Top 3, Bottom 3: Festival of the Arts!

on February 20, 2021

Each week, two members of the Crescent Lake Club tackle the best and worst offerings at Walt Disney World. This week, Ryan and Beth rank the three best AND worst items they tried at this year’s Epcot Festival of the Arts!

2020 and now into 2021 has been quite the change for Walt Disney World, and the Epcot festivals have been no exception. We have seen some of the longest festivals ever during this pandemic period in the parks. This year given those changes a few members of our team got the chance to experience Epcot’s Festival of the Arts. For this festival we indulge in creative and culinary masterpieces, or so we hoped …

First up this week is Ryan with his Top 3 picks from Festival of the Arts:

Now, I will say I didn’t try as much as I may have wanted to at Festival of the Arts but I did have quite a few items on my two visits during my January trip. My first item is the Tomato Soup with French Onion and Bacon Grilled Cheese at Pop Eats. This is a specialty grilled cheese offering served with a side of tomato soup in a cute little painters container. I really wanted to go back and get it again because it was so good but never did. They also offer a a regular grilled cheese with tomato soup.

Up next, I am going with the Crème de Brie en Petit Pain: Warm Creamy Brie in a House-made Bread Bowl you can find in France. This delicious bread bowl with warm cheese is sure to delight. As someone from Wisconsin I cannot say no to cheese. After a few drinks around World Showcase this will surely soak up some of the alcohol.

And lastly on my top 3 is the Taco de Chocolate: Chocolate Candy Shell filled with Mexican Chocolate Mousse with a touch of Chile topped with Tropical Fruit. This chocolate taco is found in Mexico and is the perfect desert to top off some of the more savory offerings you might find. I paired it with a nice pomegranate margarita from the same booth. Its light and chocolate, I am not sure I could ask for much more.

Beth’s Top 3:

Croissant a la Truffle Noir d’Hiver (Black Winter Truffle Croissant) – L’art de la cuisine Franciase
Chile Relleno- Fried Poblano Pepper filled with Flank Steak, Black Beans, and Tomatoes drizzles with a Poblano ream Sauce- El Artista Hambriento
Prime Steak Tartare with Pickled Vegetables, Parsley Salad, Bearnaise Anglaise, and Sous Vide Quail Egg- The Painter’s Palate

Now it is Beth’s turn to tell you about her Bottom 3 items from Festival of the Arts!

This was my first visit to Festival of the Arts and it has easily climbed into one of the top two spots of Epcot festivals for me. Maybe it was because I had the opportunity to visit multiple days for extended periods or because the combination of great food and art really appealed to me.

I made three visits over the course of a week to the Festival of the Arts, which gave me the opportunity to try LOTS of eats and drinks from the festival booths. While I’m limited to a Top 3 which was not easy (SO many great, unique dishes), the bottom three was quite easy for me.

Best of the worst: Molten Chocolate and Raspberry Cake from the L’art de la Cuisine Française. This cake was just fine but nothing special that I haven’t had at any standard chain restaurant for dessert. Skip the calories on this one and grab an extra savory croissant or Frozen French Martini from this booth.

Coming in second to last, the Lobster Ravioli from L’Arte di Mangiare. I had high hopes for this one.. I mean, lobster AND pasta, should be total YUM. Maybe it was the saffron cream sauce that didn’t jive with me or the lobster wasn’t the best quality. My hubby loved this one, so he devoured the dish. I’d say grab the Arancini instead if you make a stop at this booth.

The worst of the worst for me at Festival of the Arts was the #RainbowSherbertGlitterDreamAle from the Pop Eats booth. What even does that mean? Is it ice cream? Is it beer? Glitter? I literally watched the booth attendant squirt something into the cup before pouring the beer. WHY? It was not off to a great start. I’m not typically a beer drinker but even I know when something isn’t good. And by not good, I mean bad. IT. WAS. BAD. The hubby 100 percent agreed, and he’s the beer snob of the family. Need a drink from the Pop Eats booth? Grab Popping Bubbles Cocktail, so fun and delicious.

Ryan’s Bottom 3 items from Festival of the Arts:

Artist Palette Jumbo Chocolate – Chip Cookie from The Artist’s Table
Symphony in Chocolate Flight: Mozart Cream Liqueurs paired with Sipping Chocolates from The Artist’s Table
Deconstructed Strawberry Cheesecake: Whipped New York-style Cheesecake with Fresh Florida Strawberries and Sugar Cookies

Note: I didn’t hate any of my bottom three but none of these items impressed me. They were fine for what they were, just not worth a return trip.

So there you have it! Do you agree with our Top 3 – Bottom 3 list for Festival of the Arts? Let us know what you enjoyed from this year’s festival!

You can find our previous Top 3 Bottom 3’s here: