Alligators, elephants, turtles and pigs. The Taste of Edmonds is going to be interesting eating this year.
Alligator on a stick will be served at the New Orleans Cookery booth, along with crab cakes, jambalaya, bayou seafood pockets and red beans and rice.
The New Orleans Cookery returns this year after being a first-time exhibitor last year.
To satisfy your sweet tooth, head to Northridge Concession from Battle Ground. It will be serving elephant ears, pieces of deep-fried dough sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar that are named for their shape, along with cotton candy, snow cones, cheesecake and hand-dipped ice cream.
Turtles can be found at the Crepe-cetera booth. This long-time, award-winning exhibitor will dish up chocolate turtle crepes, strawberry crepes and crepes suzette. Savory crepe choices will include chicken-artichoke, seafood and veggie.
For pig, stroll over to the Billy McHale’s booth and get a “BBQ Pig Sandwich” along with chopped salad, chili or seafood chowder. This is the first year this chain restaurant, which is noted for its barbecue and burgers, has come to the Taste of Edmonds.
There will be plenty of barbecue this year. Other newcomers to the largest food show in Snohomish County include Great American Barbecue, BBQ Shack and L&L Hawaiian Barbecue.
At the booth of Great American Barbecue, an Everett eatery, you’ll find shredded chicken, pork or beef sandwiches, ribs, curly fries and potato salad. At the BBQ Shack booth, choices will include a barbecue beef tri-tip sandwich or barbecue pork sandwich, along with potato salad, coleslaw, cornbread and Southwest-style iced tea.
L&L Hawaiian Barbecue of Lynnwood, which The Herald reviewed when it first opened in 2003, will serve a Hawaiian favorite – Spam. For the Taste of Edmonds, this canned meat will be featured in musubi, a block of rice topped with meat and wrapped in seaweed. Other choices include chicken katsu, barbecue short ribs and fried mahi-mahi.
To complete your Hawaiian experience, pick up a cool drink at the Hawaiian Shaved Ice booth. This Federal Way exhibitor also is a new entry.
For Italian, visit Seattle’s Pagliacci Pizza booth, where you’ll find the classic – pepperoni and cheese.
For meatball submarine sandwiches, wander over to the Shank Shack from Seattle.
Fajita Express and Lajitala, both from Oregon, will serve steak and chicken fajita sandwiches or platters, quesadillas, taco salad and burritos.
Although the Margarita Village booth sounds like the perfect complement to your fajitas, you’ll find smoothies, hand-dipped ice cream and root beer floats instead of a south-of-the-border drink. This is the first appearance for Margarita Village, which is from Seattle.
Good ol’ American hamburgers can be found at the booth of first-time exhibitor Bumpus-Little C’s Funnel Cakes. This Snohomish display will also serve Caesar salad and funnel cakes.
Camano Island’s Bavarian Catering will be serving Bavarian bratwurst, Hungarian goulash, beef stroganoff, schnitzel and Reubensandwiches.
Seattle’s Grace Faith Church will be handing out strawberry shortcake with ice cream and chocolate brownie fudge sundaes, as well as chicken strips with sides of coleslaw, okra and fries.
The culturally diverse food selections continue when you visit returning exhibitors’ booths. These include:
* Indian fare from Lynnwood’s Cinnamon’s Grill. This year’s selections include masala salmon with Caesar salad and chicken tikka kabob.
* Russian delights such as beef, cheese and apple piroshky or a Cossack dinner of boiled potatoes and sausage at the Kaleenka Piroshky booth. This favorite since 1998 is from Redmond.
* Greek favorites such as beef gyro sandwiches and baklava at the Kafe Neo stand. Kafe Neo of Edmonds is a returning favorite. If you prefer falafel, you’ll find it at the St. George’s Copic Church booth. The Renton church also serves barbecue chicken and baklava.
* Filipino fare such as adobo pork or chicken with pansit and lumpia will be served at the booth of Seattle’s Espi’s Sausage.
* German-style bratwurst, polish sausage and German wieners will appear at Ziegler’s Bratwurst Haus, a Lynnwood eatery whose booth is always a favorite.
* Asian favorites such as teriyaki chicken, chow mein, pad Thai and spicy or garlic chicken will be served at Lilian’s The Orient from Seattle and Thai Woodinville. For pot stickers, visit Renton’s G&S Group booth. It’ll have the appetizers with pork and turkey stuffing, along with chicken skewers.
* Philadelphia’s contribution to fine dining – the Philly steak sandwich – is the highlight at Pat’s Philly Steak Sandwich booth. It’s from Seattle and will also serve chicken and Polish Philly-style sandwiches.
* Pacific Northwest favorites such as blackened salmon Caesar salad from Scotty’s Northwest. This Edmonds entrant consistently wins awards at the festival with its dishes.
Those visiting the Taste for dessert or a snack can find espresso, fruit smoothies, lemonade, caramel apples, frozen chocolate bananas, popcorn, ice cream in waffle cones, roasted corn on the cob, deep-fried onion bursts and espresso.
But be sure to check out two longtime favorites – Berry Ka Bob of Spokane Valley, with its skewered strawberries dipped in chocolate, and Biringer Farms of Marysville, where strawberry and raspberry shortcakes reign supreme.
Herald photos
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Children enjoy the Tiger Jump at a past Taste. Workers prepare food at The Original Crepe-cetera stand. A customer gets a henna tattoo.
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