We finished up day 3 for this year’s Walt Disney World’s 2018 Food & Wine Festival. Today we wrap up our tasty culinary adventure with Light Lab, Morocco, and the Refreshment Port.  Along with 4 in the “Culinary Ally”: Coastal Eats, Earth Eats, Active Eats and Flavors from Fire.

For more information about the Disney Food & Wine Festival visit the Disney Food Blog.

Light Lab

Light Lab is split into two parts.  There is a bar outside that serves the beer and ciders.    Next to the bar, inside is where the experiments and the blacklight drinks are.  Inside are a number interesting experiment notes along the walls that you should be sure to read.

Click here for the Full Booth Offerings

• Phosphorescent Phreeze Phlight
  Originally this was a “Phreeze” which contains 3 layers of flavors inside a beaker you got to keep.  Sadly they ran out of the beakers on Day 3 according to the cast member, and the cast members I spoke with don’t believe it’s coming back (or if it is, it will be quite a while).  Instead, they put the 3 flavors in a different glass with a light cube and some frozen whipped topping.  The flavors are tasty but nothing special (orange, fruit punch, and blue raspberry) but still a decent non-alcholic drink.   Tastes like melted icepops.  Especially since you get 3 light cubes to take home with you.
  • $7.00
  • Tasel Rating: 2.75
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 2.5
• RGB Flight
  2 out of 3 isn’t bad, but the middle one really brought the entire experience, and average, down.    
  • $9.00
  • Tasel Rating: 2.25
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 2.5
• Playalinda Brewing Co. Red Cherry Tart, Titusville, FL
  Was very surprised at this beer!  Was quite refreshing and had a light cherry flavor.  Sweet without being sugary.  I’m not a beer guy, but it was a good summer beverage.
  • $4.25
  • Tasel Rating: 4
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 3.5
• GrassLands Brewing Company Green Kiwi Blonde, Tallahassee, FL
  This is just like any other very plain beer.  Like the cheap beer that you’d get at a college party.  Mrs Tasel rated it “slightly skunky”.
  • $4.25
  • Tasel Rating: 1.75
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 1
• M.I.A. Beer Company Blue-berry Golden Ale, Doral, FL
  Smells quite good, and has a strong berry taste.  Was a bit of an unexpected taste.  Quite plesant.
  • $4.25
  • Tasel Rating: 2.5
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 2.5

• Cider Flight
  Was quite good overall.  Definitly worth trying. 
  • $9.00
  • Tasel Rating: 3
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 3.5
• Original Sin Dry Rosé Hard Cider, New York, NY
  Was a fairly standard cider.  Very light without a ton of flavor.  Perhaps where the “rosé” comes in.  
  • $4.25
  • Tasel Rating: 2.25
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 2.25
• 3 Daughters Brewing Blueberry Peppercorn Hard Cider, St. Petersburg, FL
  Sweet, but has occasional sharp bursts of pepper that are both interesting and also offputting.  Good overall taste, but you might be unsure what your thoughts are on that peppery flavor.
  • $4.25
  • Tasel Rating: 3
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 3.5
• Ciderboys Zen Berry Hard Cider, Stevens Point, WI
  Has a pleasent smell, and is quite tasty.  Very strong apple flavor.  Has some blueberry/other berry flavors in the middle of drinking it.  A unique drink.
  • $4.25
  • Tasel Rating: 3.5
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 4.5

Morocco

Morocco, although sounding very exotic, is probably the safest when it comes to exotic cuisine for those here in the United States.  We only got one item below, but the other items are pretty standard.  The Kefta is basically a meatball in a pita pocket, and their Baklava is a super sweet dessert made with honey, chocolate, and nuts.  If you are looking for something maybe a little different, but not too different, check out this booth.

Click here for the Full Booth Offerings

• Humus Fries with Cucumber, Tomato, Onions and Tzatziki Sauce
  We got these fries due to us being impressed with them at last year’s festival.  This year I wasn’t nearly as impressed.  The sauce was quite a bit spicier drowning out any other flavors.  The vegetable medley up top was fairly bland.  I recommended to Mrs. Tasel to not try so she wouldn’t mess up her taste buds.  I’d also recommend this as a pass for this year’s items.
  • $5
  • Tasel Rating: 2.5
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: N/A

Refreshment Port

The Refreshment Port is here all year long and offers a number of tasty treats (such as the traditional poutine).  But they also have a number of specialty items for the festival.  Check out the full menu in the link below, but you may also want to try the Sweet Potato Poutine: Sweet Potato Fries with Caramel Sauce, Mini Marshmallows and Pecans.  We had too much on our plate to eat this time around, but it was on our original list of items to try!  Also, a good place to get a soda, since most other booths only offer alcohol or other specialty beverages.

Click here for the Full Booth Offerings

• Beef Brisket Poutine: French Fries with Beef Brisket, Beer Cheese Sauce and Poutine Gravy topped with Crispy Onions
  The beer flavor comes through with the cheese (Mrs. Tasel said too much, I thought it was spot on. Beef brisket on top was very flavorful.  Unfortunately it made the fries a bit soggy.  (Perhaps due to an extra juicy scoop, or maybe sitting out a bit).  This isn’t edible without a fork, but you can try. The crispy onions on top keep their crispiness and helped offset the soggier fries.
  • $8.69
  • Tasel Rating: 4.25
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 3.5

• Traditional Poutine: French Fries with Brown Gravy, and Cheese curds 
  Here year-round at the Refreshment Port.  Fries are nice and crispy and they aren’t drowning in gravy.  The cheese and gravy are slightly salty, which is fine since french fries are normally salty.    Overall a really good, if a bit hard to eat with your hands, dish to enjoy.
  • $5.99
  • Tasel Rating: 3.5
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 4.5
• Dragon Berry Refresher featuring Bacardi Dragon Berry Rum
  Very light and refreshing.  Tastes like Sprite with some dragon berry juice.  Not overly sweet or syrupy.  You can just make out the rum on the finish.  Perfect for those hot Flordia days down in Disney.  
  • $10.75
  • Tasel Rating: 4.5
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 3
• Stowaway Mary
  Here year round, this beverage is more a food and beverage pairing.  There is a GIANT jumbo shrimp, a 10″ beef jerky stick, along with some olives and a cherry tomato.  Bloody mary itself is pretty standard with a good mix of spices.  The alcohol isn’t too noticeable, but definitely a healthy pour.  Shrimp is cooked well, and the beef jerky was tasty.  Mrs Tasel doesn’t like Bloody Mary’s so she opted out for this one.    
  • $13.25
  • Tasel Rating: 3.25
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: N/A

Culinary Row

The last 4 booths on our list are in Culinary Row.  That’s the name given to the section just to the right of the entrance to EPCOT, and before you get to World Showcase.  Coastal, Earth, and Active Eats share a common eating area with Food from Fire, which is right before it.

Active Eats

Just the one item here.  We’ve had it in the past, and although I’ve liked it each time, Mrs. Tasel typically does not.  Debated just skipping this booth all together, especially since it was so hot out, but the close proximity to the other two booths, and the fact I have enjoyed this dish in the past… I decided not to miss out.

Click here for the Full Booth Offerings

• Loaded Mac ‘n’ Cheese with Nueske’s® Pepper Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Peppers, and Green Onions
  Much spicier than I remembered.  Not sure if that was just the luck of the draw or they kicked up the flavors this year.  I enjoyed it.  It was a fresh green pepper taste that didn’t overpower the cheese and other flavors.  I thought lighter than a normal Mac ‘n Cheese, Mrs. Tasel did not.  So your thoughts may vary on this one.
  • $5.00
  • Tasel Rating: 4.25
  • Mrs. Tasel 2.5

Earth Eats

We technically got all the food items here, but since there were only two that wasn’t all that difficult.  We didn’t get any of the beverages though.  Although interesting, and glad we got both burgers, I might just skip this booth next time, or at least just get the regular burger.

Click here for the Full Booth Offerings

• The Steakhouse Blended Burger: Blended Beef and Wild Mushroom Slider with Brie Cheese Fondue,  Arugula, Truffle and Blue Cheese Potato Chip on a Brioche Bun
  Was overcooked in our opinion (was cooked at medium-well/well).  Flavors were very good and well balanced.  Fondue gave a nice creamy-ness.  Just wished it was cooked to no more than a medium.
  • $5.00
  • Tasel Rating: 3.5
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 2.5

• The IMPOSSIBLE™ Burger Slider with Wasabi Cream and Spicy Asian Slaw on a Sesame Seed Bun
  Vegetarian burger (hence “impossible” in the name).  We were not fans.  Mrs. Tasel even used the words “feet” and “taste” together.  It just tastes fake.  Maybe we are missing something since lots of people have liked this one a lot.  If you are used to vegetarian burgers maybe it’s a step up. Though, Mrs. Tasel disagrees and she used to be vegetarian. Neither of us was impressed.    
  • $5.00
  • Tasel Rating: 1.75
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 0.5

Coastal Eats

This was another “getting everything” booth.  We are big fans of seafood, especially scallops, and Disney has usually done fairly well here.  We wanted to try everything on the menu.  Overall all the food items were pretty solid although not spectacular. The beverages, however, were a little of a hit or miss.

Click here for the Full Booth Offerings

• Seared Scallops with Roasted Corn, Butterbean Succotash and Chili-chipotle Butter Sauce
  Solid dish, but didn’t overly impress.  Lots of flavors.  I didn’t like the Succotash (but I tend not to), scallops cooked very well,  just… eh.  Was good, nothing wrong per say, but was missing something to impress us. 
  • $6.00
  • Tasel Rating: 2.5
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 3
• Lump Crab Cake with Napa Cabbage Slaw and Avocado-lemongrass Cream
  Tons of crab, not a lot of filler.  Creme was very tangy and that pairs well with the crab.   Slaw on its own was just ok.  Gave a crunch to the crab cake as it was missing that crispy edge.  Tasty!  
  • $5.25
  • Tasel Rating: 3.5
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 3.5

• Baked Shrimp Scampi Dip with Sourdough Baguette
  Lots of little shrimp inside the dip.  Wasn’t super rich.  Very creamy and garlicky.  Sourdough was small little pieces that were very crispy.  Wished there was more bread or something to enjoy the sauce with, as there was a lot of it.  Shrimp was a little overcooked but still enjoyable.
  • $5.75
  • Tasel Rating: 3.25
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 3.5
• A to Z Wineworks Pinot Gris, Oregon
  Very tangy with a sharp heat along with it.  Doesn’t seem to pair well with the scampi.   It took a few tastes to get a good sense of this dish due to use just eating the scampi, The tangy lemon notes do pair well with the crab cakes. Don’t have after the scampi or you’re likely to have an unpleasant tasting experience.
  • $5.00
  • Tasel Rating: 2.5
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 0.5
• ROCO Gravel Road Pinot Noir, Oregon
  Also doesn’t seem to pair well with the scampi, which was unfortunate as we tasted both wines right after eating that.  In addition has that slight “cat pee” flavor profile Mrs. Tasel finally got to experience and identify.  Neither of us was a fan of this one.  
  • $6.00
  • Tasel Rating: 1.5
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 0.5

Flavors from Fire

Mmmmm smokey goodness!  There is a little area behind this booth for you to sit at, and when the wind hits just right, you can get that delicious smell wafting in your direction.      Also behind the booth, you can watch as they grill their different dishes.  Not much different than if you were doing it at home, but still fun to watch regardless.

There is also a beverage here of some notoriety… Swine Brine.  It’s a cold Piggy Wing (which is sold separately as a hot entree as well) that sits on top of a bourbon drink.  I tried this last year and decided to skip it this time around.  Some describe this drink as “meat sitting in a long island ice tea” and… yea it’s exactly what that sounds like. Interesting to try at last once, but probably never have it again.

Click here for the Full Booth Offerings

• Charred Chimichurri Skirt Steak on a Smoked Corn Cake with Pickled Vegetable Slaw and Cilantro Aïoli
  The steak was nice and rare to medium rare.  The flavor was right on point.  The corn cake was a little more biscuit like than I expected, but considering it’s grilled shouldn’t have been a surprise.  Steak on its own I rated a 3.5-3.75, but thought the corn cake was kinda bland overall and brought the dish down.
  • $6.75
  • Tasel Rating: 3.25
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 3.5

• Smoked Corned Beef with Warm Crispy Potatoes, Pickled Onions and Blonde Ale Beer Fondue featuring BelGioioso® Romano and American Grana Cheeses
  A little salty, but what do you expect from corned beef dish.   Reminded us of a corn beef nacho dish.  The meat has a nice smokey flavor.  The potato chips are crispy, almost overly so in order to hold up to the stuff placed on top.   Cheese sauce adds a nice lightness.  Nice solid Disney dish.
  • $5.00
  • Tasel Rating: 3
  • Mrs Tasel Rating: 3

Check out our other 2018 Food & Wine coverage:

• EPCOT 2018 Food & Wine Festival – Food Coverage Day 1
• EPCOT 2018 Food & Wine Festival – Food Coverage Day 2
• EPCOT 2018 Food & Wine Festival – Food Coverage Day 3
• EPCOT 2018 Food & Wine Festival – Festival Extras
• EPCOT 2018 Food & Wine Festival – Must have items!