|
Guide: How to "taste" the Taste of Fort Collins - Taste of Fort Collins |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Written by NEXTnc staff
|
|
Thursday, 07 June 2007 |
|
|
|
|
|
Page 1 of 3
 We hope you’re hungry.
Twenty-five restaurants in two days is no simple feat. So grab a fork and knife, and maybe even a bib. This is going to be one heck of a meal!
Last year, 30,000 people came out to the annual Taste of Fort Collins.
“Every year we try to grow and have more restaurants and vendors,” said Cat Loyd, event manager and public relations director with Team Player and TeamSage Productions. “We always make sure it’s family-friendly and that there is something to appeal to everybody’s taste.”
With so many delectable options, actually tasting all the Taste has to offer can be overwhelming. With this in mind, NEXTnc staffers went straight to the chefs and organizers themselves for suggestions.
 “Let your nose point you in the right direction,” Loyd said. “Whatever stands out to your sniffer, do that first.”
————
To Go To the Taste of Fort Collins
The 11th Annual Taste of Fort Collins is from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. June 9 and 11 a.m.-7 p.m. June 10 at Civic Center Park in Fort Collins.
Tickets are available at the gate for $5 before 4 p.m. and $10 after 4 p.m. each day.
Admission is free for children under 12, seniors over 65 and military personnel.
Advanced tickets may be purchased at Wilbur’s Total Beverage. Proceeds will benefit Special Olympics Larimer County and Kiwanis Club.
Make sure to stop by the NEXTnc booth (No. 62) to win some awesome prizes.
See the map here.
———— HOW TO TASTE THE TASTE OF FC ————
 1. STICK WITH SMALLER PORTIONS
As tempting as that heaping helping is, you will be able to try a wider variety by sticking with smaller sizes.
“One thing we do ask all restaurants is that each restaurant have a sample item with a lower ticket price, so people can really go around trying different things,” Loyd said.
Mike Reeves, chef and owner of Fish, said the event is generally cost effective. Reeves has participated in the Taste for the last six years.
“It tends to be really cheap,” he said. “You can go a long way with a pocket full of ones, kind of like a strip club.”
Especially if you stick with the sample items. This is sometimes easier said than done, but it’s worth a try.
“Unfortunately, I go with the idea of sampling a little bit of everything, but what happens is I find something I like, eat that and get full,” said Jerry Poduska, marketing director for 2mayto 2mato.
It’s for this reason that he recommends not ordering a full meal at any one booth.
2. DON'T OVERLOOK FREE SAMPLES
Free samples are a great way to taste more without spending your last dime. Poduska said 2mayto 2mato will offer free samples of their famous choka and chutney. Choka is a common appetizer in Trinidad and Tobago made with fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin and peppers.
3. BE SELECTIVE
Avoid the restaurants you frequent. This is a great opportunity to try something new from a restaurant you don’t normally visit.
“The Taste is cool because it’s largely local restaurants,” Reeves said.
Remember, all these restaurants are right here in Fort Collins. You can always visit the restaurants you miss for lunch or dinner another time. Loyd said people often ask why chains are included.
“Really, chain restaurants are a part of Fort Collins and are run by local people,” Loyd said.
Another way to be selective is to only choose one restaurant for each type of food. The organizers already help with this by limiting categories to two apiece. For example, there will only be two pizza places. So, now all you have to do is pick between the two.
4. DIDN'T YOUR PARENTS TEACH YOU TO SHARE
There’s nothing wrong with sharing your food, provided you don’t have a nasty cold or anything.
“If you get a couple people in a group, you can all get different things and give each other bites,” Loyd said. “My family is really big on that.”
Just don’t fight over the last bite!
5. LIFE'S UNCERTAIN, EAT DESSERT FIRST
Though the festival is organized in such a way to minimize lines as much as possible, you can save time by eating out of order.
Marcie Maxwell, general manager at Gelazzi, gelato italiano café, anticipates getting a little busier in the early afternoon after everyone has had lunch. Chances are, the ice cream and gelato lines won’t be too horrendous if you go there first.
Heck, you can even munch while you wait in line for the next palate pleaser.
 6. GIVE YOUR BELLY PLENTY OF TIIME
Pace yourself. You’ve got all weekend, so there’s no need to chow down in five minutes.
“Definitely spend as much time as possible there,” Maxwell said. “It turns into a full weekend event.”
Not only can you taste all the delicious food, you can also talk with the people behind the meals.
George Gastil, executive chef at Pappy’s Corner Pub, plans to spend plenty of time at Taste, especially because it is his first time.
“I plan on walking around myself and trying to socialize more than anything,” he said.
Loyd estimates that you can easily try food from three to four different booths if you come for a couple of hours.
And really, that’s just a taste!
—————
|
|
|  | "Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only truth." | |
|  | We're not that bright, even though in our own little world, we're geniuses. We like 80s hair bands and one-hit wonders, but among us we have respectable tastes, too. Metallica, Iron Maiden, U2. Pursuit of all things trivial is a lifestyle, not just a game. We like some sports, love other sports, and can find something to say about anything. We watch TV and movies and we've read a book or two, even a few classics (Yes, Classic Comics count!)
We call it insight, you call it what you will. | |
|  | Felix Wong is an outdoor enthusiast living in Fort Collins. A mechanical engineer by day, he is especially passionate about bicycling, running, and backpacking. | |
|  | Hola Amigos! I'm Sandra. I like to believe that people are 70 percent good and 30 percent dumb. I'm stickin to that story. Reading this blog might make you want to be good, but probably just dumb. | |
|  | Donovan Henderson is editor of NEXTnc. | |
|  | Here at Nextnc we have some characters. Get a sneak peak behind the curtain and find out what amusing antics our staffers get themselves into on a weekly basis. | |
|  | What is up FoCo?
I am a recent college graduate of Minnesota State University Moorhead. After recieving my B.A. in English and Mass Communications this past August I moved down to Colorado.
I enjoy long walks on the beach, candlelight dinners, and heavy metal. My hobbies include reading and writing, music, movies, and getting drunk. Some of my favorite contemporary authors include Bret Easton Ellis, Chuck Palahniuk, and Kurt Vonnegut. My top movies are anything directed by Kubrick. I enjoy listening to anything that rocks.
Right now I am just trying to get to know Colorado and FoCo better. Mostly in order to find the best drink specials on each day that ends in Y. So if you know where I can get a cheap drunk on, let me know!
--Drew | |
|  | Life's little morsels of inspiration, observation and encouragement seen through the eyes of the Nextnc reporter.
| |
|  | Ms. Giles currently lives in Colorado where she stars in her own private reality show. She writes aphoristic accounts of her life, taken completely out of context, and embellished with characters and situations disguised to resemble something close to interesting. | |
|  | over and out | |
| | My name is Michelle Turley and I'm 28 years old. I live in Severance with my hubbie, Brandon. We have 2 dogs and a cat. We enjoy camping, four-wheeling, and just being in the mountains. I like to cook, clean (go figure), flea market, and play poker. I have so much to say about poker... | |
|
|
