Festival Food Delicious and More Affordable than Expected

It's always been assumed that festival food is expensive, but the Burke Centre Festival is breaking that trend this weekend. Patch recently attended the event and purchased four drinks, two desserts, and two entrées for $35. It was certainly worth every penny.

Our extended lunch began with a chilly Limeade Smoothie ($4) and authentic Thai Iced Tea ($3) from Oriental Chef. The sweet, fresh limeade was a perfect addition to an already beautiful summer day, and the creamy, honey flavored iced tea wet my appetite for more exotic tastes.

My editor and I sipped our refreshments as we waited in line for the Chicken Teriyaki ($6) on a stick, whose charred and sweet aromas had taken over the air. Within minutes we arrived at the front of the line and were able to sink our teeth into a moist, tender skewer of teriyaki chicken. Though it was a generous portion of meat, it didn't last long. Still hungry, we decided to move onto the most important part of the meal— desert.

As we made our way to T&S Concessions, which was producing one golden funnel cake after another, the Fun Time Ice Cream truck right next to it gave us a sudden burst of inspiration.  We excitedly purchased our Funnel Cake ($5) and Vanilla Ice Cream Cone ($8), found a nearby table, and proceeded to spread the cold vanilla soft serve all over the warm funnel cake.  With one bite we concluded that the idea was genius.  The cake was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the ice cream was rich and smooth.  The textural and thermal opposites lit up our taste buds.  We devoured our creation in minutes.

With more culinary ventures to pursue, we proceeded to Amazing Grace Catering, the only food vendor with a long line, possibly due to the sheer variety of food they were dishing out.  The cooks worked efficiently and soon it was our turn to order a Lamb Gyro and two Lemonades ($14 total).  We quickly found ourselves a table.  The gyro was very simple.  It consisted of seasoned ground lamb, fresh lettuce, and a generous helping of tzatziki, a tangy Middle Eastern cucumber yogurt sauce.  All this was wrapped in a soft flatbread.  It was delicious, just as we had expected.  We washed it down with delicious lemonade that was sweet, but not too sweet, made with a freshly squeezed lemon half.

Reflecting on our afternoon, we realized that even though thousands of people were in attendance, we never had trouble finding a clean table to eat at, and we never felt crowded.  Fully satisfied, we went on to enjoy concerts, sponsor booths, and shopping under the gentle summer sun.