Taste Of St. Louis

At the end of September, the award winning Taste of St. Louis makes its return to downtown St. Louis. For three days (Sept. 23 through 25), the city of St. Louis will come together and over 300,000 people will head downtown to the Soldier’s Memorial to celbrate the best food, art and music that St. Louis has to offer.

The three days of festivities include a Sauce Magazine Restaurant Row, cooking competitions, celebrity appearances, games, local music, artist booths, wine samplings, local businesses and children’s activities.

Restaurant Row is the most popular part of the festival offering food and drinks from a variety of St. Louis’ best restaurants. Each booth in Restaurant Row accepts cash and offers items at a low cost ($3-$7).

Some of this year’s 45 restaurants include but are not limited to:  Ben and Jerry’s, Hard Rock Cafe, Merb’s Candies, Rib City, Pappy’s Smokehouse, Pujols 5, The Melting Pot and The Cup.

The second annual Art & Wine Walk includes booths displaying the art of national and local artists while visitors can enjoy a wine tasting after purchasing tasting tickets.

In addition to a variety of food, Taste of St. Louis also showcases local businesses and national corporations that offer interactive displays as well as chances to win great prizes.

Businesses featured at this fall’s Taste of St. Louis include but are not limited to: QuikTrip, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Missouri Lottery and Costco.

Another addition to the cuisine displays at Taste of St. Louis is the Peabody Opera House Outdoor Main Stage, showcasing St. Louis’ up and coming musical talents. Over 18 bands are scheduled to perform over the three days and the musical acts are included in the festival’s free admission.

The showcase stage and dining area is festival goers’ one stop shop to relax and enjoy all kinds of entertainment. The showcase stage will host culinary showcases, cooking demonstrations, art demonstrations, live musical performances and more.

Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., free family friendly entertainment will be available in the Kid’s Kitchen. Musical and theatrical entertainment will be available throughout the weekend as well as educational cooking classes to get the family involved. Kids can meet St. Louis Ram’s Cheerleaders, Puss in Boots from Shrek, or do an activity presented by the Magic House, St. Louis Science Center and the St. Louis History Museum.

Chef Battle Royale
Modeled after the Food Network’s Iron Chef, the Taste of St. Louis will host a culinary battle with eight selected chefs on the Lumiere Place and River City Casino Culinary Stage. This 7 round event will take place over the three days of the festival and will include 45 minutes of battle to be judged by celebrity foodies including Marc Bynum from the Food Network and Mark DeCarlo author of A Fork on the Road: 400 Cities, 1 Stomach” and host of MSN’s Road Raves.

The Taste of St. Louis has received numerous awards and recognition making it a shot fire success. In 2010, Taste of St. Louis was awarded second place for the “Best Food Festival” in AAA Midwest Traveler’s best by popular vote. Taste of St. Louis is number three in 101 things to do in St. Louis 2011, and the Best Festival by metromix.com.

Rachel Schaeffer, 21 year-old student and St. Louis citizen, has attended the festival in the past. When asked about her past Taste of St. Louis experience, Schaeffer stated, “Taste of St. Louis is so much fun. There are a whole bunch of vendors and they sell delicious food and have great samples. There is so much to do and it is all so much fun, it really is a great weekend.”

You can follow the latest updates on Taste of St. Louis on their Twitter @TasteSTL or their website.