Biergarten Restaurant at Epcot - Restaurant Review

Willkommen! There are few cuisines that really stick to your ribs and make you feel full as much as German food does. Whether you prefer sausages, schnitzel, or spätzle, you'll find as much as you care to enjoy at the Biergarten Restaurant in Epcot's Germany Pavilion. Of course, that begs the question: it may be a bunch of food, but how is the quality and value for your money? Well, that's why I write this blog: to suffer through eating so much Disney food and bring you the answers to the hard questions.

Biergarten is set up to look like a open courtyard in a Bavarian town, all set up for a big Oktoberfest celebration. The setting is nighttime, so it can be a bit dark for photography, hence why some of my pictures are a tad on the not-so-great side, but it really immerses you in the story. Looking around, you'll see a variety of flags of the German states, as well as a large water wheel, and if you look in the right spot - a full moon looking down over the festivities. Your party will be seated at a table, and may be seated with strangers, in the tradition of the long Oktoberfest celebration tables. Be friendly! One of the things I love best about Disney is sharing stories with other travelers. That being said, our party was fairly large and took up an entire table, so I don't have any new stories to share from that!

Of course, the setting is always important when Disney is trying to tell their story, even in their restaurants, but I'm certain that's not the reason everyone is reading this post. No, you're definitely all here to read about the food, so let's get ourselves over to the buffet table!

Salad Bar

Starting things off is the salad bar, with all kinds of items, from pickled beet salad to cold German potato salad, homemade pickles, herring salad, and wurst salad, just to name a few. I only tried a few items from this section - the homemade pickles were very nice - crisp and tangy, though not overly so. The cold wurst was tasty, as well, but not nearly as tasty to me as the next stop on the buffet trail...

Roast potatoes, various wurst, and sauerkraut

Here it is - the best of the wurst! All right, you can put down the rotten tomatoes, I know it's an overdone, terrible joke - but it's a classic, and I'm sticking to it! The roasted potatoes were great - well seasoned, crispy on the outside, and fluffy and tender on the inside. I tried the brown wurst on the right with sauerkraut. They were very interesting and reminded me somewhat of breakfast sausage, which went particularly well with the sweet mustard offered at the sauce station of the buffet. The sauerkraut was a little more crunchy than I prefer, and not quite as vinegary, but still went very well with the sausage.

Hot Meats

Next we have the hot meats table. Starting from the right-hand side is pork schnitzel, with paprika sauce directly to the left. I've been to Biergarten before, and have often found their schnitzel a little on the dry side. Not so with this particular visit, but schnitzel is rarely anything to get particularly excited about. No, the star of the was the paprika sauce, which added a beautifully rich savory, smoky flavor with just a touch of spicy heat. That sauce may have been my favorite thing of the night at the buffet, it was so good. So good, in fact, that I put together the recipe for schnitzel with my approximation of that sauce!

Next is the beef rouladen - strips of beef rolled up around vegetables (I believe it was onions in this one, though with the dim light it was sometimes hard to see exactly what you were eating, one of my few complaints here) and cooked in a mustard gravy. This was also another very good item - the beef was perfectly tender and the gravy and onion flavors really popped. At the end of the selection is roasted chicken, which I passed up on, though others at my table reported that it was good, if plain; and barely visible due to the lighting in the photo is cod in a lemon cream sauce. The cod was fairly good, though a little plain - a nice, light flavor to balance out the richness of everything that came before.

The Carving Station

Now, on to the centerpiece of the buffet: the carving station. On the left is what they refer to as German Meat Loaf, though it's more accurately known as leberkäse. The direct translation of this is rather unappealing to most American appetites: "liver cheese," but don't let that scare you off. This is another one of my favorite menu items. Most recipes I've found don't actually contain liver, and even if Biergarten's does, it doesn't really show up as a strong flavor in the dish. The best thing I can compare it to is an extremely high quality, hot bologna. I know that doesn't sound like high praise, but definitely given it a try with a bit of mustard when you make your trip to the buffet.

Also available is roasted pork, which is exactly as it says - meaty, juicy, and delicious, perfect with the applesauce from the sauce bar (shown at left) and/or the wine gravy to the right of it. At the far right of the image is buttered spätzle (tiny dumplings - one of my favorites) and green beans, to get a little bit of veggies into an otherwise very meat heavy buffet.

More savory goodness

Next up, another favorite of mine: sauerbraten. If you're not familiar with German cuisine, this is pot roast cooked with vinegar. The sour flavor comes through very strongly, but it doesn't overpower the savoriness of the meat and gravy. This is definitely a must try, and goes extremely well with the next item, which appear to be balls of energy in the slightly too-bright area of that picture, potato dumplings or kartoffelkloesse, which I have previously featured the recipe for on the blog! These are very simple - dense but tender dumplings that go perfectly with any kind of gravy you want to put them on, or just by themselves in the light coating of butter they're sauteed in.

Down the line is a dish of mixed vegetables, followed by the lovely sweet red cabbage. Not pictured is the nudel gratin, a baked macaroni and cheese for which I have also featured the recipe (you might notice I have a few Biergarten recipes, just goes to show how much you'll end up craving this food!)

This brings us to the last area of the buffet... the place most people work their way up to, though I definitely saw a few people starting there instead...

Dessert!

Featured for dessert on the night that we went, starting from the right, were little Black Forest Cake squares, which I found to be surprisingly tart - not my favorite item. If you can't quite figure out what watermelon is, I'm not sure I can help you there. Next up: peach cake - which was very simple, with a light note of spices such as nutmeg. Then the chocolate cake rouladen - chocolate sponge cake wrapped around a light chocolate filling, which was delicious and not too rich. Next was my favorite, Bavarian cheesecake, a very light, fluffy cheesecake with a thin layer of sponge cake on top and bottom, dusted with powdered sugar. Not too sweet, not too complicated, just a simple way to round out your meal. To the left of those, a tasty berry compote, topped with a light custard, and chocolate chip cookies, which were good, though nothing terribly thrilling. Not pictured is the signature dessert, which, of course, is apple strudel, which was delicious - just enough spice to give your tongue something to find interesting, raisins mixed in with the apples to give a bit of a texture difference, and a lovely, soft crust that kept it all together. Topped with the provided vanilla sauce, it was definitely a favorite around the table, though I still love my simple Bavarian cheesecake. Speaking of the simple things in life...

Look at that head!

A whole liter of beer! I went with the hefeweizen, being a fan of the subtle spiciness that the wheat beer provides. This, along with trying every single thing on the menu, made me very full. Very, very full. I will warn you, listen to your stomach as you eat, as it takes a while for your brain to process the level of full that you are, and German food hits like a brick when it arrives. I found myself unable to move by the end, which, to quote Louis C.K. speaking about Thanksgiving, "The meal isn't over when I'm full, the meal is over when I hate myself."

If you're fine with being incredibly stuffed, go for it, but listen to your stomach and take your time, and you'll have a very pleasant experience, indeed. Of course, I only just covered one aspect of the Biergarten - there is also the entertainment!

Everybody polka!

That's right, there's a polka band that plays at certain times throughout the day, and increases the value of your admission price by quite a lot. Even if you don't necessarily enjoy polka music, you can definitely enjoy watching people make fools of themselves trying to polka, as Tabby and I did (and no, no pictures or videos of that made it to the blog), and raise your glass as they sing the traditional toast song "Ein Prosit," before everyone in the place clinks their steins together. Of course, polka isn't the only thing featured by the band...

And Christopher Walken's fever was instantly cured...

They also feature cowbell, and...

Riiiicooolllaaaaa!

Aplenhorns, giving a little bit of variety to a really fun show! So if you're not yet convinced to spend a bit of time at the Biergarten on your next trip to Walt Disney World, I don't know what to tell you! It's truly a great time with wonderful food (though perhaps not the best choice for vegetarians, though I have heard that they'll help you out if your family wants to experience the Biergarten - just be sure to call up well in advance so they can accommodate you!)

Until next time, everyone, stay magical!

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Villains' Sinister Soirée - A Wicked (If Expensive) Good Time

NOTE: We were having some camera problems during our foray into MNSSHP, so, unfortunately, a lot of our pictures didn't come out very well.  Sorry in advance for blurry pictures and occasional lack of photo reference!

It seems that Halloween creeps up earlier and earlier every year - and in some ways, I'm fine with that.  It's almost autumn, though down here in Central Florida there certainly is not a chill in the air, but Disney manages to make it feel like we should be ready for ghosts and ghouls to be popping up everywhere with Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.  Tabby and I attended on the first day of the festivities, and while I shall be writing about the party at a later date, I do want to mention a special little event called the Villains' Sinister Soirée that we made a point to check out.

For those not in the know, the Villain's Sinister Soirée is essentially an upgrade for $99 per person, in addition to the hard ticket price for MNSSHP ($61-$77).  For this fee you get priority seating for the Boo-to You-Parade and Happy HalloWishes!, as well as the titular event - the Soirée, a dessert party hosted by Lady Tremaine at Cinderella's Royal Table, where you get to rub elbows with characters such as the Lady herself, Cinderella's stepsisters, Dr. Facilier, the Wicked Queen, Maleficent, and Cruella de Ville.  Is all of this worth the extra dough, or are you better off just sticking to your trick or treating?  Let's break it down.

To start, the priority seating.  I suppose "seating" is the wrong word, as it's a VIP area cordoned off near Cinderella Castle, in the center of the hub near the Partners statue.  The spot is perfect for the Boo-to-You Parade, especially if you move over near the entrance to Liberty Square, as you get a head on view of the floats as they pass over the bridge onto Main Street. For the fireworks show, however, you may want to head a bit further up Main Street, because the viewing area is extremely close to the Castle, and a significant portion of the fireworks are obscured from view (though the finale was pretty impressive, giving the feeling that you were surrounded by fireworks, but I'd prefer being able to view the entire show).

Now, on to the Soirée.  There are two seatings following the fireworks, and Tabby and I had tickets for the second seating.  We lined up at Cinderella's Royal Table at the appointed time (11:30), and we waited.  And waited.  The show was running a tad bit late on getting started, it seemed.  I have since read reviews that the first seating felt a bit rushed, though that hurry didn't seem to carry over to the beginning of the second.  Then again, first night, ironing out bugs, these things are to be expected.  We were then lead into the Castle foyer, where we were greeting by Anastasia and Drizella, Judge Frollo, the Queen of Hearts, and Captain Hook, all available to take pictures with before heading up to the dining room area.

It's not really accurate to call them "ugly" stepsisters... more "extremely obnoxious."

Each table was set with a large Maleficent souvenir cup filled with candy in the center, as well as a sizable charcuterie platter with salami, a selection of cheeses, figs, bread, and fondue, and a glass filled with a specialty drink, with not one but two glow accessories (a Maleficent stir stick and a poison apple glow "cube").  The drink essentially tasted like soda water until stirred, when it magically transformed into a sour apple beverage, which I quite liked a lot - though one thing seemed to be missing: straws.  Since you needed to stir the "potion" after every few sips, it was necessary to leave the stir stick in, which lead to a small dragon's head shaped indent on my forehead after a while.  Is it my fault that I didn't ask for a straw?  Yes, it absolutely is, but I would not have complained if they offered them.

Maleficent cup (sans candy), and the Potion to the left

Then came the entertainment: Lady Tremaine and her personal pianist (a gentleman in Steampunk garb manning a keyboard) regaled us all with a tune before calling out the stepsisters, and her guests.  The characters had turned their charm up to eleven, and it was extremely fun interacting with them.  There was plenty of time for a bit of fun banter, as well as photos (even with our misbehaving camera), with attendants for each villain ready to take group shots for you.  After a while, it was time for the desserts.  As the servers brought out the treats, each villain took a turn on the main stage introducing their creations.

The full line-up

The Wicked Queen's contribution was a white wine baked apple - though this one came with a surprise: a rhubarb filling, giving the appearance of a bleeding apple.  The apple itself was cooked nicely, and the rhubarb filling was nice and tangy, but overall this dessert was a tad bit on the bland side.

Probably the spookiest of the desserts.

Maleficent brought with her a pistachio mousse, topped with "dragon toasted" meringue on top of a bit of purple cake.  The pistachio mousse itself was probably the best thing on the plate, but it was a bit offset by the lackluster cake - still quite good, though!

The chocolate tarot card presented by Dr. Facilier was another good item - a chocolate covered pecan praline Tarot card hiding some "friends" on the other side: a flourless chocolate cake with what tasted like a raspberry jelly (what exactly this was wasn't listed on the menu), with some bone shaped sprinkles tossed in.  This was my second favorite item, though the raspberry was a bit overpowering (or perhaps I just got a really big spoonful of it, but still really good.)

The remains of some friends on the other side.

Finally, Cruella's dessert was "101" layers of white and dark chocolate mousse, which was delicious, though nothing in particular to write about.  If you like chocolate mousse, this is definitely a treat for you, and be sure to note the adorable little paw prints next to this dessert.

101% Puppy Fur Free

During the dessert portion of the meal, Lady Tremaine treated us to another couple of songs: "Sing Sweet Nightingale," sung by the Lady, Drizella, and Anastasia, to comedic results; and a fantastic rendition of Lorde's "Royals," which was hilariously appropriate for the story of Cinderella's step-family.  After a little more mingling, including the Wicked Queen spooking me by sneaking up behind me and asking how my apple was, and if I was feeling a bit sleepy yet, Lady Tremaine closed the night out with one more song, accompanied by a bit of banter with Dr. Facilier, and then abruptly ordered everyone out of the castle, in a fashion true to character.

So, you ask, was it worth the $99?  My immediate answer is no, even though I had a blast at the party, it's not worth that much - drop the price by about $20 and we're definitely talking business.  If you're looking to do a lot of trick or treating and riding rides, it might cut that segment of your night a bit short (Tabby and I still managed to get a fair bit of each done, but we were not traveling with small children, as many people were.)  Between the priority spot for the parade and fireworks (again, not worth it for the fireworks) and the extremely fun and unique character dining experience, I'd say it's easily worth $70 for villains fans just for the mingling aspect alone, but I do think Disney may need to tweak this one a tiny bit before it becomes a regular add on to MNSSHP.

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