More Mini Reviews on Bite of Bozeman
Reviewed by Craig Dugas
Spanning four blocks of the hottest streets of Downtown Bozeman, the official Taste of Bozeman crew arrived early to scope out the 40+ restaurants and food vendors participating in the 2009 Bite of Bozeman. We wandered up and down both sides of the closed-off Main Street analyzing the ideal way to maximize our taste buds. A seemingly endless lane of dining tables surrounded by bands at each intersection made a perfect atmosphere for enjoying some great food.
Banger's n Mash at Bacchus Pub twitter:@bacchuspub
■■■■□ 3.8 / 5 "Mmmm United Kingdomy"
The abundance of "United Kingdomy" flavor from the sausage and gravy was terrific - a perfect accompaniment to the raw flavor of the mashers. This dish was quite good, and I would definitely get it again, however it was served on the cooler side, and the banger skin was unbreakable. Bacchus Pub offered this and 3 other classic dishes for $3.00 apiece - perfect size for the Bite.
Turkey Leg from the GranTree Inn
■■■■■ 5 / 5 "Couldn't have possibly been better."
You'd think you were getting in line to enter the Magic Kingdom at Disney World - for over 2 hours it never got any shorter. Fortunately, the line moved quickly and we even got to have a quick pow-wow and photo shoot with the turkey smokers themselves. They were really enjoying the festivities and serving probably thousands of legs! Throughout the entire night, you literally couldn't look up without seeing someone chomping down on these giant sticks of smoked meat - they were absolutely perfect. The outer edge was very tough, of almost jerky-like consistency, and once you chewed through a bit, the meat underneath was among the warmest, juiciest, most tender turkey meat I've ever tasted. Oh, and they were priced right at $5.00!
Cannolis from All Things Italian twitter:@italiancooking
■■■■□ 4 / 5 "Tasty & fresh!"
I've had quite a few fresh cannoli's over the years, and when I bit into the well prepared crusty shell made by All Things Italian, I expected to be bombarded with classically sugar-filled innards. Don't get me wrong, the sugar filled version is fine, but I was very pleasantly surprised to find a mixture that exposed the natural flavor of ricotta with just a hint of sweetness. At $3.00, it was a great item for the price. Unfortunately, I was slightly bombarded by their $1.00 gift card advertisement on my way to order, but otherwise made out just fine. I didn't make it to Sweet Pea Bakery's dessert kabobs, but I heard they were outstanding.
Spiced, Unsweetened Iced Tea from Olivelle twitter:@olivelle
■■■■■ 4.8 / 5 "100% Refreshing"
Olivelle, known for it's massive assortment of traditional and specialty oils and vinegars likely does not carry this unsweetened tea (although I'm not positive about that). Though, after enjoying many Bite of Bozeman treats, an unsweetened tea sounded refreshing. For $2.00, I thoroughly enjoyed a chilled tea beverage with a very light, smooth flavor and a hint of spice. I hope they continue to offer this wonderful beverage at future events.
Fry Bread from Knights of Columbus
■■□□□ 2.4 / 5 "Hey, it's fry bread"
Like some people, I associate fry bread (or dough boys to Maine natives) with your average state fair, and this was no exception. It wasn't exceptional and it wasn't bad. The bread was provided gratis via a sampler platter, and was a fun way to start the evening :)
A huge success, we had a great time and can't wait to participate next year! Props go out to the businesses (All Things Italian, Sweet Pea Bakery, Over the Tapas, Bacchus Pub, and some others) that went out of there way to create affordable smaller portioned treats so we could enjoy even more food! Hopefully all of the restaurants and food vendors next year will follow in their footsteps!
Posted by Craig Dugas
