

Of course, we also love Mexico! They also have great options, and it kind of feels like home to us.
​This year, though, I think was one of Mexico's strongest line-ups yet. 

Violet Cassis Punch and Rose Margarita (my fav)

The chilaquiles!!! One of my favorite food options this year. A little different than the chilaquiles we're used to in San Antonio, but still really good! Fried pieces of corn tortillas topped with ranchera sauce, chorizo, Mexican cream, and cotija cheese.

Lotus House

So, China is another booth that's usually a favorite of ours. But, I've got to say- this year I was kind of let down. We didn't even bother ordering the cocktails since they always offer the exact same ones (at both Flower and Garden AND Food and Wine).

I was excited for the Fried Chicken Dumplings, but after trying them, I realized that I like the regular dumplings better. Oh well, hopefully this Fall the China booth will be back on top.

Bauernmarkt: Farmer's Market

Toasted Pretzel Bread with Black Forest Ham and Gruyere Cheese and
Potato Pancake with Caramelized Ham, Onions, and Herbed Sour Cream.
They do offer a potato pancake with applesauce instead of the ham and onions if that sounds more appealing to you.

And you can't stop in Germany without getting a beer! This is the Kostritzer Schwarzbier Black Lager.

Primavera Kitchen

Italy's always a safe bet at any EPCOT festival. You know what to expect, and it's pretty much always good!

Maine Lobster Ravioli with Vodka Sauce

Fritto Misto- Crispy Shrimp and Zucchini with a spicy sauce drizzle.

The Smokehouse: Barbecue and Brews

EPCOT always does a great job making sure America has great offerings during festivals.
​And this year was no exception!

Three meats: One Sandwich! If this doesn't scream "'Murica!" I'm not sure what does. 
It's a Beef Brisket Burnt Ends and Smoked Pork Belly Slider with a Chorizo Cheddar Fondue, and topped with Garlic Sausage and a slice of House-made Pickle! Whew! That's a mouthful...of delicious!

And a beer flight to wash it all down. Yum!

Hanami

Another festival fan favorite item can be found at the Japan pavilion- Frushi aka Fruit Sushi.

Personally, we're not the biggest fans of it. It's okay, but not a favorite on our list by any means. 
Also pictured above is the Ginger Beer Yakiudon: Thin-sliced Beef, Onions, and Noodles tossed in Soy and Ginger. 

Taste of Marrakesh

Desert Rose- Sparkling Wine topped with Pomegranate Liqueur.

Florida Fresh

This was another one of the best looking booths of the festival.
​So much greenery around this one, plus, you can never go wrong with string lights. 

Step aside violet lemonade! The cucumber watermelon slush has arrived and it's giving you a run for your money! (Pictured left the awesome watermelon cucumber slush available with or without gin)
And on the right- First Magnitude Brewing Co. Monarch Milk Stout.

Fleur de Lys

France is home to the best alcoholic slushes in world showcase! And outstanding desserts!

Macaron au Chocolat en Sucette: French for Large Chocolate Macaron Lollipop!
This was SO good. Not only is it photogenic and easy to eat: it actually tastes great too! 
​Easily one of our favorite desserts of the year!

Confit de Canard au Gnocchi a la Parisienne: French for Braised Duck Confit with Parisian Gnocchi.
Too many mushrooms for Parker, but other than that he really enjoyed it. 

Cider House

If you recall from previous posts, Parker is the Cider King! So, naturally, this is one of his favorite booths. Although we weren't crazy about the food, if there's a cider flight available, it's a win for him!

Black Cherry, Pineapple Tropical, and Apple Orange Grand Mimosa.

Potato and Cheddar Cheese biscuit with Smoked Salmon Tartare.

Northern Bloom

Canada's always a great spot to get some hearty options at the festival. They usually offer some sort of meat and potato and/or thick soup, etc. This festival we absolutely LOVED the Canada booth!

Beef Tenderloin Tips with Mushroom Bordelaise Sauce and Whipped Potatoes and Carrots. YUM!

Seared Scallops with French Green Beans, Butter Potatoes, Brown Butter Vinaigrette, and
​Applewood-Smoked Bacon. YUM X2!

Topiaries

And of course, the Flower and Garden festival just wouldn't be as magical without the impressive living topiaries scattered throughout the park! Here are some of our favorites!

And there you have it! The 2018 EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival all wrapped up. We're sad to see it go, BUT, that means it's only three months until Food and Wine starts!
​Who's ready?? We know we are!