Geekin’ On WDW 104: Ranking Of Food At World Showcase By Country With Amanda Kludt of Eater.com

Summary: In this episode, we talk to blogger Amanda Kludt from Eater.com about her article that ranks the countries in EPCOT World Showcase based on their food choices and presentation.  We share and compare our rankings in a fun look at the food options in the World Showcase.<br> <br> Our Guest is Amanda Kludt from Eater.com<br> <br> Momma says:<br> <br> Lights, Motors, Action closing<br> Little River Band 18-20th<br> Got a nice executive chair for my birthday. Thanks for all the birthday wishes<br> Cat ate through my headphones cord.<br> <br> Community:<br> Castro’s and Heather Brainerd in the parks this weekend.<br>      50 degrees is cold<br> <br> Review Amanda’s <a href="http://www.eater.com/2015/8/26/9192203/epcot-world-showcase-ranked" target="_blank">article</a>:  All of the Countries in Epcot’s World Showcase, Ranked.<br> <br> 1. Morocco<br> <br> Amanda: At the end of the day, poor France didn’t have a chance with this group. We just love Middle Eastern flavors and the cool Morocco architecture too much. Plus you can leave a meal here and feel like you almost did something good for your body.<br> <br> 2. France<br> <br> Amanda: Damn. France has game. First of all, the entire pavilion is run by a French restaurant group, not Disney. They bake all their own bread and pastries every morning. They make their own ice cream for the L’Artisan des Glaces shop. The casual bistro is like Balthazar but somehow more authentic. Monsieur Paul, the super high-end Paul Bocuse restaurant, is stuffy but brilliant. Their signature boozy slushy drink thing is made with Grand Marnier. Their head baker used to work for Joël Robuchon. And they have a crêpe kiosk. What more could you want?<br> 3. Italy<br> <br> <br> Amanda: It’s almost unfair to be Italy, because everyone loves Italian food, has access to decent to great Italian food, and thus (at least in my case) sets the bar pretty high. These guys pretty much deliver. Pros: They serve the best (best meaning not sweet) cocktails in Epcot, their casual pizzeria is a great, easy, family-friendly place, the pizza’s not terrible, the pizza ovens are great, they have a wine and cocktail bar with a real amaro list, there’s gelato, they have the hottest waitstaff.<br> Cons: The waiters, though attractive, are not super good at their jobs, pizza should be better, we had a pretty sad chicken parm and a pretty sad lasagna.<br> 4. Japan<br> <br> Amanda: No comment<br> <br> 5. Canada<br> <br> Amanda: The running joke during this reporting trip was that Le Cellier Steakhouse was actually the best restaurant in Epcot. Granted, it was the first restaurant we went to so a) it didn’t have much competition until we got to France later that day, and b) we were actually hungry when we got there. That said, the Canadian steakhouse impressed us, considering none of us give much thought to Canadian food outside of the artery-clogging wonders of Montreal.<br> The cult item here is the cheese soup, which was almost queso-like but you eat it with a spoon. It’s fantastic. All three poutines are textbook examples of the genre. The bread basket overflowed with freshly baked pretzel loaves, the steak lacked funk but didn’t disappoint, and service couldn’t have been better. Points deducted for having an American running the kitchen, though.<br> 6. UK<br> <br> Amanda: No comment<br> <br> 7. Mexico<br> <br> Amanda: I feel an acute sadness about the Mexico pavilion because it has all the makings of a top seed Epcot country. 1) The temple is freaking cool in general. 2) The San Angel Inn offers one of the most picturesque dining experiences in the whole resort. 3) Unlike many of the restaurants in Epcot, the Mexican group is run by operators from Mexico, the owners of the real San Angel Inn in Mexico City. 4) There’s a great tequila bar in the temple.