Two Palate Dining: Taste of Vienna 2013
She Said: Taste of Vienna 2013
We love going to food festivals! It’s so much fun to get a chance to sample different foods, you never know what wonderful restaurants that you might discover! Last year, we really enjoyed the Taste of Vienna so we looked forward to attending all year long. We discovered Donatos last year and they’ve become part of the rotation of “when Kari is too sick to cook”, I’m very grateful for them. We took an hour off from our frenetic rental search (did I mention how terrified and upset I am- I can’t sleep without nightmares of having nowhere to live and I’m so stressed- my doctors will definitely not be happy about all the stress, they had just told me that I was at the best place my health can be for awhile and to avoid stress and try to get pregnant now. Now, I’m just sicker and more stressed out because of this surprise move. But, I digress.) to eat lunch at this delightful festival. Everyone is super-friendly and they have a great variety of food. We even got a great parking space this year. It was nice to take a short reprieve from worry, tears, moving and infertility to enjoy some amazing food out in the beautiful sunshine.
We sampled some really great food. Here’s what I thought of the delicious fare!
Crepe Amour Fraise Amour
Crepe Amour Fraise Amour Crepe- This was delicious! I’m sorry I don’t have a better picture of the luscious filling of strawberry and Nutella. I love strawberries and I love Nutella so this crepe is a total winner with me! The strawberries are sweet and bright, coupled with the unctuous, rich flavor of Nutella this crepe is a taste delight. I had it last year, but somehow it was even more delicious this year. We need to go and eat at Crepe Amour, because I can’t wait get enough of their crisp, lacy edged crepes. I can’t wait to sample more of their delicious fillings- the only problem will be choosing which one to try!
Pure Pasty Co. Sausage Roll– We enjoy the pasty dough and have enjoyed several items from Pure Pasty Co. before (my favorite is Chicken Masala) and this time we sampled the sausage roll. It was light and I was very pleased that the sausage was mild. Sausage is usually not something that I eat, but I enjoyed my bite of this and found it to be very gentle on the tummy. RJ really enjoyed it, but I knew he would!
Donatos Pepperoni Pizza
Donatos Pepperoni Pizza- We love Donatos and I love it even more when I can get a traditional cut instead of the party slices. The sauce is spicy and not too heavy, the pepperoni is spicy and the thin- crust is lightest and most crisp that I’ve ever had. It’s not too thin, like how some pizza can feel like eating crackers, but it’s soft and doughy while being a thin crust. It’s always a winner for us!
Blackfinn Ameripub Beef Slider and Pulled Pork Slider- I love hamburgers, but I’m super picky about them. They have to be completely cooked through, but they can’t be hard or burnt on the edges. The beef slider was amazing! It was tender, warm, and the perfect doneness and texture for my finicky palate. I’m sorry that I don’t have a good picture of it. But, someone with a giant camera took my picture while I was taking it and scared me to death! The pulled pork slider was good. The sauce was nice, better than average and tasty BBQ sauce. The meat was tender. But, I liked the beef slider better!
Culinaria Cooking School Homemade Oreo
Culinaria Cooking School Homemade Oreos and Carolina Style Pulled Pork- We first sampled the delicious, wonderful and amazing Homemade Oreos. The cookie was fudgy and slightly soft in a good way. The crème part was sweet and rich. We loved these cookies- they were bigger and better than any Oreo I’ve ever had and I like Oreos. We even bought another bag of two and brought them home. We also tried the Carolina style BBQ. I had never had Carolina BBQ before and RJ had been trying to explain it to me. As someone who grew up with thick tomato-based BBQ sauce, it was shocking and intriguing to think of a vinegar-based sauce. But, I liked it! It wasn’t really spicy, but it had a tartness and warmth that I really enjoyed. The meat was delicious and very nicely textured with little bits of caramelized meat in the midst of soft, pulled pork. I will definitely be eating more Carolina BBQ in the future. And I totally want to take a class with RJ at Culinaria, because their food was awesome!
Sweet City Desserts Lemon Bar
Sweet City Desserts Lemon Bar- This treat, though the portion was a little small, was a bright bite of sunshine. The texture was soft and yielding, without being gooey. The lemon had the perfect citrus taste while also being a little bit sweet. It was so tasty.
Bazins on Church Pulled Pork- I was a little surprised that RJ wanted to try another pulled pork, but I was so full from my slider and samples of other treats that I said he could try it. The meat was very tender, but I didn’t like the sauce, because it was too heavy on the tomato.
Thank you so much to the Vienna Fire Department for putting on such an awesome event, it is always so much fun. I really appreciate that you host such a great event and that we were able to enjoy such a fun afternoon!
Kari’s Ratings
Crepe Amour Fraise Amour Crepe- 10
Pure Pasty Co. Sausage Roll- 6
Donatos Pepperoni Pizza- 10
Blackfinin Ameripub Beef Slider and Pulled Pork Slider- 10 for beef, 7 for pulled pork
Culinaria Cooking School Homemade Oreos and Carolina Style Pulled Pork- 10 for Oreos, 8 for Carolina Style BBQ
Sweet City Desserts Lemon Bar- 10
Bazins on Church Pulled Pork- 5
Overall Event- 10!
He Said Taste of Vienna 2013
This is the second year that we’ve experienced Taste of Vienna. Last year there were some winners and some losers, but it was overall a good time. In light other second year festival experiences (Taste of Reston, I’m looking in your direction), I was skeptical of how this festival would fair. I’m happy to report that it did very well indeed.
Here’s everything we had:
Crepe Amour Fraise Amour Crepe- This was the first thing we ordered when we got there, because we knew we were in for a treat. We discovered Crepes Amour last year, and they did not fall off in quality at all. The crepe is buttery and light, and strawberries and Nutella work together way better than I would have thought.
Pure Pasty Co. Sausage Roll
Pure Pasty Co. Sausage Roll-We wanted to try something new at Pure Pasty, but had already tasted everything they had except for this little gem. They wrap one piece of sausage in pastry, for good results. The sausage is pretty mild, but you can still taste the spices. I could eat a handful of these!
Donatos Pepperoni Pizza- We’ve talked about Donatos before, including at last year’s festival. They’re still a winner in my book.
Blackfinn Ameripub Pork Slider
Blackfinn Pub Beef Slider and Pulled Pork Slider- Blackfinn is on my way home from work, and I’ve been dying to go there with Kari. These sliders seal the deal. We’re going, and soon! The beef slider was just a great burger with cheese. The Pulled Pork was really good too. The meat was chopped a little too fine for my taste, but the sauce was excellent.
Culinaria Cooking School Carolina BBQ
Culinaria Cooking School Homemade Oreos and Carolina Style Pulled Pork- We liked the homemade Oreos so much that we got another portion of them on the way out! It’s really a cookie sandwich, but the cookies were really moist, and the filling was way better than anything Nabisco could make. The pulled pork was the best I had all day. The meat was just the right size, and they offered a choice of sauces. I opted for the vinegar based Carolina style and it was a welcome change of pace for my taste buds. They nailed the flavor for that sauce!
Sweet City Desserts Lemon Bar- This was a great little bite. It had the taste of lemon, but was still sweet, but not cloyingly so. It was a very good sweet treat.
Bazins on Church Pulled Pork
Bazins on Church Pulled Pork- I’m going to sound like Goldilocks when I say this, but this meat wasn’t cut down enough! It was clearly pulled, but it the pieces were sometimes too long to take a good bite. This was my least favorite ‘que of the day, but it was still good.
In the end, it was a great break from packing up for our eminent move, and a wonderful lunch. We didn’t even eat dinner that night it was so filling! I had a fantastic time, and I can’t wait for next year!
RJ’s Ratings-
Crepe Amour Fraise Amour Crepe-10
Pure Pasty Co. Sausage Roll-8
Donatos Pepperoni Pizza-10
Blackfinn Ameripub Beef Slider-8
Blackfinn Pulled Pork Slider-9
Culinaria Cooking School Homemade Oreos-10
Culinaria Carolina Style Pulled Pork-10
Sweet City Desserts Lemon Bar-7
Bazins on Church Pulled Pork-6
Overall-9
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