Taste of the Northside isn’t like other Fiesta events. You won’t find as many cascarones, over-the-top fiesta hats, or crowned court members walking around in elaborate jeweled gowns. But what you will find is a ton of people ready to eat and drink to their heart’s content. And isn’t that what Fiesta is really all about?
Well, a large part of it at least.
This year was my first time attending Taste of the Northside and I was blown away by the huge crowd that took over The Club at Sonterra. Each person was given a set number of food and drink tickets at the gate and then let loose to join the party. The spread of booths ranged from Northside favorites to international chains—quite a change from my options at NIOSA the night before. With a limited number of tickets, I had to pick and choose which vendors appealed to me most. Here’s a peek at what I tasted.
Knife & Fork served one of their prized brunch menu items, the chorizo hash (minus the eggs) with pico de gallo. This was my first and possibly favorite dish of the night. If you’ve never tried their brunch I’d highly recommend it. They have a ton of Mexican-inspired dishes which always win me over.
Now I’m usually not a tiramisu kinda gal, but for some reason Maggiano’s dessert caught my eye. One bite in and I was converted! They went heavy on the chocolate so that probably helped. They also served a pasta dish that looked pretty tasty, but alas, I felt I must conserve my tickets.
My dad has been raving about the new Brick House Tavern for weeks, but for some reason I’ve been resistant to try it out. I’m not too big on pub food, however, the drunken pork meatballs with whiskey BBQ glaze and jalapeno bacon cornbread made me forget all of my skepticism. I’m interested to see what else they have to offer.
We then entered the VIP section. One piece of advice I learned that night: if you’re going to this event, go all out. While VIP access was rather pricey, the restaurant and drink options there warrant spending the extra cash. We were basically surrounded by steak and vodka. Yep, worth it.
First we tried Myron’s Steakhouse, who served a wasabi-seared ahi tuna. The seasoning had a really good flavor, but the cut of tuna was rather chewy and not as cold as I prefer. I wanted to try their steak but they ran out just as we walked up. Next time!
Boudro’s sandwich was a huge crowd-pleaser and one of my top picks of the night. They served an ancho-crusted short rib sandwich with arugula, tomato and sriracha sauce, served with warm German potato salad. If you’d like to try for yourself, you can find the sandwich at their sister restaurant, Zinc Bistro, on the lunch menu.
We finally ran out of tickets (and room in our bellies) and headed outside to enjoy an awesome firework show to cap off the evening. Taste of the Northside may not have the typical Fiesta flare that I’m used to, but with a giant crowd of fun people, a ton of awesome food, and fireworks (!!!) …what more do you need?
Sign up for the SA Flavor Newsletter for all the best of SA without the spam! And be sure to shop the SA Flavor Store for the best Fiesta Medals, stickers, shirts and more!