KalamaBrew gets 'Simply Cookin' with A Food Affair and Arlie Hammons on Public Media Network
by KalamaBrew Staff
Monday August 31, 2009, 4:30 PM
Josh Smith | KalamaBrew
Behind the scenes of KalamaBrew's visit to the set of "Simply Cookin.'"KALAMAZOO - KalamaBrew is online, on the radio and starting today, on your TV.
Back in June, KalamaBrew bloggers Anne Holcomb, John Liberty and Josh Smith were invited by A Food Affair's Jared Dellario to join him in the studio for a taping of 'Simply Cookin.'
The show, which airs on Public Media Network (Channels 19, 20, 21, 22 and 95) offers "professional cooking results done simply for the average home cook."
Hosted by Arlie Hammons, the show features Dellario and A Food Affair's Chef Brad Loomis and Eric Osterhouse.
"Cooking with Michigan Beer," (episode nine, featuring Kalamabrew) will air not once, but four times this week.
The times are:
Today at 8:30 p.m., channel 20.
Tuesday at 5 p.m., channel 20.
Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., channel 19.
Saturday at 1:30 p.m., channel 20.
Josh Smith | KalamaBrew
The stars of "Simply Cookin."On this week's show, you will learn how to make three really simple recipes featuring local Michigan brews, including Oberon chili.
So far, only two of the 14 episodes have aired. Check out Simply' Cookin's Web site for details on the rest of the shows and themes.
Asparagus cookies? Stalk is king at `K'
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Kalamazoo
BY WILLIAM R. WOOD
bwood@kalamazoogazette.com
(269) 388-8549
KALAMAZOO
It could have been a featured event at an asparagus festival.
Asparagus was in everything, from guacamole to cookies.
In actuality, it was a cooking contest using local foods. Teams of students from Kalamazoo College competed against one another to prepare the most tasty dishes using foods grown in Michigan.
Portage was once the asparagus capital of the United States. So why not honor Portage and hang a cooking competition around the sumptuous stalk?
``I had to step back and think about the asparagus cookies,'' said judge Cindy Flickinger, director of Sodexo Catering, which runs Kalamazoo College's food service. ``But our (college) kitchen has made zucchini bread and eventually zucchini cookies, so the asparagus cookies are not that much of a stretch. It shouldn't have surprised me, but it did.''
About 225 people, most of them Kalamazoo College students, turned out to sample foods prepared by five student teams from the college. The team that represented the school's literary magazine, The Cauldron, won the competition for Asparagus Bread a la Michigan, asparagus bread with walnuts and maple custard drizzled with maple syrup.
The college's Women's Advocacy House received recognition for best use of ingredients for its Asparagus PB-Granola Cookies.
The teams were asked to create foods with asparagus and with ingredients grown or made within a 250-mile radius of Kalamazoo. The winning asparagus-bread recipe, for instance, included wheat flour from Nashville, sugar from Bay City, eggs from Hamilton, asparagus from Bangor, milk from New Era and maple syrup from Paw Paw. The products were purchased at the People's Food Co-op and the Bank Street Farmers Market.
``I'm glad the students are getting so involved (in the local-food movement),'' said judge Jared Dellario, chef and owner of the restaurant Food Affair. ``They went to farms, farmers markets, did research on the Internet. I'm impressed they did their homework on where things come from.''
Dellario was winner of Kalamazoo College's Local Food Showdown of 2008, which involved professional chefs. Monday's $2-per-plate event, ``Farms to K,'' was designed in imitation of the Showdown, said a coordinator, Holly Anderson. Kalamazoo College President Eileen Wilson Oyelaran also was a judge.
The consumption of local foods is important to many Kalamazoo College students, explained senior Leslie Petrovich, 21. Students at the private, liberal-arts college tend to be concerned about social problems, and ``if you intend to fix a lot of problems at once, local foods is one way to get at that,'' she said.
A minimum amount of fossil fuels are used to transport the foods, and local foods tend to be organic, which means fewer pesticides going into the ground, Petrovich said. The use of local food in urban areas also benefits populations in those areas because they receive more nutrients from locally produced foods than from foods found in inner-city corner stores and fast food restaurants, she said.
KalamaBrew chef Bio: Jared Dellario |
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"Love Feast" to benefit Augusta food pantry
Saturday, January 31, 2009 Kalamazoo
BY REBECCA BAKKEN
Special to CityLife
KALAMAZOO -- Show the Augusta community some love on Feb. 4 by attending the Community Love Feast at A Food Affair Cafe, 209 S. Webster St., to benefit the Augusta food pantry.
The free spaghetti dinner, which runs from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., is to raise awareness of the shortages the food bank has been seeing as the number of people in need rises.
Jason Howard, president of the Augusta Area Business Association and manager at National City Bank in Galesburg, is an organizer for the event and said another main purpose of the dinner is to provide a hot, well-balanced meal to families who may not have had one since the holidays.
Howard said he is grateful to Jared Dellario, chef and owner of A Food Affair Cafe, for sponsoring the event and agreeing to have his staff cook the meal at cost.
Other sponsors are the Augusta Area Business Association, Augusta-Ross Township District Library and National City Bank in Galesburg.
There will be National City piggy banks on each table for those who are able to make donations.
The food pantry, housed at Augusta Fellowship United Methodist Church, 103 N. Webster St., is affiliated with Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes, which does screening of clients and provides some staple items.
Residents Taste Kalamazoo
Western Herald
July 21, 2008
Teddy Rogge
..."A Food Affair Cafe from Augusta was new to the Taste of Kalamazoo thsi year and a last minute addition. Even with the responsibilities of opening only three weeks prior to the event, the cafe made it to the event in time for the last two days. "we wanted to get more exposure in Kalamazoo," said Jared Dellario, executive chef and owner of A Food Affair. In a festival of international foods, the cafe showcased regional flavors. "WE try to use as many Michigan products as we can," Dellario said. "The closer (the product) is, the better it is." The cafe offers everything from omelets, grinders and pizza to hot sandwiches like the Beef-abella; a sandwich with roast beef, sautéed portabella mushrooms, and Swiss chesse grilled on sourdough bread."
Galesburg plans celebration
June 19,2008
Battle Creek SHOPPER NEWS
"Back at Galesburg Crossing, Chefs Jared and Brian from Augusta's new "Food Affair" restaurant, will cater lunch from noon to 3 p.m. in the parking lot, highlighting Michigan ingredients featuring grinders. Don't dismay if there's bad weather - Jared and Brian will take the fabulous lunch inside to the complex's Michigan Room banquet facility."
Urban flavors in Augusta
August 22, 2008
Kalamazoo Gazette
William R. Wood
Augusta - There are some very good things about Augusta's A Food Affair Cafe: The space is cute, the fare is eclectic, the staff is friendly and it presents a splash of the modern, urban worked in a small town. It's the type of restaurant you go into wanting to love. Owner and chef Jared Dellario, who rose to executive chef for room service for The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas from 2003 to 2006 before returning to southwestern Michigan recently for family, appears passionate and ambitious. For instance, Eggs Parmesan ($7.75), on the breakfast menu, is typical of Dellario's style. Composed of layers of scrambled garlic eggs, marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese and bread crumbs, it is jazzy and bold. A chalkboard inside the restaurant is jammed with similar specials for dinner. Dellario has also become the talk of the greater Kalamazoo arts community as he has presented nightly themed menus that relate to the productions of the nearby Barn Theatre. For a recent production of "West Side Story," the menu carried Italian and Cuban dishes. For a production of "Steel Magnolias," the menu featured Southern fare.
Terry's Southwest Michigan food & drink guide
Dec 28, 2008
It is time to experience A Food Affair Cafe' & Gourmet Catering in Augusta. The chef is Jared Dellario and he comes home to our area after being an executive chef at the Mirage in Las Vegas. This place is hard to describe since it could change between visits. It looks like nothing from the outside, the inside is cozy and unique with a great dessert case. I have not seen desserts like this since R Stanley closed. Chef Dellario believes in using the best local ingredients as much as possible. When they get their liquor license they will serve Michigan wines and beers. Until then they will use Michigan fresh ingredients such as Otto's organic chicken, Michigan made sausage, tortilla chips and many others from our great state. When the Barn Theatre is going during summer they feature themed dinners to compliment whatever is playing. Hard to get a table those nights. The menu is very unique with a great breakfast including omelets like the Zeus with black olives, artichoke hearts and feta cheese, three types of benedicts, scramblers such as eggs parmesan. Quiche, pancakes, waffles and Maple Cream crepes are available. Don' t miss the highly skilled waitress who makes your latte's and espresso’s.
For lunch lots of deli sandwiches, grinders and burgers like the Gouda Turkey burger or the Food Affair burger. I had the Cajun chicken lunch special with sweet potato fries. My wife had the southwestern chicken sandwich with corn and black bean salsa.
Dinner could range from themed meals mentioned above, to thin crust gourmet pizza's with some original Sicilian recipe's from Dellario's family, all the way to surf and turf and back again with Woodsman Chicken and Waffles.
They also are planning some special gourmet dinners, so visit their website often. All details such as website and hours are in the guide.
This is a special place for all foodies to try!
Dig In: Restaurant review archive
by William R. Wood | Kalamazoo Gazette
Tuesday October 07, 2008
Food Affair Cafe, 209 S. Webster St., Augusta. (269) 731-2233.
There is perfection at this new Augusta eatery, the trick is finding it. Owner and chef Jared Dellario has become the talk of the area arts community by presenting nightly-themed menus to relate to productions at the nearby Barn Theatre. Dellario, who was the executive chef for room service at The Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas from 2003-06, is an obvious talent who is a fan of big flavor. $$, V, MC, AE, D. (Reviewed Aug. 22, 2008)
Have an 'Affair' with these recipes featuring five local Michigan brews
by Josh Smith | KalamaBrew
Saturday October 04, 2008
Jonathon Gruenke | KalamaBrew
These recipes are brought to you with help from: Dark Horse Brewing Company's Raspberry Ale, Bell's Oberon, New Holland's Dragon's Milk, Arcadia's IPA and Coco Loco.
AUGUSTA - As promised, here are six recipes featuring five local beers that we promised yesterday.
On today's menu: Bell's Oberon Clementine orange tartlets, grilled chicken basted in a mole BBQ sauce made with Arcadia's Coco Loco, Arcadia IPA beer bread, a Thai style flank steak marinated with New Holland Brewing Co.'s Dragon's Milk, an almond encrusted cod, beer battered with Arcadia IPA and to top it all off, a chocolate, flourless, framboise torte made with Dark Horse Brewing Company's raspberry ale.
You can find downloadable versions and photos of these five-star recipes by following the link below.
A "salut" to chef and owner Jared Dellario and the staff at A Food Affair Cafe for cooking up these treats and allowing us to share them on KalamaBrew. Show them your appreciation by taking a trip out to Augusta and sampling some of their new menu.
Cheers and bon appétit.
Continue reading "Have an 'Affair' with these recipes featuring five local Michigan brews"
Kalamazoo area gets four new restaurants
Posted by William R. Wood | Kalamazoo Gazette July 21, 2008
Categories: Dining, Featured Stories, Food
Next: Southern meals: A Food Affair menu follows theater themes
AUGUSTA -- A former executive chef of the Las Vegas Mirage has opened a restaurant here.
Jared Dellario opened A Food Affair at 209 S. Webster St. on June 28. The restaurant has about 50 seats, including seats in a private dining room. It is managed by Dellario's mother, Cheryl Dellario.
Jared Dellario, who grew up in Kalamazoo, worked as chef at the Mirage from 2003 to 2007. He returned to Kalamazoo to be with family.
Dellario calls his cuisine "Michigan urban fusion," but most recently he has teamed up with the nearby Barn Theatre to create dinners that follow the themes of the theater's productions.
Lately, Dellario's entire menu has been devoted to the Barn's "West Side Story." Half of the dishes have been Puerto Rican and half Italian.
He starts a new menu on Tuesday linked to the Barn production of "Steel Magnolias." The Southern-themed menu will include fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, grits and sweet-potato pie. Expect some eclectic twists.
"I have locals who are getting more and more excited and inquisitive about the food and opening their palates up -- the postman, the police officer, our neighbors who are owners of a dry-cleaning business," Dellario said. "Everybody is happy to have something different from the norm."
Prices for dinner entrees range from $12 to $19.
For more information, call 731-2233.
Feast local Local-food enthusiasts celebrate Thanksgiving `close to home'
Monday, November 24, 2008
Kalamazoo
BY FRAN WILCOX
Special to Hometown Gazette
When families gather around the table Thursday, many will give thanks for the bountiful feast spread before them. Some area families will be grateful not only for the food, but also for the toil of their friends and neighbors who produced the food.
That connection -- knowing where the food comes from -- is one reason some families will choose to eat a local Thanksgiving dinner. Another major reason is quality.
``It just tastes better,'' said Leonidas resident Sandy Newport, whose husband Shawn owns Greenside Flower Farms in Climax. ``You get used to eating it, and you just don't go back.''
Jared Dellario, executive chef and owner of A Food Affair Cafe and Catering in Augusta, said quality is the No. 1 reason his restaurant uses local food. He hopes to eventually offer 100 percent Michigan food. He is taking a step toward that goal by offering 100 percent local Thanksgiving dinners on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from now into early December.
``The reason we're centered on using local products is, first and foremost, quality,'' Dellario said. ``It's only as good as where it comes from, and when it's traveling, coming from other states and places, it goes through so much wear and tear. It's handled over and over again.''
Newport and Dellario both said they use local food to support Michigan's economy as well.
``We're interested in buying local and buying from people in the area and supporting the local economy,'' Newport said. ``If we can get it here, we do. That's just our philosophy.''
Since eating local is ingrained in the Newports' lifestyle, it will naturally be part of their Thanksgiving dinner. They have cranberries from South Haven in their freezer. They purchased a turkey from a 4-H member. The majority of their fruits and vegetables -- potatoes, apples, pumpkins -- are local.
The Food Affair's local Thanksgiving dinners will include made-from-scratch turkey dinners with green bean casserole, sautéed squash, harvest squash bisque soup, swirled garlic mashed and sweet potatoes, cranberries, sweet potato and squash pie, and real pumpkin pie.
Dellario said he thinks it's possible for people to prepare a completely local Thanksgiving dinner at home. He pointed out that many traditional Thanksgiving foods are readily available at this time of year at farmers' markets, at Horrock's in Battle Creek, and more and more even at major grocery stores.
Dellario said the best place to start is educating oneself through research. He suggested calling stores, farms and orchards to ask about their local produce.
A Food Affair manager Brad Whittle suggested reading labels, hunting for products' origin as scrupulously as many shoppers look for saturated fat or calories.
``It's kind of a fun adventure to look at a recipe and say, `What do I need? How many of these things can conceivably come from Michigan?''' Whittle said. ``It's fun, and along the way you'll learn a lot about your state and region.''
Their suggestions: Get a turkey from Otto's Turkey Farm in Middleville or from a local 4-H member. Buy potatoes, cranberries, sweet potatoes and green beans at a farmers' market. Make bread with products from Michigan companies. Choose wine from a nearby winery or cider and apples from a local orchard. Use real pumpkins from area farm stands to make pie.
Of course, doing all those things requires a fair amount of work and planning ahead. For those new to local food, Dellario suggested starting small. For example, use products grown and processed in Michigan, such as Jiffy Mix, Pioneer Sugar, and eggs from local farms in baking.
Newport said a good place to start is to find products at the grocery store that come from Michigan.
``When I go to the grocery store, if I don't have something, I keep in mind certain varieties that I know a lot of them are grown in Michigan,'' Newport said. ``If I have a choice between a Michigan product and a product from somewhere else, I'm going to buy that Michigan product. That is ingrained in my head. I think that's a good start for people to do.''
Newport said Thanksgiving can be a difficult time to begin using local food, because the growing season in Michigan is largely over. `Getting started with one or two local things is a good thing,'' Newport said. ``Start out with vegetables that are locally grown. Try to get a turkey that's locally grown. Every year, try to build up from there. I think that's a good way to do it.'' ``It's funny how the advent of technology like the Internet is bringing us back to a communal way of life,'' said Brad Whittle, manager at A Food Affair in Augusta. ``If you set a pumpkin in front of me and said, `Make a pie,' I would have no idea what to do. But I can get on the Internet and find out how to make a pumpkin pie, what I need and where I can get it in Michigan.''
On the Web
For help finding and using Michigan products, try these Web sites:
michigan.gov/mda -- Click on ``Select Michigan'' for a directory of products made in Michigan and a produce seasonal availability chart.
consumersunion.org -- Click on ``Thanksgiving Local Food Challenge'' in the changing box on the top left to view chef- and user-submitted recipes using local food and submit your own recipes.
eatwellguide.org -- Search for fresh, local food by keyword, zip code or city and state.
Food Showdown taps area harvest
by William R. Wood | Kalamazoo Gazette
Friday September 26, 2008
KALAMAZOO -- When one has to make a meal primarily from foods locally grown in southwestern Michigan, everyday items such as pineapples, avocados and lemons suddenly must be downplayed.
But chefs who prepared dishes for Kalamazoo College's third annual Local Food Showdown on Thursday at the school's Hicks Student Center got a break -- Michigan's harvest.
Dishes bursting with vegetables and fruits included the King Louis XIV Pear Salad, made by Jared Dellario, chef and owner of A Food Affair Cafe, in Augusta. It contained Asian pears poached in black raspberry wine, Bartlett pears poached in red raspberry wine, red and white grapes, red leaf lettuce, Gorgonzola cheese, a sweet plum relish and Dijon balsamic vinegar dressing.
During Kalamazoo College's third annual Local Food Showdown Thursday evening, Jared Dellario, chef and owner of A Food Affair, won the award for best overall dish for his K-Zoo Sliders.
Dellario won the award for best overall dish for the King Louis XIV Pear Salad as well as his K-Zoo Sliders, which were minibeef burgers with heirloom tomato Pico de Gallo, cilantro pesto and Colby Jack cheese.
"I'm really sick of eating cafeteria food, and all this tastes fresh and delicious," said Kalamazoo College student Hannah Reischl, 18, after finishing the pear salad.
About 250 people from Kalamazoo College and the general public attended the sold-out, $3-a-plate event designed to unite the campus and community, familiarize students with local restaurants and highlight local chefs who use local produce. Four restaurants participated in the two-hour event.
While there have been many other culinary competitions in Kalamazoo, this annual contest is one of the few that requires chefs to list the sources of their ingredients purchased.
Dellario used beef from Lake Village Homestead, of Kalamazoo; wine from Peterson & Sons Winery, of Kalamazoo; and produce from Kalamazoo's Bank Street Farmers' Market.
Brian Bender, of A Food Affair Cafe in Augusta, prepares K-Zoo sliders during Kalamazoo College's Local Food Showdown at the school on Thursday evening. Four local restaurants competed for the best dish featuring primarily local foods at Kalamazoo College's Hicks Center. Jared Dellario, chef and owner of A Food Affair, won the award for best overall dish for the King Louis XIV Pear Salad as well as his K-Zoo Sliders mini cheeseburgers.
Not only did Paul Carter, chef of Kalamazoo College's cafeteria, use locally grown ingredients, he personally visited one farm -- Blue Dog Greens, of Bangor -- to purchase vegetables for his Cuban-style black bean poblano cake with smoked jalapeno aioli. It was served on an arugula green salad with heirloom tomatoes and coriander maple syrup vinaigrette.
Karla Richards, of Food Dance Cafe, was lucky enough to purchase beef and pork from the American Livestock Breed Conservancy, which held a conference last weekend in Kalamazoo.
Although the meat was not from animals grown locally, it was very much in the spirit of the competition. The conservancy tries to preserve breeds of livestock that are being lost to large commercial breeders, Richards said. She used the meats for a cassoulet, a heady French stew including beans, tomatoes, chard and peas.
Robb Hammond, chef and owner of Sprout Asian Bistro, served his restaurant's family curry, in part because it was vegetarian and contained more locally purchased produce than any other item on the restaurant's menu. Sweet peppers, Asian greens, onions tomatoes and lentils were simmered in a spicy and yellow curry sauce.
Local Food Showdown lands at Kalamazoo College
By David Alexander
Western Herald
Kalamazoo College is giving new meaning to the phrase food fight.
Kalamazoo College will host Farms to Kalamazoo College s third-annual Local Food Showdown, a competition where local restaurants compete using at least 80 percent locally sourced food.
Farms to K has a few goals, I mean the main one is to bring more local food onto Kalamazoo College s campus, said Holly Anderson, senior majoring in human development and social relations and student leader for Farms to K.
The competition will feature a variety of local dining establishments that want to raise awareness concerning the importance of locally grown food.
A Food Affair, Food Dance, The People s Food Co-op, Sprout Asian Bistro, Water Street Coffee Joint, and Kalamazoo College s Sodexho cafeteria will be this year s featured restaurants.
A lot of the obstacles include really putting our roots down into the community, Anderson said, and really branching out and making those connections between institutions and farmers and our local food system that we have here in Kalamazoo.
According to Anderson locally grown food is important, not only for simplicity reasons, but because it helps stimulate local economy.
We have an abundance of agriculture in South West Michigan, she said, I guess its more so drawing attention to what we literally have in our backyard.
Anyone is welcome to come out, 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, to K-College s new Banquet Hall in the recently renovated Hicks Student Center, 1200 Academy St. taste the food, and vote on their favorite.
Admission is $3 for those who bring their own plates and dining utensils. For those who do not, plates and utensils may be rented for $1.
Farms for K is sponsored by the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institution for Learning.
The World's Shortest Restaurant Review
November 3, 2008 by Donna McClurkan
I have absolutely no desire to be a restaurant reviewer/food critic. Nothing in my background would indicate I'd be good at it, and I'd probably gain back all the weight I've lost eating locally for the last 10 months.
I do, however, know good food when I taste it. And we have a new local food themed restaurant within easy driving distance of Kalamazoo that, frankly, I just want to shout about. So here it is ... the world's shortest restaurant review: EAT HERE. THEN TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS. REPEAT.
A Food Affair
Caf & Gourmet Catering
209 S. Webster St.
Augusta, MI 49012
My friend, Karen and I met for a late lunch last Friday. We were warmly greeted and ushered to our table, where placemats with "Michigan Food Facts" provided the perfect springboard to a conversation about local food with our excellent server, Renee'. She answered a barrage of questions concerning the origin of the ingredients - and then, probably sensing an inquisition - promptly sent Executive Chef/Owner Jared Dellario to our table, followed by two giant bowls of incredibly delicious cream-based, chunky tomato basil soup. What happened next was almost 90 minutes of animated conversation, starting with this obvious question from a locavore:
Me: "Why did you decide to open a restaurant featuring food from Michigan?"
Chef Jared: "Quality! Locally sourced food tastes better. I love Michigan and I love the food we have here!"
This guy, a self-described "former ski-bum turned culinary school graduate," is really jazzed about local food. So is the restaurant's General Manager, Brad Whittle, and Jared's mom (and business partner), Cheryl. They stopped by to say hello and chat long enough to learn about the word "locavore" and compare notes on the rising interest in local food in Kalamazoo.
Chef Jared talked with Karen and me about relationships he's forging with local growers and farmers and the challenges of procuring local food. Coincidentally, a friend sent this article from USA Today the afternoon of our visit to A Food Affair, and it covers many of the same topics.
The highlight of our lunch was dessert - a sample plate of SIX locally-sourced treats:
Country Heirloom Apple Tart
Cinnamon Molly Delicious Cheesecake
Heirloom Apple Crisp Pie
Real Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake w/Raw Nutmeg Sugar
Golden Delicious Apple Cr me Brulee
Real Pumpkin Cr me Brulee
The best dessert? Talk about tough choices. The Real Pumpkin Cr me Brulee was, in Karen's words "the best crème brulee I have ever tasted," and I have to agree.
Though A Food Affair has only been open since the end of June, Chef Jared and the restaurant are already receiving rave reviews. Check out this glowing article by Bill Wood, food writer for the Kalamazoo Gazette, about a Local Food Showdown at Kalamazoo College in September.
It was a wonderful lunch. Seriously - eat here, then tell all your friends.
Festival costs can add up: try Taste of Kalamazoo on a budget
Posted by William R. Wood | Kalamazoo Gazette July 18, 2008
KALAMAZOO -- What could be better in the hot sun than being at the Taste of Kalamazoo and drinking coconut milk out of a fresh, cooled coconut?
With sizzling meats, cool fruits and frozen drinks available in every direction at this year's Taste at the downtown Arcadia Creek Festival Place, it is easy to open wide, sample and grin.
But wait. You just filled up your vehicle with a whopping $80 worth of gas, music is thundering across the white festival tents, you're standing in line to get in with your family or friend and you wonder, "How much is this going to cost me?" Related content
Admission is free during the day, $5 from 4 to 7 p.m. and $8 after 7 p.m. Children 12 years old and younger get in free. And most food items cost from $3 to $4.
About 30 area restaurants are offering a total of about 200 food and drink items, so between the sushi, curry puffs, pulled pork and new wine bar, costs can add up.
Can a person squeak by at the Taste with $10 or $15? Sure, if they have a plan.
"We decided what we wanted before we got here," said legal secretary Chris English, who helped her friend Janice Beck eat several pieces of sushi from Sushiya's booth during lunchtime Thursday. "We got the Taste menu online. We don't have much time for lunch so we had to plan our attack."
There are ways to enjoy the Taste without dropping big bucks. Here's how: Timing. Go during free admission times or on Saturday, when admission will be $2 less than other days. Nonalcoholic beverages will cost less that day, and restaurants will offer some special prices.
Beverages. Get water at the drink station for $2. Fresh lemonade for $2 at Doctor Dogs is a classic. Fresh coconut milk from Great Wall Express for $2.50 is pleasingly exotic. Frozen chai and frozen mocha made with chilled espresso cubes, both from Caffe Casa for $5, are worth splurging for.
The knockout entree. Get one sizable entree with dynamic flavor to fill up on, then nibble the rest of the way through the Taste. The grilled dark meat of Q-It-Up's Fire Thigh Sammie, $2.50, is moist, bursting with flavor and has a spicy kick that creeps up on you. Big Burrito's steak, chorizo and barbacoa tacos for $2.50 are hefty and authentic. Grilled turkey legs for $3.50 from the Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites' restaurants are so huge they may not leave enough room for anything else.
Go for rice. Rice dishes are plentiful at the Taste, especially at the Asian eateries.
"Everything we eat is with rice," Malaysia native Roland Gomes, owner and chef of the Malaysian restaurant Rasa Ria, said about his family. His Chicken Rendang for $3.50 has bits of chicken in a slightly spicy coconut milk sauce with potatoes and rice. Jazzy's dish of red beans and rice for $3.50 surprises, as the red beans are really a rich, glistening, gravy-like concoction of bacon, sausage, onion and green peppers thickened with roux.
Nibble away. Your sweet tooth can be satisfied by the 50-cent pastries offered by Caffe Casa in blueberry, apple, cherry and raspberry. The new Augusta restaurant A Food Affair, whose chef, Jared Dellario, is a former executive chef of the Las Vegas Mirage, offers assorted mini cheesecakes for $2, with Michigan fruit swirled throughout
