France Review: 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

France Review: 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Booth:

I know it’s not really about the kiosk itself but I love the France Pavilion, it really sets the atmosphere right and you feel like you are in a side street in Paris.  Truly magical.  The kiosk is nice too 😉

 

Menu:

Food:

• Croissant aux Escargots: Escargot Croissant with Garlic and Parsley – $5.75, DDP Snack Eligible
• Soupe à l’oignon au Gruyère et Cognac: Gruyère and Cognac Onion Soup – $4.25, DDP Snack Eligible
• Boeuf Bourguignon: Cabernet Sauvignon-braised Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes – $6.25, DDP Snack Eligible
• Crème Brûlée Caramel Chocolat: Caramel and Chocolate Crème Brûlée topped with Caramelized Sugar – $4.25, Vegetarian, DDP Snack Eligible  *Ziggy Recommended

 

Beverages:

• Kronenbourg Blanc 1664 Pale Lager – $4.25
• Chardonnay, Bourgogne Blanc, Mommessin, La Clé Saint-Pierre – $6.25
• Merlot & Cabernet Blend, Bordeaux, Château les Graves de Barrau – $6.50
• St-Germain Sparkling Kir: Sparkling Wine and St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur – $8.00
• Frozen Daiquiri Ice Pop: Strawberry Puree with French Caribbean Rhum Clément – $8.50  *Ziggy Recommended
• La Passion Martini Slush: Vodka, Grey Goose Le Citron Vodka, Cranberry and Passion Fruit Juice – $10.75  *Ziggy Recommended

Menu review:

France is always strong(it used to be THE strongest) and this year is no exception with 3 Recommended items on it’s menu and a bunch of other stuff that’s pretty good.

The first thing I tried was the French Onion Soup:

I’m a HUGE fan of French Onion soup in general, I can’t resist it when I see it on the menu, so I had to try it here too.  It was good not great.  It had a nice flavor to it, you could taste the onion and there were some chunks below, but as with a lot of the portions at Food and Wine it was too small, I could have eaten 5 easily.  That being said it did have a decent size hunk of cheese on there, so it had that going for it.

Next up the Boeuf Bourguignon:

Again I’m a huge fan of this and I remember having it 2 years ago and being blown away, so I couldn’t wait to taste it here.  I had a great flavor, you could taste the wine in the gravy, not overpowering but just right.  It was a little better 2 years ago because it was a little bigger and they drowned it in gravy before.  Here they were a little skimpy, at least with my portion.  It is a solid choice however, and if you like Beef Bourguignon you will definitely like this too.

The Escargot was interesting to say the least, and I’m torn in my review of it.  To start I’m not a huge fan of Escargot, but I did it for the sake of research to help you decide (just like all of my food reviews… 😉  This year’s version was in a croissant.

I have to say the Croissant was MIND BLOWING.  It was so fresh and a bit toasty outside but super fluffy on the inside.  It just broke apart so nicely.  You could taste the butter throughout and it wasn’t dry at all.  It was also covered in a garlic sauce that was incredible.

Unfortunately there were snails inside of it (the dish being called escargot and all) and I’m not a huge fan of them.  If I have to eat them I prefer to eat them in a glass with like a Bagno Caudo like they make in Italy, it being a garlic sauce and you chug them down more like Oysters.  Instead these were very chewy and the more time I had to chew them, the more time I thought about what was in my mouth…hahahaha.

That being said, if you are a fan of Escargot normally, then you will probably love this version because the Croissant is really really special!

There’s also a Crème Brûlée Caramel Chocolat, which I think was outstanding.  It had a Caramel and Chocolate cream and was topped with Caramelized Sugar.  Not a huge portion, but I think the right size as it’s very rich.  I definitely recommend this!

The drinks for me were even more of a stand-out than the Food this year.

One that I tried and absolutely love was the La Passion Martini Slush.

It was my favorite drink from the whole Food and Wine Festival!  It had Vodka, Grey Goose Le Citron Vodka, Cranberry and Passion Fruit Juice in it, and it was soooo fruity and refreshing.  It comes with kind of a steep price tag at $10.75, but I would get it a million times over it was so good!

Another really awesome thing you have to try is the Frozen Daiquiri Ice Pop.

It’s made from Strawberry Puree with French Caribbean Rhum Clément, and it is delicious.  It also is quite strong which I wasn’t expecting at first, so you definitely get some kick in it.  I was feeling mighty happy during my walk around the lagoon after it!  My only thing is, make sure to wrap it in a napkin, because the Florida sun makes this thing melt awful quick and the plastic holder leaks a bit, so I ended up with a sticky hand.  I hope for the next version they can figure out a way to make it leak-proof.  It is incredible though, you have to try it!

 

Booth Summary and Grade:

The France Kiosk like every year is a can’t miss!  I was expecting to fall in love with the food items, and while they were good, it was the Drinks/Alcohol that really blew me away!  In fact both the La Passion Martini Slush and the Frozen Daiquiri Ice Pop made my list of the Top 15 Things you Must Try at Food and Wine This Year.  If i see you smiling and feeling real good around World Showcase, I’ll know why! 😉

If you have to get just one thing:  La Passion Martini Slush

Grade:  8.5

Take a look at all of my 2016 Epcot Food and Wine articles.  I have the Top 15 Things You Must Try this year at Food and Wine, and also a complete Index of the Food and Wine Menus and other Helpful Info. I want you to be able to have the best info on the Festival so you don’t waste your time and you have the best time possible!

If you enjoyed this article, as always I appreciate it if you’d share it with others via social media.  I work hard at making this website into a useful resource for you and your family to plan your visit to Walt Disney World, and I hope it can help you! Thanks 🙂

Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think my review of France at the 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  What are your favorites?  What keeps you coming back again and again?  What would you like to see next year?  Let us know in the comments section below! 🙂