Review of the 2014 Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival

06/12/2014 by retiringinwilliamsburgrolfkramer 2 Comments

With Busch Gardens® season passes, you get to roam through all the countries of Europe, while riding rides, enjoying live music and soaking up the most “beautiful amusement park” in the United States, any time you want to. We want to. A lot! And in 2014, my wife and I are, especially, enjoying the Busch Gardens® Food & Wine Festival! Here is my review:

For the festival, Busch Gardens®  introduced a bar-coded wristband linked to a credit card or cash pre-payment, but the unfortunate thing about this is that each kiosk had to scan the band twice (one time for the season pass discount and again to add the food item). The good news is that we tried EVERYTHING. Each kiosk had something (sometimes 2 things!) that didn’t disappoint! Here are our picks – so don’t miss these:

• American Southwest kiosk – try the fish taco (everyone in line ordered it – a favorite of the season). We also liked the Sonoran Spice Pork and Chicken Adobo with Mole Sauce. If you love chocolate like my wife – try the Chocolate Lava Cake.
• Austria kiosk – Try the Paprikash – a real winner with the lovely sauce!
• Belgium kiosk – try the beer flight paired the tastings with chocolate, hazelnuts, and cheese.
• Canada kiosk – try the Macaroni & Cheese with Peameal Bacon and the Venison Sausage and Corn Porridge. The venison was wood-fired and served with caramelized onions – not gamey, at all.
• Caribbean kiosk – try the Jamaican Jerk Chicken. The lightly spiced chicken was served with a fresh and zesty guava barbecue & grilled pineapple salsa. This was a lovely appetizer (and not too spicy for the little ones ahead of us, in line). My wife recommends the Frozen Caribbean Sunset. I drank a Red Stripe Beer.
• Crepes and Coffee kiosk – try the Chocolat de Noisette et de Banane Crêpe (a Nutella and banana crepe) – you cannot go wrong! We went back and shared a second, another day.
• France kiosk – try the Coq au Vin which was just LOADED with flavor with a rich gravy.
• Germany kiosk – we tried the German beer flight, included: Spaten Oktoberfest, Franziskaner Hefeweisse, Bitburger, and Kostritzer. There were stickers identify each beer with a number and then we were given a piece of paper providing descriptions – nice touch! At the German food kiosk, we tried Currywurst, which was excellent!
• Greece kiosk – try the Halloumi and the Trio Dip Plate with roasted garlic hummus, Kalamata olive puree, and a very tasty feta dip. The Halloumi was a simple grilled cheese with honey and pistachios and was just heavenly. The Baklava was excellent.
• Ireland kiosk – try the Bangers with Colcannon – the combination of tart cabbage and Guinness-laced gravy was exquisite.
• Scandinavia kiosk – try the Smoorebrod – an open roast beef on dark rye bread with horseradish & picked red onions.
• Scotland kiosk – try the Shepherd’s Pie with lamb and mashed potatoes and some Scottish Toffee.
• Spain kiosk – try the Tapas Platter. It was simple, but wonderful: Paprika roasted Marcona almonds, olive medley, and Manchego cheese. The Scallop that everyone was raving about? To die for! It was wrapped in ham and served with Saffron rice and Romesco sauce – this may have been our favorite. We also tried the Empanadas, served with a Cilantro cream sauce. This dish, also, was not too spicy. They are also offering Gazpacho con Ceviche and we haven’t tried it but heard good things.

If you are interested (as my wife was) in how each dish was made, they actually list the recipes, on Busch Gardens® blog.

Tickle those taste buds with the culinary delights at Busch Gardens’ Food and Wine Festival. Enjoy authentic tastes from around the world while strolling through the world’s most beautiful theme park.

As the Busch Gardens® Food & Wine Festival says: “Unleash your inner foodie!” The festival runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through June 29. Don’t. Miss. It.

I am curious if anyone else has been and agrees or disagrees with my choices?

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Rolf Kramer, REALTOR®, ABR, SRES, e-PRO 757-564-4455 Licensed in Virginia with Liz Moore and Associates, 5350 Discovery Park Blvd, Williamsburg, VA 23188 Williamsburg has become a Mecca for retirees over the past dozen years because of its history, charm, vacation amenities, proximity to major cities and airports, and affordable cost of living. Check out www.retiringinwilliamsburg.com for information about the Williamsburg community, lifestyles available, and search for homes for sale.