The Taste of Syracuse was delicious!
These “taste of” events are really catching on. It is a wonderful opportunity for restaurants and food venues to offer their wares to the widest of audiences. The “Taste of Buffalo” (July 13-14) is perhaps the biggest one in the state but Syracuse’s is catching up fast!
The site for this food event was Syracuse’s historic Clinton Square. It was here more than a century and a half ago that folks in this city would gather for a huge open air marketplace and festivals of all kinds. The Erie Canal went right through the heart of Clinton Square and its footprint can be seen there even today.
More than a hundred vendors were set up all around the square, but of course we were mostly interested in the dozens of food vendors. Three huge stages pumped out live music throughout the day, with both local acts and national stars like Loverboy and the Marshall Tucker Band. The crowd ran well in to the tens of thousands over the two day event.
The Festival Fanatics were right at home with so many food options. “Dan the Man” went from craw daddy’s to cannollis and “Big Chuck” found a home with the meatball vendors and the homemade hot dogs. A special treat was the free Chobani yogurt handed out all over the square. Thanks Chobani! They are really one of Central New York’s greatest food icons!
We really applaud the way this festival was set up, too. Unlike other food festivals we have attended the Taste of Syracuse event allowed you to sample as many food choices as you could for the low price of $1.00 per sample. Fried pickles, hot wings, ice cream, Chinese spring rolls, chicken riggies, etc. And all for just a buck! This really afforded the average festival goer a unique opportunity to sample a wide array of Syracuse’s best foods.
We were really disappointed that the $1.00 sample item from the Syracuse’s great food legend Dinosaur Bar-B-Q was baked beans, but we found other great surprises along the food midway to make up for that. Deep Fried Macaroni and Cheese Balls anyone? They were heavenly.
We had a ball at Taste of Syracuse and hope to come back again next year. The city looked great, the organizers did a super job and we went home with full bellies. It was a perfect combination!
