Busch Gardens Tampa Announces Menu for their Inaugural Food & Wine Festival

With just a little over a month to go, the folks at Busch Gardens Tampa have announced not only the menu for their first ever Food & Wine Festival, but also a few more details about the event as a whole.

Interestingly enough, from what I can tell anyway, this isn't like the event that takes place at their sister park in Virginia and is set up very differently. While I thought they would've gone with dishes from Africa, they've chosen to keep things relatively safe and made this more of a local affair it would seem.

The food cabins will not be spread out throughout the park either, instead located with Gwazi Park and feature 9 cabins, and over 50 wines and 50 craft brews.

In addition to the food, there will be the concerts, which we've already talked about and tons of other events going on too. Like what, you ask? Well, here's a little rundown of a few other things you can expect to see:

Wine Glass performers (music with wine glasses!), Wine and Beer experts on hand to help educate on the libations on hand, Professional Foodies to help talk about flavors of the food and other good stuff, Harp and Cellists providing music throughout the day, up close time with various animals in the park at the Conservation Cabin and of course some Festival games like wine cork tossing, corn-hole and others.

It's an interesting departure from things, that we're used to at least, and our whole crew is looking forward to experiencing just what they'll bring to the table. So, what can you expect in the way of food from this year's inaugural event? Look no further, we've got the full menu right here for you to look over and see what's what and where to find it.

First stop? The Gourmet Lodge.

Gourmet Lodge:

Deconstructed Duck Confit
with Crispy Fried Wontons, Orange Salsa & Microgreens

Smoked Beef Brisket
with Cheddar & Smoked Gouda Potato Au Gratin

Venison Chili
with Roasted Corn, Black Beans & Lime Sour Cream

Wine
Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Alexander Valley Zinfandel

Beer
Sierra Nevada Torpedo
Cigar City Cubano Style Espresso

Savory Tavern:

Coconut Shrimp Cigars
with a Mandarin Orange Salad, served with a Horseradish-Orange Marmalade

Braised Lamb
with Roasted Corn & Merlot Jus Lie

Passion Fruit Flan
with a Kiwi-Strawberry Salsa

Wine
Chandon Brut
Sweet Josie Brown Ale

Beer
Copper Tail Wheat Stroke

Chef's Plantation:

Pan-Seared Salmon Cake
with a Caper-Lemon Aioli served atop Wasabi Microgreens

Goat Cheese Fingerling Potato Tart
brushed with Pistachio Oil

Griddled Cheese Cake Sandwich
with Raspberry Coulis

Wine
Sterling White Blend
Edna Valley Pinot Noir

Beer
New Belgium Brewing Fat Tire
Sam Adams Boston Lager

Coast to Coast Cookery:

Green Peppercorn Seared Hangar Steak
with Potato Leek Hash

Bacon Wrapped Prawns in a Kumquat Glaze
with a Jicama Cilantro Slaw

Micro Greens, Goat Cheese & Roasted Golden Beets
tossed in a Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette

Flourless Chocolate Torte

Wine
Kendal Jackson Sauvignon Blanc
Penfolds Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon

Beer
Stella Artois
Becks

Field House Eatery:

Pan Seared Diver Scallops
atop a Crispy Tortilla with a Watermelon Salsa

Roasted Pork Belly
topped with a Tomato Onion Jam & Fried Leeks

Shrimp, Kale & Locally-Grown Strawberries
tossed in a Ginger Dressing


Mango Éclair
drizzled with a White Chocolate Sauce 

Wine
Estancia Pinot Grigio
Bogle Petit Syrah

Beer
Bud Light Lime-a-Rita
Bud Light Mango-Rita

Southern Station:

Pan-Fried Cod
served with Parsnip Puree, Fennel Pollen & Roasted Tomato

Beef Short Rib
braised with a Strawberry Wine Habanera BBQ Sauce served with Brioche Toast

Pan-Seared Shrimp
with Roasted Red Pepper Grits, Grilled Corn

Wine
Alexander Valley Chardonnay
Estancia Pinot Noir

Beer
Shock Top
Cigar City Invasion Pale Ale

Comfort Kitchen:

Bacon Mac & Cheese

Aged Serrano Ham & Homestead Melons
with Baby Greens drizzled with a Fig-Infused Port Wine Glaze

Habanero Shrimp Salad

Strawberry Shortcake

Wine
DeLoach Chardonnay
Graham Beck Rose Champagne

Beer
Tampa Bay Brewing Co Reef Donkey
Bud Light

Light Fare Canteen:

Scallop Ceviche
Cheese Plate
Heirloom Tomato & Goat Cheese Salad

Wine
Penfold Chardonnay
Edna Valley Merlot

Beer
Shipyard Summer Ale
                                                                          Shock Top Honey Apple Crisp

Blazin' Bistro:

Jerk Chicken & Pineapple Salsa
on Mini Brioche Roll

Fire-Braised Pork Chop
brushed with a Mango-Chili Lime Glaze served with Plantain Chips

Diced Buffalo Mozzarella, Heirloom Tomatoes & Micro Greens
tossed in an Aged Balsamic Glaze

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
topped with Maple Fudge Syrup & Bacon Toffee

Wine
Graham Beck Game Reserve Sauvignon Blanc
La Joya Carmenere

Beer
Blue Point
Rastafa Rye Ale

Tasting Tents:

Okay, I'm not even going to try and list everything up that they have for this one. Instead, you'll have to head over to their listing for everything. It's a huge list over of 50 wines and 50 different craft brews and cocktails.

I'm starting to think this is the Wine & Food Festival, but hey...that's not such a bad thing either, right?

And there ya have it, the entire menu (mostly) for the first ever Food & Wine Festival at Busch Gardens Tampa. Would love to know what you all think of it, what you'd be interested in trying and what you want us to try as we'll be there during the first week of the event in March!