Viva la Musica and Viva la Comida (Awesome Food) at SeaWorld Orlando

Have you been to SeaWorld's Viva la Musica Hispanic festival of music and food? I have to admit I hadn't before this year, but I'm so happy I discovered the event this year.

Viva la Musica runs every Saturday through May 16, 2015 and is included with regular admission to SeaWorld. The annual festival features live concerts by internationally-renowned Latin musical artists and delicious Latin cuisine prepared by SeaWorld Orlando's own Executive Chef, Hector Colon.

Of course, I was here for the food, and food I enjoyed. Orlando is home to many Latinos, and some delicious Latin restaurants, so SeaWorld obviously couldn't just throw any old flavors on the table. Chef Colon has created a flavor buffet of epic proportions for event-goers.

First up was the Churrasco (grilled skirt steak) with a spicy chimichurri sauce (platter $12.99). The tender steak with a crispy bite was excellent. I loved the mouth feel and the aroma of the spices.

Next up I sampled some Carne Frita (fried pork $10.99 platter). We've got a theme starting here because, once again, it was all about the mouth feel for me. Crunchy outsides and and a soft, salty bite inside made these pork nuggets a stand out.

Each platter included rice and a choice of plantains (tostones) or fries. The pigeon pea rice was excellent and the plantains were large and tasty.

For dessert, cream cheese filled Quesitos ($3.59) were the perfect ending to a great Latin meal.

I could go on, but enough about the food. Here's information on the musical artists coming up at SeaWorld's Viva la Music:

Elvis Crespo - Saturday, May 9

Elvis Crespo is a Puerto Rican merengue artist with multiple hits worldwide. His first lead single Suavemente became an international sensation that received numerous awards, hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks and helped garner him the Best Male Tropical/Salsa Album of the Year award from Billboard magazine. Elvis has released numerous albums and singles, earning him 12 Premio lo Nuestro awards, a Grammy for best merengue performance and a Latin Grammy for best merengue album.

Ednita Nazario - Saturday, May 16

Latin Grammy-nominated Ednita Nazario is a Puerto Rican musician and singer-songwriter with more than 20 albums that have reached platinum and even triple platinum levels. Her albums have claimed the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums and Top Latin Pop Albums categories. Her landmark record Pasiones produced 11 number one hits in a row, becoming one of the year's top records. She later made a debut on Broadway in Paul Simon’s musical The Capeman. As her discography continued to grow, Nazario’s releases consistently topped numerous Billboard categories.

More Viva la Musica Details

Enjoy all the fun beginning at 12:30pm. Concerts are located at Bayside Stadium and begin at 4:00 pm. In the event of rain, concerts will move to Nautilus Theater. This experience is offered seasonally.

Note: I enjoyed complimentary admission and food via SeaWorld Orlando.