Tastemakers is a great idea: Bring forth a lot of restaurants, charge a fee, and hand out some free…read moregourmet food. Thanks to Yelp, I got a free pass, so the $45 Tasting Pass I got for my wife was a bit easier to swallow. So to speak.
Sponsored by Salt Lake Magazine, several of my Utah faves were there: Bar George, Beehive Cheese, Campos Coffee, CoreLife Eatery, Cremenelli, Fav Bistro, Last Course Desert Studio, Park City Culinary Institute, Rodizio Grill, The Ruin, Rye, Salt & Honey Market, Spencer's Steakhouse, Squatters Pub & Brewery, Stoneground Kitchen, Texas de Brazil, and Tsunami.
Who really stood out?
For me, Texas de Brazil's Flank Steak with Horseradish Mashed Potatoes and Chimichurri was one of the best I had. I'll be going there soon!
Stoneground Italian Kitchen brought forth an amazing basil Pesto pasta ... I love Pesto, consider myself a Pesto snob, and was very impressed with their offering.
Then there's the Park City Culinary Institute ... their one-of-a-kind salty and sweet concoctions make me confident in a bright future for the chefs coming soon to restaurants near you!
Eva's Bakery gave us two dishes: Raspberry Lemon pastry and Banh Mi sandwich ... both were fresh and flavorful.
Corelife Eatery brought forth both sweet/fruity and spicy/veggie dishes, giving me a few new entries for my CE to-do list.
Then there are those I know well that didn't disappoint:
Beehive Cheese brought their diverse group of cheeses: Some sweet, some spicy, some packing that rich cheesy punch. And they charcuteried up the joint with their delicious meat options.
This is the third event I've been to where San Diablo brought their amazing churros ... and I partook again!
My recommendations for future Tastemakers?
1. More options.
2. Make sure the exhibitors are there THE ENTIRE TIME of the event.
3. Make sure participating restaurants off the main drag (Dave and Busters, Tucano's, etc.) have clear signage inside and outside promoting the event.
I think all the elements are there for a perfect event. What I ate was awesome, and I hope future events are even better!