The Churrasco, which was selected as Best in Booth, was tender steak paired with a herby chimichurri sauce. The Linguica was more controversial. While some of the team enjoyed the smoky flavors, others disliked the texture and found the entire dish to be oily. The group reach consensus, however, about the Abacaxi, which was universally despised. The primary flavor seemed to be smoke with a strong smokey aftertaste.

We were disappointed to discover fewer options at the Cuban booth.  Why did they remove the Flan? The Ropa Vieja, a nice comfort food, won Best in Booth. It wasn’t as meaty as one would expect, but it seemed to have a nice variety of vegetables and the right flavors. The Cuban Sandwich, however, was less popular. Most notably, we couldn’t taste the ham or pork.

We weren’t entirely sure why this booth was separate from the main Italian kiosk. Regardless, it served our favorite sweet item at the event: the Tiramisu. This delicious Italian dessert was creamy and layered with classic flavors. I was saddened, however, by the continued decline of the once beloved Panna Cotta. It tasted distinctly of artificial vanilla, and the light strawberry sauce of yore was replaced with overwhelming goo. The Cannolis were virtually indistinguishable from one another, tasting mostly like cinnamon and a stroopwafel.

The Beignets were the most popular dish at the New Orleans booth. They were flakey and light with a enjoyable honey glaze. Our cheesecake suffered, because it was served with the wrong sauce. We did, however, appreciate the freshly-cut bananas. Neither of the savory options stood out as particularly good or bad. The Etouffee was mushy, but boasted a lot of shrimp. The Muffaletta was generally inoffensive, but also lacking in flavor.

The Islands did not wow us this year. The Best in Booth winner, the Huli Huli Chicken, was deemed “inoffensive” by one taster. The accompanying potato salad was tangy and pretty, but generic. The tuna was overwhelmed by the aioli, but the seaweed salad was the best we have ever been served at the park. The Mac & Cheese boasted both pineapple and ham flavors, but suffered from an unpleasantly gluey consistency. We were startled by how similar the mousse tasted to Watergate Salad, and generally preferred last year’s Haupia. Historically a favorite, the Hibiscus Lemonade was too sweet and fruity this year, lacking the lovely floral flavors we enjoyed in the past.

“Bland” was the word of the day at the Irish booth. While that might match stereotypes of British cooking, it was not what we were looking for at a food festival. The Bangers won Best in Booth by default, but lacked herb, onion, and Guinness flavors. The cheese tray was pleasant, but uninspired. The Sage Derby was again the most interesting option on the plate. The dessert was a good dark chocolate mousse, but lacked any whiskey or stout.

We were glad to see savory options return to Europe’s boot. We preferred the fresh Caprese Salad, which we thought was a great summer dish, especially with its yummy balsamic. (Where did all of the F&WF balsamic go?) The risotto wasn’t terrible, but it was gooey and beige and tasted primarily of parmesan cheese. The Italian Soda was light, sweet, and refreshing. There was, perhaps, not enough raspberry.

Everyone must visit the rebranded Caribbean kiosk. It won Best Booth because everything was excellent. When we tried the fritters and slider the second weekend they were still fantastic. The former were perfectly fried and paired with a tangy sauce with a touch of heat. The latter had layers of flavors and a marinade that tasted like jerk instead of previous years’ barbeque sauce. The cake and limeade received more mixed reviews, but still scored well.

This booth had a lot to offer. We loved the Mushi-Gyoza, which was well cooked and paired with a great sauce. We found the Lettuce Wrap to be fresh and crunchy and full of light and refreshing flavors. We rated the bubble tea Best in Show. It should be noted, however, that the second weekend it tasted like dish soap and looked completely different. We would not recommend either the sushi or the dessert, however. The California Roll was bland and boring and the Matcha Ice Cream, which was popular last year, tasted overwhelmingly of soy.

Thank you, BGW! You brought the Mediterranean/Greek booth back to its previous greatness. Not only was it awarded Most Improved Booth, but on our second round some of the dishes were even better that the first weekend. The Dolmades were fresh and light, a perfect summer dish. The Spanakopita were flakey and savory with a bright lemony sauce. Weirdly, the lamb sliders, which tied for Best in Show, were not as good the second weekend. The Loukoumades, while not bad, per se, seemed uninspired. By far the least interesting option at this generally delightful booth was the Cafe au Lait. If you want an iced latte, we recommend Starbucks.

The Fried Shrimp Taco stole the show at this new-ish booth. Its sauce perfectly balanced sweetness and heat, and was excellent on this crunchy taco. It was equally as good the second week. Sadly, the Carne Asada was not nearly as well received. The Empanadas, refugees from the defunct Spanish booth, had a great sauce but were otherwise bland and tasted of freezer burn. We were especially disappointed by the Horchata, which was a team favorite last year. It seemed watered down and lacked the spiciness we so enjoyed in 2018.

This new addition was easily the biggest disappointment at the festival. The two of us who grew up with Filipino cuisine were especially unhappy with the offerings. The Adobo was somehow simultaneously dry and oily, and tasted exclusively of soy sauce. The Siopao, selected Least Offensive in Booth, was doughy and needed more filling. The Mamon was like a stale ladyfinger and had none of the advertised cheese. As a lover of Filipino desserts, all I could say over and over was, “where are the custards and sweet rice?” The “juice” seemed to be infused water with melon. It was refreshing and trendy, but arguably not worth the $4.25 price tag.

This southeast Asian booth is another must-miss at the F&WF. The best we could say about the inoffensive Beef Bulgogi was that is wasn’t as dry as the Adobo. The ribs were more controversial. Some liked the mild flavors in the meat, while others found it uninteresting. Similarly, the slaw’s strong flavors sparked heated debate.

The highlights at the Commonwealth’s own booth were the She-Crab Soup and Strawberry Lemonade. The creamy soup with big chunks of crab and just enough sherry was topped off with a crisp crouton, earning it the award for Best in Booth. The refreshing drink also scored well thanks to its tartness and abundance of strawberries. The hushpuppies, however, were overcooked and tasted more like a burned potato skin than a fluffy fritter. If you are looking for yummy fried cornbread, we strongly recommend you head over to the Jamaica booth. The dessert bars were buttery, but seemed to lack any chocolate or bacon flavors.