Every year I entertain the idea of attending Epoct’s International Food and Wine Festival. I usually talk myself out of it because the thought of roaming the large park with an engorged belly doesn’t sound very appealing. Also, though I love cooking shows and competitions such as Top Chef and Hell’s Kitchen, I am not much of a foodie. I am quite content with the simple meat and potato. I am repetitive with my meals but I do like to be quite adventurous during the few times I go to a restaurant in a year. Well, unless it involves green beans because they are little emerald spawns of evil. Also, just ingesting a single French fry is enough to send me in to a food coma.
This year was different, I wanted to put on my Tom Colicchio hat and give it a try. I wanted to find out exactly what my range of food tastes were and find things I would enjoy that I could possibly add to my limited daily rotation of turkey pot pies and hamburger and rice meals.
I decided to make the daunting attempt to have at least one dish from each of the countries’ stand alone booths. I would rate each one like I was at judges table and quip about my knowledge of cuisine.
Things didn’t work out as well as I had hoped. I could only get through a few countries before I had to give my belly a rest, coupled with the fact it was a blisteringly hot, humid Florida day and I was filling my self with liquid beverages. I thought I would share some of the dishes I did partake of and give some thoughts on the experience.
First on the food adventure was Scotland. I had not planned on documenting the journey at this point so there isn’t an accompanying image to include but the dish was Seared Scottish Salmon with cauliflower puree, watercress and a malt vinaigrette.
Until recently I never had a taste for salmon and I dislike cauliflower immensely. The salmon was quite nice and the cauliflower was actually creamy and delicious. I almost mistook it for mashed potatoes. I may have to revisit cauliflower puree in the future but what pulled the dish together was combining each ingredient on the fork and tasting it together as a melody. One of my favorite dishes.
Next up was Hawaii.
A Kalua Pork Slider with sweet and sour dole pinapple chutney and spicy mayonnaise and a Tuna Poke with seaweed salad and lotus root chips.
The slider was quite nice. The pork was a little dry and the mayo had a strong bite to it. I am not a lover of spicy foods. My mouth is too sensitive for heat. I dislike pineapple but it worked well with the dish and I did, with it’s faults, enjoy it.
The tuna poke was my worst experience of the day. It was over powering and the textures were difficult. The tuna was almost like jelly. The sesame seeds did little to add to the dish other that lodge themselves between my teeth. Hawaii was over all unimpressive.
The next Country was Ireland.
Lobster and Seafood Fisherman’s Pie
This was a no brainer for me. I love Irish food. If I could pull of the accent I would speak as if I were an Irish person all day. The culture fascinates me. The dish was delicious. My only issues were probably the serving size because I practically wanted to lick the bowl afterward and the fact that my portion was too scalding to eat at first so I had to wait a good ten minutes for it to cool down. I also had a chilled Irish coffee, considering I think coffee is the worst liquid on the planet, it was quite nice.
The next country was France and though I was dying to have the Escargots Persillade en Brioche. The line for the stand was thirty or so people deep and I have no patience for crowds, lines or standing next to people in crowded lines.
I moved on to Belgium and when the thought of a waffle wasn’t enticing I moved on to New Zealand.
Steamed Green Lip Mussels with garlic butter and toasted bread crumbs.
Lamb Meatball with spicy tomato chutney.
The mussels were quite nice coated with the butter sauce. I felt that the bread crumbs took away from the flavor of the shellfish more than it added to it. The meatball was divine. A moist sphere and the sauce had the right hint of spice. There was also the bread that was just the right thickness and didn’t take away form the flavor of the tasty little lamb. I would have this as a foot long sub everyday if it were possible.
At this point it was blazing hot and I had gotten quite full so I just browsed around the carts of the next few countries enjoying the aroma of each meal. I did stop for a bite of baklava in Morocco and perused the ninja swords and mecha offerings in Japan.
Then I saw a bunny rabbit…I did not try to eat him…….
After deciding I was done with my failed food adventure, I was lured in by Brazil for my last stop of the day.
Crisp Pork Belly with black beans, onions, avocado and cilantro.
Seared Scallop with ragout of tomatoes, peppers and hearts of palm over rice.
I had never had pork belly and I don’t like the texture of avocado but this one is an amazing dish. Everything worked together nicely. I love scallops so it was a given that I would fall head over heals enjoying this tiny meal.
That was my attempt to taste around the world and I think I am going to rigorously train for another attempt to complete it next year.
I included all the menus I came across at the bottom of this post and you can click to make them larger. What places would you have stopped to try a dish? What would you have recommended I try? Could you partake in all the items available? Chime in at the comments below and let me know. I would be interested to hear what you like.
C. A. Ostrout 