On Thursday, our town hosted a really fun event called The Taste of Downtown.
For $30, each participant got an identification badge and a passport with maps to 11 downtown restaurants to try during the 3-hour event. There was no requirement to visit them all, but anyone who did was entered into a raffle to win one of four $50 gift certificates to downtown restaurants. We would have visited all 11 without the incentive; we were really excited about trying some new-to-us places and hopefully discovering some new favorites.
Our first stop was at Casa Agave. Like every other participating restaurant, we had never been there.
We walked in and the friendly staff greeted us and led us to a table. That was a surprise! I was expecting to collect a tiny sample at the door. Within a minute or two, they brought out their chicken fajitas. They were fantastic. We will absolutely, definitely be returning to Casa Agave.
Next up was Pizza Twist. They serve Indian fusion pizzas, traditional pizzas, and Indian sides.
We each got a slice of pepperoni pizza from the counter. It was pretty good; in particular, the crust was fantastic. I do wish they'd served their fusion pizza. And I also wish they'd given out smaller slices. This was a very generous portion, considering we still had nine more restaurants to visit!
Our next visit was at Saffron.
This time, we were led to a buffet and told to serve ourselves as much as we wanted. I took a tiny amount of rice (delicious), a single piece of butter chicken (fantastic), and a triangle of naan (yum).
Restaurant #4 was Cedars Corner.
At this point, I was having serious concerns about being able to eat at 7 more restaurants. But I certainly wasn't ready to give up, Especially since the next place was a bakery, Famous Creations.
The chocolate salted caramel cupcake was fantastic. And there were so many tempting options in the bakery cases!
Time for Restaurant #6: Million Thai.
Our go-to Thai place closed recently, so we've been hoping to find a new one. Based on the amazing Pad Thai that they served us, I think we've found our new place! We will definitely be back to try more dishes.
Next up was El Pitayo.
We were very surprised that, instead of being served a ready-made sample, a waitress took our order from a list of options. The upside is that the food was hot and fresh and delicious. The downside is that it took a very long time for it to come out - almost 30 minutes from when we'd arrived. The restaurant was only 1/3 full, so concerns about the wait time will probably keep us from returning.
Restaurant #8 was Baja Ice Cream and Bionicos.
We learned that a bionico is a Mexican fruit salad. I wasn't a fan, but I LOVED their ice cream. It was absolutely delicious. They also serve crepes - we'll be back!
Next up: Alejandro's Taqueria. It smelled amazing.
We were invited to both load up big places, but we were so full it was out of the question. Steve and I split a single taquito, plus I had their hibiscus drink (which was great). I'd like to return to sample more from their menu.
There was a sign on the door at Restaurant #10, El Caracol, saying that unfortunately they were not able to serve food for the Taste of Downtown event. I'm not sure what happened, but we were actually relieved.
Our final restaurant was China Palace.
We were invited to take as much as we wanted from a buffet. We shared the smallest amount possible that still gave us a good idea of the food. The veggie chow mein and the fried spareribs were both excellent.
We waddled back to the Farmer's Market where we'd picked up our empty passports two hours earlier and turned in our completed passports. What a fantastic event! I'm so glad we participated. I can't wait to return to try some of the restaurants again... on an empty stomach!
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