Forget EPCOT’s Flower & Garden Festival – We’re Going to Dollywood!

Let’s go to Dollywood!

Dollywood is one of those underrated theme parks that we just can’t get enough of. They’re currently celebrating their Flower & Food Festival until June 7th, and we’re sharing some of the exclusive snacks we tried during the festival in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

For our first stop, we went to the Market Square Big Skillet. We started with the Pork Belly Bowl for $13.99, which combines glazed pork belly, fried rice, pickled carrots, red onions, radishes, and a cucumber salad.

The pork belly was incredible! It was falling apart, but fatty and juicy, while not overly chewy. We loved the flavors and how it was savory and salty, but the glaze was sweet, which was a nice balance. The rice was a bit on the mushy side, which we weren’t in love with, but it did have a lot of vegetables. The cucumber salad on the side was on the sweeter end, but nice, simple, and a refreshing addition.

We also had the Sausage and Rice Skillet for $14.99, which had sausage and yellow rice.

This was easily our favorite here! It was super delicious (even if it doesn’t quite look like it). The sausage had a beautiful sear and was incredibly herbaceous and flavorful, with a lot more complexity than other dishes. The rice was soft and fluffy, and while the concept of the dish was simple, it was hearty, and we totally devoured it.

Next, we tried the Hot Honey BBQ Chicken Mac and Cheese for $13.99. This white cheddar mac and cheese is paired with BBQ-spiced and smoked chicken and topped with hot honey glaze and scallions.

This wasn’t quite our favorite here! We thought the whole dish was overcooked, with the noodles being mushy and the chicken being a bit rubbery. We did really enjoy the white cheddar cheese, which was super savory and balanced well with the hot honey sauce, which was on the sweeter side. We didn’t really taste the heat, but the honey’s sweetness came through.

After that, we went to Trailhead Eats to try a few. We had the Braised Beef Potato, which is topped with slow-braised beef short ribs, beef jus, pico de gallo, shredded pepper-jack cheese, and chimichurri.

This was pretty good, too! While it was cooked through, we wish it had been cooked a little bit more, so it was a little softer. There were plenty of toppings, but they were so good that we wished there were more! The beef was flavorful and paired well with the cheese. The pico de gallo on top was light and refreshing, but the chimichurri really stole the show. It brought in a brightness and strong garlic flavor. Overall, it was very hearty and comforting.

Then we tried the Pesto Caprese Sandwich, a light sandwich with tomato jam, buffalo mozzarella, and basil pesto on sourdough bread. It’s also complemented by chilled roasted-vegetable and tomato gazpacho.

This was kinda a sleeper hit! The cheese was thick with the right amount of salt, and the tomato was bright and fresh. There was also a good amount of basil, which brought in a herbaceous flavor that was a great addition. The pesto really carried the sandwich with the slight nuttiness and garlic flavors. The soup it was served with was cold, which took us by surprise, but it had a nice acidic flavor with a more basil taste. We surprisingly enjoyed the cold soup and loved dipping our sandwiches in it.

Finally, we had the Honey BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich, which was topped with caramelized onions, honey BBQ sauce, and a sliced dill pickle, all on a brioche bun.

Mmm! The bun was soft and soaked up every bit of BBQ sauce in the absolute best way. The pulled pork was moist and not overcooked, with fatty pieces and a savory flavor. It soaked up the BBQ sauce perfectly, which had a sweet-and-savory kick, with a layer of bread-and-butter pickles underneath for a perfect crunch. This BBQ sauce is definitely on the sweet side, so you’ll need ot make sure you enjoy that type of BBQ, but we thought it all worked well together.

In the meantime, make sure you keep following AllEars for more theme park news!

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Have you ever been to Dollywood? Tell us your favorite bite in the comments!

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