A taste of the Taste

There is something really wonderful about a festival that is dedicated to food.  We all know that when we go to, say, an arts and crafts fair, that the food is just as crucial as the art.  The great thing about the Taste of Syracuse is that it allows the food to take center stage with some wine, art, and music to keep you occupied while you munch your way up one end of the festival and down the other.

This has been a crazy busy couple of days but I've managed to steal time to check out the festival both last night and this afternoon.  I plan to go back later tonight to check out the Bacon Brothers.  Now most of Syracuse will have no degree of separation from Kevin Bacon.

J. Johnson cooking up REAL Buffalo Wings at the Anchor Bar cooking demo.

So last night the talk of the Taste were the $1 dollar crab cakes on sale at the Genesee Grande (Hotel) booth.  Yeah, I know what you're thinking--crab cakes for just a dollar?  But they were really good!  There was actually a good amount of crabmeat in them.  They were flavorful and served up with some baby greens--just right.  It actually makes me want to check out what they can really do when they are back in their regular kitchen.

Today I managed to steal away to catch chef Brian Shore (Kettle Lakes in Tully) for his cooking demo.  He prepared seared duck with mushroom fricassee on polenta cake with micro greens and orange supremes.  And yes, it was as tasty as it sounds.  The polenta was actually fried for a few minutes so there was this wonderful contrast between the crispy polenta and the smooth and buttery mushrooms.  The orange added a touch of sweetness to the savory duck.  The micro greens (kohlrabi) were covered in a simple lemon viniagrette.

Brian shows how to prepare orange supremes.

Adding the micro greens.

The finishing touch.

Brian Shore is doing great things at Kettle Lakes--he supports local farmers for one, and he has a bistro room at the restaurant so you can get some really fine food even when your wallet isn't feeling especially fine (same great food--smaller plates, plus more casual fare.)  And he dropped hints about some "jumbo" raspberries (organic) that are grown just for him which should be in season just about now. 

I loved the Taste of Syracuse--I'm already looking forward to next year.