Taste Of Vienna

I really enjoyed the 2014 Taste of Vienna. My three friends and I entered and made use of the ATM to buy 5/​$ 20 or $ 5/​each, drink tickets from the VFD. I also bought $ 5 worth of raffle tickets to help support the community, but it didn’t seem like anyone else was doing that.
You had to cash in your drink tickets at only one place selling alcohol at the front. Since they couldn’t sell liquor, that vendor made a «quintarita,» made with agave wine instead of tequila. While it has half the alcohol content, it tasted amazing.
Most vendors only took cash as well, so we’ll come better prepared to save on ATM fees next year. There were a lot of eateries I’d never heard of here and we gathered a lot of business cards of places to check out.
You could get spanakopita, crepes, chili cheese dogs, spring rolls, ice cream, mini cake desserts, funnel cake fries, and more, but our favorite food was shrimp and grits from Chef Geoff’s. Holy cow. We are going there soon because they were just awesome. Prices overall were also pretty reasonable– under $ 3 – 4 for most small bites.
The music piece seemed ignored by most. People come for the food.

Attended the 2^nd annual (2013) Taste of Vienna. It was a pretty good event. Reasonable prices, ample street parking nearby and a navigable setup behind the fire house. The array of vendors was great, even if the availabilities weren’t.
The people who coordinate ToV should really make sure every single vendor doesn’t bring the same thing. The event could easily have been called, «The Great Vienna Slider and Pulled Pork Cookoff.» There were quite a few restaurants present that I love, but a ton of them were serving the exact same thing! More variety would be nice. The same goes for the drink vendors… I’d expected a wide array of samplings, but you were limited to three choices, including a generic standard.
The other problem with ToV is that nothing is really a «taste.» You get a whole slice of pizza or an entire dish of Indian food. Have a plate of rice with a mango on top, or get a dish of skewered meat. Have an entire full-​size taco stuffed with meat. It’d be much better if the vendors offered smaller samples so you can truly get a taste of everything instead of getting full after one or two vendors.
All-​in-​all, I’d go back and try again next year if the vendors rotate and they add some activities (the bands present weren’t good at all… just your normal loud festival singers jamming the same chord over and over). It’s a pretty quality event and less of a total cluster of shady people than the Herndon Festival, etc. But it definitely needs some tweaks.
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What I tried:
— Caffe Amouri iced tea (some kind of pink herbal concoction): Absolutely disgusting and undrinkable. I like lots of different fine teas, but this was weird.
— Turmeric samosas: I’d had these before (see my full review on Turmeric). Very standard, but very delicious!!!
— Bazin’s on Church shrimp guacamole tacos: Watery, just tasted like cocktail shrimp on top of guac with some cilantro thrown in. They were good, but nothing special.
— Maplewood Grill shrimp/​crab popper: Amazing seafood taste deep-​fried in a ball of clear noodles or something like that… I’m actually not entirely sure, but it was sooo delicious and served with a great corn salsa side and dipping sauce.
— Vienna Inn chili-​cheese dog: Don’t get me wrong… it was really good. Lived up to the legend. But y’know what? I still have better memories of A&W’s coney dogs from back in the day. Maybe it’s because I customized them a little more or something, but they definitely tasted better. Still, if you need a good hot dog in Vienna? Can’t go wrong.

The Vienna Volunteer Fire Department hosted the first Taste of Vienna Saturday, April 28, and even though it was slightly chilly, and overcast, there were plenty of people there trying food from different Vienna restaurants. At the entrance, we were greeted by an outgoing man who was probably a firefighter. He thanked us for coming, and handed us a brochure. We went later in the afternoon so it wasn’t too crowded at all. To counter the cold, there were wine and beer sales in one part of the festival AND heat lamps. Those were a little too hot for me, but there were a few people huddled around them to warm up.
The variety of food for sale meant that it was hard to choose. Unlike other tasting festivals, I liked that we didn’t have to guess how much we were capable of eating and buy taste tickets ahead of time. Easy! The fish tacos from Tequila Grande were recommended by a friend, and for $ 2 a taco, it was a nobrainer to try it. My friend was still raving about it that evening, and how he had never thought fish tacos were anything special before. Some restaurants definitely seemed better prepared for the Taste of Vienna than others. Sweetleaf’s salad in a cup for $ 3 tempted me, but I was seduced by the idea of fast Indian food from Tumeric. Sadly, I didn’t find the chickpeas and potatoes much better than fast Indian food I’ve had on styrofoam plates. If you’re not showcasing your best items at a festival full of potential new customers, than what are you doing? Although, the looks of my food must’ve been tempting because another festivalgoer inquired where I had gotten my little chickpeas and potatoes rice bowl. It’s not comparing apples to apples, but for an extra $.077, a Chipotle veggie burrito bowl would’ve been more satisfying. The wheel of snacks at the Noodles & Company was quite intriguing, and it seemed like you had 100% chance of winning something from a rice crispie treat to a noodle bowl but we did not try it. The music acts were questionable, and the volume was so loud that sometimes, it was hard to talk. Overall, Taste of Vienna was a friendly town event, and I’d go again next year.