The final weeks of Epcot’s Flower & Garden Festival feature a new Summer Solstice menu and a Goofy-themed game party on May 27.

The Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival enters its final few weeks. The event runs through June 2. After that, Epcot will be festival-less until the Food & Wine Festival starts around the end of the summer.

Though details are very limited right now, we know that CommuniCore Hall will switch from a place where the Farmer’s Feast Outdoor Kitchen exists for the Flower & Garden Festival but changes into a relaxing space. Walt Disney World said “following the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival, families with young kids will be able to cool down while enjoying the ultimate game party and play space featuring none other than Goofy as he takes over CommuniCore Hall at EPCOT. We don’t want to spoil all the surprises, but be on the lookout for more details soon.”

We do know that Goofy takes over CommuniCore Hall on May 27. To enable this to happen, CommuniCore Hall closes on May 12. This change adds to the list of things Walt Disney World offers, starting around May 27. This includes Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After.

Summer Solstice Menu at Farmer’s Feast Outdoor Kitchen at CommuniCore Hall

On the opening day of this new menu at Farmer’s Feast, the main menu board had not been updated.

As a result, a cast member had to stand at the queue entrance holding up a sign with the correct menu item listed. This led to significant confusion on the opening day of this menu.

The Summer Solstice Menu arrived to finish out the last few weeks of the Flower & Garden Festival. It will be available May 4 through June 2, replacing the previous food options. The new menu looks like this:

• Heirloom Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella with shallot vinaigrette, sourdough croutons, pesto, micro basil, and balsamic pearls (New) 
• Grilled Beef Strip Loin with tomato risotto featuring BEN’S ORIGINAL INTERNATIONAL GRAINS Arborio Rice, tomato-beurre blanc, and basil pesto  
• Peach Cobbler with cinnamon gelato and streusel topping (New).

This final menu at the Farmer’s Feast follows the pattern of the previous two. It contains a salad-style entree, a returning protein-based entree with rice, and a dessert with a frozen treat of some type. We tried the two new items at this Flower & Garden Outdoor Kitchen during our visit. During our recent visit, we decided to get all three food items on the menu.

Summer Solstice Menu: Heirloom Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella – $5.00

This festival food option reminded us of a caprese salad. Though it offers some subtle differences, the main components are the same. We found the heirloom tomatoes to be fresh and of good quality. The mozzarella also tasted fresh. However, we felt it needed more mozzarella. Of course, this item only cost five dollars, so more mozzarella may have caused the price to increase significantly.

The vinaigrette provides a robust flavor for this item. The balsamic pearls work as a nice idea, but they did not impact the dish much. We preferred this salad over the previous two salad-style menu items at this festival location. We did question if guests could make this at home for the same price or less. However, it makes an excellent light festival food item, especially for only five dollars.

Peach Cobbler – $4.75

The dessert on the Summer Solstice Menu created a more divisive option among our group. The cinnamon gelato offered a strong and pleasant flavor, while the peach cobbler portion created differing opinions. The cobbler portion lacks the powerful taste of the gelato. Still, we found this dessert to offer a more appealing flavor for most guests who came to try this Farmer’s Feast festival item.

Grilled Beef Strip Loin – $8.50

Our biggest disappointment related to the main savory item on the new Summer Solstice Menu. The risotto tasted good, but a bit tangy for some of our group. However, risotto can be very inconsistent over the course of a food festival. However, the beef strip loin lacked any evidence of being fully grilled. Also, it lacked seasoning. We understand that it was prepared that way to pair with the powerful flavors of the risotto. Still, the two main components do not pair well with each other. We do not recall this issue from last year’s festival.

For more theme park reviews, visit MSM News every weekday at noon Eastern Time. As always, eat like you mean it!

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