Tink In The Parks: More Food and Wine Tastes!

Good afternoon, Tinkers!


     Today was my mom's last day in town and she wanted to see some of Food and Wine, so we went into the park.... and got soaked. Oh, well. At least it was relatively cool, (when the sun wasn't peeking through), and we got some tasty treats!

       Today I tried the New York Strip with Parsnip Silk, Balsamic Glaze and Arugula Foam and the Liquid Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle, with Warm Whiskey Caramel, both from the Chew Lab marketplace. The strip was $6.25 and had two slices of beef, cooked to a tender and juicy medium. They were on a bed of creamy parsnip silk, and had dots of balsamic glaze the the side. On top, there was green argula foam, which resembled a bizarre science experiment. I found the meat to be tender and flavorful, though it was only room temp, or even a little cooler than that, which was not exactly pleasant. The parsnip silk was creamy and smooth, and was almost like a more liquid version of a mashed potato. I didn't care for the arugula foam, though luckily, it was easy to scrape off. Overall, I thought the dish was flavorful and enjoyable, but for the $6.25 I paid, I wouldn't get it again.

      Now, the truffle was another story. The Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle is basically a light, silky chocolate mousse, which is flash frozen in liquid nitrogen. (Even Elsa herself would be impressed with this unique freezing technique!) The ball of frozen mousse is then cracked with a little hammer-like utensil, and almond crumble is added, and liquid whiskey-infused caramel is poured over the top. It is as delicious as it sounds! And at only $4.00, it's not badly priced. Especially since it's a decent portion, which could be shared. Though once you have a taste, you'll likely want your own. I know I'll be back for more!

     Over in Poland, I tried one of my favorites from festivals past: Kielbasa and Potato Pierogi, with Caramelized Onions and Sour Cream. It was as good as I remember! The kielbasa was smoky and salty. Well, I think it was. K ate all three slices of it and barely left a bite for me! The two small potato pierogis were tasty, though a bit greasy from the kielbasa oil and mine could have been cooked a bit longer. Nevertheless, with the onions, they were delicious! And we even got a "hidden Mickey" in our sour cream! That dish was $5.50, and a fair portion for that price. And while we were over near the Germany Pavilion, K checked out the toy train's local village, where it looks like they were celebrating Food and Wine Festival too!



    My mom tried the Sweet Goat Cheese Panna Cotta from the Cheese Studio Marketplace. Unfortunately I do not have a picture of it, but I did not try it at all. I am NOT a goat cheese fan, so I knew I wanted to steer clear. Mum said it was "okay". Not great. She felt like goat cheese just shouldn't be served sweet. It had a guava gel on the top that didn't look too appetizing to me. If you LOVE goat cheese, definitely give it a try, especially at only $2.50 for the reasonably sized serving. If you realize goat cheese is gross like I do, avoid it.

     Mum also had some of the Loaded Mac and Cheese from Farm Fresh, on my recommendation. Though she liked the flavors, she found her portion to be a little dry. Bummer, since the one The Hubs and I had the other day was AWESOME!

     That's all we got to today! As soon as I am back to try more, I will post pictures and reviews. For now, happy eating everyone and I hope to see you out at Epcot's 20th International Food and Wine Festival! For my all of my booth menu pictures, check out my first review on The Soft Opening of the 20th Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.