The 2nd Annual Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival has come to a close. It's pretty clear that last Saturday was a HUGE success with men, women, children, babies and dogs all in attendance, plus 34 vendors selling a ton of their best dishes. More space and more food! Happy faces and stuffed bellies could be seen all over Auditorium Shores. The only complaints that came out of No. 2 was a little dust and a DQ for a trailer because of their wood-fired oven. (Austin's burn ban still in effect?!) Austin-ites came out in a big way, solidifying the event as a must attend and confirming what we all know - trailer food is one of our favorite ways to eat!
Wearing my cowboy boot best, Breakfast In Austin happily took a departure from the typical weekend indulgence of breakfast fare. My stomach & I were ready to over-consume some serious trailer food! No Bennies and no Bloody Mary's. After attending Gypsy's Inaugural Fest last year I vowed not to touch a single beer this year. Cause' let's face it. The lines were so long in 2010 that I took up space somewhere in between the music and beer line. So you can only imagine how lucky this girl felt to be 1 of 10 judges hanging trail side in a privately catered tent. Not too shabby!
Not every trailer submitted, so my group of 5 judges were limited to 12 tastings. I don't think my eyes or stomach could've handled much more. Our categories? Best in Bun, Best Veggie and Best Dessert. The other group of 5 had Best Taco, Best Drink and Best Ethnic. No, they didn't share. That said, each trailer gave each judge a massive portion of food and in most cases that portion could've easily fed a 325 pount linebacker. 3-4 bites seemed to be my max on each submittal. Though a few choice dishes offered such stunning flavor, 3-4 bites didn't seem like enough. Sigh. Take a peek at my photos in the order of tasting, a few comments and WINNER notes. (This was a blind tasting, so we didn't know the vendor or dish name until judging was complete)
Best in Bun:
Snarky's Moo Bawk Oink - The Jerk
Short Bus Subs - The Principal (You can't go wrong with the Principal! Nearly perfect sandwich with fresh ingredients and lingering flavors)
Tenderland - Battered Pork Tenderloin
The Jalopy - The Original
East Side Kings - Poor Qui's Buns - WINNER! (One of my favorites with roasted pork belly, hoison, cucumber kimchee and a steamed rice bun)
Best Veggie:
East Side Kings - Fried Brussels Sprouts Salad (I swear I don't remember brussels in this dish! Really?!)
Bananarchy - Halfsie Vegan Chocolate Banana
Blenders and Bowls - O.G. Acai Bowl (Can you imagine fresh fruit, granola with rice crispy's and a chilled smoothie? Didn't win but was refreshing)
Kebabalicious - Falafel Kebab - WINNER! (Another one of my favorites - would satisfy any meat lover because of the bursts of flavor, delish! Take me back to the Mediterranean)
Best Dessert:
Hey Cupcake! - Pumpkinator - WINNER!
Bananarchy - Halfsie Chocolate with Toffee Banana (I was a fan of this frozen banana on a stick - loved the balance of sweet & salty, YUM!)
Chi'Lantro - Macaroons
The remaining categories we weren't able to judge and winners:
Best Taco: Torchy's Tacos - Baja Shrimp
Best Ethnic: Mmmpanadas - Traditional Argentinian Empanada
Best Drink: MamboBerry - Strawberry Basil Smoothie
A huge nod to Tiffany Harelik, C3 Presents (Bettina, you rock!) and The Sustainable Food Center for pulling off a very impressive Gypsy Picnic this year! I was so appreciative to be a part of judging (thank you CultureMap Austin!) and had a terrific time. Until next year!
The Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival is definitely worthy of Breakfast In Austin's catchphrase. It's all about the feast, not the famine!
Um awesome blog! Can't wait to read more!
ReplyDeleteOh goodie! I'm glad you like. I went to Bacon this morning and will be posting a review over the weekend. Stay tuned and see you soon! Jen
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