Yeah, where are the ribs?!

When it comes to the five items that Disney Parks Blog unveiled a few days ago, I think that’s the question to ask. Where are the ribs? Where are the ‘Braised Short Ribs in Cabernet with Mashed Potatoes’? I want some … now! 🙂

First, let’s review the current state of the All in WDW Food & Wine ’13 Pre-Festival Top “25″. A few days ago, I updated the list and presented:

Kalua Pork Sliders (Hawaii) “Le Cellier” Filet Mignon (Canada) Grass-Fed Beef Sliders (Florida) Crispy Pork Belly (Brazil) Scottish Salmon (Scotland) Seared Mahi-Mahi (Singapore) Seared Trout (Canada) Seared Scallop (Brazil) Scotch Egg (Scotland) Garlic Shrimp (Australia) Watermelon Salad (Florida) Kimchi Dog (South Korea)

But, now, there’s going to be … braised short ribs! I love braised short ribs! Almost as much as I love filet. Or, pork sliders. In fact, two of my favorite Atlanta restaurants serve fantastic short ribs, and it’s often my ‘go to’ menu item.

France has a new entree for 2013, and it’s their ‘Braised Short Ribs in Cabernet with Mashed Potatoes’. Call them our “new” #3 and rank them on the list right behind Canada’s filet! Sorry, Florida. Your sliders drop a spot.

What in the world is lemongrass? It is a plant with a lemony scent that grows in many tropical climates – most notably in Southeast Asia. A common ingredient in Thai cooking, it provides a zesty lemon flavor and aroma to a dish. Big surprise, eh?

Well, Singapore, leaning on its Thai influences, will offer us ‘Lemongrass Chicken Curry’ in 2013. Goodbye, beef rendang! Hello, chicken! You hit the list right behind Brazil’s seared scallop!

On Wednesday, when discussing the aforementioned Brazilian ‘Seared Scallop with Hearts of Palm and Tomato Stew’, I asked, “Does this mean that New Zealand’s scallop will be leaving the festival?” It looks like it is definitely ‘outa here’ as, this year, New Zealand will be plating up ‘Venison Sausage’.

I have to admit that I have tried venison just once … many years ago. I wasn’t a huge fan, back then, but it’s time to give it another try. Its pre-festival position puts it just behind Singapore’s lemongrass chicken.

Hops & Barley will be presenting us with ‘New England Clam Chowder with a Side of Tabasco’. I do like a nice cup of chowder, but, like Australia’s ‘Garlic Shrimp’, isn’t clam chowder a bit on the mundane side? You can get it most anywhere.

Finally, we now know that Scotland will be offering a third item in its inaugural year – ‘Vegetarian Haggis’. Hmm. OK. Let’s do some research. We know what we’d get if we got served “regular” haggis, right? In a few words, a vegetarian haggis is, more or less, a firm and spiced bean and lentil stew that is thickened with oats. Well, at least it isn’t a bunch of unsavory innards!

For me, it’s a dogfight between South Korea’s ‘Kimchi Dog’ and Scotland’s haggis for this list’s “cellar”, and I have to tell you … beans, lentils, and oats. I like all of those ingredients. I should like the haggis, right? I mean, I already know that I’m not a big fan of kimchi. So, maybe the haggis takes a slight edge over the ‘dog’?

Nope. I just can’t get my brain past the word “haggis”. For now, it hits the bottom of the list. I would rather have the fermented vegetables.

So, here we are:

Kalua Pork Sliders (Hawaii) “Le Cellier” Filet Mignon (Canada) Braised Short Ribs (France) Grass-Fed Beef Sliders (Florida) Crispy Pork Belly (Brazil) Scottish Salmon (Scotland) Seared Mahi-Mahi (Singapore) Seared Trout (Canada) Seared Scallop (Brazil) Lemongrass Chicken Curry (Singapore) Venison Sausage (New Zealand) Garlic Shrimp (Australia) Clam Chowder (Hops & Barley) Scotch Egg (Scotland) Kimchi Dog (South Korea) Vegetarian Haggis (Scotland)

You might notice some other adjustments from last time’s edition of the list. I dropped the Scotch Egg down a few spots. After seeing the Disney Parks Blog post from the other day, I decided that I hadn’t given Australia’s Garlic Shrimp a fair shake. Did you see the picture? Yum! Plus, I slotted in the Clam Chowder.

In addition, I dropped Florida’s Watermelon Salad out of the picture … for now. Until it is a confirmed item for this year’s Food & Wine, we’ll keep it in the background.

That’s the beautiful thing about a pre-festival ranking. It can be tweaked as much as you want and as you put more thought into the items. And, of course, you need to add the newly announced dishes from time to time. What’s next, Chef Jens! We’re waiting!

Have a great day, everyone!