Taste of Burlington 2016

Taste of Burlington is a yearly event held at the Marriot in Burlington and this is the sixth year it has been held and is sponsored by Chopps Steakhouse and Mercedes of Burlington. The event was a sell-out.

When general admission was let in, it became a madhouse but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and the staff got busy clearing out the debris quickly.

Cafe Escadrille had spicy tuna maki and sashimi with jalapeno and a very nice sauce. The Bancroft had an excellent beef tartare with a deep fried beetroot chip. I went for seconds for the tartare.

Del Frisco's Grille brought a version of their excellent Ahi Tuna Tacos that I love and I must admit that I had a few of these. The Capital Grille served up some very nice tenderloin with a very tasty sauce. The beef was cooked perfectly, of course.

I think Besito missed the mark slightly here by bringing Guacamole and Salsa when their food is really great. Wegmans had lugged a full wheel of parmesan cheese into the hall. That's a serious amount of money sitting there.

Island Creek Oyster Bar showed up with the full crew from their soon to be opened restaurant and had a really excellent scallop ceviche and really tasty shrimp. I can't wait until they open in the newly created "The District".

L'Andana showed up with some truly well made and tasty Ricotta Gnocchi served with Parmesan Crema, Marsala and Truffle Oil. Sorry Fishbones, for the out of focus picture of your really excellent seafood ceviche.

delSur brought mini beef empanadas that were really good with a nice salsa. Hint, if someone asks what the salsas are, don't just rattle off the names in Spanish, that doesn't help at all. Burtons Grill brought some nice tuna served on top of toasted lotus root. This worked really well.

Cornbread from Redstone American Grill. They also brought some Grilled Chicken Fondue that was really tasty.

Growing up, I always hated the red beets that I was forced to eat and I have since later tried red beet salad with the same results. Somehow I talked myself into trying the roasted beets from Osteria Nino and much to my amazement, I finished all of it! They also brought their famous meatballs and they were super tasty and tender, as usual.

Best dish of the night for me, Truffle Lobster Salad from Hilton Garden Inn served on a super fresh and flaky croissant. Yup, had a few of these. Chopps Steakhouse brought some really tasty dry aged beef that was excellent.

I'm so happy that we now have a Buffalo Wild Wings here now and I'm especially happy on Half Price Tuesdays. All the sauces and rubs I have tried have been very good but I don't think I'll try the Habanero Mango again. Phui, that was HOT!

Seasons 52 brought their famous desserts and I tried both the BELGIAN CHOCOLATE S’MORE and the CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER TORTE and both were excellent with a slight edge to the Chocolate peanut butter torte. At the end, there was a gentleman from Boston Cigar Factory sitting there and actually rolling cigars. Very interesting and there was also a Miss Massachusetts strolling around. Tips to the vendors attending, please have a sign next to the food so we know what you are serving (and so I can take a picture of it).

Disclaimer: I was invited as a media guest but all opinions are my own.