The 2011 Epcot Food & Wine Festival

This was the one event we were waiting for the entire year.  An event which is close to home, features food from chefs from around the world, includes beer and wine tastings, and top it off it’s located at Disney’s Epcot Center.

Being that it’s actually been months and I’m no getting to post the items, I can only remember what was photographed, that being said…

Highlights
• Canadian Cheddar Cheese Soup
• Taste of Scandinavia (Cured Salmon, Herring, and Shrimp Salad), Swedish Meatballs with Lingon Berries
• German Beir Flight which included the Radeberger Pilsner, Schofferhofer Weizen, Hovels, Schlosser Alt, Altenmunster Octoberfest, Altenmunster Dunkel, Altenmunster Marzen, Clausthaler Classic
• Mohua Wine Tasting
• Craft Beer Brewing section which housed 8 craft beers
• Greek Griddled Grilled Cheese with Pistachios and Honey
• Italian Ravioli Di Formaggia all Emiliana (Baked Cheese Ravioli with Creamy Beef Bolognese Sauce)
• Mexican Passion Fruit Margarita
• Singapore Sling (this cocktail will mess you up something fierce)

There are many reasons why the 2011 Epcot Food and Wine Festival was a hit, but these items were the true standouts.  I can only hope for more excellent tasting in 2012.

German-American Oktoberfest 2011

So it’s been awhile since we actually posted a Nomster review, we’ve been posting up images, and to be frank, the month of October is so crazy jam packed with activities it’s hard to keep up with the pace.  We’re actually passing up, maybe, a Johnnie Walker tasting tonight in Miami so you can imagine just how busy having a full time job, and having some extra beer-curricular activities can be.

And so it was decided we venture up to Lake Worth and visit what is heralded as “the biggest German Oktoberfest in Florida” or something to that effect.

The food was amazing, a little foreign for my Hispanic blood, but spot on on every dish we tried.  The pork schnitzel was a huge plate (not pictures), with red cabbage on the side. My German counterpart Nomster in crime said the cabbage was excellent and authentic – with the strong flavors of cloves and cider vinegar. The potato pancakes (shown above) were served to order and they were piping hot to the touch with a scoop of lovely apple sauce.  We also sampled a plate of the apple strudel, though I would have preferred it to be warm, it tasted excellent served cold.  The last food item we sampled was the bratwurst; thin and long (that’s what she said) and placed in a bun (zinger!), the brat was savory and not over cooked at all.

Lastly, one couldn’t go to a German Oktoberfest without sampling the great German beers!  Ignoring the giant Bud Light sponsorship in the image above, I had a double sampling of Becks’ Oktoberfest beer, the last in my newly owned Das Boot!  The beer is a full tasting beer with a barly taste and a great hoppy aftertaste.  I won’t say this for much beers but it even tastes great at room temperature.  Becks’ Oktoberfest beer is a great seasonal beer and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves fall type beers which are heavier and tastier than the summer counter parts.