Taste-y Madison 2007

monnie | 9/01/2007 7:07 pm | Nutritilicious

Variety was the spice of life at this weekend's 25th Annual Taste of Madison on Capitol Square.

As an individual keenly interested in food, and someone who also appreciates living in the city with the most restaurants per capita, I await the yearly event with great anticipation; the food celebration is an excellent opportunity to try a bit of the goodness that over 65 Madison restaurants kindly present. And, to wet your whistle and burn some calories, the festival also features 17 beverage stands, (proceeds of which go to United Cerebral Palsy), and over 35 live musical performances over 4 Square stages.
This year, as we've done in all previous years to date, we used the event as an opportunity to dip our forks into as many delectable delights as possible. Afterall, there are over 200 tasty treats to try at TOM, and being 6 1/2 months pregnant lends itself to some pretty impressive food cravings and hunger, for that matter. We utilized the "Best of" page within the Taste of Madison guidebook as a culinary advisor to organize our eating extravaganza around the Square. Our goal was to try many of the "Bests," but we did equally well trying the other delish offerings. I'm also keen on trying to stick with the restaurants that are authentically Madison.
It is easy for one to be overwhelmed by the selection at TOM: I delight in the practicality of being able to try a medley of flavors at the event: participating restaurants offer a small, affordable ($1-$4) portion of their restaurant's signature, or easier-to-prepare, portable items. For me, the gastronomical event satisfies the desire for flavor diversity without the uncomfortable feeling of satiety, although I can certainly see the fullness begin to set in, with a few more trips around..

Today's holding of the event was very well attended. Several restaurants offered year's past favorites, while there were also a few newcomers to the TOM scene: The Old Fashioned and Paciugo Italian Gelato, just to name a couple...

What was your must-have eat at the Taste of Madison?

The Taste of Madison Restaurant Handbook

What we ate: Chicken Saltimbocca Panini: Lombardino's (Best Italian), California Garlic Chicken Wings: Bourbon Street Grille (Best Appetizer), Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Egg Roll: Bluephies (Best Gourmet Dessert and Most Unique),Cheese Curds: The Old Fashioned, Filet Mignon Sandwich: Johnny's Italian Steakhouse, Beef Skewer: King of Falafel (Best Ethnic), Black Raspberry Smoothie: Maui Wowi

blog entry tag reference

culture | food | Taste of Madison

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