Don't miss Taste of Dallas this weekend in Fair Park. In case you haven't heard, the answer is "Yes." This is indeed the same event that usually takes over the West End each year early in July. As Taste of Dallas has grown, it seems to have outgrown the West End. One big added benefit of Fair Park: Indoor Event Space. That means you will have an escape from the weather if we continue our normal tradition of either being 110 degrees in the shade or three straight days of thunderstorms.
Everything you're used to seeing at Taste of Dallas will be there, but just in a bigger, and hopefully better, way.
My favorite part of Taste of Dallas is the Chef Demonstrations. My least favorite part of Taste of Dallas has always been trying to cram into that uncomfortable tent on the side of the road in order to see the Chef Demonstrations. This year the demos will be held inside one of the comfortably air conditioned buildings. Surprisingly, Friday night actually features some of the favorite chefs of the Dallas Life Newsletter. Starting everything off at 5:00 PM will be Daniel Nemec of Woodfire Kirby's, home to one of our favorite new brunches. He'll be cooking up Chimichurri "Surf N Turf" Kabobs with Grilled Beef Tenderloin & Jumbo Shrimp, as well as Spanish Chorizo Pearl Cous Cous. David Bull won more than one of our Best of 2009 Awards from the offerings of Bolla last year, and he will take the stage Friday night at 7:00 PM with Charred Beef Tri Tip with an Espresso Crust, Potato Puree, and Smoked Caramel Onions. Many great chefs will be featured throughout the weekend, including Jason Boso on Saturday afternoon. Jason is the chef responsible for the winner of our Best Burger of 2009 from Twisted Root Burger Co., but he also has a new restaurant next door in Deep Ellum by the name of Cowboy Chow, and from Cowboy Chow he will be featuring Brisket Tacos with Red Onion Cilantro Relish and Avocado Pepita Pesto. To see the full schedule, check out the Taste of Dallas website.
Of course, it wouldn't be Taste of Dallas without the opportunity to sample the cuisine of restaurants from all over the Metroplex. They'll be setup in the usual fashion outside just around the reflecting pool instead of the streets of downtown. Here's the list as it stands right now:
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Taste of Dallas promises that no tasting will be over $3.00, so hopefully you can put together a meal full of tastings from your favorites or some new places you've been wanting to try. If you want to check out the restaurant websites before you go or see what they will be offering, that is all available through an incredibly awkward interface on the Taste of Dallas website. Click on the restaurant name to go to the website or on the magnifying glass to get their "menu." Each menu selection opens as an individual pdf document, so be prepared for a bunch of windows popping up.
As always, there will also be lots of entertainment options including the Karaoke Stage, the Gilley's Main Course Stage with bands performing all weekend, and the Taste Town Kid's Activity Center including the Radio Disney Stage. A map of the event is available for download, and full schedules are posted on the Taste of Dallas website.
There are definitely some downsides to the big move to Fair Park. The first thing you'll notice is that parking is more expensive, which seems kind of crazy since the parking is all centrally controlled. Parking is $10 per vehicle in the Fair Park lots with a free tram to the gate. However, if you have a DART pass, you can always take the new Green Line Light-Rail to Fair Park. The station is right at the gate. If you don't have a DART pass, then buying day passes can get above $10 for a family pretty quickly, although the convenience might still be worth it. The second downside, and the one that upsets me the most, is that there is now a charge to get in the gate. It will cost you $5 each day to attend Taste of Dallas. Not only is $5 obviously not as good as free unless you use some really weird logic, but this also means you can't run down to see one chef on Friday and then go back to spend some time on Saturday. You would have to pay admission twice.
Even with the minor downsides, I hope you get a chance to make it out to Taste of Dallas. Maybe I'll see you there.
