Taste of Derby Festival returns with tastes of Louisville: Here's what we tried
Sometimes you don't have to go to more than one place for a glimpse of Louisville's food scene.
That goes for the Taste of Derby Festival.
The 35th run of the event, held Tuesday at Louisville Slugger Field, featured bites and sips from more than 70 vendors.
The sold-out one-day fest, which benefits the Dare to Care food bank, offered tastes of what you might find at area restaurants, ice cream shops, distilleries, and breweries.
Here are a few highlights:
Ciao Ristorante, the Italian spot at 1201 Payne St., offered plates of house-made focaccia with olives, cherry tomatoes, and red onions, along with gnocchi stuffed with ricotta and asiago cheese with chicken, all tossed in a basil pesto cream sauce.
Brasserie Provence, 150 North Hurstbourne Parkway, served cups of chicken quinoa salad and had signs detailing the French restaurant's menu for the Derby weekend.
Orange Clover displayed some fun presentation with portions of hot brown grits, a mixture of two Southern favorites, served in dishes resembling miniature cast iron skillets. Orange Clover is located at 590 Missouri Ave., Suite 100, Jeffersonville, Indiana.
At the Craft House Pizza booth, patrons could try small slices of pickle pizza, which is topped with pickles, ranch and buffalo sauce, or "Peppa-que chicken," topped with barbecue sauce, chicken, bacon and peppadew peppers. The pizza chain, which also brews beer as Hometown Brewing Co., has six locations in the Louisville area and one coming soon in Germantown.
Staying on the pizza train, BoomBozz Pizza showed off its green chile chicken pie, made with garlic cream sauce, smoked bacon, red onions, peppadew peppers, mozzarella, goat cheese and green chili jam. BoomBozz has four locations in the area, as well as a location in Elizabethtown and Tennessee.
Simply Thai, which has locations in Saint Matthews and Middletown, offered bites of vegan and gluten-free massaman curry with vegetables as well as a curry option with chicken.
Hauck's Corner, 1000 Goss Ave., served up two of its popular menu items, including brisket eggrolls and chicken lettuce wraps.
You may like: Courier Journal publishing '150 Years of the Kentucky Derby' coffee table book. How to pre-order
While Derby-themed events may bring up thoughts of bourbon, sips of beer were also a hit at the event from West Sixth, Bluegrass Brewing Co., Butchertown Brewing, and Apocalypse Brew Works.
For a closer look at some of the dishes from the Taste of Derby Festival, check out our weekly video series, called "Best Thing I Ate This Week," which you can find by visiting Instagram.com/courierjournal.
Reach food and dining reporter Amanda Hancock at ahancock@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Taste of Derby Festival returns to Louisville Kentucky Derby 150
