As a newbie to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, I found myself not only especially impressed with the culinary event, but I also enjoyed experiencing Epcot in a totally new and unique way! Typically, when I plan a Walt Disney World vacation, my focus for each day spent at the park typically involves experiencing as many attractions and meeting as many characters as one can squeeze in a single day. As many of you who have experienced Disney World before already know, action-packed trips to the parks can be EXHAUSTING by day's end. But my most recent trip to Disney World was different, as I spent most of my time at Disney World (my happy place), easing into Epcot to experience the festival.

If you are unfamiliar with the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival, which is being held this year from August 31 through November 13, it is a special event in which special marketplace food stands are set up around the park for guests to sample small portions of unique dishes and cultural specialties. Many of these kiosks are located in the World Showcase section of the park, but there are also countries and regions represented in the festival that are not currently part of the World Showcase's "geography," such as Australia, Thailand, Greece and several other places, as well as kiosks with centered around an specific ingredient or theme, such as cheese-based dishes or spicy foods. You can experience all of these marketplace stands with your admission to Epcot, but you can also book extra events such as culinary demonstrations, wine tastings, and other special dining events for extra fees.

I planned this recent trip to Epcot to celebrate my parents' anniversary, and instead of the typically action-filled days I am accustomed to planning when visiting the parks, we took it easy when visiting specifically for the festival. In the mornings, we spent our time going on attractions and meeting characters, and by noon, we strolled along the World Showcase to eat, drink, and be merry! By the end of our five-day trip, boy was I full!

I felt that visiting Epcot for the Food and Wine festival was such an incredible, unique experience that allowed me to experience a totally different type of Disney World vacation, and I loved every minute of it! In addition to eating around the world, we also experienced the cultural "edutainment" that Epcot features for each country, such as films, exhibits, and street shows.

But most importantly, the food was incredible! While it was impossible to try everything I wanted to sample, I was so impressed with what I DID eat! Here are the 10 best things I sampled as I ate around the world:

1. Shrimp Scampi Dip at the Coastal Eats kiosk

Served with a Sourdough Baguette.

I LOVE shrimp scampi, so this unique dish was a "must-eat" on my list! It was creamy, cheesy, and complemented the shrimp exceptionally well! Even when I finished the shrimp, I found myself wanted to scrape up as much as the dip with the two pieces of sourdough bread that came with this delicious dish!

2. Smoked Corned Beef at the Flavors from Fire kiosk

Served with Warm Crispy Potatoes, Pickled Onions and Blonde Ale Beer Fondue featuring BelGioioso Romano and America Grana Cheeses.

Even though I enjoy corned beef, knowing that this dish was on the menu for the "Flavors From Fire" marketplace, which featured other menu items that were purposely spicy, I had reservations about trying this initially. I am not one to enjoy spicy foods, but I decided to take the gamble anyway, and luckily, this corned beef dish was not very spicy at all. Before sampling this dish, I had never considered that corned beef could taste SO good topped with cheese fondue, but I was surprised--and impressed!

3. Loaded Mac 'n Cheese at the Active Eats kiosk

With Nueske's Pepper Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, Peppers and Green Onions.

This was the first thing I ate when we stopped for lunch at the kiosks on our first day at Epcot, and I certainly enjoyed it! While I did find it was a little bit spicy, I still enjoyed the flavors of the creamy cheese and bacon that made this dish superb! As a fan of macaroni and cheese, I enjoy trying variations on the dish, and this one was top-notch!

4. Zesty Cheeseburger and Cheddar Cheese Macaroni Handwich at the Craft Beers kiosk

Speaking of variations on macaroni and cheese, this dish is certainly a specialty that's unique to Epcot! The term "handwich" is used to describe the cone (made out of bread) in which the macaroni and cheese is stuffed into. This dish actually has a bit of (strange) Disney history to it, as the kiosk was located in a building that featured an exhibit for Epcot's upcoming 35th anniversary. The handwich was introduced in the early days of Epcot and was dubbed as "food of the future" for being an ideal food for multitasking. But the dish, which was served at the Land pavilion with filler options beyond macaroni and cheese, soon found itself being removed from the menu and has only been brought back every once in a while as a "limited-time offering." As I ate this piece of Disney history, I enjoyed the creaminess of the cheese and how it paired deliciously well with the ground beef, onions and peppers.

5. Braised Beef "Stroganoff" at The Cheese Studio kiosk

With Tiny Egg Noodles, Wild Mushroom, and Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs Cheese Sauce.

Not sure why they chose to put Stroganoff in quotation marks for the official title given to the dish, but I wouldn't let that strange detail lead me to judge the quality of the dish. And I'm glad I didn't, because the cheese sauce was amazing! I don't typically care for mushrooms, so I cast them off to the side as I enjoyed the wonderful pairing of the beef and egg noodles with the delicious garlic flavors of the cheese sauce.

6. Croissant aux Escargots at the France kiosk

Escargot Croissant with Garlic and Parsley.

As someone who tends to be a picky eater, before I embarked on this trip I decided to challenge myself to eat more adventurously than I do at home, and this was one of those "adventurous" dishes. This croissant aux escargots dish is way more appetizing than it looks...and sounds. If you know what escargot is, you may be hesitant to try this, just like my mother, who made a face when I told her this dish was one of my "must-eats." When the moment came for me to try escargot for the first time, I was surprised how much I loved it--and so was my mom! The butter and garlic flavors of the croissant also made it all the more appetizing!

7. Grilled Beef Skewer at the Patagonia kiosk

With Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Purée.

I LOVE pesto sauce for its flavors of olive oil, garlic, cheese, and basil, but I never knew how similar it is is to Chimichurri sauce until I tried it--and enjoyed it! The Chimichurri sauce not only served as a surprisingly excellent dipping sauce for the well-cooked beef skewer, but also functioned as a delicious topping for the mashed Boniato (a type of sweet potato.)

8. Chicken Potstickers at the China kiosk

Normally when I order Chinese takeout at home, one of my usual go-to's is a dish of steamed pork dumplings. The Japan kiosk served steamed pork dumplings with wasabi, but as someone who dislikes spicy food, I had to pass on one of my favorite foods, which was sadly prepared with a not-so-desirable ingredient. So instead, I immediately opted for the next best thing: chicken potstickers! Even though these potstickers were pan-fried, they were not dripping with oil, which scores well in my book! I always prefer steamed potstickers over fried ones, but I still enjoyed these A LOT. The only thing I disliked about this dish was the portion size; two potstickers weren't enough!

9. Black Pepper Shrimp with Garlic Noodles at the China kiosk

Almost every dish with shrimp served at the festival caught my eye, but this one was at the top of my "must-eats" list! I like shrimp the most when its seasoned with garlic, and that was the strength of this dish. The noodles were also superb, which complemented the amazing flavor of the shrimp.

10. Absolut Penne at the Italy kiosk

With vodka sauce and shrimp.

The vodka sauce used for this dish wasn't as creamy as the sauce I've grown accustomed to at home, but I still enjoyed sampling one of my favorite Italian dishes with one of my favorite ingredients: shrimp! Their Penne a la Vodka had a stronger presence of tomato in the sauce, and it paired very well with the shrimp. I wish they had parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top to make this dish more delicious than it already was!

Have you ever visited Epcot during the International Food and Wine Festival? What was your favorite past or present dish? Share your favorite in the comments below!