Dinner on Friday:
Who made it?: Booth #10 - The Great Wisdom Meditation Center
What was it?: Vegetarian Stir-Fried Noodles with Vegetables
What did it cost?: $4
How was it?: Delicious! The noodles were a great texture and not too mushy. The veggies were perfectly crisp-tender.
To go with those noodles (from the same booth):
What was it?: Vegetarian Spring Roll with a hoisin & peanut dipping sauce
What did it cost?: $2
How was it?: This was my first-ever non-fried spring roll and it was awesome. Though I'm not a vegetarian, I feared for my veggie friends when I bit in and discovered chicken. Turns out, it was faux veggie "chicken" and my meat-eating tastebuds couldn't tell the difference. And that sauce? Divine. (I poured the extra over my noodles, making them even better.)
Post-Dinner Snack:
Who made it?: Booth #27 - Buddhist Association of Michigan: Tam Quang Temple
What was it?: Cream cheese wonton with plum sauce
What did it cost?: $1 per wonton
How was it?: It was mostly wonton wrapper, with just a touch of cream cheese. Not the way I like my wontons, but I couldn't find my usual wonton booth so this was an acceptable substitute.
Breakfast on Saturday:
Who made it?: Booth #31 - Wyoming South Kent Kiwanis Foundation
What was it?: Homemade grilled cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing
What did it cost?: $3
How was it?: Warm and sweet, the cinnamon roll is split in half and grilled before being slathered in warm cream cheese icing. As someone with a major sweet tooth, I can't think of a tastier way to start my day.
To go with that cinnamon roll (from the same booth)
What was it?: Iced coffee with hazelnut syrup and whipped cream. (The drink comes with your choice of sweeteners - sugar, hazelnut syrup or vanilla syrup - and creamers - regular or whipped cream.)
What did it cost?: $2.50
How was it?: Not too sweet (even with all that sugar in it), this was a great way to get my morning caffeine fix even though it was already 80 degrees outside. The cold coffee was also a great contrast to the warm cinnamon roll.
Lunch on Saturday:
Who made it?: Booth #3 - Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
What was it?: Souvlaki (marinated pork sandwich)
What did it cost?: $5
How was it?: A Festival staple. This booth, always in the same location, always with a huge line, is the best way to get your Festival "meat on a stick" fix. The sandwich is juicy, grilled pork, on a stick, in a bun. No extras. No condiments. You don't need them. The sandwich is delicious in its simplicity.
Afternoon Snack:
Who made it?: Booth #33 - Chinese Association of Western Michigan
What was it?: Crab cheese (wontons)
What did it cost?: $2 for 3 wontons
How was it?: My crab cheese booth! I found it! This booth had moved a long way from its previous location and I was thrilled to stumble across it along the back of Calder Plaza. These wontons were fresh, super crunchy, filled with a good amount of crab-infused cream cheese and (if you choose) topped with that familiar bright red sweet and sour sauce.
Afternoon Snack #2:
Who made it?: Booth #2 - Bethesda Baptist Church
What was it?: Hawaiian shaved ice
What did it cost?: $3.50 for the large size
How was it?: (Disclaimer - According to the weather app on my phone, it was 93 degrees with a heat index of 103 when I ordered this.) Thanks to the weather, this was a popular booth and this treat was fantastic. It came in a variety of flavors - I chose orange mango. The ice had a snow cone consistency. That snowy texture of true Hawaiian shaved ice wasn't there. But who cares? It was crazy-hot outside and I had been thinking about ordering this all day.
Festival runs today until 6 p.m., so if you're thinking of going out to eat this afternoon - head downtown. You'll find good food, lots of free entertainment and your money will be going to help support local non-profits. What could be better?
No comments:
Post a Comment