Friday, November 6, 2009

Food & Wine Festival 2009: The Final Round

well, here we are: the Food & Wine Festival finale. another year of tasty treats is in the books.

Athens, Greece
Spanakopita. Kourtaki Mavrodaphne of Patras.

i started off with something i had been eyeing since my first round. did not disappoint. flaky pastry. cheesy spinach filling. somehow managing to be both light & satisfying at the same time. what really intrigued me, though, was the wine. we've discussed how i feel about red wines. this had very little "fuzz" to it. and it was sweet. i could taste a lot of cherry & plum (and believe me when i say that if *i* can taste a flavor in a wine, it is In Your Face Obvious) and then it finished with something...slightly spicy/peppery. it totally caught me off guard. i did a little research when i got home & learned that this wine is frequently compared to a port--which i also am not typically fond of. so chalk one up for not drawing conclusions based on generalization.

Mexico City, Mexico
Mousse de Piña y Coco.

yum. yum. yum. yum. and yum. the mousse was pineapple but it was subtle and very vanilla-creamy too. and toasted coconut on top? delicious.

Shanghai, China
Happy Lychee.

oh this made me happy all right. ;-) seriously. i felt a buzz about halfway through (the cup is bigger than it looks!) but then it went away...and came back again after i got home & found myself slightly silly & more than a bit sleepy. it was interesting. sweet but...not. and it tasted somewhat like pears. i don't know. i am not familiar enough with lychee to know if that's the comparison.

Paris, France
L'ait au Chocolat Creme Brûlée.

this right here? was chocolate-y goodness. nice crispy layer on top. and underneath tasted just like chocolate milk. it was a little cool in temperature but considering it felt like i was standing on the surface of the sun, the coolness was welcomed. actually, come to think of it, it may have been served the proper brûlée temperature, but comparatively felt cool. =P

Munich, Germany
Nuernberger Sausage on a Pretzel Roll. Blue Slate Riesling.

i'm pretty sure i don't need to tell you what a sausage on a roll is like. it was good. i knew it would be. that's why i got it. but if you've ever eaten at Biergarten in the Germany Pavilion at Epcot, and you've had the pretzel rolls...well, then you know how much better the sausage became. (in case it isn't crystal clear: i *love* the pretzel rolls, and that may or may not have weighed heavily in this selection making my list.) the Riesling was good; it was the recommended wine for the sausage. it wasn't a sweet one, but crisp & dry. i wondered how it would go with the spiciness of a sausage but it was just right.

Cork, Ireland
Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Bailey's Ganache.


this. this? was worthy of being the final Festival 2009 taste left in my mouth. if the brûlée was "chocolate-y goodness" then this was chocolate-y perfection. i can't be certain, but i thought i heard angels singing. i actually had to include two photos because i think the only thing that can top warm chocolate cake with Bailey's ganache is that gooey creamy chocolate center. i scraped every last crumb off that plate with my fork.

and now i am already looking forward to what Food & Wine Festival brings in 2010.

11 with their own thoughts:

Nichole M Friday, November 06, 2009 4:42:00 PM  

I would have never paired a reisling with a spicy sausage... fascinating!

I hope I can join you next year in person!

Honey Saturday, November 07, 2009 12:23:00 AM  

now my mouth is watering...... hahahahhaa! i love the chocolate lava cake!

k Saturday, November 07, 2009 12:39:00 PM  

The pictures of that chocolate-y goodness are mouth-watering. I don't think posting such pictures should be allowed..it's near torture for those of us who don't get to indulge is something so good!!

penuttpie Saturday, November 07, 2009 4:51:00 PM  

my stomach was LITERALLY growling as i was reading this. no joke!

Brandi Saturday, November 07, 2009 5:19:00 PM  

I'm so jealous! I hope we get to go next year. ::sigh::

Also? Spanakopita is awesome! Love it!! :) Everything looks delicious!

Lisa Michelle Saturday, November 07, 2009 6:49:00 PM  

screw cleaning that cake plate with a fork...I more than likely would have been licking that plate clean...Holy Moly does that ever look divine..YUM-O

Jeanne Sunday, November 08, 2009 8:36:00 AM  

I love that when you share these delectable delights you not only give the gooey goodness of those desserts but share the surroundings on many of your shots. Congrats on the Auntie news too Dawn!

~**Dawn**~ Sunday, November 08, 2009 7:50:00 PM  

Nichole: It was the recommended wine on the menu for that plate so I figured I'd give it a shot! I hope you can too. We had SO MUCH fun!

pinklotus: It's a good thing you can't smell it through the computer. ;-)

K: Incentive for you to get moved down here. ;-)

G: I'm telling you, if you like to eat & aren't afraid to try things, this Festival is so amazing!

Brandi: I hope you do too!! I'm sorry it got all messed up for you this year. =(

Lisa Michelle: I thought about doing that with a few of the things I got over the course of the Festival, believe me. Just too many people around. ;-)

Jeanne: Thanks! I tried to make the shots as different as I could without losing the focus on the food. =)

Stacy at Exceedingly Mundane Sunday, November 08, 2009 10:24:00 PM  

My goodness at all of the gorgeous, scrumptious, awesome looking food! I'm so jealous :)

Scott Tuesday, November 10, 2009 10:48:00 AM  

"i can't be certain, but i thought i heard angels singing."

LOL! it does appear devine.

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