OC Tastefest

OC Tastefest 2013! June 28~30, Fri-​Sun.
* FREE admission
* Festival is along Fair Dr. — streets closed off along Vanguard Univ.
* Sample food from local restaurants, enjoy live painting from local artists, bring kids for large obstacle bounce house/​face painting, and get to know some local community sponsors /​groups.
1) Buy $ 1 = 1 ticket. Go to ID Check, for a wristband to buy beer/​alcohol.
Comes in bundles of 20, 40, 60.
2) Purchase food/​drinks, anywhere from 2 tickets ~ 7 tickets.
* BEER: Budlight /​Budweiser = 5 tickets; Stella /​Stock House = 7 tickets.
* Alcohol: Margaritas, Sangrias, etc.
* Drinks: Water, Red Bull, Soda, etc. = 2 tickets
* FOOD: Lists of local restaurants w/​featured items:
1) Chakra Indian Cuisine (the one in UTC Irvine): Lamb, Veg Khorma, Chicken Plates range from 5 ~ 7 tickets. Sold individual naan, samosas, etc. for 2~3 tickets.
2) Port Restaurant: Ahi Tartar w/​chips, hummus w/​chips, Chicken Kabob, etc. for 4~5 tickets.
3) Memphis Café: Chicken & Shrimp Gumbo — 4 tickets, Honey BBQ Sliders (2 pcs) — 3 tickets, Pork Sliders — 4 tickets, Crab Cakes — 5 tickets
4) Burrissimo (Italian burrito): ½ chicken or steak burrito — 3 tickets, Italian Strawberry Cream Soda — 2 tickets
5) Bubba Sweets Cupcakes: Regular cupcake — 3 tickets or 4 Mini cupcakes — 6 tickets. Flavors: Lemon, Son of a Biscuit (sugar cookie), Raspberry Champagne, Willy Wonka, S’mores, and others. So good! So tasty!!! So fluffy & moist!
6) Lola’s Ice Cream (Fountain Valley) — sample cup/​cone — 3 tickets, Full cup/​cone — 5 or 6 tickets. Flavors: Strawberry (using FRESH strawberry!!), Mint Chocolate chip! (very authentic flavor! no artificial mint flavoring!), Cookie Monster (mixed with Oreos, Famous Amos, Chocolate Fudge sauce), and Vanilla.
7) Miguel’s Mexican — Chicken or Steak Burritos
8) Wild Goose — Slider (1 pc) — 3 tickets, Brutwurst ½ — 3 tickets, or whole — 6 tickets.
9) Fresh, raw oysters (1 pc) — 3 tickets, Pulled Pork Mini Burger — 3 tickets

3.5…
It’s all about VIP — open bar, free tasting and free preferred parking (ticket is $ 125).
It just so happened that the inaug OC Tastefest fell on the same weekend as the OC Half Marathon, which I wasn’t to crazy about. I hate drinking before a race.
If you registered for the OC Mara, then you get a free entrance into the Tastefest. So with my VIP ticket and my free entrance, I was able to bring in a guest for free.
If it wasn’t for the VIP treatment, I probably wouldn’t have gone. Some of the booths had really long lines and the tickets were expensive. The tastings were really small. I like that there were bands that were playing and that you are able to walk around with your booze vs. staying in a designated area. I was able to share my VIP status with my guest — COOL!!!
It’s their first year so I hope that this event continues to grow and more vendors participate in the future.

TravelZoo was running a special for the OC Food Fest and it was $ 12 for 20 tickets. I was thinking wow we get 20 tickets instead of the 10 for $ 20 which was the regular price. I guess i was thinking more like 20 tickets = 20 individual finger dishes.
Well I was totally wrong and the festival I thought would be huge turned out to be quite small in comparison to other such events. I was pretty disappointed but we did feast on whomever was there.
We left the OC Food festival hungry and some of the peeps went out to eat afterwards to another restaurant but for me I just left hungry ;-(

Got our tickets discounted through daily voice deals $ 6. and I would say this event wasn’t worth it… The admission covered entrance and 10 tickets. which came out to about $ 5 in food tastings. and there it was $ 5 for parking. we went with a group of 7. and arrived a little after 7pm on a Friday night. Many of the vendors were out of their samples. I don’t get how they call this event «oc tastefest» when many vendors requested 8 – 12 tickets per sample– which is about $ 4 – 6 per «SMALL» bites… IMO we would’ve been better off collecting $ 10 each from the 7 of us, adding in parking– and applying that $ 80 to a family style meal somewhere else… I was pretty disappointed. Definitely not coming back next time… Not worth the time or money.

Extremely disappointing. total let down.
Ok look, hear me out. The first ever Tast of whatever, I’ve been to was Taste of Anaheim. I ended up winning free tickets from Unilocal (woot woot!) and didn’t know what to expect, especially cause the majority of restaurants i felt in Anaheim were mostly food chains. Well, what I got was a night of gut busting, all you can eat, food heaven. One ticket offered two full levels of endless food of all sorts, from spinach artichoke dip from CPK to lamb chops in a chimichurri sauce. Even though I didn’t pay, i think the cost of hte ticket was well worth what you got. Vendors never ran out of food, everything ran smoothly.
Now, the reason I bring up another event in this review of OC Tastefest, is because you’ll have to understand why I’m so disappointed w/​this event after having Taste of Anaheim. I had high expectations that dropped the second I was handed a small bunch of food tickets when I arrived and then completely annihilated the second I stepped up to a vendor and saw bites of food would practically cost me half my tickets.
Nothing worked. $ 5 parking. The portions did not equate to the cost of tickets. I got there one hour after the event opened, and vendors were already running out of food and unable to keep up w/​the long lines. Some vendors weren’t present, leaving a small batch of vendors, w/​the majority offering pretty much the same types of food — tacos, meat on a stick, etc.
I got a pasta dish that I waited on them to finish cooking which ended up tasting bland and chalky. i don’t remember the name of the restaurant, but I’m sure those who were at the fest remember the guy clanking on his pan to get customers to come instead of spending his time cooking the food. yes, keep banging the pan straight into my ear drum as i’m waiting in line for u to finish cooking the food, that really perks up the appetite.
I waited in line for that 12 ticket deal of steak on a skewer w/​chimichurri sauce, cookies n edamame. The cooks were the size of droplets and I had to wait awhile for my food. They couldn’t keep up w/​the line and I ended up w/​bloody rare steak and burnt, over salted edamame.
The chubby taco place nearby offered cheap tasting tacos and I believe fruit drinks w/​not fresh fruit… those tacos which cost approx $ 5 in tickets should’ve cost 50 cents a taco in my opinion.
i had that one singular scallop from one vendor that wasn’t bad and had to wait for over an hour for the one vendor that offered that shrimp n bacon sample. bacon cooked for too long in my opinion. was looking for a delicate bite.
anyways. i came in expecting a huge event, as this was representing ORANGE COUNTY, i was expecting all you can eat and tons of variety. I was instead offered a handful of vendors who pretty much offered the same items of food, long lines, vendors who weren’t prepared to cook for that many folks, and food that wasn’t worth the cost in the end. I left w/​a few things in my stomach, not really much to fill me up, and a violated wallet.
These type of fests that are handled in this location for some reason just don’t work out. I don’t know if it’s because i’m expecting so much more everytime due to the size of the grounds that spoil it for me or what. Either case, this is the final food fest i’ll be attending at the grounds except for the OC fair.

According to other people’s reviews, there were not too many people in this event. uhm. it’s Cinco de Mayo weekend, most people hold parties in their own houses. just sayin’.
Anyways, my friends and I had fun albeit spending about $ 100+ on beer in Beers of the World, and the liquor/​cocktail bar while tasting food samplers from different OC restaurant stalls. I purchased general admission tickets via Voice Deals which came with 10 coupons each, and it stated on the OC Taste Fest website that the average coupon per sample is 7 coupons. It is a bummer to only have 10 coupons, but for a foodie like me, it’s worth taking the risk.
Between the paid parking, the food coupons/​tickets, and the booze, I had put aside $ 50 to spend for myself (also told my friends to do so) for this event. The night of May 4^th, I opened my email, and lo and behold, I received an email from Maria Kutscher informing me I had won a VIP pass! VIP pass included free parking, open bar, and 30 food coupons/​tickets! So, between us 4 friends, we had 70 food coupons/​tickets to share/​go-​around with.
We had the PB&J Slater’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ Burger sliders, Malarky’s Filet Skewers, Port’s Shish Kabobs, Pizelle Bistro’s Rigatoni de la Farma, 118’s young coconut juice (yes, fresh young coconut juice, in the coconut shell!!). too bad, Salt Creek Grille sold out of their Bacon-​wrapped Jumbo Shrimp when the line died out.
We planned on getting buying more food coupons/​tickets, but some stranger went to where we were sitting and just put their unused food coupons/​tickets to our table. (I feel so lucky!!)
Anyhoo, one of my friends (who got hammered, btw, whilst having a great time in the event) said he would like to do this again next year, and hopefully, we can have enough money to buy VIP passes.
I agree with the other reviewers that there were not a lot of OC restos that participated in this event, but again, it’s Cinco de Mayo weekend. One of my suggestions for this event is to have more local breweries and wineries participate as well. I don’t really mind drinking pints of Belgian Whites, I believe in promoting your own.

I know it’s the first year… but come on… a Saturday Night. a Tastefest not for a small dinky city but for ORANGE COUNTY!!!
It was empty I got there around 7:30PM…
Parking no hassle.
Lines no hassle.
Entrance no hassle…
You would think without all the Hassle I would give this 5 stars!!!
Vendors not nearly as many as they should have for ORANGE COUNTY!!!
Like i said this isn’t a small dinky 1 city foodfest it’s a COUNTY one…
Who did the sales and promotion for this?
I’m glad I used the TravelZoo deal to get this…
Next time do a better job at planning this event…

My friend Grace and I paid for a discounted admission through Travelzoo for $ 12 which included 20 taste tickets (which were worth $ 0.50 each). Parking was $ 5 but we could have parked at the OC Marketplace parking which was a little further for free. Knowing in advance that the food tastings would cost us in tickets, we walked the entire venue before turning in our tickets for food. The venue, although at the OC Fairgrounds, was surprisingly small. I’ve been to a few of these «Taste» events around OC and I have to say this one was disappointing. There weren’t that many vendors to choose from and the food options were kind of expensive for the amount of tickets they were asking for. We skipped Maro Wood Grill because they had a 12-​ticket platter. Granted it was steak skewers, edamame, and cookies but if we had paid $ 20 for admission and had only 10 tickets, we couldn’t get the platter without forking over more $$ for additional tickets.
We opted for the pasta with mushrooms from Pizzelle’s Bistro, bastilla from Marrakesh, ice cream from Lola’s, a crêpe from Pascal’s, and a taco from Chubby’s. I was able to use my credit card to buy a beer $ 7 (Blue Moon) and Grace bought a bottle of water from Pizelle’s for $ 1. Water and soda costs varied throughout the event since some of the food vendors also offered it for different prices. We did pay $ 5 for 10 additional tickets just so we could use the remainder of our tickets without wasting them. So between the two of us we actually spent $ 17 on admission and food tickets. I spent additional for my beer as did she for her water. We were pleasantly full but it did not seem worth the trouble of walking around for mediocre food choices.
As for the culinary challenge. I was actually looking forward to that but the commentary was forced and after sitting there for 20 minutes, we opted to leave. The OC Housewives being there wasn’t a reason to stay either. Events that have a tasting ticket system does not indicate value for me. The vendors were no where as high end as the Taste of Newport. They should have charged a little more for admission and let the admission cover the entire cost of food like the Taste of Orange or Taste of Anaheim. I probably would not do this again.

Very disappointed. I bought the tickets on a voice daily deal for $ 6, thank goodness because I would have been upset had I paid full price.
First, they don’t state that these deals include only admission, when the website says «entry ticket includes 10 tasting tickets». So this was my first let down when walking in. Okay, no worries, we’ll just buy the tasting tickets.
The lines were way long, and we were there early (about 2:00), I really would have hated to see it any later. There was only 1 beer section and only 1 wine section, really? When you are expecting a huge amount of people, you don’t put up extra beer stands?
I know this was the first TasteFest and there are kinks to be ironed out, but some of the things seemed to be obvious… have more people working, more booths, a larger area… just to name a few.
I may try it if they do it next year, but really, for the most part, it was nice to get out and do something different, but hesitant to do it again.

I feel like a bee-​yatch because I’m the first person so far to give this event a poor rating.
If it wasn’t for the Travelzoo deal I wouldn’t have known about this event. Thank god I got it at a discount because it wouldn’t be worth the $ 20 admission (even though it comes with 10 tickets),
I came here on Saturday around 2 – 3 pm. The food from the restaurants I tried were mostly ok or sub-​par. I tried Chubby Tacos, Ten Asian Bistro, Malarkys, Matadoor, Saltcreek, and a couple of other places that I can’t recall the name for (that’s how sub-​par it was).
For the best taste: Saltcreek Grill. They were serving bacon-​wrapped jumbo shrimp and skewered watermelon/​cucumbers with Feta. They were both DELICIOUS. It was the shining diamond in the rough. I would actually go to the restaurant because of this.
The Ten Asian Bistro had a good presentation but the food was mediocre.
It’s not worth individually mentioning the other places because they either served me something cold or stale.
There weren’t as many restaurants as I expected for a Tastefest. The event itself didn’t really have much else to do. Maybe it was because I was sober but for a fest, it wasn’t very festive.

I had High Hopes for Tastefest this year since I have missed out on other big food event like OC Decadence so though it was going be crazy fun. There were alot of daily deals for good discount tickets which included 10 tickets, for every admission, which can be used to get food and any food item can range from 4 tickets to 10. Each ticket is worth 50 cent. I came late with the guys but just seem so meh, Maybe It be a good learning experience since it was its first year but hope for a much bigger better TasteFest next year!
Oh but my friend did get VIP, which he won on facebook and got plenty of free drinks so another star added.

Just came back from the OC Tastefest’s inaugural event and am running on pure adrenaline. From beer pong with Wahoos to a sliders with Slaters 50/​50, this event definitely was a hit. I especially loved the live music to accompany my mini food tour which included…
Chubby tacos (chicken and beef tacos): The chicken tacos were amazing, juicy and moist. mm… i’m definitely cravin’ some more now.
Lolas (root-​beer float): The ice cream was good, but the root beer stole the show. Lots of fizz and bubbles. :)
Ten Asian Bistro (Sashimi shot): Loved the presentation and the salmon and tuna mix was delicious with the miso dressing
Villa Nova (pasta): Creamy and tasty, definitely what i would want to order at an Italian sit-​down
Pascals (crepes): Made to order with fresh ingredients. Need I say more?
Can’t wait till next year!

Pairing up a food event with a marathon is a brilliant idea. Before any race, runners are told to «carb up» so while eager racers grabbed their swag and marathon info; they also had any opportunity to sample the best of what OC restaurants had to offer along with a celebrity chef challenge, live music, and free flowing booze. Weather held up for the two day taste fest.
I took the opportunity to attend Saturday afternoon with my food loving fanatic friend Anne Marie of the OC Weekly. After walking around and taking in the scene, I knew I wanted a hearty bowl of pasta and perhaps that’s because I was channeling my dormant running side and suddenly feeling nostalgic. My choice for the afternoon was the arrabiata pasta from Antonello’s. The small bowl was enough to satiate my craving for pasta and make me feel like a runner again and part of the race even though I wasn’t running. The rest of the day was spent cheering our chef friends Raya Belna and Michael Harris as they competed in the celebrity chef challenge, and then fabulously topped off with a scoop (for my +1) and a cone (for me) of Lola’s Cookie Monster ice cream. Fashioned after my favorite Cookies and cream, the Cookie Monster goes a bit further with an addition of chocolate chips and graham crackers. It was an amazing way to end the day at the OC Tastefest.

MARO Wood Grill (Laguna Beach, CA) offered a 12-​ticket platter of Mesquite Skirt Steak Skewers (Grass-​fed Paso prime steak topped with housemade chimichurri), MARO Edamame (Mesquite-​fired soy beans sprinkled with Sonoma sea salt), and Organic Chocolate Chip Cookies (Royal organic vanilla bean, Valrhona chocolate chips, organic flour, organic eggs, and cane sugar). The skirt steak was cooked to a perfect medium rare. The mesquite smoke permeated and complemented the beef. You’ll definitely have an OMG moment or two. This was my first time having edamame grilled and it was pretty good. But the Sonoma sea salt was a little too chunky for this causing it to be too salty at times. I would use a kosher salt or a finer sea salt sparingly instead. The Organic Chocolate Chip Cookies were okay. Their flavor was very subtle. But I’m definitely going to visit this restaurant for the full order of skirt steak!
Salt Creek Grille (Dana Point, CA) offered a 5-​ticket Stuffed Jumbo Shrimp (stuffed with horseradish, bacon-​wrapped, and topped with chipotle honey). This is amazing! The shrimp was huge and the bacon was artfully wrapped around the shrimp. The bacon was cooked until almost crispy and the bacon flavor infused the shrimp with a salty, smoky flavor. The shrimp was cooked to perfection with a crisp snap to it. I really wanted to go back for another, but knew that I wanted to try more items at the fest. I’m definitely going to the restaurant to order up this appetizer!
Olive Oil & Beyond (Newport Beach, CA) offered tastings of extra virgin olive oils mixed with different types of vinegars. Like tasting wine, each vinegar has its own set of flavor profiles from sweet, tangy, citrus, fruit, and oak tones. You can use these in your favorite dishes and salad dressings. I will definitely have to check out this store.
Port Restaurant /​Bar (Corona Del Mar, CA) offered a 10-​ticket Ahi Tartar (sashimi grade chopped yellowfin tuna, wasabi, red and green tobiko aioli, and homemade taro root chips. For $ 5 price, this portion was just right. The tuna was fresh with an interesting take on using an aioli as a binding agent. You could roll this up in a cut– or hand-​roll as well. The taro chips were great vehicles to scoop up the tartar. I would definitely check this restaurant out as they have Koobideh on their full menu. I am a HUGE fan of koobideh!
Lola’s Brand Ice Cream offered a 10-​ticket full serving, cup or cone. Flavor choices of the night were Cookie Monster, Dutch Chocolate, Fresh Strawberry Madagascar Vanilla, or Mint Madness. The Dutch Chocolate has to be in my top 5 of chocolate ice creams. The ice cream was very creamy and luxurious, like ice cream should be. The chocolate flavor was decadent, seductive, and envelops your whole mouth. All of your taste buds, from the tip of your tongue all the way back to your tonsils will experience it! Can’t wait to see them again so I can try more flavors!
K’ya Street Fare (Anaheim, CA) offered a 4-​ticket Korean BBQ Chicken with Kim Chee Slaw. It was a good portion of chicken (whole thigh) for $ 2. Not the best Korean chicken I’ve ever had, but not bad. The chicken should have been cooked longer. Plus, it was rather challenging to eat without a knife to cut it. The kim chee slaw was pretty good. Their menu has peeked my interest and will head over to try their Haleiwa, HI section of their restaurant menu.
K’ya Bistro Bar (Laguna Beach, CA) offered a 4-​ticket Organic Gold Beet, Baby Tomato & Feta salad (greens, candied walnuts, and mustard vinaigrette). This salad was so good! The vegetables were so fresh and crisp. The beets were sweet and tender. The feta added a creamy, salty flavor. The mustard vinaigrette brought all of the flavors together. This is a brilliantly executed dish!
Slater’s ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ offered a Peanut Butter and Jellousy Slider based off of their full size burger. It looked really interesting, but didn’t taste so good. The burger was still raw in the middle. It kind of grossed us out. I love my meat rare, but raw pork is not very appetizing. I should have gone with the Vampire Dip. On the bright side, their restaurant menu looks really good, especially, the Big Daddy Melt.