Crave Expo was absolutely amazing! It was my first Yelp event, and I couldn't have been happier…read morewith how it turned out! Crave Expo is a bridal/event expo that focuses on food and beverage tasting, as well as entertainment. It was held at The Mark for Events, a stylish event space with multiple connecting rooms. Though the line that had formed around the corner seemed a little daunting, it increased the anticipation, and thankfully, there was still plenty of food left!
THE MARK CATERING: One of my favorite booths! Everything from their booth was delicious! We started off with the Tuscan Kale Salad - Duck confit, pickled onions, faro, currants, and pinenuts, which was a tasty and unique blend of flavors. We later came back to try the Tomato Soup with smoke chili oil, basil puree, and buttered croutons...soo good! I had to get another cup, shh! They also had a super cool S'mores Bar! Open flames to toast your marshmallows on a skewer and then graham crackers and Hershey's chocolate available to build-your-own s'more! I'd love to have this at my next event!
CHEF KEVIN WARREN: Unfortunately, we missed the gumbo that everyone was talking about, but we got to try the Vegan Kale Salad.
PAPPAS ARTISINAL: The rep was super nice, and they had a beautiful display. Food was unique and nicely presented, too! I had the Oak Grilled Cauliflower, Pork Belly BLT, and Squid with White Bean.
VITACOCO: We got to try various coconut waters...who knew it came in so many different flavors?!
NEW SCHOOL OF COOKING: Candied Ginger Scone - I've never had a ginger scone before, and this one was pretty good! The ginger was not overpowering at all.
BANCHAN A LA CARTE: Another one of my favorite booths of the night! Everything would get snatched up super quick, so you knew they had good stuff! We had to wait a while for the Kimchi Quesadilla, but it was worth it! It was very tasty--a perfect blend of cheese and kimchi. The Arancini with Spicy Tuna and Pork Belly Banh Mi Crostini were also very good!
MR. BARTENDER: They had a few signature drinks for the night. I had the "Livin' Is Easy" (vodka, ginger, grapefruit, lemon, watermelon), and it was refreshing! I also tried a sip of the "Farm Julep" (bourbon, strawberry peach, lemon, and mint), which was also quite tasty.
CAFFE CONCERTO: As soon as I saw this booth, I was immediately drawn in by the cute macaron tree! I was so excited to try the macarons, but there were none left. Luckily, the lady was super nice and said she would look for some more for me! A few minutes later, she brought out a platter of various flavored macaron samples! I was also able to try their Sushi Snow Sandwich and strawberry cream puff. I definitely want to check out this restaurant in KTown!
LAWRY'S: Lawry's offered some really great tastes, available through their catering. The Vodka Infused House Cured Salmon was definitely memorable, and the Hoisin Duck Confit Soba was also another winner.
PDA CUISINE: Broccoli Quiche with crispy prosciutto and hollandaise...this booth had run out of most of their food by the time we got there...
KAYA SUSHI: The Tuna Delight cucumber tacos were good! I saw some pictures of the other sushi they featured earlier in the night, and everything looked great!
MAGGIANO'S LITTLE ITALY: Paccheri in Pink Sauce (Smoke mozzarella in speck)...rich and flavorful.
JAMAICA CAKES: Mini cupcakes. I tried the Vanilla Strawberry which was not bad...but then again I'm not really a cupcake person...
LOVESOME: Such an intricately designed booth! You could tell they put in a lot of effort in setting up their display. They had plates of truffles and cookies on top of dressers and tables fit for a tea party! I enjoyed the French Lavender Bark and Jasmine Green Tea Cookie.
SUGAR SPIN: This was a fun booth! You could watch them make your cotton candy right in front of you! They offer different flavors of cotton candy (strawberry cheesecake, salted caramel peanut butter, matcha green tea, ube cake, and orange creamsicle just to name a few) with toppings like cereal and potato chips! I was able to try the Yabba Dabba Fruity Pebbles cotton candy, a sweet blue cotton candy covered in fruity pebbles.
ENTERTAINMENT FROM SHOWMANCE BAND: We were entertained by the sounds of this great jazz band! Definitely kept things fun and lively!
Overall, I had a really fun time at this event. It was definitely well-coordinated, and vendors did a good job of pacing the amount of food that went out at a time so that there was plenty throughout the night! Drx. Events did a great job with the décor! It was stunning! Hope to come back for a future event!