Tasty Cleveland

 Bar Louie will be holding their 6th annual Tater Tot eating contest on Thursday, September 19th at 8pm.

The event will be taking place at all of the Bar Louie locations, including those in the Cleveland area (Legacy Village, Cleveland, and Westlake).

For more information, visit visit www.rockthetot.com.

 www.hamburgerfestival.com

Downtown Akron, Lock 3

August 17-18, 2013

The National Hamburger Festival is being held at Lock 3 in downtown Akron on August 18th and 18th of 2013.

The Hamburger Festival is back for another year in Akron!  Come down and try a few burgers- ranging from the traditional to the unique.  In the past there have been deep-fried burgers, greek burgers, breakfast burger, and other variations you might not have ever dreamed of.  For the past several years, I've been a judge in the best burger competition, and I've been asked back again this year.  It's a chore tasting so many burgers, but I'll power through it and let you know how it goes.  Check back after the festival for the competition results, and in the meantime, hope to see you there!

Link: http://shoppopped.com/

Late in the fall of 2012, I had the opportunity to stop at Popped!.  Located within the newly developed Acorn Alley area of Kent, lies the small popcorn shop owned by Gwen Rosenburg who is helped out by her husband, Aaron.  As you walk into the unassuming shop, the wonderful aroma of freshly popped Ohio grown corn tantalizes the nose and taste buds.

Gwen pops corn with common flavors such as caramel, caramel with peanuts and kettle corn along with unique flavors such as "Firehouse", "Baja" and white cheddar.  I ordered a small cone-full with the white cheddar.  It tasted as fresh as fresh popped corn could be with a satisfying white cheddar cheese taste. If you pass through the Kent area and are looking for a light snack, you must stop at Popped!  Eat up!

It’s no secret; Clevelanders love food, football and beer! That’s why some of the hottest food trucks in town have partnered with Mavis Winkle’s in Independence to create the very first “Touchdown Chowdown.”

On December 9th,  the Browns face off against the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland’s popular food trucks will be lined up outside Mavis Winkle’s serving up an eclectic offering of tacos, barbeque, Cajun inspired dishes, desserts and other unique gourmet comfort foods.

Mavis Winkle’s, located at 5005 Rockside Road in Independence, Ohio will provide a warm place for football and food truck fans alike to watch the game and enjoy their food and drinks specials.

The trucks participating are: Mavis Winkle’s Paddy Wagon, StrEAT Mobile Bistro, Fired Up Taco, Zydeco Bistro, The Cleveland BBQ Company, DonutLabCleveland and Sweet! The Mobile Cupcakery. 

Izzy Schachner of StrEAT Mobile Bistro says, “What makes the Touchdown Chowdown unique,  is traditionally food truck events like this happen downtown. The suburbs rarely have an opportunity to sample from multiple trucks at one location. We wanted to create a free, fun series of winter food truck events that would mimic the Chowdown’s that happen in warmer months while providing a warm place for our customers to enjoy their meal and watch the Browns game.”

The event is family friendly and admission is free. Mavis Winkle's will be open for full bar service at 10:30 am and trucks will begin serving at 11:30 a.m. Food and bar service will continue through the end of the game. The food trucks will be charging their regular prices for their offerings, with drink specials to be announced by Mavis Winkles before the event.

Guests can RSVP their attendance on Facebook to receive a wristband that entitles them to VIP specials throughout the event. Just search for “Touchdown Chowdown Cleveland” or go to:  https://www.facebook.com/events/451846371540284/ for more information.