EVENT: Fork and Cork... the update

Saturday, July 14, 2012 Categories: , , , , , , ,

Well, it happened. As mentioned previously, Festival Epicure was a no-go this year and was replaced by an all new food festival-- Fork and Cork on July 6th, 7th and 8th.

The food festival couldn't have happened on a better weekend. After a heat wave lasting several weeks overtook Essex County, the weather was back to seasonal expectations. On Saturday July 7th, Some coworkers and I decided to make it an early dinner.

Many of the same vendors from Festival Epicure's past were present including Chanoso's, Mastronardi Estate Winery, Thai Palace, Koi Sushi, Thai Palace, and Mezzo's. But there were even more new vendors including Cooper's Hawk Vineyards, The Tecumseh Roadhouse, The City Grill, Sweet Temptations, Walkermole, and the Dominion House.

The Chork-- sans Armadillo.
I had a couple of delicious dishes including Chanoso's Green Armadillo, which consisted of fresh slices of avocado over a ball of seasoned rice (resembling an armadillo rolled into a ball), on a bed of sweet pepper salsa. It was served with some fried- wonton like "crackers" and one of the coolest foodie inventions I have ever seen-- a Chork (Chopstick and Fork combined). My second dish was The Tecumseh Roadhouse's Smoked Turkey Breast. The think was ENORMOUS and incredibly tender and delicious! For just $6, I got a drumstick that weighed so much that my arms actually got tired of holding it. Honestly, a meal in itself.

Tecumseh Roadhouse's Smoked Turkey Drumstick
All this went down with about four drinking cups of Mastronardi Estate Winery's Sangria (if you have never tried it, check out your local LCBO for some. If they don't have it request it because it is an amazing summertime red wine). I also finished off the dining experience with a glass of rose from Cooper's Hawk Vineyards.

One think I particularly liked about this festival is how they offered table service when it came to ordering mixed drinks and beer. Their serving staff went well with the environment and were incredibly friendly and sociable. One thing I think needs to improve for next year is the music, or at least the schedule. Having an evening meal accompanied by rock music was a first for me. I mean, I love my rock and roll but to have it blaring during dinner was all too strange. Some lighter music  for the evening would have been much more enjoyable. The sentiment was shared by several tables in our vicinity. 

Overall, with the short amount of time the organizers had to put this event together it was a great success and I look forward to seeing the Fork and Cork festival as an annual part of Windsor and Essex County's Summer Festival and Events schedule. 




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