2013 Taste of Cincinnati set for Memorial Day Weekend, May 25-27

Jackie Reau/Gina Martin

Game Day Communications

jreau@ gamedaypr.com

(513) 708-5822, mobile office

Nine local restaurants earned top prizes for this year’s Best of Taste Awards in four categories: Appetizer, Crab Rangoon by Thai Taste; Entrée, Honey Sweet & Sour Shrimp by Arloi Dee; Dessert, Vanilla Bourbon Breda Pudding by Blue Wisp and Go Vibrant, Thai Fried Rice by Thai Taste.

1^st Place: Crab Rangoon, Thai Taste

3^rd Place (tie): Pulled Pork Sandwich, Giminetti’s Bakery & General Tso’s Chicken, Thai Taste

Some 70 live music performances representing music of all genres is scheduled on four stages (Food Truck Alley Stage, Kentucky Ale Beer Garden Stage, Christian Moerlein Beer Garden Stage and the Yuengling Beer Garden Stage) along Fifth Street from Fountain Square to the P&G Gardens. Also, on Saturday and Sunday evenings from 9:30 to 11 p.m., local comedians will perform at the Taste of Comedy Show curated by comedian Josh Sneed.

Local media celebrities representing TV, radio, print and blogs will compete in the first-ever Veggie Races presented by Go Vibrant on Friday, May 24 from noon to 1 p.m. on Fountain Square. Similar to Soap Box Derby races, contestants will be provided vegetables from Meijer to build and race a veggie-fueled vehicle in a round-robin style tournament.

Ten of Cincinnati’s signature restaurants will participate in the newly created Taste of Cincinnati Experience, located in the P&G Gardens at Fifth and Sycamore streets, to offer an intimate dining experience with seating and live music. Participating restaurants include: 20 Brix, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Daveed’s, Orchid’s, The Palace and Tano’s in addition to Graeter’s. Chefs from the participating restaurants will be on-site at the Taste of Cincinnati Experience for three-hour increments each day (schedule will be released closer to the event). Representatives from Les Chefs de Cuisine will also be in the area throughout the weekend with samplings, and cooking demonstrations.

Christian Moerlein agreed to serve as the Official Beer sponsor of Taste of Cincinnati and will create the Moerlein Beer Garden on Fountain Square during the event. The following specialty craft beers will be served: the Moerlein Original Golden Helles, Moerlein Over-the-Rhine Ale, Moerlein Exposition Vienna Lager, Moerlein Northern Liberties IPA and the soon-to-be-released Moerlein Seven Hefeweizen. Every two hours of Taste of Cincinnati, the brewers of Moerlein will tap specialty kegs “Pins and Firkins” of dry hopped cask-conditioned ales to offer samples and discuss beer and brewing methods.

Local food trucks will take over North Broadway off of Fifth Street, downtown to serve as variety of cuisine in a new area called Food Truck Alley, which will also feature live music and seating. Participating food trucks include: Café de Wheels, C’est Cheese, EAT Mobile Dining, Gold Star Chili, Mellow Mushroom and Sugarsnap!.

During the Taste of Cincinnati Weekend, the Cincinnati Reds will host the Chicago Cubs (Saturday, May 25, 4:10 p.m. and Sunday, May 25, 1:10 p.m.) and the Cleveland Indians (Monday, May 26, 1:10 p.m.). To make it easier for baseball fans to travel to Cincinnati, the Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network has created a Grand Slam Getaway package which includes hotel accommodations, discounted Reds tickets and discounts to other attractions such as BB Riverboats, Cincinnati Museum Center, Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame & Museum and the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens.