February 26, 2014 | Posted in:Pics, Special Events, Wine Tasting
The Downtown Wine and Food Fest was bustling this past Saturday and Sunday. The few showers that threatened on Saturday quickly passed and didn’t have a chance to dampen spirits of enthusiastic attendees. I headed into the heart of Downtown Orlando on Sunday, where the weather was welcoming, warm & sunny. The view of Lake Eola was pretty spectacular, too.
Sunny and beautiful at the Downtown Food & Wine Fest, in the heart of downtown Orlando.
This year the popular festival added several new ticket packages available both in pre sale and onsite. The VIP and Ultimate Feast tickets offered premium experiences and separate seating areas. For those wanting to sample several wines before committing to full pour, the Wine Tasters Club pass was a great option for just $15.00. The sampling pass entitled the bearer to five, 2 oz flight pours at any of the wine stations and a nice surprise- $5 off any Corkcicle product at the Corkcicle booth.
Several of my favorite food stops coincided with the Downtown Food and Wine Fest Golden Fork Award winners, which were announced later Sunday afternoon. The 2014 winners are:
Foodie Award (Based on one food item for taste, unique flavor and culinary excellence) The Smiling Bison for the Pretzel Bread Pudding
The new and independent eatery made a splash with the Pretzel Bread Pudding (2 tickets, $4) – described as having peanut butter, strawberries and whipped cream. I saw several passing by and the substantial portion looked like the ultimate, elevated PB & J experience.
The Smiling Bison, now a free standing restaurant, revisits its food cart roots and wins Festival Foodie favorite with Pretzel Bread Pudding.
Best Overall Menu (Based on overall menu creativity, depth of offerings, and quality) Kasa Tapas and Raw Bar
The creative Kasa menu and the Shrimp A La Plancha (3 tickets, $6), which is currently available on the Kasa dinner menu.
Kasa’s Shrimp A La Plancha was delicious, three perfectly grilled jumbo shrimp in a savory coconut sauce that was balanced with richness, acidity and a nice chipotle smokiness.
Best of Show (Based on fun factor, overall energy, and crowd vibe) Siro Urban Italian Kitchen at Orlando World Center Marriott
Siro’s booth offered colorful signage, a mobile garden and wonderful food!
Siro had many tempting options, but the roasted golden beets won me over. A bargain at 1 ticket!
Throughout the Downtown Food & Wine Fest, there was a great selection of food items at every price point and for every diet. Those looking for low carb, meat free, vegetarian or gluten free certainly had plenty of options to choose from this year. It was nice to see so many filling food options available for 1 or 2 tickets, equating to $2.00 or $4.00 per portion.
Marlow’s Tavern, with two locations in Orlando, offered Ahi Tuna Poke (2 tickets, $4), Chicken Gumbo (1 ticket, $2) and Shrimp & Grits (2 tickets, $4).
The Ahi Tuna was a substantial portion of chilled Ahi dressed in Teriyaki sauce with an avocado slice on top of a crisp wonton (2 tickets, $4).
Tommy Bahama’s Saba Steak Slider with Filet Mignon and fresh slaw for 2 tickets, $4.
Ms. Alice Christner welcomed guests and described the 3 ticket ($6) combo- a steal! The plate included enough for two to share with Christner’s signature aged steaks, seared Ahi tuna and famous Osage Spinach. This was a festival goers favorite!
Taverna Opa offered a Gyro or Falafel Slider (1 ticket, $2), Hummus and chips (1 ticket, $2) and a Falafel and dip combo (2 tickets, $4).
Mimosas (3 tickets, $6) were tasty and a refreshing way to enjoy Sunday Funday at the Downtown Food and Wine Fest!
I also loved sampling the Shaved Snow (shaved flavored ice) from Sushi House Orlando (2 tickets, $4), check out this clip of fresh snow being made. This is their Honeydew melon snow, which was very light and refreshing on a warm day.
Festival general admission was discounted to $15.00 if you purchased tickets in advance, through the Downtown Food and Wine Fest website. Festival tickets were available at the gate for the price of $20.00. Food and drink tickets were available for $2 each; all food and drink vendors only accepted tickets as payment. The food and drink tickets could be purchased in advance, at the gate or at the mid promenade ticket booth with cash or credit card. Along with wine stations, there were several beer stations and cocktail stations throughout the restaurant booths.
Bands rotated throughout the main stage which was surrounded with plenty of space to spread out a blanket and the few shady areas under the trees were prime real estate. Attendees were welcome to bring a lawn chair and settle in for the afternoon, the Downtown Food and Wine Fest provided a great weekend of entertainment for all.
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Lisa Wilk
Hello, I'm Lisa Wilk! I'm a freelance food, wine and travel writer, photographer and presenter based out of Orlando, FL. While covering local restaurants and food events in the #1 tourist destination in the US, I find endless cooking inspiration when dining out. You'll often find me in the kitchen putting my own spin on those elevated chef creations to enjoy at home and when entertaining. I have a love and enthusiasm for wine, wine education and wine pairing. Find me about town teaching and demystifying wine as part of the popular @TheTastyTrio in the popular Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Perfectly Paired program series I've co-developed. Taste, Cook and Sip along with me on Twitter and Instagram at @TasteCookSip and @WineChix! Cheers!
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