I spent a few hours down at the Taste of Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon. Started in 1979, it is now the nation’s longest running culinary arts festival. This is a welcome change from the disappointing times I always had at the Taste of Colorado, which always felt a little more like a carnival to me. Sure the Taste of Cincinnati has it’s fair share of carnival rides, but the real attraction here is the food.

The first thing I sampled was a pulled pork sandwich from Pit to Plate BBQ. I really enjoyed this sandwich, and especially liked the mustard based Gold Rush sauce. I may have to make this my next place to get my BBQ fix in Cincinnati, which City BBQ has filled so far.

Pit To Plate - Pulled Pork

Next up I sampled some fried dill pickle chips from Laszlo’s Iron Skillet. These were good, though I would have liked a side of sauce for dipping.

Laszlo's - Fried Dill Pickle Chips

Before I comment on the additional food items, it is also worth noting some of the drink choices available. I enjoyed beers from both Great Lakes Brewing and the local Rivertown Brewing, which was nice. The also had a variety of other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks available.

Kim Enjoying Bourbon Slush

After the pickle chips, I found a planned stop that I wanted to try, the falafel sandwich from Taz Restaurant. Though not as outstanding as I wanted it to be, it was full of good flavor and a great deal. The falafel was slices and not whole balls that I have grown to love. Regardless I will definitely have to try this restaurant in more detail in the future.

Taz Restaurant - Falafel Sandwich

From there I sampled a delicious Grilled Adobo Chicken Taco from Habanero that my brother bought. I recall visiting this place while studying at the nearby University, so I’m glad to see that it is still in business. I also had bites of his duck fat fries from The Bistro that were also very tasty.

My final dish of the day was the Buffalo Springfield Mac & Cheese from Keystone Bar & Grill. This is a mix of buffalo chicken and crumbled blue cheese that was delicious. It was a little more dry than I had expected, but that is probably due to the mass production and storage for an event like this.

Keystone - Buffalo Springfield Mac & Cheese

Overall I had a wonderful tasting experience down at the Taste of Cincinnati and I now have a variety of restaurants to add to my list for dining options in the future.