Dishes We Love: Taste of Tysons 2014

[ 0 ] June 12, 2014 | Collaborative Post

Summer means food festivals, wine festivals, wine AND food festivals for DC, and specific cities within the Virginia and Maryland area. We currently have the Taste of Georgetown, the annual Food & Wine Festival at the National Harbor, the Truckeroo Food Truck Festival, and Brew at the Zoo, just to name a few. Fortunately for all of us who love the food scene currently out in Virginia, Tysons Corner has hopped on the bandwagon!

cutting of the ribbon at the festival

During the weekend of May 31^st to June 1^st this year, Trigger Agency (the great minds behind the wine and food festival at the National Harbor) debuted the first annual Taste of Tysons in Tysons Corner near the Galleria at Lerner Town Square. One of the best prizes is that you get an event wine glass and lanyard for convenience because, hey… who wants to carry around their liquor in their hands when there’s so much to be tasted? The layout was very similar to that of the one that takes place at the Harbor with a cooking stage, more beer and wine than you can taste, various vendors showcasing vacations, cars, home appliances and furniture, jewelry, and more, not to mention food trucks and local Tysons restaurants showcasing their best dishes.

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What impressed me most was not only the variety of vendors showing off, but the VIP reception area as well. The reception area had unlimited amounts of fruit, cheese, and crudité platters, bread, lounge seating, and a different cuisine that was showcased every hour on the hour including French, German, Austrian, Polish, Romanian, and Turkish. Needless to say, all of those in VIP definitely appreciated the idea of arriving early and getting to partake of this luxurious addition to the festival. The food for the VIP reception was successfully provided by Eleven Courses, a private chef and event company.

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Over the entire weekend, the demos on the cooking stage showcased people like Chef Victor Albisu of Del Campo in Penn Quarter, Chef Bart Vandale of Belga Café and B Too, Chef Todd Gray of Equinox, Joe Yonan of the Washington Post, Chef Michael Friedman of Red Hen, and more. In addition to that, there was a butchering workshop, a radio taping of Foodie & the Beast, and more mixology classes and wine tastings. With a lineup like this, how can you resist?

Trigger Agency definitely cut the rope and started off the annual Taste of Tysons with a big bang this year. The festival at the Harbor was just as equally amazing. The one is Tysons is just a tad bit more special as it’s still a baby and focuses solely on what’s out there. It’ll surely be a sight to see who comes out in 2015. Make sure you mark it on your calendar, put a reminder in your phone, and make yourself a post-it. You don’t want to miss this next year.