Have you ever heard of Tastemakers? Well we hadn’t until this year. Andrea and I have to go to a lot of different fundraising events for my work and this was one of the best events we have ever been to. You start out the night in the parking lot next to Squatters. There are several tents set up featuring food from different restaurants around SLC. You get to go around and sample delicious food from each vendor. They pair it with, what I have been told, the perfect sampling of wine for each dish. Andrea and I did not partake!
They did however have a booth of non-alcoholic mixed drinks that were delicious. The company is called Concoxiones and they do corporate events and parties. Well worth whatever amount of money they charge!
The vendors in the tent area were Ichiban Sushi, Pagoda, Ruby River, Caffe Niche, Silver, Gracie’s, Bambara, Joffee’s Coffee, The Coffee Shop (Little America), and Garden Cafe (Grand America). My favorites out of that group were Pagoda with a Citrus Aioli Prawn – DELICIOUS! I could have eaten a whole plate full of them.
Next I liked Gracie’s that served Crown Ribs, super good. They slid right off the bone and the sauce was a ancho-chili BBQ sauce.
After you have sampled the food in the tent area you can then take a stroll around town and visit some of Salt Lake’s best restaurants for more good food. We went to Benihana for a Las Vegas, Spicy Tuna, and Shrimp Crunchy Roll. Then off to Caffe Molise for a marinated grilled chicken breast topped with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and gorgonzola cream sauce. Next we hit the Naked Fish for a Calamari with Temari Sushi. We could have also gone to J Wong’s, Squatters, Ruth’s Chris, The New Yorker, Market Street Grill, and Pallet, but we were totally satisfied already!
The event cost $30 per person and part of the proceeds go to support one of my all time favorite non-profit groups, Head Start. Such a fun night to be downtown in Salt Lake City. If you haven’t tried any of these restaurants, head on downtown and give them a taste. Call us and we’ll come with you!
Posted by Greg
