This year's theme is essentially the same as last years: travel.
So I didn't waste much time visually exploring the park decor before diving headlong into tasty treats!
I made a quick right, upon entering World Showcase, and stopped for one of last year's top favorites in...
HAWAII
I do have to say that I am still loving the way they are making the booths more individually themed the last couple of years. I challenged myself to photograph them again this time, since they actually have some visual interest. The line wasn't long at all and in no time I was happily munching on
Kalua Pork Slider with Sweet and Sour Pineapple Chutney and Spicy Mayonnaise.
It did not disappoint in its sophomore appearance! While I generally wish each booth would have at least one new food dish each season (for those showing up in consecutive festivals), I was so glad to see that this one was back for a reprise. The flavors are just to die for. The pineapple goes so well with the pork. The mayo has just enough spice to let you know it's there without overpowering the other flavors. The bun is soft but not soggy. I will have a difficult time not getting this again on subsequent rounds, until I've tasted everything else on my personal list (the rule by which I abide or I would never be able to tear myself away from favorites such as this).
I didn't have to travel far for my second tasty treat, because two booths down, we come to...
CANADA
Wild Mushroom Beef Filet Mignon with Truffle Butter Sauce. Mission Hill Family Estate Syrah.
This is a new entry for 2012, replacing the salmon dish they've had for as far back as I can recall, and, sweet mercy...if I could have licked that truffle butter sauce off the dish, I would have. (That one little glass of wine, generous pour though it was, was not enough to make me completely not care that people would see me licking my dish.) As T will tell you, I typically partake in mushrooms sparingly. I don't know what they sauteed these mushrooms in, but I forgot about the consistency (not rubbery either) and the fact that they are fungus, because my taste buds were singing like angels. The meat was so tender, I could almost cut it with my fork, and it was juicy and delicious. But the star was that truffle butter sauce. I cannot stop thinking about that sauce! The wine was good (even for a red), well-matched to the dish, able to stand up to everything the food placed on the palette. It started off like a mouthful of berries, almost sweet, but before you started thinking about dessert, BAM! It finished like I had just licked a root cellar. I'll never quite figure out the appeal of that, I guess, but it worked nicely with the food, and that's all I asked.
My appetite whetted, I set off for...
FLORIDA LOCAL
This is a new booth for this year, in keeping with the whole trend of "eating local."
Shrimp Ceviche with Fire Roasted Vegetables, Fried Plantain and Cilantro.
The colors and presentation were beautiful but.... (You had to have known with a introduction like that, there was a 'but' to follow.) The ceviche was all right, but I have had better right at Food and Wine Fest in a previous year. Everything was very fresh but all the flavors just didn't seem to meld together the way I would prefer. And let me state right now: plantains? Decidedly *not* a fan. Weird, pasty, mushy consistency. And I did, honestly, give it a try, despite is similar appearance to a banana. I finished everything but the plantain, but I have no problem never revisiting it.
I packed myself up and moved along, in search of something sweet...
ITALY
Cannoli al Cioccolato (chocolate covered cannoli filled with sweet ricotta, chocolate and candied fruits).
Pretty to look at but another mild disappointment. Last year's cannoli bore the same description, but the candied fruits were a lot less subtle this time. It was as if someone tried to cram a fruit cake into the delicate little chocolate covered shell, disguised by the sweet ricotta. It didn't work. All I could taste was candied citrus this time. It wasn't inedible, but neither was it the best cannoli I'd ever had. ::sigh:: Two strikes in a row.
It was time to cleanse my palette with something I knew would be a winner in...
GERMANY
Apple Strudel with Karamel and Vanilla Sauce. Selbach Riesling QbARed Label.
Now, this was more like it! Crisp-tender apples baked into a flaky pastry. Plump golden raisins. Cinnamon and caramel and vanilla goodness. This perennial favorite never fails to deliver. And the Riesling had a bright, tart green apple flavor that contrasted the warm, mellow dessert in such a way that one sip made my eyes widen in surprise. It was certainly a Riesling, but whether it was the food and wine pairing or just the characteristics of this particular wine, it was not nearly as sweet as I would have expected, and almost came across as a wee bit dry. I approved of the combination.
Feeling refreshed, I made my way to my next destination, which had a long line and needed to be shelved for this trip. I detoured, instead, to...
ARGENTINA
Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Puree.
They have had this particular selection since 2009, I believe, and when I tried it the first time, I wasn't overly sold on having it again, in favor of other options. However, after my good friend, Michelle, raved about it and declared that she would have to have it multiple times in 2012, I thought I would give it another shot (especially since last year's Beef Empanada wasn't *that* great and I do try to have at least one selection from each featured location). Wow. Let me say that with a more accurate amount of gusto: WOW!! I am so glad I gave it a second chance. While the first experience I had with this dish was one long piece of meat, threaded like a ribbon on the skewer, that was so tough, it was difficult to eat, *this* was a far better cut of beef. It was so tender, I couldn't tell if it was just pulling apart off the skewer with each bite or if it was actually several smaller pieces of meat on the skewer. The spices were amazing. The chimichurri sauce was like a tasty pesto. And the boniato puree was as wonderful as I recalled from my first try with this dish...and later lamented that it didn't come on its own, because I didn't want another skewer. 2012, you have changed my mind entirely!
I was almost out of room, but there was space for one more, as long as I kept it light, so I made a beeline for...
GREECE
Spanakopita.
I was sad last year, when my beloved spanakopita was omitted from the menu in favor of Greek yogurt and griddled cheese. When I got my first sneak peek of the 2012 booth menus, I actually whooped out loud, because it was back, oh it was back! Those flaky, buttery layers encasing savory cheese and spinach. It was six little bites of perfect heaven. And a great way to end my maiden voyage of the 2012 Festival.
Round Two, just five days away... I am already plotting my next plan of culinary attack!
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