The humble food cart near The Land pavilion got a fancy turf-topped upgrade for the Flower & Garden festival this year, but it was still serving up pre-packaged grab-and-go items like hummus kits and overnight oats. For Food & Wine, it is finally all grown up and serving full-fledged festival food that is freshly prepared and worlds apart from the Value Resort fridge food it featured before.
👍 Red Wine-braised Beef Short Rib with goat cheese polenta, puttanesca sauce, shaved pecorino, and petit herbs (NEW)
The big flavor here is actually from the olive and capers, but we weren't complaining - they gave everything a briny boost and blended beautifully with the other flavors. The short rib itself was also delicious and perfectly braised – it fell apart with a little nudging from our plastic fork. The goat and pecorino cheeses added a salty pop of cheesy flavor while the polenta provided the perfect base and added a creamy richness. There’s also a little bit of spice in that sauce. We absolutely loved this, but those who aren’t fans of olives or a little heat might want to steer clear.
👍 Lemon Poppy Seed Cake with lemon icing (NEW)
We loved that this cake is decorated with an edible flower that’s grown next door at Living with the Land. It’s a perfectly good lemon poppy seed cake, but not significantly better than what you might find at your local coffee shop. In fact, it would be perfect for breakfast alonside a hot cup of coffee from Joffreys or Starbucks. As a dessert, it is good but not remarkable and there are much better options from nearby festival booths like Milled & Mulled.
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