This past weekend brought hundreds of thousands of Western New Yorkers, Ontarians, and folks from across the country to Buffalo for the 30th Annual Taste of Buffalo, or as us locals call it, The Taste.  What began three decades ago along the cramped confines of Main Street has now firmly established itself along the much more spacious Delaware Avenue from Chippewa Street to Niagara Square. The festival lived up to its reputation as the premier outdoor festival in the region, and can boast to being the largest two-day food festival in the Unites States.  

The Taste celebrated its 30th birthday in grand style.  While walking up and down Delaware Avenue, one could spot hundreds of mouthwatering options from restaurants from across the region to sample.  Whether it was Catfish Nuggets from Garris Bar-B-Que, Eddie Ryan’s popular Beer Cheese Soup, or the Ahi Tuna Nachos from The Riverstone Grill, there was surely something to please every palate.  The longest lines seemed to be at the Popsicle Pop-up Party Truck, where the famous frozen treats were being given out as free samples on both days, which meshed well with the hot and sunny weather. 

Besides the delicious samples of food, beverages were in plentiful supply.  Several wineries from the region offered delicious wine slushies, and there were beer tents scattered throughout the festival to help wash down the food.  Culinary demonstrations ranging from a Buffalo Firehouse Cook-off to a Burger Battle were just two different ways the crowds were entertained. In addition, I also must not forget activities for children like an obstacle course and multiple bounce houses that even took some adults back to their youth.  One activity that many seemed to enjoy was stomping their feet to the wide variety of local bands that took the stage on Huron Street or Niagara Square.  With rock & roll, disco, country, and 80’s party music coming from the speakers, there was a genre to fit everyone’s taste.  Perhaps the most entertaining music of all came from the karaoke tent where there were unforgettable, err, or should I say forgettable, renditions of Elvis Presley, James Brown, Madonna, and Usher.

The climax of the weekend was the Grand 30th Birthday Party for The Taste on Sunday afternoon with a city-wide sing-a-long, noisemakers, free cupcakes, cookies, and ice cream from Nick Charlaps.  Those who waited around until closing time on Sunday were also rewarded with reduced food prices as restaurants were simply trying to get rid of their inventory.  On Monday morning, one could have taken a look down Delaware Avenue towards downtown and never would have known that there were over 400,000 festival goers living it up like only Western New Yorkers can. Next year's Taste planners are already taking applications from restaurants who desperately want the exposure and advertising that being a part of The Taste brings.  Mark your calendars for next July 12- July 13, 2014, and come experience what began with a handful of restaurants in 1984, and blossomed into one of the nation’s largest food festivals. The Taste of Buffalo!

Below are the 3 best things I ate this year, no particular order:

* Korean Short Ribs from Papaya.

* Blue Heron Burger from The Riverstone Grill.

* Chocolate Dipped Banana from Landies Candies.

As the late local television chef, Art Ginsberg , commonly known as Mr. Food would say. “Ooh! It’s so good!