Greenhouse Guru Review: 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Greenhouse Guru hosted by Village Farms Review: 2016 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Greenhouse Guru is one of the new kiosks this year at Food and Wine, and it’s hosted by Village Farms which is a local a greenhouse grower based in Florida.  I was super intrigued when I heard about it.  So naturally I had to try it out and see what the fuss was all about…

Booth:

I love the marketplace location, it tucked over on the path leading from Canada to Future World.  You’ll find it past Wine and Dine, Islands of the Caribbean, right next to The CHEW Collective, another one of my favorite new marketplaces.

Menu:

Food:

• Duck Confit with Creamy Polenta and Fire-roasted Salsa – $5.25, Gluten-Free, DDP Snack Eligible  *Ziggy Recommended
  
• Heirloom Tomato Salad with Goat Cheese, Aged Balsamic Vinegar, and Micro-Basil – $4.00, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, DDP Snack Eligible
• Chilled Tomato Gazpacho with Lump Crab Meat – $4.50, Gluten-Free, DDP Snack Eligible  *Ziggy Recommended
  
• Mini San Marzano Tomatoes — a 5-ounce bag – $4.75, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, DDP Snack Eligible

Beverages:

• Chateau Ste. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard Riesling, Washington – $4.50  *Ziggy Recommended
• Acrobat Pinot Noir, Oregon – $4.50

Menu review:

There are two really tasty options on the menu..

The first is the Duck Confit with Creamy Polenta and Fire-roasted Salsa.

I absolutely loved this dish!  Don’t let the Duck name scare you away, it’s sooo delicious!!  The duck is shredded and was very rich and moist.  It is served on top of some amazing polenta which is very cheesy and creamy.  I live part of the year in Northern Italy where Polenta is like oxygen, and this stacks up with the best polenta I’ve ever eaten!  The salsa gives it a little kick and is a nice accent.  At $5.25 I think one of the better deals at the Festival.  Amazing dish, a must try!

Also amazing is the Chilled Tomato Gazpacho with Lump Crab Meat.  Another dish that is a success for me.  The fact that it’s chilled is welcome in the Florida heat.  Also the amount of crab they give you is pretty decent.  You can taste the tomato, cucumber, peppers, onions, garlic and additional spices throughout the dish.  An excellent choice.

The Heirloom Tomato Salad with Goat Cheese, Aged Balsamic Vinegar, and Micro-Basil was a nice choice for vegetarians.  The tomatoes are very fresh, grown locally by them.  And they are also very sweet, not lacking taste as some tomatoes do.  The balsamic offers a tangy zest to the dish as well.  Not something overly complicated, but done well.

Lastly was the Mini San Marzano Tomatoes, which was just….a bag of Mini San Marzano Tomatoes.  The San Marzano species of tomato is famous in Italy and is grown in the Naples area and used in the pizza and pasta dishes there.  I love San Marzano tomatoes, but for almost $5 and a little bag, I would skip it if I were you.

Booth Summary and Grade:

Overall Greenhouse Guru is a great new addition to the Food and Wine lineup.  That little corner with The CHEW Collective is a great place to spend lunch, trying the options from both marketplaces.  The Duck and Gazpacho are incredible and not to be missed imo.  That area is not highly trafficked either, so it’s one of the quieter more chill places to go.

If you have to get just one thing:  Duck Confit with Creamy Polenta and Fire-roasted Salsa.

Grade:  8

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!

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Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think my review of Greenhouse Guru 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! 🙂