Garden Festival Archives - Nancy J. Cohen

Orlando has a multitude of dining opportunities. We began our sojourn this past weekend by eating hot dogs in the food court at the Home and Garden Show in the Convention Center. Then we strolled the aisles, inspecting the products and services offered by numerous exhibitors.

We topped off the day by dining at Kobe Japanese Steakhouse. I’d forgotten how delicious food tastes when cooked in front of you at a hibachi grill. The meal included soup and a salad. You chose the main ingredient for the entrée—steak, chicken, or shrimp—and this came with noodles, fried rice, and sautéed vegetables to make a generous feast. The chef showed off his artistry as he prepared the meal.

On Saturday, we visited Epcot at Disney World. The weather graced us with partially cloudy skies that kept temperatures mild in the seventies. As usual, we admired the lovely flower displays.

I dipped into Club Cool for a quick sample of soft drinks from around the world.

Turning right at World Showcase, we sampled a variety of food choices at the marketplace booths. I liked the pulled duck confit at France and the chicken fricassee at Germany.

We noted construction next to Mexico. I’m wondering what is going up at that site.

Now that we are home, it’s time to raise the exercise quotient and return to healthy eating.

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We always enjoy Epcot’s annual Flower and Garden Festival. Colorful blossoms met our gazes everywhere with perfect landscaping as only Disney can do. Not a weed in site, even in their vegetable gardens.

Our main purpose being to eat, we aimed for World Showcase and the international food booths.

Turning right, I passed on the hot dog with spicy pineapple chutney and the refreshing pineapple soft serve at the Pineapple Promenade to head for France. They always have the best food. Here I had the pulled duck confit with parsley potatoes, and it was as delicious as expected. My husband had the Parisian dumplings with mushrooms and vegetables.

Further along, I sampled the sweet corn pancake from Venezuela at a booth labeled Botanas Botanico. It was tasty but filling.

I topped these meals off with a lemon curd and blueberry tart from Florida Fresh. This dessert was lip-smacking good.

As the sun blazed overhead, it neared eighty degrees but wasn’t nearly as bad as in the humid, warmer months. After ending up back where we started, we headed home for a much-needed nap. Since we have annual passes, it’s easy to show up for a long walk and lunch and then leave. One thing I will advise, and that’s to avoid Downtown Disney. The construction is a mess over there, and parking is difficult I’ll wait until things improve, and the new restaurants open at the renamed Disney Springs.

Spring is the perfect time to visit Disney World, same as November, when temperatures can be milder. Meanwhile, if you’re stuck at home, look for the new Cinderella movie debuting on Friday. Hopefully, it’ll be a winner. How can it not be, when Lady Rose from Downton Abbey plays the title role?

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