The Smokehouse – 2018 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival
As part of our 2018 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival coverage, we bring you the Outdoor Kitchen review for The Smokehouse. Located at The American Adventure, this Outdoor Kitchen features a variety of barbecue and brews.
Pulled Pig Slider – $6.75
Served with Coleslaw
The Pulled Pig Slider is a relatively safe bet, with a decent helping of flavorful pork. Neither myself or others in the group cared much for the coleslaw on top. The slider isn’t really a pass, but it’s forgettable in the lineup presented by The Smokehouse.
Beef Brisket Burnt Ends and Smoked Pork Belly Slider – $7.25
Served with Garlic Sausage, Chorizo, Cheddar Fondue, and House-made Pickle
There’s a lot going on here. A chef explained to us that this is really one of their signature items this year, and that they take great care in presenting and making it. Every item is made in-house except for the bread. The end result is a stacked slider that is a decent few bites. Ours came out a bit dry, but I’ll chalk it up to first day adjustments. Overall, it’s a fun slider with some tasty elements.
Beef Brisket Burnt Ends Hash – $6.50
Served with White Cheddar Fondue and Pickled Jalapenos
I think we ended up getting about 3 bites of burnt ends, which makes the value here almost a joke. At $6.50 we’d need to see double what we were served to consider a return to what was otherwise a tasty, flavorful dish. The burnt ends were nice and smoked, with the fondue and jalapenos punching a bit of a spice. That said, it’s not worth $6.50 if the portion stays the same as what we were served.
Warm Chocolate Cake – $4.00
Served with Bourbon-salted Caramel Sauce and Spiced Pecans
A phenomenally delicious cake was one of our top items from the festival. It’s a rich chocolate cake that benefits from hints of bourbon in the classically flavored caramel sauce. A recommended dish.
Simply Frozen Lemonade – $11.75
Served with Firefly Blackberry Moonshine
Another refreshing, frozen drink to add to the wonderful lineup of options at this years festival. The frozen lemonade packs the expected tartness from a lemonade, while infusing a berry flavor from the blackberry moonshine. At $11.75, you’ll have to pick and choose which frozen drink you want from the festival, but this isn’t a terrible option.
Beer Flight – $9.50
Central 28 Brewing Company Sunshine Greetings Orange Hibiscus Wheat Ale, 3 Daughters Brewing Phantasmas Spicy Double IPA, Shipyard Maple Bacon Stout
We’ll start with the Orange Hibiscus Wheat Ale. It’s a light, fruity beer that amounts to an easy drink. The Phantasmas was ultimately an unpleasant experience. It earns a pass from me. The Maple Bacon Stout was the winner for us. It was a bit thinner than a normal stout beer, but the sweet maple and smokey bacon was a wonderful combination. It was a smooth drink that we’ll likely be back to experience outside of the flight.
