A Culinary Adventure

I am actually writing this article before summer is officially here according to the calendar.  However, if you use the temperatures that we have been experiencing lately as any indication then summer has already arrived and is showing us just how excited it is to be spending the next few months with all of us.  Now, the good thing about summer arriving is that it brings with it so many opportunities to get outside and enjoy the world around us.  Some of those opportunities include festivals, outdoor concerts, rubber duck races, wine tasting festivals and so many more.
This months article is all about being outdoors and the opportunities that being outdoors brings in the way of culinary adventures.

Festivals are a great way to experience many different types of foods and at a fairly reasonable price.  I always enjoy going to the festivals website (if one is available) and perusing the list of food vendors that will be on hand.  This is especially exciting if some of the food vendors will be from local restaurants.  I was able to attend the NC! Salute Wine Celebration in Winston-Salem and there discovered Willow’s Bistro (http://www.willowsbistro.net/).  I have to warn you now that I have found a new favorite spot for ribs.  At the festival they offered their most delicious Japanese Kurabota Pork Ribs (it appears from their online menu that they do not offer the ribs at lunch - just dinner).  Lucky for me, they were selling the ribs for $1 per bone.  I ate several and could have eaten more if they had not run out.  The ribs are not your typical ribs with the tomato based sauce, they have a wasabi mango bbq sauce and are well worth the trip to Winston-Salem if you do not live there.  I have not had the opportunity yet to visit the bistro, it is however on my wish list and I will hopefully get there in the next couple of weeks.  Of course, there were many other amazing food vendors on-site at this event and as well as wonderful wineries.  So, again - festivals are a great place to sample food from different restaurants all in one place.  I encourage you to go with a group of people and everyone order from different places and then share.

Other great opportunities are outdoor concerts.  Now, most will not have the culinary opportunities available that a festival might offer, however they usually offer you the option of packing a picnic dinner or lunch (depending on the time of day).  With the heat that summer is obviously going to fill our days with this year, you might want to make cool selections for your picnic basket.  I personally enjoy a nice cold chicken salad with grapes, walnuts maybe some dried cranberries, celery and low-fat Greek yogurt instead of mayo.  Fresh fruit and cheeses are also a delicious choice for summer picnics.  And, most important of all is to remember to hydrate lots if you are out in the the summer heat.

You can find lots of outdoor opportunities by visiting the following website (I am sure there are other event calendars online as well as in the local newspapers and magazines):

• ExploreHighPoint.com, ExploreGreensboro.com or ExploreWinstonSalem.com (all three will provide you with the same results)
• GoTriad.com
• And, one of my favorites -  SELifestyle.com.

So, start planning your culinary summer now and get out there.  I would also love to get some of your favorite summer recipes to post on foodfabulous.net.  Please note that I do not post a recipe until I have tried it myself.  So, dont worry if it takes a few weeks for your recipe to show up.  

If you have a culinary discovery that you would like for me to write about, please let me know either on my blog or by emailing me at Travis@foodfabulous.net.