Do you ever watch those shows where the host has the oh-so-horrible job of traveling to far off lands and sampling cuisines from all over the world and wonder, "How can I get a gig like this?" Me too...all the time! Well today I got to pretend to be such a world traveler and connoisseur when I spent the day at the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. This is the 15th year that EPCOT has hosted this event which features wine & beer seminars, cooking demonstrations, specialty dinners, book signings & visits by guest celebrity chefs, and food samplings from all over the globe.
EPCOT's World Showcase is permanently represented by eleven countries each with their own restaurants and snack stops, but the Food & Wine Festival brings in some temporary tenants to share their unique offerings from across the globe. The eleven permanent tenants also seem to pull out all the stops, not to be outshown by their temporary squatters. It's a bit like an international culinary peace treaty.
Our first stop when attending the Festival is always in France so my son can dive into the escargot. He loves it! Anywhere we go, if escargot is on the menu then you know he's just got to have it. The ones offered during the festival are particularly good and go by the ostentatious title of "Escargots Persillade en Brioche" which means snails cooked with garlic, butter, and parsley and tucked into little rounds of brioche bread. Mon Dieu!
From France we travelled to Spain for some nice but unremarkable offerings of Spanish cured meats cheeses, & olives, but they also offered a Seared Albacore Tuna with a very remarkable Romesco sauce. On to Belgium we went where I really enjoyed the Steamed Mussels with Roasted Garlic Cream and my guys dug into the Waffles with Berry Compote and Whipped Cream.
Next it was on to Australia for some Seared Barramundi (aka; Asian sea bass) with Blistered Cherry Tomatoes, Arugula, and Lemon Oil and some beautifully charred Grilled Lamb Chops with Roasted Red Potato Salad & Red Wine Reduction. Both dishes were excellent!
We journeyed on through Singapore, Poland, and Mexico all of which had decent offerings with Mexico as the standout of the three with a really nice Tamal de Pollo and a beautiful, if a tad greasy, Taco de Chilorio (pork-filled taco).
We weary travelers suffered on and were rendered nearly speechless by the food finds at our next two destinations. In South Korea, we discovered what we thought was surely the winning dish of the day, Lettuce Wraps with Roast Pork and Kimchi Slaw. The pork was meltingly tender and the kimchi offered a crunchy texture with a spicy and tangy kick, all of which was enrobed in a soft and delicate green lettuce leaf. Near perfection! As we made our way to Argentina, we were still enjoying the lingering taste of South Korea on the tips of our toungues. As Argentina is known for its beef that's exactly what we went for, the Grilled Beef Skewer with Chimichurri Sauce and Boniato Puree. Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!! The flavors in this simple dish were enough to make you want to jump onto the back of your Argentine Criollo horse and dash off in search of more. The beef was tender and flavorful, the Chimichurri Sauce (parsley, cilantro, garlic, olive oil & vinegar) definitely lead with the garlic but finished nicely with the herbs, and the Boniato (tropical sweet potato) Puree added just a hint of sweetness to balance all the flavors. Now I really must try my hand at Chimichurri sauce!
I could go on and on about all the other samplings we experienced today, but it just can't top the ones I've already shared. I guess its time to put away the passports for pampered palates until next year.
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