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<\/a><\/p>\nEpcot: The Feast<\/b><\/h4>\n
I\u2019ve visited Epcot\u2019s International Food and Wine Festival for quite a few years now and I have reported about the traditional, the new, the TRY IT program suitable for kids, and the Food and Wine experience after running a half marathon.<\/p>\n
This year <\/b>I decided to focus on the offerings of Chew Lab<\/b>\u00a0and Sustainable Chew<\/b>, which were new additions to this year\u2019s festival and located in Epcot\u2019s Future World, a first for the event. Think of it as a combination of food meets science, meets culinary trend, meets sustainable food.<\/p>\n
I started the meal, like you would in any good restaurant, with a drink: Sustainable Chew\u2019s\u00a0Frozen Chew-tini<\/i>\u00a0made with\u00a0Crop Organic Meyer Lemon Vodka<\/em>. I loved it, simply loved it, and wished it came with a refill.<\/p>\n Sustainable Chew also provided my starter: Ricotta & Zucchini Ravioli with Tomato Sauce<\/i>. I\u2019m usually not a ravioli fan, but these were really good.\u00a0With the dish, I had the\u00a0Beso Del Sol White Sangria<\/em>. Probably not the best choice I made when it comes to pairing but the sangria itself was delicious on a very hot day.<\/p>\n Next, from Chew Lab, I had Olive Oil-Poached Salmon with Fresh Corn, Bacon, and Pepper Jam<\/i> paired with a Festival Chardonnay from the Napa Valley<\/i>. The salmon was a little overcooked, and adding bacon to the dish really did not do it for me. It just proved to me that not everything tastes better with bacon.\u00a0The biggest letdown however was the Napa Valley Festival Chardonnay<\/i>.\u00a0California has plenty of good wines, this was just not one of them.<\/p>\n My first main course, still at Chew Lab, was New York Strip with Parsnip Silk, Balsamic Glaze and Arugula Foam<\/i>. This dish was excellent, the parsnip silk a perfect match, and the arugula foam an interesting add-on.\u00a0I had\u00a0the\u00a0Paso Robles Festival Cabernet Sauvignon with my meal, and just like it\u2019s white counterpart, the festival wine was nothing to write home about.<\/p>\n Back at Sustainable Chew I tried the Pork Spareribs with Red Wine and Fennel and Cheesy Mascarpone Grits<\/i>. It was absolutely perfect. I paired the dish with the\u00a0Founders Spectra Trifecta<\/i>\u00a0beer. A wonderful beer and a perfect match.<\/p>\n \u00a0 As my feast was coming to an end, the problem was to make a decision about desert. Would it be the Liquid Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle with Warm Whiskey Caramel<\/i> from Chew Lab or the Vanilla Panna Cotta with Fresh Figs and Pistachio Brittle <\/i>at Sustainable Chew? When in doubt have both! I loved the Liquid Nitro Chocolate Almond Truffle<\/i> but could have done with way less caramel.<\/p>\n The Vanilla Panna Cotta <\/i>however was a winner. Adding fresh figs and pistachio to the delicate vanilla taste of the Panna Cotta <\/i>made me wish for more.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n