The first annual
Taste of Sandy Springs was held on May 21st. The festival showcased Sandy Springs restaurants and businesses on a stretch of Sandy Springs Circle. I was lucky enough to get a gift certificate for ten tickets, worth $20. Each ticket could be exchanged for a sample plate from a restaurant booth. My mother and I had a ball tasting the large variety of dishes. Everything was actually really good. Following is a description of our taste adventure.
Artuzzi’s Italian Kitchen – 7.5http://www.artuzzis.com/At this booth, we tried a meatball sub and a cannoli. The bread on the sub was fresh and tasted great, a very good sub overall; and the cannoli was excellent. No pic, sorry!
Boneheads – 7.5
http://www.eatboneheads.com/The Boneheads booth had a choice of peel and eat shrimp and lemon piri piri chicken. I chose the chicken, which was served with rice and was available in medium or hotter spice levels. I got medium, which was spicy but edible without much discomfort. The piri piri chicken was really good.
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar - 8
http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/Fleming’s booth offered Seared Ahi Tuna plates. The tuna was flavorful and a bit salty, served with carrot salad, wasabi, and ginger-mustard sauce. It was pretty good.
Garrison’s Broiler & Tap – 9
http://www.garrisonsatlanta.com/One of my favorite samples – Asian Chicken Salad. Presentation was really cute in a Chinese Takeout container with chopsticks. The sweet, tender chicken was scrumptious, the cabbage crisp and refreshing. It was topped with a wasabi dressing. Great dish!
Sultan’s Lebanese & Turkish Cuisine – 8.5
The gentleman at this booth was very charming – he thought that it was strange that I said he was “sweet.” (He gave me all three options for the price of one ticket). There was kibby, spinach pie, and Mediterranean meat pie. I looked up kibby, and my source said that the “basic ingredients of Bulghur, Meat, Onions, Nuts and Spices are all common.” It was similar to falafel, but had a more spiced flavor. Very good. The pies were both delicious - the spinach pie was a little sour. I had never tasted that exact flavor before, but it was not overpowering, and my mom and I both liked it.
Nothing But Noodles – 9
http://www.nothingbutnoodles.com/So tasty! We were served Basil Pesto bowtie pasta. Here is the description from their website – “Basil Pesto - Farfalle pasta tossed with fresh mushrooms, tomatoes and our original basil pesto cream sauce. Garnished with fresh basil and grated Parmesan and Romano cheese. (Sauce contains walnuts.)” I was expecting a plain, adequate flavor, but this dish surprised me with its buttery, exquisite pesto flavor. I definitely recommend it!
Joli Kobe Bakery & Bistro – 8
http://www.jolikobe.com/This extremely popular restaurant had a beautiful display offering ravioli, wild mushroom crepes, duck confit, and a plethora of cookies and mini-pies. Everything looked delicious. We tried the duck confit rillettes on toast. Duck is not a personal favorite, but I did enjoy the dish. The toast was crunchy, a perfect complement to the tender duck, and red pepper slices added a nice touch of color.
Singha Thai – 8.5
This booth was wonderfully decorated with carved roses and lovely Thai food. We chose satay chicken with peanut sauce. It was really good! This simple dish was served on a stick and we had nothing bad to say about it.
Meehan’s Public House – 8.5
http://www.meehansalehouse.com/
Meehan’s Public House presented two dishes, slider burgers and ahi tuna tostadas. We tried the slider burgers. The website reads, “101 Slider Burgers - Tomato Jam, Boursin Cheese, Bread n Butter Pickle.” They were good, but I preferred mine without the large, sweet pickle on it. My mom was fine with it, though. I plan to visit this pub because it seems upscale and has an Irish theme.
Taste of Sandy Springs was so much fun! I can't wait to go next year!
Williamson Bros. Bar-B-Q
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