Taste Reviews

Our first Idea Festival event, and it appealed to every sense, and not limited to Taste! Held at Copper and Kings, the space allows people to form lines, gather in groups, and hover over cocktail tables without waiting too long or feeling cramped. Having different food and drink available at three levels was great for mingling! This year, (and this is my own judging!) the best bite was the lamb ragout with parm polenta from Marketplace. First runner-up was the grilled shrimp skewer with bone marrow aioli from Butchertown Grocery. Second runner up was the daikon radish "taco" with carnitas from Against the Grain. Honorable mention: the redneck ravioli from Khalil's. The orange peel ice cube in my Buffalo Trace bourbon was also a nice touch. Definitely worth the $50 for the event ticket. Definitely going next year!

Taste!

This is above and beyond my most favorite event in Louisville! We've been going for the last few years at Churchill Downs and the location change to Copper & Kings proved to further my adoration for this innovation challenge.

The secret is that you don't have to go to IdeaFest to get passes to the event, buy 'em yourself! It is oh so worth it!

This year the vendors were heavy handed with the alcoholic treats. Beer, bourbon, wine, brandy, beer AND tequila?, coffee (pour some brandy in there!), chai (see previous suggestion), chipped flavored ice (are you sensing a trend with the add-on suggestions), pecan liquor, pecan liquor flavored bourbon balls, mint chocolate flavored bourbon. It was a drinking frenzy!

The restaurant runners up this year, in my humble opinion, were:

Stout burger and beer pairing
and
The mango shrimp salsa by Khalil's catering

The absolute winner was, hands down:

The shaved ice by Feast BBQ and Louisville Pure Tap that TASTED LIKE HORCHATA! And Elotes flavored air. It was exactly what the Taste of Innovation is all about. They brought the three phases of water with them! (They infused the water with different several clever combos such as cucumber and jalapeño). Gosh, I love a nerdy booth.

I had tried to win tickets to IdeaFestival's Taste, but I wasn't very lucky. However, the day of the event, my friend texted and asked what I was doing that night. Two hours before the event, she let me know we had tickets to Taste. I was so excited! (Thanks, Kate V.!!!)

We arrived right when the event started and were quickly about to get in to Copper & Kings and exploring. I loved that the event sprawled from outside, through every floor inside, and out to the balcony with a great view of Louisville! The first thing I ate was a cupcake with bacon on top. CUPCAKES AND BACON ARE TWO OF MY FAVORITE THINGS. I knew I was going to be happy the rest of the night. My goal was to try something from every place here... which was difficult, but I'm pretty sure I did! YUM! The drinks, the foods, the fun people, the awesome vendors... I am a fan! I particularly liked that there was a good crowd, but it wasn't overwhelming, creating long lines. It was just right! I'd definitely pay to go back in the future. Cheers!

I attended Taste as a "vendor", working the Yelp booth with Emily. But I also got to enjoy the event, as we took turns making the rounds. And I must say....this event would be worth every penny a non-vendor or non-volunteer would pay and I would absolutely pay to attend next year! The food and beverage provided by local restaurants, distilleries,breweries and wineries was astounding and delicious! Copper and Kings was a great venue for the event, and the views from the rooftop were lovely.
I highly recommend you keep an eye out for when this event is given again and get your tickets!

Yesterday I didn't go to an event, I went to an experience.

Taste is the kind of event that I couldn't normally go to, either through work constraints or due to lack of immediate funds ($100 for two tickets, plus needing the Idea Fest pass), but I was the incredibly lucky winner of the two free tickets graciously presented by Yelp Louisville. I honestly didn't realize how lucky I was until I got there.

Upon arriving there were already at least a hundred people waiting for the doors to open. I was quickly whisked in ahead of almost everybody else (envious stares begin here) and got to be one of the first to try the delectable goods presented by restaurants such as Khalil's (veggie sushi and bourbon icing bacon chocolate chip cupcakes), Shalimars (long grain white rice, garbonzo beans, chicken curry), Stout Burgers and Beer (spicy sliders made with Angus and brisket beef), Farm to Fork catering (braised rabbit and cheese grits), and so many more. While enjoying all of these delectable bites I did not go thirsty. There were exquisite drinks from such venues like The Silver Dollar (4 different kinds of bourbons and whiskeys, topped off with beer), 502 Winery (Bor Dough anyone?) Copper and Kings (both sodas and brandy) and Vint (their Chai latte is to die for).

Sure, there were lots of amazing eatables, from savory to so sweet your teeth melt, but there was so much more. The people there alone were amazing. Once again I must compliment the sheer hospitality shown from my Louisville neighbors. All of the restaurant's personnel explained their unique dishes (most were not available on their regular menu, but made specially for the event) with such passion and were presented with so much finesse and creativity that you didn't even have to eat the food to experience it, you could eat it all with your eyes. The guests at this event were all polite, interactive and simply a joy to be around. I had the pleasure of meeting so many amazing people, all with nothing but compliments for the art and food around them.

I also got a chance to stop by the awesome Yelp! table hosted by Emily H. (super cool chick by the way) and her squad to take a spin to match the dish to the restaurant for a prize. I won a chapstick with the Yelp logo if your interested, haha!

I also must mention Copper and Kings. How can a place be elegant, modern and oh so urban at the same time? Don't ask me, visit this place the second you get a chance to. Amazing brandy, I tried several of theirs, from unaged to some that had been aged years, and it was all wonderful. Their staff were all friendly and knowledgeable and seemed thrilled for this event. Their distillery is beautiful and compliments Butchertown's style. I am proud to have such a unique and well put together venue for events such as this that people from other states and towns can visit and really get a vibe of Louisville.

This event is really something special. I got to try so many restaurants that have been on my radar for months, meet amazing people and try out alcohols that would cost a fortune just for a pour, not to mention the cool DJs and talented live artists there for immediate entertainment. I was ecstatic to just be there in the crowd. I know that I will be saving up next year to have this wonderful experience again. Thank you Yelp Louisville, and thank you Idea Fest!