Sista on the Move: Perfect Sunday - Taste of Marietta 2012

t h e s c e n e:

Today I spent the perfect Sunday with my girlfriend, her 7 yr old son and my daughter at this years Taste of Marietta. It was a a beautiful day in Georgia at a sunny 80 degrees, perfect weather for a food festival. The Taste of Marietta is an annual free Food Festival held on the last Sunday in April, located in the Historic Marietta Square. The entire square is blocked off to showcase Cobb County Restaurants and Caterers, as well concerts through out the day and fun rides for the little ones.

This year there were over 80 food vendors ranging from just about every cuisine and ethnicity you can imagine, you name it was there (Latin, Italian, Asian, Caribbean, Soul Food, BBQ, Seafood, Desserts, Cajun, Indian, and good old American). Our desire to quench our thirst led us to the beer station first, you now a girl's got to wet her whistle. Also the strategically placed "Paddy's Pub" booth was located at the entrance of the festival and adjacent to the long line for the most popular ride "The Bungee Bounce", I'm not mad at them....at all! We tried an interesting beer with hint of coffee flavor. I'm not much of a beer drinker, and when I do partake it's the usual Heinny or Bud...tee hee I said Heinny. The beer, for which I cannot remember it's name (sorry) was actually very good and I would definitely recommend (_____) beer again. Hey if you ever visit Paddy's Pub, just ask for the beer they showcased this year at the "Taste" and give it a whirl.

m y t h o u g h t s:

OK on to the food, which is what the festival was about to begin with. The square was packed with rows of vendors, so we took a few minutes to survey the offerings before making a decision. My missing her Abuela (Grandmother) scoped out the Presto Latin Cantina booth and made a b-line to sample their Beef Pasteles. Sorry guys - nice try Abeulita's Paseles wins hands down. My girlfriend and I went on the hunt for some good old Caribbean eats and took a try at Natty's Jamaican & Soul Food booth. Unfortunately when we got there the Oxtails were long gone, so we opted for the Jerk Chicken with Red Beans and Rice. The meal was tasty. but I would like to have an actual sit down meal to see what their really working with. After all the food is out in the open all day, so it's not at it's best. But overall will give a thumbs up.

My daughter's meal of choice was your basic seafood combo, friend shrimp and fries from the Marietta Diner which was absolutely delicious. The shrimp were jumbo and very succulent and even presented well in the tradition red/white checkered paper carry out. Everyone was looking over at her dish as we walked and eat, and one woman had to ask where we got it from. It's no wonder why the Marietta Diner was showcased on the Food Network. I know this because we had breakfast there yesterday. We ended our tour at Funnel Cakes-N-More...YUMMO! This wins first place ribbon in our contest. I not one for sweets fell in love with this funnel cake, and my daughter had to fight me off. You could taste the butter and it although it was firm on the outside, it melted in your mouth.

As I mentioned, in addition to food vendors, there were a number of rides to keep the little tike's interested in hanging with their parents. We headed for the Bungee Bounce first, since the line wasn't too bad and again the Beer cart was just a few steps away, so needless to say we were motivated to stand in the hot sun, but it was definitely worth it the wait. Kids get a solid 5 minutes to bungee high above the event and like my friends son, even get in a few in the air back flips, it looks like a lot of fun. Note I said (looks) like alot of fun. If you are over 4'5" you should not be up there. And if you are an adult.......you should really stay clear! There's always.......always one wack-a-do who has to push the limit. All I will say is that any adult male who gets on a kids ride, even if permitted, looks like a creep. Now that I think of it, perhaps the beer's location wasn't such a good idea after all.....just saying.

t h u m b s u p?

Overall The Taste of Marietta 2012 was really a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. You really can't beat free admission, games for the kids, live music and dishes no higher than $4. As a newbie to Atlanta this was a great way to sample Marietta's food scene. There are food festivals scheduled throughout the spring and I plan on hitting as many as I can. Special thanks to my girlfriends Dawn Lightburn and Farah Slaughter who gave me the heads up on The Taste of Marietta I'm so glad it's definitely a THUMBS UP!

~SOTM~

s o t m p i c k s