Festival of the Arts Food Reviews

Haley R

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 3, 2017
We visited the festival on Friday and tried some different foods so I thought I would leave some comments on what we thought.

Deconstructed Reuben-3/4
-The corn beef was good. The breading under it was weird and mushy.​
Spicy Beef Shumai-3.5/4
-Tasted like a spicy potsticker. Dh said it wasn’t as good as he was hoping but still good. He said there was a lot of filling so it seemed worth the price.​
Red Wine-braised Beef Short Rib-3.5/4
-This was by far my favorite thing. The broccolini and beef were amazing. I didn’t like the parsnip purée though. I would’ve much rather it been mashed potatoes underneath.​
Musical Float-3/4
-I ate this with the slushie and ice cream separate while Dh ate it together. He said he was surprised by how good they tasted mixed together. I really liked the red Fanta part of the slushie.​
Sushi Donut-3.5/4
-Dh liked getting to try multiple types of sushi in one dish.​
Wild Mushroom Risotto-2.5/4
-This had decent flavor but was way too small for the price. It wasn’t enough for two people to share and it was $9.25.​
 

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Since there isn’t an official thread, I’ll piggyback Haley’s post and list my rankings here. I will say, the food has been quite good. After a pretty terrible holiday festival (food wise), I’m glad to have positive things to say for the art festival.

Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake (The Deconstructed Dish) - 10/10 - The cheesecake filling was absolutely perfect. Rich and creamy.

Sopes de Barbacoa (El Artista Hambriento) - 9.0/10 - The fried corn shell really makes this dish. We ordered this twice.

Spicy Beef Shumai (The Painted Panda) - 9.0/10 - Kind of pricy, but very tasty, and surprisingly spicy. The pickles are a nice touch. We ordered this twice.

Red Wine Braised Beef Short Rib (Cuisine Classique) - 8.0/10 - The meat was very tender.

Beef Wellington (The Artist’s Table) - 8.0/10 - Very tender and flavorful, though some of the pastry was undercooked.

Smoked Salmon and Cream Gateau (The Masterpiece Kitchen) - 8.0/10 - Delicious combination.

Tomato Farcie Facon Paul Bocuse (L’Art de la Cuisine Francaise) - 8.0/10 - Surprisingly tasty combination.

Lobster Chips (Refreshment Port) - 8.0/10 - Decent serving size, good amount of lobster.

Creme de Brie en Petit Pain (L’Art de la Cuisine Francaise) - 7.5/10 - Didn’t really taste like proper Brie, but was pretty good anyway.

Almond Frangipane Cake (Pop Eats) - 7.5/10 - Good as always.

Sous Vide Chicken Roulade (Pop Eats) - 7.5/10 - Very tender.

Deconstructed Reuben (The Deconstructed Dish) - 7.5/10 - The meat was very good, but I’m not a big sauerkraut guy)

Sushi Donut (Goshiki) - 7.5/10 - Last year’s version was better with the citrus soy gelee. Also, the rice was way too warm. The fish was of decent quality, though.

Wild Mushroom Risotto (The Masterpiece Kitchen) - 7.0/10 - Tasted pretty good, but could have used some salt.

Seared Corvina (Cuisine Classique) - 7.0/10 - Tasted good, but was way overcooked.

Pan-Seared Scallop (The Artist’s Table) - 7.0/10 - Scallop was good but tiny, horrible value.

Deconstructed BLT (The Deconstructed Dish) - 7.0/10 - Hardly any pork belly.

Agave Pork Belly (El Artista Hambriento) - 7.0/10 - Very small serving.

Vanilla, Rose Water and Pistachio Panna Cotta (The Masterpiece Kitchen) - 6.5/10 - Tasted pretty good, but was frozen solid and very difficult to eat.

Taiyaki (Goshiki) - 5.0/10 - My wife loves these, though she preferred the version they had last year. I just don’t care for red bean, thus the low ranking.
 
Since there isn’t an official thread, I’ll piggyback Haley’s post and list my rankings here. I will say, the food has been quite good. After a pretty terrible holiday festival (food wise), I’m glad to have positive things to say for the art festival.

Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake (The Deconstructed Dish) - 10/10 - The cheesecake filling was absolutely perfect. Rich and creamy.

Sopes de Barbacoa (El Artista Hambriento) - 9.0/10 - The fried corn shell really makes this dish. We ordered this twice.

Spicy Beef Shumai (The Painted Panda) - 9.0/10 - Kind of pricy, but very tasty, and surprisingly spicy. The pickles are a nice touch. We ordered this twice.

Red Wine Braised Beef Short Rib (Cuisine Classique) - 8.0/10 - The meat was very tender.

Beef Wellington (The Artist’s Table) - 8.0/10 - Very tender and flavorful, though some of the pastry was undercooked.

Smoked Salmon and Cream Gateau (The Masterpiece Kitchen) - 8.0/10 - Delicious combination.

Tomato Farcie Facon Paul Bocuse (L’Art de la Cuisine Francaise) - 8.0/10 - Surprisingly tasty combination.

Lobster Chips (Refreshment Port) - 8.0/10 - Decent serving size, good amount of lobster.

Creme de Brie en Petit Pain (L’Art de la Cuisine Francaise) - 7.5/10 - Didn’t really taste like proper Brie, but was pretty good anyway.

Almond Frangipane Cake (Pop Eats) - 7.5/10 - Good as always.

Sous Vide Chicken Roulade (Pop Eats) - 7.5/10 - Very tender.

Deconstructed Reuben (The Deconstructed Dish) - 7.5/10 - The meat was very good, but I’m not a big sauerkraut guy)

Sushi Donut (Goshiki) - 7.5/10 - Last year’s version was better with the citrus soy gelee. Also, the rice was way too warm. The fish was of decent quality, though.

Wild Mushroom Risotto (The Masterpiece Kitchen) - 7.0/10 - Tasted pretty good, but could have used some salt.

Seared Corvina (Cuisine Classique) - 7.0/10 - Tasted good, but was way overcooked.

Pan-Seared Scallop (The Artist’s Table) - 7.0/10 - Scallop was good but tiny, horrible value.

Deconstructed BLT (The Deconstructed Dish) - 7.0/10 - Hardly any pork belly.

Agave Pork Belly (El Artista Hambriento) - 7.0/10 - Very small serving.

Vanilla, Rose Water and Pistachio Panna Cotta (The Masterpiece Kitchen) - 6.5/10 - Tasted pretty good, but was frozen solid and very difficult to eat.

Taiyaki (Goshiki) - 5.0/10 - My wife loves these, though she preferred the version they had last year. I just don’t care for red bean, thus the low ranking.
We might go back to the festival before it ends and I really want to try the chicken drumstick in Italy. Normally we skip Italy for festivals.
 
Hopefully we can add some mini reviews to this thread once we’ve gone in Feb! If anyone else has any to add it would be great. Thanks so much for this guys!
 


My husband is a big Reuben fan and he enjoyed the deconstructed Reuben. I had the cheesecake and it was good. We loved the brie in the bread bowl. I wish every bread bowl was a French baguette. Delicious. Also had the warm chocolate cake and it was also good. He had the scallop at America and loved it. I had the Beef Wellington thought it was okay. I also thought tne pastry was undercooked until I realized that was the fennel cream. My meat was good except for the piece of tendon that wasn't cuttable with a plastic knife. It was a large piece of meat and sharable.
 
These are great! I plan to go to the festival next week and for the first time in many visits - plan to actually eat my way around the festival.

Unless my wallet starts screaming - a little nervous about whether I can handle paying OOP without the DDP lol. Hoping a budget of $20-30pp (food only, no drinks) is enough for DH and I to have an enjoyable meal. I already think that is a lot to pay to eat but convincing myself it wil be TS quality food without paying tips (and hopefully not eating on garbage cans lol)
 
These are great! I plan to go to the festival next week and for the first time in many visits - plan to actually eat my way around the festival.

Unless my wallet starts screaming - a little nervous about whether I can handle paying OOP without the DDP lol. Hoping a budget of $20-30pp (food only, no drinks) is enough for DH and I to have an enjoyable meal. I already think that is a lot to pay to eat but convincing myself it wil be TS quality food without paying tips (and hopefully not eating on garbage cans lol)
A lot of the foods we got were between $8-$10. Dh even got one that was $10.50. I definitely think the prices are higher at this festival but they normally do a nice job of plating. The one I got that wasn’t worth the price at all was the risotto
 


Thanks for the reviews. I have never been this time of year, I go for the F&WF yearly. But I booked a last minute trip to try it out. Leaving in under 2 weeks. I am really excited not only for the festival, but to go to WDW at a different time of year. Not sure how I feel about the cooler weather. LOL But it will still be much warmer then where I live. No snow! Yah!
 
Thanks for the reviews. I have never been this time of year, I go for the F&WF yearly. But I booked a last minute trip to try it out. Leaving in under 2 weeks. I am really excited not only for the festival, but to go to WDW at a different time of year. Not sure how I feel about the cooler weather. LOL But it will still be much warmer then where I live. No snow! Yah!
I like the festival of the arts a lot more than food and wine. I feel like there is so much more to see/do at this festival. I live an hour from Orlando and it’s been beautiful lately. We had some “chilly” days when the rest of the country was having nasty cold spells but now we’re consistently in the 70s
 
I like the festival of the arts a lot more than food and wine. I feel like there is so much more to see/do at this festival. I live an hour from Orlando and it’s been beautiful lately. We had some “chilly” days when the rest of the country was having nasty cold spells but now we’re consistently in the 70s

My favorite event for the F&WF is the Hibachi Experience. I have been going to this event every year since they started it. There are a bunch of us that always seem to end up booking the same day and we have a blast. But I am very excited to see all that the FoTA offers.
 
My favorite event for the F&WF is the Hibachi Experience. I have been going to this event every year since they started it. There are a bunch of us that always seem to end up booking the same day and we have a blast. But I am very excited to see all that the FoTA offers.
We don’t do any of the extra paid workshops so I can’t comment on that. I just like all of the art booths, chalk art, performance art, and the giant mural
 
A lot of the foods we got were between $8-$10. Dh even got one that was $10.50. I definitely think the prices are higher at this festival but they normally do a nice job of plating. The one I got that wasn’t worth the price at all was the risotto

I would have though the risotto would be a filling portion for the price. I will steer clear - especially since I have also read other not so happy reviews about it.

I know it will be expensive. So just mentally preparing myself.
 
I would have though the risotto would be a filling portion for the price. I will steer clear - especially since I have also read other not so happy reviews about it.

I know it will be expensive. So just mentally preparing myself.
I personally didn’t think it was filling at all. It was a very small portion for $9.25. If they gave a roll or some type of bread with it maybe but the risotto by itself wasn’t filling.
 
I personally didn’t think it was filling at all. It was a very small portion for $9.25. If they gave a roll or some type of bread with it maybe but the risotto by itself wasn’t filling.

Perfect. These are the types of things it is helpful to know. Especially for the price of a QS entree!

Lemon Blood Orange Tart at Decadent Delights is absolutely beautiful and delicious!

It looks (and sounds) so good!
 
Here are some reviews I posted in my Dining Reviews thread:

Today we are at the Festival of the Arts :) First thing I did was buy a wristlet gift card, loaded the minimum $15 on it, and then transferred the balance from my regular gift card over. Sooo convenient to use the wristlet!

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First booth we came across that we liked the look of was the one with the Deconstructed BLT ($7)! While DH was waiting for the food, I spied the Lobster Chips ($10.50) across the way and snagged one.

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The BLT was a delicious medley of flavors although DH wasn't as impressed. I loved the juxtaposition of the crispy flavorful pork belly and the soft, creamy egg yolk. I thought two generous slices of pork belly and a whole egg provided decent heft to this dish.

The lobster chips had a generous amount of large pieces of tender lobster and a rich, creamy, delicious cheese sauce. However, the chips were heavily salted which realy detracted from the dish. Especially as the salting was uneven. I left a couple of chips on the plate. I wish I had asked for it without chips and with more sauce lol. To be fair, I am not a chips fan. Then again, DH is and even he didn't care for the excessive salt.

We wandered onwards and found the Vanilla, Rose Water and Pistachio Panna Cotta ($8). With this and the BLT I have two stamps on the Wonderful Walk of Colorful Cuisine - if I get 5 stamps I get a free treat.

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It was completely different from what I expected. I thought it would be like a custard. But it was chilled and tasted like a delicious ice cream cake with a thin white chocolate coating. Even DH enjoyed this one :)

We were surprisingly not too hungry after this and said we were good for lunch. But after watching the new Canada Far and Wide and the Beauty and the Beast singalong, we decided to watch the acrobatic show at the World Showcase stage. We happened to be early enough to catch the harpist and I was surprised that DH enjoyed the music so much - he was actually sad when it ended! (The man can still surprise me after 20 years)

But cheered up when I ran over to Pop Eats to pick up an Almond Frangipane Cake ($4.50). Coated in belgian chocolate, we weren't quite sure about this one but ppl rave about it so we were game to give it a try.

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We REALLY liked it. I expected a basic sponge/butter cake but this was an extremely dense cake using almond flour. The light touch of raspberry jam and thin coating of rich Belgian chocolate enhanced the almond cake. DH was very impressed.

It was lovely to nibble on this while watching the acrobatic show. What an awesome Epcot day!

Our lunch total was $30. Surprised DH didn't eat much today but he said he was not too hungry after a filling breakfast of oatmeal and cereal.

After a nice nap, we strolled back into Epcot and started our dinner at Pop Eats with the Chicken Sous Vide for $6.75. The CM gave me an end piece and I ended up with a giant portion. It looked so pretty.

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The chicken was generally good and reasonably moist. However, despite all the colorful sauces on the plate, it all tasted rather bland and boring. The chicken was extremely thick and overwhelmed the tiny amount of apple stuffed inside. There wasn't enough sauce to really flavor anything. Good for someone looking for a simple, plainer meal but IMO, rather boring.

Next up was Mexico for the item receiving rave reviews - the Sopa de Barbacoa ($7.25). The Agave Pork Belly ($7.50) looked appealing so we got that too.

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Now THIS is what I expected from the Festival of the Arts! Beautifully crafted with a medley of interesting flavors. We enjoyed both dishes. The pork belly tasted a lot like Chinese Char Siu and the lentil salad was absolutely delicious. The Sopa had a delightful balance of flavors with the beef and the coleslaw. Both were fairly large portions so felt more worth it for the price.

We spent some time in China then headed off for the next booth - the well-reviewed Braised Short Rib ($8). It was decent with moist flavorful meat and a good sized portion. However it was also rather boring. Nothing interesting about this dish other than the slightly bitter aftertaste of the parsnip puree.

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After this, we were rather done with the Festival food. It had been a really expensive day although I had been mentally able to ignore the prices and just scan my gift card at each place. Still - we just weren't feeling it and there were enough disappointing expensive dishes.

All in all, we are glad we gave this food booth thing our very best effort after my obsessing with food reports and blog reviews. But we are unlikely to go out of our way to do it in the future. Just a snack here and there when something looks good (I have a feeling another Almond Frangipane cake is in our future!) We much prefer Epcot's regular offerings or having a nice meal in a table service restaurant for the same or less money. Ooo...maybe dinner at Chefs de France :)

Dinner tonight was $50 even (DH also got a QS meal from Katsura Grill and we got gelato from Italy).
 
I like the festival of the arts a lot more than food and wine. I feel like there is so much more to see/do at this festival. I live an hour from Orlando and it’s been beautiful lately. We had some “chilly” days when the rest of the country was having nasty cold spells but now we’re consistently in the 70s
We went last year and really loved walking around and seeing all the artwork. I’m sorry we’ll miss it this year.

Our local Italian ice chain “Ralphs” has an ice and ice cream “Twister” that looks similar to the slushy combo you had. We love the combo of ice and ice cream as odd a mixture it seems.
 
We went last year and really loved walking around and seeing all the artwork. I’m sorry we’ll miss it this year.

Our local Italian ice chain “Ralphs” has an ice and ice cream “Twister” that looks similar to the slushy combo you had. We love the combo of ice and ice cream as odd a mixture it seems.
I tried Dh’s since he got them mixed and I didn’t like it but I’m a picky eater. I don’t like my foods mixed. He said it was surprisingly good!
 
I tried Dh’s since he got them mixed and I didn’t like it but I’m a picky eater. I don’t like my foods mixed. He said it was surprisingly good!

I have had the similar American Dream and LOVED it! DH is more an ice cream and chocolate person so don't think I am getting any slushies this trip as we enjoy sharing.
 

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