With it being 30°F and snowing today, of course all I can think about is a beautiful summer day when I munched my way through this year's Taste of Syracuse.
The iconic festival typically kicks off the first weekend in June. For three days, our downtown Clinton Square celebrates with food, free live music from both local and national bands, charity events, contests, and games.
Show up with $10 per person and you're going to leave full, happy, and with a list of new favorite places to eat.
$50 will have you taking an Uber home with a backpack full of Bang Bang shrimp wondering why Smashmouth didn't bring you on stage with them because you rehearsed 'I'm a Believer' while getting tiger face-paint. The clowns running the bounce-house even sang along! (The only event I've been to where the beer and wine slushies are cheap.)
BUT, with everything being "pandemicy" and all that, a throng of 200,000 people scarfing their way through half an acre of $1 samples jangles all of the public safety alarms. SO, the festival had to be canceled again this year.
Instead of holding nothing whatsoever, organizers scaled the festival down and offered up Picnic at the Park. Each Thursday through July and August, local restaurants lined up their food trucks along one of the trails at Onondaga Lake Park to showcase their specialties. The only rule was that each vendor had to offer a $1 sample.
Since the beautiful lakeside park has the BEST playground in CNY for the kiddos (and squirrels), it wasn't surprising that the parking lot was near full when I arrived.
My first couple of minutes were spent photographing the playground. Followed by a minute or so of deleting the pics. Those endearing moments of children playing would have gone from heartwarming to creepy once I blurred all their faces. 😨
The mouth-watering scents of meat and grill smoke in the breeze moved my feet. After gnawing off my work-desk ankle bracelet early for a change, my stomach was done being patient while I took pretty pictures.
Razzle Dazzle's "Our Vegan Corner" truck, closest to the playground, was under siege by a sea of sweaty kiddos clamoring for Italian Ices. I jumped in the line to get my paws on my favorite from Razzle's cafe, The Beetlejuice (raspberry and coconut swirled together).
Unfortunately, by the time I ordered, they had sold out. 😢
I guess I have an expressive face because the owner, Rev. Curtis Levy, started listing off EVERYTHING on the menu.
I'm not one to seek out vegan fare but so long as something tastes good and is made from actual food, I'm all in. Their Meatless Beef Taco was savory, with crisp fresh lettuce (because limp lettuce is a crime) and a nice zing from the sauce. Easily something I could eat a few of, but not at $4 each.
Formed by the late Antonio Pascarella and now run by his wife, Serafina, Pascarella's shut down their storefront a few years ago to cut down on the massive operating costs. Their dedication to quality and their personalized catering menu has seen them continue to thrive year after year.
May I just say that ALL FRIED DOUGH IS NOT THE SAME! I'm that sucker who will try some from every vendor hocking them along a midway or in a farmers market. More often than not, they're lukewarm and the only thing I can taste is the clumps of sugar. The only good point for those doughs is that they're so tough and over-fried that you can use them for jousting.
Pascarella's either used a high-quality oil or took the time to change theirs out during the day because this dollar sample was light in color with a clean taste. Exactly what fried dough should be; crispy outside with a fluffy interior, easy to bite into, and NOT overdone with the sugar. 🤤
The heatwaves radiating from Wolf’s Patio Pizza wood oven were not deterring the lovers of a finely fired pie. Even with the smorgasbord of choices at the park, this team was cranking out multiple pizzas per order.
Co-founded by Wolfgang Dwyer with his wife, Linda, their shiny red truck has been a staple at Upstate NY events since 2016. Wolf's pizza pilgrimage has earned them awards for their specialties like the Mac and Cheese Pizza and their take on a Flammkuchen (a pizza laden with caramelized onions, bacon, Gruyere, and topped with creme fraiche).
As much as I adore a great pizza, there weren't any slices available, so I meandered on. Feel free to yell BOO while throwing your tomatoes. 😜
My sniffer led me to Oompa Loompyas’ peppy purple trailer. Finally! I had reached the source of the alluring bouquet of meat tinged with garlic.
Thankfully, owner Azella Alvarez had not hired any sarcastic songsters to go with the cheeky name.
Inspired by her love of the lumpias (Filipino-style spring rolls) her family made for holidays, Alvarez's business serves up traditional Filipino fare with a twist from other cultural cuisines.
These blissful morsels were stewed in a vinegar and soy sauce-based marinade that didn't overwhelm the flavor of the pork. Accompanied by fried rice that had toasted garlic bits speckled like jewels throughout, this was my favorite of the whole day! 😍
This was more proof that the rule of food fests holds up. If you want to try something amazing, seek out the longest line! 😁
My original plan had been to save some pork and rice for dinner later. But, each savory bite kept being followed by another, and another, and then it was GONE. You know something is delicious when it disappears so fast that your head swivels around to look around for a thief. 😆
I wasn't sure how to eat the Halo Halo. At first, I tried drinking it but, after a nose full of springy flan, I took the giant hint that came with the spoon. 😅
The condensed milk and ice made sense once I tasted the ube and pineapple jellies. On their own, they're overly sweet for my taste. Also, I'm pretty sure that I broke some kind of etiquette when I swirled everything together so I could get a good mix of everything with each spoonful.
Alvarez's loompyas won my highest marks for being perfect walking around food! Thin fried wraps kept the gooey fillings in place instead of leaking out into the container. The sampler came with three varieties: beef, spinach-artichoke (my favorite), and chicken wing dip. I prefer chicken wing dip with a more fiery flavor, but when feeding a crowd, I get the need to tame the flame.
Having stuffed myself silly, a walk was in order. Otherwise, I'd snuggle up under a tree for a snooze. Although... me waking up hours later to the shine of a police flashlight would be a hilarious story on its own. 🤣
Shout out of gratitude to the Food Bank of CNY for all they do year round for those in need! 💜 It was wonderful to see a steady stream of people dropping by and donating while having fun with the games.
If anyone wants a frisbee, let me know because I came away with a full stack (and a new addiction 🙄). More cheddar was dropped playing Plinko than I spent on food the entire day.
R & R Catering has made quite a comeback from the terrible fire that destroyed their restaurant back in 2017. Thanks to support from other restaurants in the community while busting her backside night and day from rented kitchens, owner Renee Allen was only out of commission for a few months instead of permanently.
She shifted her business plan and decided to go full time with catering out of her truck. Out of the ashes of devastation, Renee's business has grown steady and is going strong even after a year that has shut-down so many other establishments.
Sad to say, the dollar sample BBQ Chicken Bites were dry and stringy. The sauce they were slathered in was good but just couldn't save the overcooked meat. R & R has had some great reviews so perhaps this was just a bad luck one-off. 🤷♀ At the very least, I want to give that Piggie Melt a try.
There's been a happy rise in Soul Food joints making Syracuse their home over the past two years. Each one bringing their families' tried and true recipes to delight the bellies of their customers.
Soul Food Extension's chef Mercedes Jones was inviting all to sample her 'soul with a twist' flavor while flipping chicken quarters on the grill.
The menu listed Watermelon with Mustard. This wasn't a combination that I've tried before so I figured, 'why not'? I like sweet mixed with savory. Maybe it was a bit of watermelon salad with a mustard dressing. Or perhaps grilled watermelon with a mustard glaze. I forked over my dollar, curious to see what awaited me.
I shouldn't have been annoyed. Or felt a bit insulted. They served up exactly what the menu promised. Watermelon with mustard. Any expectations were purely my imagination running away with me.
The taste of the two together was fine, though nothing special in my book. $1 for a slice of melon isn't a bad deal but after that let-down, I'll ask what the exactly what the sample is before buying. 😕
I suspect this was one of their samples was because it was trending on Tik Tok and because it took hardly any prep time. Perhaps they ran out of their original samples and had to come up with something on the fly? I'll award them one point for trying something unusual but feel their dollar offering fell a mile short compared to the other restaurants. One sample isn't a fair judge of what Soul Food Extension has to offer so I will check them out again. Just, not anytime soon.
The 2 pm deadline for the food trucks to close up was drawing near. Not only did I want to sneak in one final treat, but the temptation of relaxing by the lake once the crowds left was irresistible.
Blessedly, Razzle Dazzle's was down to merely a handful of tykes in line and they still had some Strawberry Gelato left. Creamy with a bright burst of fruity sweetness, the gelato didn't NEED the whipped cream on top, but I'm not one to tell a Reverend armed with cans of Reddi Whip how to do his job.
After the trucks had rolled out, the park returned to its usual Thursday afternoon peace. The branches of the tree I sat against drooped down like a curtain, muffling the sounds of people walking on the path behind me. Water lapped at the shore while seagulls called. For that moment, I was alone on a tiny island.
The next moment, I woke up. Turns out my body is perfectly fine with taking a nap wherever it wants to and couldn't care less about police or their flashlights. 🤣