Sample dozens of international dishes at Rahway's upcoming Taste of Spring
A restaurant entrée can cost $40.
But at Rahway’s Taste of Spring, $40 pays for a taste of dozens of entrées, including pierogi, falafel, tacos and custard cups, and includes pairings of local craft beers, international wines and inventive cocktails.
The 21st annual all-you-can-eat-and-drink event returns to the Rahway Recreation Center from 5:30 to 9 p.m. April 5 and includes samplings from 35 mostly city-based restaurants and 34 beer, wine and liquor vendors.
Restaurants include Sabor Peruano, Alfonso's Catering, Adeline Deli, Il Forno a Legna, La Chula Tex-Mex, Wet Ticket Brewing and new additions like Wholly Cow, Spanish Restaurant 3, Casamon Caribbean Cuisine & Catering and Cypress Brewing.
“This event combines all types of beer and food festivals into one,” said Anthony Armando, special improvement district project manager. “It’s so reasonably priced and you get to experience so many different cuisines and types of wine and beer, that you will always find something that you enjoy.”
It isn’t a secret, either. The 1,000 tickets usually sell out about a week before the event, and Armando said this year, it’s looking to be even earlier. Tickets can be purchased online.
More foodie fun: Celebrity chef David Burke to judge annual Taste of Middlesex on March 25
Fare will be paired with live music. A DJ from On Fire Entertainment will spin tunes around a dance floor while the Bradford Hayes Quartet will play jazz music in the dessert tent and the Sweater Pills will play acoustic covers of hit songs in the craft beer tent. A photo booth will also be onsite.
Food will be judged by journalists, social media influencers and business owners, including this reporter as well as Gary Gonzalez, Rahway native, “Chopped” champion and executive chef of Casa Calaveras in Middletown, and Cyd Katz, owner of newjerseyisntboring.com.
The judges will choose the event’s best drink, appetizer, handheld food, vegetarian item, entrée, and dessert. Winners receive a trophy and promotion by Rahway’s Special Improvement District, which is one of the hosts of the event, as are Mayor Raymond A. Giacobbe and the Rahway City Council.
Sweet eats: Here's when your favorite Central Jersey ice cream shops are opening for the season
“Taste of Spring represents what Rahway is growing into and has become,” Armando said of the city which is home to 85 restaurants. “It has become a place that people want to go and has cuisines from all over the world coming together and building a community.”
Go: 275 E Milton Ave., Rahway at Rahway Recreation Center; Friday, April 5 from 5:30-9 p.m.; $40 per person, purchase tickets at bit.ly/43jRktN; rahwayishappening.com/taste/.
Contact: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com
Jenna Intersimone has been a staff member at the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey since 2014, after becoming a blogger-turned-reporter following the creation of her award-winning travel blog. To get unlimited access to her stories about food, drink and fun, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. You can also follow her on Instagram at @seejennaeat and on Twitter at @JIntersimone.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Taste of Spring in Rahway returns April 5
