Food & Wine Festival
I'm FINALLY here guys! I'm so sorry! The wedding was absolutely amazing, but kept me very busy. And then I needed a few days to recover. But I'm here to show you the Food & Wine offerings I've tried so far!
Canada
Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup, Moosehead Beer, Neige Sparkling Apple Ice Wine
As always, the cheese soup is amazing! The moosehead beer was nice, but we frequently get it at home. The sparkling ice wine, on the other hand, was new to us! I quite enjoyed it! It was light, sweet but not overly sweet as some ice wines can be.
France
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Escargot en Brioche, Pomegranate Kir and Coq au Vin with Macaroni Gratin
The coq au vin was a real disappointment
It was cold, the sauce was congealed and the mac & cheese was not creamy, but solid.
The escargot was a star, consistently one of our favorite items and didn't disappoint! The brioche was crispy on the outside and soft inside. The escargot are tender and the garlic butter is delicious.
The pomegranate Kir is one of my favorite drinks. Dry, tart with a hint of sweetness and the perfect effervescence.
Hops & Barley
Lobster Claw Cuddlers, Linda Bean's Perfect Maine Lobster Roll, Sam Adam's Festival & Sam Adam's Octoberfest
We had pretty high expectations for this booth as DDad and I both LOVE lobster. Things here were ok. The lobster roll was good. In my opinion, better than last years as I like pure lobster. DDad felt it needed more substance. The lobster isn't dressed in mayo, instead, there is a thin layer on the roll.
The claw cuddlers were interesting. We found them a bit small for the price and the meat was a bit tough and stringy. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't what we were expecting.
Ireland
Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Irish Cream Ganache, Irish Cheese Selection (Aged Cheddar, Dubliner and Ivernia) with Chutney, Brown Bread and Kerrygold butter
The lava cake is another stellar item! DMom isn't even a dessert lover and she raves about this. The irish cream gives an almost caramel like taste to the ganache. We will definitely get this item again!
The cheese selection is very generous. The two of us found it more than enough to split. The cheeses are distinct, but not entirely exciting. They are a good progression from semi-firm to firm to aged.
France, Round 2
Chocolate Milk Creme Brulee, Escargot en Brioche
We have our first repeat of the festival....Escargot! I'm actually surprised the first repeat wasn't cheese soup...it almost always is!
The Chocolate Milk Creme Brulee is interesting. I believe it really is Creme Brulee made with Chocolate milk, not a milk chocolate creme brulee as the chocolate flavour isn't overly predominant. I liked this a bit more than DMom & DDad.
Morocco, or the Surprise booth!
Baklava, Royal Mimosa, Harissa Chicken Roll
As we walked by Morocco, we just HAD to try a few items as the smell was intoxicating! It literally pulls you right in. We didn't expect much, and we were blown away! Every item here scored a 5. We can't wait to try them again.
The harissa chicken roll, is like an egg roll on crack. Herbs, spices, vegetables and chicken combined in a crunchy wrapper. This was outstanding!
The baklava had the perfect balance of honey-soaked sweetness, phylo crunch and nutty flavour. Very cravable!
The royal mimosa was a combination of sparkling wine, tangerine juice and, I beieve, grand marnier. YUM!
New Zealand
Seared Scallop with Red Curry Puree and Apple and Radish Salad, Lamb Slider with Tomato Chutney.
More winners. For me, the scallop was divine. It was a good sized scallop, perfectly seared. The puree had the right amount of heat that it complimented the sweet scallop without overpowering it. The apple and radish salad added much needed texture and a cooling sensation.
DMom & DDad raved about the lamb slider. I'm not a huge tomato fan and this was covered, so I passed. They gave it a 4, so definitely worth trying!
Japan
Spicy Tuna Roll, Tuna & Salmon Sensation, Pork Kakuni, California Roll, Kirin Beer
We adore japanese food and the booth offerings were very strong this year. The sushi was good, a 4 at least. The spicy tuna was pleasantly spicy and the california roll was cool and refreshing. The tuna and salmon sensation was my favorite. Super chilled perfect little cubes of fresh raw tuna and salmon, creamy avocado, savoury soy and sesame oil. Delicious!
The pork kakuni (braised pork belly) was very earthy and tender. It was served with a wasabi infused mustard.
That is all we have tried so far in terms of booths. We are eating around the world tomorrow & Saturday. We plan to hit nearly all of the rest of the booths by the end of Saturday night.
I will try to do another update later this evening!