Epcot Flower and Garden Festival food: Colorful plates delight the senses

This year’s new Epcot Flower and Garden Festival food is a feast for the senses. Colorful plates and bold flavors delight Disney food fans.

Ready for some of the best new Epcot Flower and Festival food? While the annual Epcot Food and Wine Festival might get all the foodie attention, the springtime Epcot festival is a feast for foodies as well.

At this food festival, the garden’s bounty is the focus. While the various county marketplaces offer regionally influenced dishes, many other marketplaces focus on some creative flavor combinations. The bright colorful plates are equally matched with robust flavors.

While many popular dishes from previous festivals have returned, a few new Epcot Flower and Garden Festival foods proved the most tempting. These choices were my top colorful plates on my most recent visit.

Fried Green Tomatoes, photo by Cristine Struble

Fried Green Tomatoes: Arbor at the Gardeners Terrace

The Southern favorite, fried green tomatoes, are elevated to another level in this dish. Topped with a blue crab-fennel salad, the lusciousness of the crab offsets the green tomatoes. With the smoked paprika oil, the bite is an explosion of flavors.

Lobster Tail: The Citrus Blossom

When Epcot offers lobster, it is usually a must try dish. This dish excels in its simplicity. The contrast of the sweetness of the lobster and the tartness of the Meyer lemon emulsion, this bite is sublime. It will have you rethinking traditional lobster pairings.

Smoked Salmon Stack, photo by Cristine Struble

Smoked Salmon Stack: Arbor at the Gardeners Terrace

While smoked salmon is a popular breakfast item, this dish is like an elevated appetizer. With avocados, tomatoes and caviar, this dish is quite rich. While there are a few items of focaccia crostino, I wished that there were a few more. The contrast of textures was quite enjoyable.

Citrus Poached Salmon – Flavor Full Kitchen

A very light feeling dish, this dish benefits greatly from the citrus greens. These ingredients exemplify how different greens can offer a punch of flavor. Even the ancient grain salad is a lovely contrast to the flavors and textures.

Tuna Tataki with Orange Sunshine Wine Slushy, photo by Cristine Struble

Tuna Tataki: The Citrus Blossom

One of the most colorful plates at Epcot Flower and Garden Festival, this plate offers bold flavors. While the richness of the avocado pairs well with the tuna, the spicy yuzu glaze is definitely the star. This spicy citrus forward flavor is something that I would love to recreate on my own.

If you are looking to try a new dish at this year’s Epcot food festival, these five dishes are definitely recommended. Additionally, the Honey Bee-stro, The Smokehouse and Northern Bloom are other top choices. While some of these dishes are the same as last year, they are very tasty.

Have you tried this new Epcot Flower and Garden festival food? What are you favorite bites from the annual event?