Taste of

We often attend the Taste of North Park around October so I was surprised to stumble upon a less publicized event called "Tuesday" Taste of North Park. This was a special 'mini' taste held Tuesday June 9, 2015 from 5-8pm in celebration of the HomeBrewers Conference that week! Curious, I picked up tickets for Dennis and me to check it out!

dani and alli at North Park Main Street ticket will-call

Will-call was available between 3-6pm in front of the North Park Main Street building located at 3076 University Ave. The sweet Dani and Alli were at the table helping me and other event-goers get our tickets! This smaller event was only $20 pre-sale or $25 day of and had 19 participating locations, 15 with food and 4 with beer.

mini mini corndog from coin-op during tuesday taste of north park 2015

Our first sample of the evening was a Mini Mini Corndog from Coin Op. Yes, mini is repeated twice, according to the server! It was served with a IPA mustard for a sharp kick of contrast to the pillowy dough and meat inside.

Taste of Hillcrest 2015

Another year, another Taste of Hillcrest! Can you believe it's been going on for 15 years? This year I was provided a pair of media tickets for their event on April 18, 2015 between 12-4pm.

Taste of North Park 2014 recap

I consider Taste of North Park to be one of the booziest "Taste of" events. There are multiple breweries that participate and a couple of my buddies attend for the BEER over the food! Dennis and I of course set out to sample as much FOOD as possible! That's just how we roll...

Apparently October is "Taste of <SD area>" month. There's Taste of Downtown (Oct. 2) and North Park (Oct. 11) plus some new ones we hadn't heard of: Mission Hills (Oct. 14), Bankers Hill (Oct. 22), and Point Loma (Oct. 23). These events are a great way to sample and discover new restaurants in various neighborhoods. OSY was able to attend three of the above but our stomachs wish the events were more spread out, especially after Vegas last week where Dennis insisted we try 2+ buffets!

Anyway, this year's Taste of Downtown was on a Thursday from 5-9pm. Yep, FOUR hours to roam around downtown with bellies to fill. So what did we find this year?

Taste of Downtown 2014 - farmhouse meatballs at Union Kitchen and Tap

First stop was Union Kitchen & Tap which had Farmhouse Meatballs made from Brandt ground beef and ground pork. The lighter Italian and parmesan flavor was delicious and an excellent start to our tasting adventure!

Taste of Downtown 2014 - fish taco, shrimp and garlic bread at Rockin' Baja Lobster

Across the street was Rocking Baja which sounded familiar. I realized we sampled its sister restaurant at Taste of Old Town! I enjoyed the bright flavor of the toppings and crispy battered fish of the taco though the side shrimp was just alright. The crusty garlic bread was beautifully done.

Taste of Downtown 2014 - brownie at Dick's Last Resort

Fun prop alert! I thought the hilarious face was better than the brownie at Dick's Last Resort. Too much Hershey's chocolate made the dessert taste like sugary frosting.

Taste of Downtown 2014 - Guiness beef stew at The Field Irish Pub and Restaurant

At The Field, they served Guiness beef stew. The consistency is a little thinner than I prefer but our favorite part was soaking the earthy nutty bread!

The past two years, we attended the Tequila Trail (2012/2013) but this year the event got a new name! So welcome to the Taste of Old Town everyone! With so many other events under the "Taste of" branding, it was sure to draw an even bigger crowd than before! The event had designated driver tickets (food only) and regular tickets (food and tequila/beer) from 16 participating restaurants.

Taste of Old Town 2014 - flyer by the fire

Here's the flyer by the fire. Ha, that rhymes a bit! The event was on Thursday Sept. 18 from 6-9pm in fabulous Old Town San Diego.

Taste of Old Town 2014 - table with raffle prizes

The event had a raffle that included Old Town restaurant gift certificates, tequila, and more prizes. More good reasons to come back to Old Town!

Taste of Old Town 2014 - mexican mole with rice at The Patio

We had been waiting all day for this event. We met up with our friend Jon and as soon as we had our tasting guides, we hit our first stop at The Patio. Their delicious mexican mole had a flavorful sauce that was especially good with the super tender meat! There was also Pacifico beer served here for those drinking.

Date: 
10/02/2014 - 5:00pm to 9:00pm

Bring your appetites and join us for the Taste of Downtown! This year's event is on Thursday October 2, 2014 from 5-9pm and spans 40+ restaurants in downtown San Diego.

This year, we were invited to preview the food samples from a few participating restaurants. Take a sneak peak at the goodies here:

Comun Kitchen and Tavern - Acai bowls

Acai bowls from Comun Kitchen and Tavern

Date: 
10/11/2014 - 11:00am to 3:00pm

It's baaack! Taste of North Park is an annual event that allows diners to explore the friendly neighborhood while tasting bites from 40+ participating restaurants and specialty brews around 30th st and university st. This is one of our favorite taste events in San Diego!

Presale tickets are available now for only $30 until September 26th. Afterwards, the price will go up to $35 and then $40 the week of.

Buy your tickets here: http://tasteofnorthpark2014.brownpapertickets.com/

Date: 
09/18/2014 - 6:00pm to 9:00pm

Taste of Old Town Map 2014

Three more weeks until the Taste of Old Town! This event, previously known as Tequila Trail, used to be a part of the Spirit of Mexico festival, but despite becoming its own event, will still showcase plenty of tequila for its fans! Oh-So Yummy attended the past two years and has recaps for both Tequila Trail 2013 and Tequila Trail 2012.

This year's Taste of Old Town will be held on Thursday Sept. 18, 2014 from 6pm to 9pm. Enjoy food and tequila tasting samples from sixteen of the participating restaurants in Old Town.

Only a week after stuffing ourselves at College Area Taste, we were back for more at Taste of Hillcrest! This year’s Taste of Hillcrest was on April 19th 2014 between noon and 4. Dennis and I came out with Oh-So Yummy’s Cathy and Dave, who also joined us last year for Hillcrest’s Taste N Tinis. It seems the Hillcrest events just happen to occur around our birthdays so we’ve been gifted tickets twice! A happy foodie thanks to Cathy!

Taste of Hillcrest 2014 - Brazen BBQ

We already had printed tickets so we started closest to where we parked, at Brazen BBQ. They were promoting a new item to their menu which I think was sweet and spicy tri tip? It was tender but we thought it needed a tad bit more seasoning or maybe a stronger rub flavor. Typical tasting beans were paired with this sample.

Taste of Hillcrest 2014 - Bombay Exotic Cuisine

Next was the indian buffet at Bombay. I always remember this as the place where you self-serve and possibly eat too much! Everything was fresh because we were first in line! I am always a fan of saag. Cathy commented that the tofu wasn’t that great but the rest of the sauces were. The lychee mousse dessert was sweet and fluffy.

Date: 
06/30/2013 - 11:00am to 3:00pm
The 13th annual Taste of Adams Avenue will take place Sunday, June 30, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, along Adams Avenue from Normal Heights to Kensington. This gastronomic trek will feature 30 restaurants, coffee houses, pubs, wine bars and unique eateries in one of San Diego’s hottest and historic neighborhoods.