Tampa Mom

The 2008 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival runs from September 26 through November 9. Florida residents are eligible for a lot of great deals during this time of year. If you live close to Orlando, consider the Epcot After 4PM Annual Pass, a fantastic deal, and will get you into Epcot all year without blackout dates after 4pm. This is great if you just want to dine, go to an Eat to the Beat concert, or visit France for pastries and fireworks at the end of an evening.

Kids can experience all the fun of the festival by traveling to over 14 Kidcot activity stops around the theme park. Our kids really enjoy this and it keeps them motivated during the day. It also provides an opportunity to rest inside, out of the sun or rain. This year, USA Pears sponsors The Pearville Fair, a learning center about pears! Our kids love Epcot!

A note about food allergies: In our experience, Disney is very accommodating, especially in the more formal dining experiences. Even the takeaway food stands are pretty knowledgeable about what they are serving. If you have food allergies, notify your server, and they will typically introduce you and your allergic child to the chef. We’ve met numerous Disney chefs and had just as many conversations with them about our food needs. Once, a chef at Boma (my personal favorite Disney restaurant) made a special dessert for Elizabeth since she couldn’t eat a single thing from their dessert offerings. As with any food activity with allergies, don’t forget your Epi-pens, Benadryl, Albuterol, and whatever else you typically need to deal with an incident. Also, don’t forget to pack some safe snacks. We always pack plenty of safe snacks wherever we go.

One last money-saving tip: You can get a large cup of ice water for free at any fountain drink vendor at Disney. I get a 32-ounce cup of ice water and sometimes mix in a Crystal Light To Go packet. Don’t let your budget prevent you from staying hydrated! Pack a water bottle. Water fountains are abundant throughout the parks, and single-serving drink packets can make it more palatable.

Tasting menus from some of the 2007 international food vendors.

Tonight, my husband and I had a chance to check out Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries in Carrollwood. On our way there, I researched them on my handy Treo  700w and read a few reviews and I also discovered that they serve bulk peanuts. The kids are staying at Grandma’s, so we were uncharacteristically excited about the peanuts. Upon
arrival, we noticed the very obvious peanut allergy warnings. I’ve seen other postings at Dairy Queen, the Great American Cookie Company, and others places, but this was the kind of sign that must have some history behind it.

The food was decent for the meager price of $15 for the two of us. We had 1 small bacon cheeseburger (1 patty), 1 regular cheeseburger (2 patties), 1 small fries, 1 small drink, and 1 large drink. This was more than enough food for the two of us. The burgers were good, but messy. The mushrooms on my burger were like canned mushrooms. I will skip them next time. Burger toppings were plentiful, which was a bit messy, and I would’ve liked a more substantial bun to reign in some of that mess. The fries were pretty good, and  plentiful! I was thrilled that they had malt vinegar in addition to ketchup. I won’t go so far as to say that it rocked my socks off or anything, but it was adequate and reasonable. A better choice over any other fast food burger joint.

I would NOT recommend this restaurant for children because of the loose peanut situation there. Children under 3 should not have any peanut or nut products simply because they may be unable to communicate if they are having a problem like itchy mouth/throat, tingling lips, swelling, obstructed breathing from a nut being lodged in the airway, etc. Peanut allergic children may have a severe reaction from skin contact alone, as well. My husband and I may eat there again, but only if we will not be in close contact with our daughter afterwards. The fries are cooked in 100% peanut oil, but this is typically not a problem for many peanut allergic children, because any residual peanut protein in the oil is chemically altered through the high temperature used in frying. I am NOT a doctor and what you eat is entirely up to you. We would definitely eat here again if they eliminated the loose peanuts. Why do they need them or offer them? I don’t think anyone is going to starve while they are waiting for their food, and goodness knows that there were enough fries in the bag to satisfy a hungry teenage boy! The peanuts are completely unnecessary to a satisfying experience at Five Guys.