One of my favorite annual events is the Taste of Huntsville, this year on October 16, 2014. This annual event offers small “tastes” from area restaurants.
For a flat ticket fee, you can enjoy as many samples as you like (I always fill up way before I manage to try everything) including beer, wine, and soft drinks.
Restaurants range from fine dining to fast food, locally owned to large chains, and this year over 50 establishments will be showcasing some of their best offerings. This is a perfect way to sample from new or new-to-you restaurants or to try new dishes from your favorite spots.
Taste for Two Great Causes
The proceeds from the event are donated to local charities; this year’s beneficiaries are CAJA and the Family Services Center.
Additional funds are raised from both a silent auction and the voting ballots, which attendees can purchase on-site and use to vote for their favorite dishes in an audience selected category.
A panel of judges will sample the dishes and select winners in six categories:
- Entrée
- Upscale Casual Entrée – restaurants that offer “white linen dining” in a casual or formal setting; typically with specific dedicated meal courses
- Fast Casual Entrée – restaurants that do not necessarily offer full table service and typically do not offer a drive-thru service
- Fast Food Entrée – restaurants with no formal service staff to deliver food/drink and usually emphasize speed of service; a drive-thru service is typical
- Hors d’oeuvre
- Side Item
- Dessert
Pro Tips
If you are thinking of checking out this year’s event, here are a few tips from a pro:
Go Casual
The event is casual. Balloons decorate long tables and the restaurants decorate their booths and often dress up in keeping with the event’s theme. There is music playing and people make multiple trips between the booths and the tables, getting a few samples, sitting to enjoy them, and circulating again. This makes it easy to come late or leave early if need be and you can come in your jeans.
Plan Your Attack
With over 50 restaurants, most offering multiple dishes, you will be hard pressed to try them all.
When you check in for the event, the greeter will give you a map which lists all the restaurants and shows their locations. Scan through it to see the places that you don’t want to miss and be sure to hit them up first, before you fill up.
Avoid the Herd
Traffic tends to flow from the entrance toward the back of the wall, but it is not a continuous buffet line. Feel free to skip a table if you aren’t interested in it or the line is too long.
The Drinks Don’t Repeat
The drinks tend to be on the back wall, clustered by type–so all the sodas will be on one table, each brewery will have their own table, wine at another, etc.
Think of it as similar to the food tables as opposed to a festival where all the drink booths have the same offerings.
Make Friends
The round tables on the outskirts are for groups which have purchased a table. The long rectangular tables are open seating for those who purchased individual tickets. Because of this seating is very free flowing.
If you find an open chair, take a seat and introduce yourself to those sitting near you. Chances are, you’ve found a fellow foodie. I’ve discovered some of the best dishes by taking advice from table-mates.
Plan Ahead to Vote
If you would like to purchase ballots for the audience selected category, be sure to get there early and have cash on hand. The tickets are usually $1 each, but voting closes surprisingly early so that votes can be tallied before the end of the event.
Have you attended the Taste of Huntsville before? Leave your tips in the comments! Anything else you are curious about? Just let us know.
More Information: Taste of Huntsville 2014
When: Thursday, October 16, 2014
Time: 5:30 pm -8:00 pm
Where: South Hall of the Von Braun Center (700 Monroe Street)
Cost: $30 in advance, $35 at the door
Guest blogger for We Are Huntsville. Are you interested in writing a post for our site? Email katelyn@wearehuntsville.com.
