REVIEW: Flavors from Fire – 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival

The brand NEW Flavors from Fire booth is one of the ones I wanted to try the most when I first read about this year’s Food and Wine Festival, because I’m a big spice guy!  If I can’t throw some hot pepper/sauce on something I’m going to do it, so I was really excited.  And there looks to be some real good options on the menu to try as well including a Sweet Pancake, Smoked Corn Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes and the returning Piggy Wings.  Are we going to need a whole pack of Tums when this is done?  Let’s see if we survive the Flavors from Fire Review: 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival….

Flavors from Fire Marketplace:

This is by far the most attractive Food and Wine Festival booth/marketplace imo.  I just love the color of the wood contrasted by the surrounding green plants.  Then there’s the stylish seating area with the fake fireplace in the middle of the courtyard, just stunning!

Look at this gorgeous seating area they have.  Love the red wood:

 

Flavors from Fire Menu:

So I totally forgot to get a pic of the Flavors from Fire Menu, because I was distracted by all the pretty other signs that explain how the food gets those unique flavors from spice:

and heat..

then smoke…

Wanna know what happens when all that heat and spice meets cheese?

Food:

• Piggy Wings: Roasted Pork Wings with Korean BBQ Sauce and Sesame Seeds – $4.50, DDP Snack Credit  *Ziggy Recommended
• Smoked Corned Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes, Pickled Onions and Blonde Ale Beer Fondue featuring BelGioioso Romano and America Grana Cheeses – $5.00, DDP Snack Credit  *Ziggy Recommended
• Sweet Pancake with Spicy Chipotle Chicken Sausage, Onion Jam and Maple Butter Syrup – $4.00, DDP Snack Credit  *Ziggy Recommended
• Chocolate Picante: Dark Chocolate Mousse with Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder and Raspberry Dust – $3.25, DDP Snack Credit

Beverages:

• Orlando Brewery Smokin’ Blackwater Porter – $4.25
• Ravenswood Zinfandel, Napa Valley – $6.50
• Swine Brine featuring Evan Williams Bourbon – $8.25

Menu Review:

Let’s start out with an item that’s not new to the festival but new to the Flavors from Fire booth.  The Piggy Wings may look familiar to you because they were in the 2016 Craft Beer pavilion, and we really enjoyed them!  Obviously we couldn’t wait to sink our teeth back in again this year!  They were still excellent, but a little less so than last year for some reason.  The meat was tender and juicy, but I think they just put wayyy too much sauce on there for my liking, was too goopy.  Also they have a particularly strong smokey flavor, so if you like smokey you’ll probably be a fan, but we had some that were put off by it, so it depends on you.  Solid but we were just getting to the good stuff…

The next option was the Sweet Pancake with Spicy Chipotle Chicken Sausage, Onion Jam and Maple Butter Syrup.  It’s a growing trend of mixing sweet and savory thing together, and I’m 100% on board!  I think a lot of people in our group looked kind of funny at this on the menu, but really loved it when they tried it.  There were a few pieces of sweet sausage below which I never would have known was chicken, very succulent.  and the onion jam was the jammmmmm!  Reminds me of something very similar you find in Italy that my wife is crazy for!  Very well balanced dish and something different from he same-old.  Definitely worth trying:

So the first two items were good, but we’re just setting you up for the main event here: the Smoked Corned Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes was INSANE!!  Right as I put the first bite in my mouth I realized it was a huge mistake to have promised to share these with others because I didn’t want to give away even one!  This is the perfect dish and embodies everything that is good about Food and Wine!  First it’s a great sized portion of these crispy, almost potato-chip like crisps but thicker, that are just piled on with this unbelievably flavorful and tender corn beef.  Then if that couldn’t get any better they pour on a generous portion of a Blonde Ale Beer Fondue using Romano and America Grana Cheeses all over it.  This is what the Smoked Beef Brisket over in the Hops and Barley booth should be!  In fact I loved it so much I put it as my #1 Overall NEW Item for the 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival!  Absolute MUST-TRY!

Flavors from Fire is also offering one of the most interesting drinks at the festival this year and it’s called: Swine Brine.  Essentially it’s a combo of bourbon, lemon juice, mustard, and apple juice, juices from ribs and a single rib on top.  If you are an adventurous person or would like an interesting photo to put on your Instagram then it could be worth it, otherwise run as it’s as terrible as it sounds! hahahaha

 

Booth Summary and Grade:

I would call the Flavors from Fire booth a big success. Being a spice and smokey kind of guy this is my happy place for sure!  We enjoyed all the food offerings, Piggy Wings and Sweet Pancake, but that Smoked Corn Beef is on a level of it’s own and eating that makes everything right in the world.  This is not one you want to skip, I’d make a beeline straight for Flavor from Fire if I were you!!

If you have to get just one thing: Smoked Corn Beef and Crispy Potatoes

Grade:  9

Take a look at all of my 2017 Epcot Food and Wine articles.  I have a 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Info Guide with a complete Index of the Food and Wine Menus, The Top NEW Items for 2017, Top Food and Wine Booths and more…I want you to be able to have the best info on the Festival so you have a great time and don’t waste your time!

Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think of my Flavors from Fire Review 2017 Epcot Food and Wine Festival.  Did you try the amazing Smoked Corn Beef?  Which was your favorite item?  Let us know in the comments section below!

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