Vintage Beacon Circa May 2010: Taste of AwesomeTown

Make fun of the title AwesomeTown all you want, we are officially on the map now. And if the marketing behind that didn’t do it, Taste of the Town did last Sunday, in all its glory.

Taste-Logo1As usual, I tried to limit myself to sampling what I haven’t sampled before. This isn’t an article about every crumb and drip; but the crumbs and drips I avoided had I been Tasting in AnotherTown.

Event co-chair, Ginger LeVang, had this to share: “How fortunate the Child and Family Center is to have so many wonderful friends. This year’s event was a success! Thanks to the generosity of the community and wonderful restaurants and participants that made the day a treat!”

Drank

Starting at the first booth we were knocked off our socks (if we were wearing them on this pleasantly warm afternoon) by Mixers Lounge. They were serving up two different cocktails on ice.

One a Merlot-based and the other a minty Mojito. I came back to this booth a second time. Looking forward to their July 2010 opening.

Vino 100, in usual form, served at least a half different wines ranging from a cool Rose through Chardonnays, and a nice line up from Silkwood’s Cathy Craig: “We served 2004 Syrah and his new Chardonnay. The Chard was made many years ago and was served at the White House when Ronald R. was president. Not sure why stopped making it but sure glad it is back!”

I “Extinguished my thirst” at Firemans Brew next with their Blond Ale. Not because I couldn’t been seen drinking the Redhead or Brewnette, but because Blond ales are lighter and less filling. And, even though a stalwart wine drinker, I can appreciate a fresh cold beer on a hot day just like Moe Hafizi can.

The Wine Warehouse, a distributor for some of the restaurants and bars in our town, also had a dozen wines.

Guests favored their J Lohr Cabernet. Canvas wine by Michael Mondavi was poured from the Vines booth – very enjoyable. Lee’s Wine Bistro, available to the VIP guests, had a rotating selection of wine. I was left thinking we could have had more wine, but because of the heat that started to toast us early, it was plenty.

Ate It All

I was tempted more than I should’ve by Frankies NY Italian restaurant, Oaks Grille, New Moon, Salt Creek Grille, Vines, Inca Bistro, Ooh La La Catering, Sisley Italian Kitchen, The Paseo Club, Persia Restaurant, RSVP Catering and Marston’s, just to name a few.

On the sweet side I sampled from the Welsh Baker, Jill’s Cake Creations and Gotta have Chocolate Now leaving very few Red Velvet Cupcakes behind.

Seen In AwesomeTown

(Bolded are Organizers/Volunteers/Sponsors)

Chef David Lawrence, Steve and Julie Sturgeon, Claudia Sheridan, John and Sheryl Geraci, Paul De La Cerda, Steve Corn, Frankie Cerna, Beth Greenberg, Marlee Lauffer, Mo, Linda and Alex Hafizi, Stephanie Graziano, Michele Buttelman, Jamie and Francine Alba, Kimberly Altobello, Rich Soto and Jane Bettencourt-Soto, Cathy Craig, Cheryl Gray, Judy Penman, Steve and Elizabeth Hopp, Maureen Farrar, Chris and Jeannie Carpenter, Bob Keller, Duane and Pauline Harte, Don and Cheri Fleming, Curt Waite, Joe and Andrea Pohlot, Eduard and Dawn Abasta Hovhannisyan, John and Debbie Heys, Anna Ott, Steve and Rose Chegwin, Mary Bradway, Danise Davis, Chris and Ceidre Chegwin, Erin Woolf Hernandez, Nicole Stinson, Jackie Clavon, Marsha McLean, Mark and Ginger LeVang, Jackie MacDougall, Ron Horton, Stephanie Laney, Ron and Kym Cappi, Lil Lepore, Dan and Heather Deffenbaugh…

And I know they were there but I missed Maria Gutzeit, Gina Goodrich, Lindsey Kontra, Pamela Cascio, Kevin Korenthal, Adrienne Reisinger, Jenn Wilder, Dennis Verner, Rhona Jukes, Chef Dawn Walker, Joyce Carson, Diiehma Thompson, Steve Tannehill, Pam Ingram, Kim Kurowski, Vanessa Wilk, Mike Beurer, Barbara Stearns-Cochran, Ryan Borland, Jessika Basset, Dick Jeffrey Lois Bauccio and Bea Walker.