Taste of Hillcrest 2016 - recap

I admit I get consumed by the idea of sampling EVERY location at a Taste event. I've conquered a few neighborhoods over the years but Hillcrest has eluded me 3 times (2015, 2014, and 2012). Nevertheless, it was time for attempt #4... Official info about the event is here.

Taste of Hillcrest 2016

This year, our tickets came with a lanyard/clip which meant no worrying about misplaced ticket (and yes, that has happened multiple times). Each participating location was assigned a number which was marked off the ticket to receive your sample.

Napizza at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

Our first stop was Napizza with their delicious truffle porcini and margherita pizza with a crunchy crust. We also had two thin crust pizza slices from Wine Steals.

Vom Fass at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

Vom Foss handed us a fresh and unique blueberry salsa as well as the recipe on how to make it! Around the corner, we sampled a tasty pesto steak sandwich at Ike's Place. There was one other sandwich being sampled but the wait was too long for our mission...

100 Wines at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

One of my favorite samplers was from 100 Wines Kitchen: crispy cauliflower & brussels, chipotle hummus and pork belly flatbread. I LOVED every part of this sample.

Pardon My French at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

Another ample sample was from Pardon My French. Pictured is Escargo with Pesto Butter, Flatbread, and Bacon Honey Bourbon Duck on a stick. The bacon/duck was too sweet but the rest were delicious bites!

Smok'd Hog at Taste of Hillcrest 2016 TRUST restaurant at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

We got extremely meat-happy at a couple of places. Pictured above are Rib Tips from Smok'd Hog and Moroccan Lamb Meatballs from TRUST Restaurant, two of the newest restaurants in the area. An oldie but goodie was Brazen BBQ with a wonderful Smoked Peruvian Pork with smashed potatoes.

Luna Grill at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

Luna Grill shared chicken kabob over Mediterranean Salad, same as last year. East Coast Pizzeria had meatballs and we picked up more 'free slice' coupons for our next visit. Micho'z Lebanese Grill was new on the list and served chicken with rice.

Rolled up at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

The newest trend of sushi burritos landed us at the new Rolled Up. We preferred the Pokey (left) over the T.B.D. (right). 

Cali O Burgers at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

Cali "Q" Burger gave us a quarter of a simple but juicy burger!

Veganic Thai Cafe at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

Here's Drunken Noodles and an Eggroll from Veganic Thai Cafe.

Taste of Thai at Taste of Hillcrest 2016 Lotus Thai at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

Time for more thai food at Taste of Thai and Lotus Thai.

Tajima Ramen at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

Dennis enjoyed the porky broth of the Tonkasu ramen from Tajima Ramen. The samples rotated at Rakitori Japanese Pub & Grill and ours was bulgogi over rice.

Bombay at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

Once again Bombay gave everyone a mini buffet. We skipped it earlier while there was a huge line and had no wait near the end of the event! Crest Cafe had both pasta and minestrone soup samples. Oscar Wilde's shared a velveta style mac & cheese. 

Seaport Oil and Vinegars at Taste of Hillcrest 2016 Seaport Oil and Vinegars at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

Seaport Oil & Vinegars sampled popcorn as well as any of their olive oils or vinegars. The Brew Project had pretzels with housemade mustard.

Babycakes at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

The Baby Brownies with white chocolate from Babycakes were delightful dessert bites. Bread & Cie had peanut butter bars that reminded me of Reese's. Uptown Tavern treated us to brown sugar cinnamon ice cream and a brownie with bacon pieces on top!

Candy Depot at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

I was in sugar heaven when picking up these treats from Candy Depot. We had a few options at Pinkberry and chose pomegranate and chocolate hazelnut yogurt.

Baja Betty's at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

This year the map included several *beer & food tastings* locations. Baja Betty's had magnum margaritas and chicken or pork tacos. A few doors down T Lounge handed us a mimosa "with a secret touch" (per the bartender). Vinavanti Urban Winery had white sangria and a bread/cheese sample. Hillcrest Brewing Co. shared meatballs and beer. 

Urban Mo's at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

On the west side, Urban Mo's served Pulled Pork Slider and some lemonade. Fiesta Cantina always provides margaritas with their Santa Monica Roll. Gossip Grill had cherry poppin lemonade plus chicken pesto alfredo.

Lemonade at Taste of Hillcrest 2016

There were non-alcoholic drink spots for this event as well. We were loving the coconut apple and cucumber mint lemonades from Lemonade plus there was a choice of three food samples. Rich's Refresh Station had some sexy staff serving "dry hump on the beach", which is the non-alcoholic version of "sex on the beach." Subterranean Coffee Boutique served a chai tea. Juice Crafters had their yummy East West smoothie with an apple, strawberry and banana mix.

Taste of Hillcrest 2016

Not all items are pictured in the post but we managed to hit ALL 40 participating businesses in the 4 hour time frame. We did it finally! Mission accomplished! Food coma inducing satisfaction or is it pain? Until next year... or the next food event...

Disclaimer: We were provided tickets for this event but all opinions are our own.

Share this post on...

Comments

Jinxi's picture
Submitted by Jinxi (not verified) on Sat, 05/07/2016 - 11:49pm

Lol impressive!! The Smok'd Hog is currently one of our favorite restaurants right now. Definitely go check it out sometime :)

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Wed, 05/11/2016 - 12:06am

the restaurant is a bit small though right? wish the sampler was bigger!

Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table's picture
Submitted by Laura @ Sprint ... (not verified) on Mon, 05/09/2016 - 11:07am

Oh, wow! This is my 'hood... I can't believe we missed it! I am dying to try out Rolled Up. And those PB bar from Bread & Cie. We have become regulars at The Brew Project. Their sandwiches are epic!

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Wed, 05/11/2016 - 12:07am

your hood is cool! i gotta grab food/drink with you one of these days!

Add new comment