We just attended this past friday-sunday and had a great time! Spent way more than we intended, but it was worth it. The lines often looked crazy long, but honestly moved very quickly. I don't think we waiting for anything longer than 10 minutes. Here's what we had:
(no pics of these, too dark)
Pineapple Fuzed Sake, Japan. We really liked this. The flavors blended well and it was pretty refreshing.
Chicken Gyro, Greece. Not the best i've ever had, but still good. Messy though, lol.
Le Cellier Filet, Canada. Amazing. Just...yeah. DB said he wanted to go back and buy however many the had left, lol. Tender, juicy, and full of flavor. I think this was both of our favorite.
Kalua Pork Slider, Hawaii. Db liked it, I hated it. I'm pretty sensitive to spice and this hurt my throat.
Maui Splash Sweet Pineapple Wine, Hawaii. We were both let down by this. Considering it has "sweet" in the title, it was very bitter. The pineapple mostly came across in the scent and there was very little flavor beyond a basic dry white wine.
Lamington, Australia. I thought this was pretty great, DB was so-so with it. It was soft and the flavor was really nice.
on to the things i did take pics of!
Bunratty Meade Honey Wine - Ireland
We're big meade drinkers and were worried this would be too sweet, but we both loved it! If you're new to meade it's a great starter, and if you already like meade, it's just great lol. Would have loved a bigger cup for this one.
Potato & Leek Waffle and Belgian Waffle w/ Berry Compote - Belgium
They were both good, but the berry one was a lot better. The meat was a little too tough on the potato one, though the sauce was very good. The overall flavor combination/enjoyment was just better in the berry one.
Teriyaki Gyoza Bun - Japan, and Mimosa Royale - Morocco
The mimosa was my favorite drink I got, and possibly the best mimosa i've ever had. We both just kept saying "god this is so good!" Very tasty and refreshing. The bun was also amazingly yummy, and was the only sample we got more than once. The first time we shared one, the next time we each got our own, lol.
Soju Banana Milkshake - South Korea
I knew I wouldn't like this because of the ginger, and I was right. We both thought he would like it though, but he was really disappointed. It wasn't very refreshing, and the ginger was just so overwhelming. The banana chips are even dusted with it. This was a flop.
Bratwurst on a Pretzel Bun and Apple Strudel - Germany
LOVED. THESE. The strudel was perfect. Not too sweet, tender apples, and the vanilla sauce was a wonderful compliment in flavor. The brat was great, juicy, lean, delicious. Honestly, it's a tough call for me as to weather this or the le cellier filet was my top pick. I would definitely get this again...and again, and again...
Tuna Poke - Hawaii
We both really disliked this. We love sushi, sashimi, etc so we're no strangers to this dish. But it was just...blech. Bland, the texture was off. We both tried one piece and threw the rest out. Honestly, of the three things we got from the Hawaii booth, they were our three least liked things all weekend.
Strawberry Basil Champagne "Toast" - Desserts and Champagne
When they first handed it to me I was let down. I was expecting champagne, what was this weird pudding thing?! But it was actually very good. It's like a mousse texture, with whipped cream and fresh strawberries, and underneath is a little bit of basil infused champagne. It was nice, cool, refreshing. Would get again.
New England Lobster Roll - Hops & Barley
Pretty good. Neither of us had every had a lobster roll before, but have been wanting to try them and figured this was a good opportunity. The flavors combined well, we just wish there had been either more filling or less bread.
Loaded Mac'n'Cheese, Key Lime Wine, and Ace Pumpkin Cider - Farm Fresh
I didn't care for the flavor of the bacon in the mac, but I didn't try much of it (lactose intolerant). Db said it was just ok. He really liked the wine, i thought it was all right. If you like the flavor of key lime pie you'll love this, it was just bordering on too bitter for me. The pumpkin cider, however, was so very good! We both raved about it and plan to pick up a case when we go to total wine next week. Great, well rounded flavor. It's an easy sipping drink with no trace of "beer" flavor like some ciders have.
All in all, we were impressed with the festival, the samples we got, and plan to attend again. It was very crowded but manageable, and the CM's were rockstars handling it.
Were you pleased with crowd levels on weekdays?
That's when we are hitting the booths. Can't wait! 
