Taste of Hillcrest 2012 Recap

Our first visit to Taste of Hillcrest! We got there about 15 minutes before the start of the event but took a little more time than expected to find parking.

NOTE: carpool with your friends and come earlier for best parking!

In-hand tickets are available at the marked locations prior to the day of the event and can also be purchased for will-call online. One of two will-call locations was located off the corner of 5th and Robinson by the Rite Aid. The pickup process itself was simple and done in a timely manner.

Babycakes - Chocolate, Vanilla, and Red Velvet Cupcakes

We were starving and hit the closest place to will-call. Lucky for us it was yummy desserts from Babycakes! I thought the icing on these mini cupcakes were the perfect amount of sweet for my taste!

The Tractor Room - Pheasant Sausage with Cornbread

Even before we saw it, we could smell it! The grill was outdoors and  filled the air with a delicious meaty scent! I loved the vivid colors of the ingredients in this perfect bite size sample. The sausage meat itself was excellent! I'd love to go back to try out more dishes!

This is the quick pizza take-out version of the Arriveaderci restaurant down the street! Shown above is ham and pineapple.

Pinkberry yogurt is always a winner, especially with fresh fruit mixed in!

Au Revoir handed out samples of their beef bourgeon and chocolate mousse. The mousse was quite good here.

Luna Grill is part of a chain that provides customers a way to satisfy their mediterranean food cravings. The euros and chicken kabobs were moist and good to eat on their own!

As we were walking around, we noticed several people wearing bright blow-up crowns. We ventured to the secret source: Urban Mo's. Our friendly staff member above looked like a movie star here, 'signing' our taster cards with a big smile. This place sampled crispy fried green beans and pink lemonade.

Fiesta Cantina seems to be another happening bar in the neighborhood. I could see the servers groovin' as they did their work and interacted with the customers. Our sample here was a mini cup of margarita, a spicy buffalo chicken wing and empanada-type item. The heat in the wing was a bit too much for my light tolerance! 

Ortega's, A Mexican Bistro, was in the corner of a small strip mall, almost like a hidden gem. They prepared the sample and I rolled it up. As for the insides? Tender meat, flavorful, and dripping with succulent juices! Another winning sample!

This Fig Tree Cafe french toast sample (during our first PB Restaurant Walk) is what enticed us into multiple visit to the original location in PB. The restaurant recently expanded with a second location to Hillcrest so now we have more breakfast options and locations!

Bombay Exotic Cuisine of India definitely made an effort to stand out. Besides the beautiful decor of the restaurant, we received a bindi jewel sticker to wear, stared in awe at the giant snake held by the dancer, and walked down the above hallway to sample their food in their private dining room

I've been to Eden once and it was NOT for the food! This place is a party hotspot at night and is a bar/restaurant by day. At this taste, I was able to sample their slider, similar to a meatball stuffed in the cream puff pastry!

There were about 50 participating restaurants for this event but unfortunately, our eyes are much bigger than our stomachs! I only highlighted a few of the note-worthy ones. Next time we'll make sure to hit up more places and take smaller samples if given a choice!

Disclaimer: we were provided tickets for this event but the opinions are strictly our own.