An overcast morning harkened
perfect outdoor weather for the 3rd Annual Sabroso Craft Beer &
Taco Festival. The festival was held in Lake View Park, tucked away in Santiago
Canyon next to Irvine Lake. It has the perfect atmosphere for an outdoor
festival – lots of trees for shade, picnic tables for enjoying food &
libations, and graded grassy area for lounging and enjoying the music from the
main stage. There was also a mariachi band roaming around adding to the
ambiance.
West coast craft beer
breweries gathered to provide a “tasting room” experience for thousands of
craft beer aficionados. But, that’s not the only reason why people came. You
need something to eat while sampling the beer. What better pairing than a taco!
Food trucks, food purveyors, and breweries that serve food competed for
“People’s Choice” chosen by the public and/or “Best of Show” awarded by a panel
of food judges. The food judges this year were Peter Hsieh, from LA Wonders, Chelsea Madren, a.k.a OC Food Diva (KCBS Certified BBQ Judge), and Jessica Rice from
BeerAndBaking.com. 16 teams competed and it was supposed to be a blind
judging. However, two of the teams put their name in the description of their
tacos. In a regional or national competition, this would be cause for an
immediate disqualification. But since there was no money involved, just a
trophy and bragging rights, this rule was not applied. Each taco was judged in
four categories: Appearance, Creativity, Taste, and Texture. Here are some OC
Food Diva’s tasting notes and scores for the tacos submitted:
Taco #1 – Soy Marinated Flank
Steak Taco: It had a good texture. The steak was tender. Overall, it had
Asian-inspired flavor palette. Score: 4/4/4/4
Taco #2 – Breakfast Taco with
chorizo fried rice, Dos Chinos asada,
quocream, and fried egg: Fantastic presentation with sunny-side fried egg on
top. Definitely fits the Dos Chino’s flavor palette of stoner grub. The only
thing missing was a crunchy texture element. Kimchi would have been a great
addition and would also provide acidity. Score: 5/4/5/3
Taco #3 – Falasophy’s Spicy Modern Taco
with falafel, cilantro garlic sauce, pickled red cabbage, house-pickled
jalapenos, and avocado aioli: The falafel had a nice crispy exterior and tender
interior. The pickled vegetables added a contrasting acidity to the creamy
sauces. Score: 4/5/4/5
Taco #4 – Chianina Beef
Tongue Pastrami Taco with queso fundido, pickled ramps, cabbage, rye, and spicy
island dressing: The pastrami was excellent, but it was overpowered by the
queso and dressing. Score: 5/4/2/4
Taco # 5 – Flour Tortilla
Taco with 12-hour braised short rib, arugula, horseradish cream, buttermilk
fried onions: The short rib was tender and had a nice flavor. Not a big fan of
flour tortillas with tacos as they add a gummy glutinous flavor. Score: 4/3/4/3
Taco #6 – Rojo Pork Taco with
citrus braised pork, barbacoa, avocado cream, cilantro slaw, cotija cheese on a
corn tortilla: The taco had a mushy texture overall. The flavors were indistinguishable.
Score: 3/3/3/2
Taco #7 – Korean Pork Belly
Taco topped with pickled radish and cucumber. Loved the crispy skin contrasting
with the tender braised pork. It had a nice texture along with the crispy
vegetables. But the flavor was just one note from the pork and needed an acidic
flavor to balance it out. Score: 4/4/3/4
Taco #8 – Anchiote Lime Fried
Plantain Taco topped with roasted corn, soyrizo salsa, garlic lime mojo sauce,
cotija cheese, cilantro, and radish: This is a good vegetarian option with a
good balance of spicy, sweet, and acidic flavor. Score: 4/4/4/4
Taco #9 – Cajun Shrimp Taco with
coleslaw and creole aioli: The shrimp was perfectly cooked with a good snap. It
had nice contrasting texture with the crunchy cabbage from the slaw. The flavor
could have been pumped up a tad either seasoning the shrimp and/or the aioli.
Score: 3/4/4/4
Taco #10 – Barbacoa Short Rib
Taco with cilantro onion salsa: The barbacoa was fantastic with its fatty,
sticky, and tender texture. It just needed more salt to bump up the flavor. It
was also missing a contrasting texture as it was mushy. Score: 3/3/4/2
Taco #11 – Pork Belly Taco
with banh mi sauce and Asian slaw: The pork itself was rather flavorless. The
slaw had rice vinegar but needed added seasoning like salt, sesame oil, etc. It
had potential. The pork needed to be marinated, seasoned, and/or glazed.
Chopped peanuts would have been a good flavor and textural element. Score:
3/3/1/3
Taco #12 – Organic Kurobuta
Pork Taco served with queso fresco, nopales cactus, and salsa morrita on a
handmade corn tortilla: The pork was tender, juicy, and had a great flavor. The
sour, savory, and spicy flavors were all balanced. It just lacked a contrasting
textural element. Scores: 4/5/5/2
Taco #13 – Braised Goat Taco
with Manteca, plantain, cucumber pico de gallo, and black mole. The goat was
fantastic! It was tender and had a good flavor. It just needed a crunchy
texture to contrast the tender meat. Score: 3/4/4/2
Taco #14 – Pork and Plantain
Taco: The plantain was too sweet and the beans did not match in texture or flavor
with any of the other ingredients. The pork had a nice flavor but was greatly
overshadowed by the overly sweet plantain. Score: 2/3/2/3
Taco #15 – Cinnamon Carnitas
Taco topped with mango salsa, lime, and pickled red onion: The presentation was
nice and had a good flavor. Score: 4/4/4/4
Taco #16 – Three Sausage Mix
Taco with smoked tomatillo salsa, avocado smash, cotija cheese, garlic cream,
and cilantro. It was interesting to have sausage inside a taco (no pun
intended). The Latin flavor profile of the toppings just didn’t match with the sausage
flavors. Score: 3/4/3/3
And the winners are…
People’s Choice:
1st Place: Pour Vida
2nd Place: Grits Fullerton
3rd Place: StadiumBrew Co.
Best of Show:
1st Place:
PorkoRico BBQ
2nd Place: Falasophy
2nd Place: Falasophy
3rd Place: The Kroft
Even with bellies full of
tacos, there was still room for a few of beer tastings.
Bottle Logic Brewing’s tastes like
a traditional stout. It is strong, bold, yet smooth with a slightly bitter bite
on the end. Rating: 4/5
Bottle Logic Brewing’s Borracho Leche is heavy, yet crisp
with a bite on the front. It has a creamy flavor and has spicy notes that
linger on the end of the palate. Rating: 4/5
Left Coast Brewing Co.’s Una Mas is
strong and bold, yet extremely smooth with no aftertaste. It has malty and
caramel flavors. Rating: 4.8/5
Sabroso Craft Beer and Taco Festival was an amazing
experience. Make plans to attend next year!
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