It’s OK if you haven’t memorized the entire menu for the 2018 Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. By my count there are 104 food selections – not counting beverages– in the festival guide. So what if you’re not sure why your friends are in a fuss over the absence of something called Patagonia? We’re here to help. Welcome to the first edition of Theme Park Faker, a quick guide to the fresh elements of what’s up with events and attractions so that you can keep up your end of the dinner-party conversation and enter theme parks with confidence.
Here are a few talking points to help you wing it when it comes to Food & Wine, which runs from Thursday, Aug. 30, through Monday, Nov. 12. (Entry to the festival is included in regular park admission. You’ll have to pay, of course, for the actual food and select special events.)
FAMILIAR PLACES. There are no brand-spanking-new “national” marketplaces in this year’s fest; all have been seen around these parts before. There are a couple of well-known ones on the M.I.A. list, including Scotland and Patagonia (nee Argentina). My sweaty immediate reaction, in mental all caps, was “What about the chimichurri beef skewers?”
I’m trying to take solace by a menu item at the Flavors of Fire kiosk called charred chimichurri skirt steak. I shall reserve chimi-judgment until after a proper taste test.
Speaking of Flavors of Fire, more and more we get food stops with non-place names, particularly as the fest seeps farther from its World Showcase core. Among the participants this year: Taste Track (near Test Track, duh); Light Lab (near Club Cool); Earth Eats, Active Eats and Coastal Eats in Future World West; and the Shimmering Sips Mimosa Bar inside the Festival Center. (After a few mimosas, you might call it Shimmering Ships, but let’s not judge.)
IF YOU BUILD IT. The big honkin’ construction you see from Epcot’s parking lot is for the Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster, which basically is taking the place of Ellen’s Universe of Energy. The former attraction’s front remains in place, while that gigantic ride building is going up in space that previously was considered backstage.
Over behind the France pavilion, you might see cranes that are raising the “Ratatouille” ride. There are no public completion dates for either attraction.
Meanwhile, the Odyssey building – the one that sorta floats between Future World and World Showcase — is closed for renovations, but fear not … the craft beer that was available there has migrated to the festival center in Future World East (in the former Wonders of Life building).
AND A BOTTLE OF DRUM. The roster for the Eat to the Beat concert series is jam packed. Standing out to me is festival newbie Sheila E (“The Glamorous Life”), but first-timers 98 Degrees, Tauren Wells, Vertical Horizon and Jim Belushi & the Sacred Hearts should draw crowds. Quick quiz: There are only three female solo acts in the Beat lineup. Who are the others besides Sheila E? (Answer below.)
LAUREN’S CHOICE. There’s a slew of new at the fest, but I asked Sentinel food writer Lauren Delgado what *returning* item she’s most anticipating. Her answer lies in the Light Lab, home of “flavor experiments” such as the Phosphorescent Phreeze and something called UltraVIOLET. Unlike food items where you can pretty much tell what they are by their descriptions, there’s a bit of mystery in Light Lab, she says. Let there be Light Lab.
QUICK! DINING AND DANCING! For the first time, Disney is offering a quick-service version of its dinner plan. It will include entrée, dessert, non-alcoholic beverage from Liberty Inn and reserved seating for the day’s concert. There are catches: It’s only sold after 11:30 a.m. on the day you want it. Price: $29.99.
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HOT TICKET. Yep, Food & Wine lasts forever. Nah, not really. It’s just 75 days, which ties a record for length. It’s not the first time that it’s opened in August either. Keeping all that in mind, let’s all stay hydrated and wear sunscreen.
EAT TO THE BEAT ANSWERS: Our other two solo female acts this year are Tiffany and Taylor Dayne. Did you just start humming “I Think We’re Alone Now” or “Tell It to My Heart”?