The late-summer food festival season is, at last, here. Over the next several weeks, diners and gastronomes can work their way through burgers galore, world street food and a waterfront spread of restaurant tastings, wine and cocktails.
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Here are three upcoming food festivals to put on your radar.
Old Towne Burger Fest (Orange)
On Saturday, Sept. 12, Old Towne Burger Fest returns for a second year at Chapman Crafted, with a new ticketing system, a fresh crop of competitors and a more efficient way for attendees to sample every burger in the running.
Last year’s inaugural event was free to enter, with guests purchasing burgers individually from each vendor. This time, one admission ticket will include samples from all five competitors, along with a ballot for the people’s choice award.
“Instead of lining up for each individual vendor as we did last year, there will be only one line, and you’ll receive your samples from each vendor at once,” said Cesar Cortez, chef-founder of El Brewjo and Old Towne Burger Fest.
Returning to defend their titles are Jolly Burger, which won the people’s choice award, and Banger Lumpia, last year’s overall champion. Newcomers The Burger Ghoul, AGL’s Craft Meats and Posse California will join the competition this year.
A panel of judges will also select an overall winner. Judges will include Sarah Mosqueda from TimesOC and the Los Angeles Times, Lily Rice of OC Feed, Daniel Wargo of Forking Around, Brandy Romero of There’s No Place Like Orange and Pablo Romero of Deeper Issues Nerdcast and retro video store DINC Video. Cortez will also serve as judge. Disclosure: Orange County Register’s Brock Keeling, the author of this very article, is also serving as a judge.
Cortez said more than 1,000 people attended the first Burger Fest, a turnout that exceeded his expectation as a first-time event organizer. “I very much felt like the child at school who invited his class to his birthday party and just hoped someone showed up,” he said. “We fortunately had over 1,000 attendees throughout the day, which proved that there was a demand for such an event.”
Tickets, which can be purchased via Eventbrite, are $65.75 for the all-ages event.
Details: Saturday, Sept. 12, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Chapman Crafted, 123 N Cypress St., Orange, instagram.com/oldtowneburgerfest
Pacific Wine & Food Classic (Newport Beach)
Returning to the shores of Newport Beach on Saturday, Sept 12, the Pacific Wine & Food Classic will bring together more than 35 restaurants, over 100 wines and a fleet of cocktails at Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort.
This year’s roster includes Peter Petro of Bosscat Kitchen & Libations, Rich Mead of Farmhouse at Roger’s Gardens, Leslie Nguyen of Miss Mini Donuts and Bosscat Kitchen & Libations, Jackson Kalb of Ospi, Ying Chang and Steve Kling from Strong Water Anaheim, Toshikazu Sasue of Sushi Roku and Wing Lam of Wahoo’s Fish Tacos.
Other participating restaurants and vendors include Descanso, Lola’s by MFK, Red O, Roy’s Restaurant, Sol Cocina, Uchi, the Crack Shack, Stone Groove Stillhouse, Scratch Bakery and Cafe, and Acai Republic.
This outdoor festival will feature culinary demonstrations and other interactive entertainment (e.g., a silent disco). New this year is the Bubble Garden, a section devoted to sparkling wines and other bubble beverages. And the Paso Robles Grand Wine Experience will spotlight wineries and producers from Central Coast terroirs.
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The festival is also entering a new era under owner and producer Tricia Cook, who has worked on the event since its inception and recently took over its leadership.
Early-bird tickets start at $179 and include admission at 2 p.m. Early-entry tickets run $259 and allow guests inside at 1 p.m. for access to select wines and specialty tastings before the remaining ticket holders enter.
A limited number of $500 Diamond VIP include expedited entry, access to a private lounge, wine tastings, additional food offerings and reserved waterfront seating. Ooh la la.
The event ends at 5 p.m. and is limited to guests 21 and over.
Details: Saturday, Sept 12, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort, 1131 Back Bay Drive, Newport Beach, pacificwineandfood.com
World Taste of the Packing District (Anaheim)
Back for its sixth year, World Taste returns on Tuesday, Aug. 11, turning the Anaheim Packing District into a four-hour food crawl. And on a Tuesday, giving you an excellent reason to take a personal day off work come Wednesday.
This year’s event comes with a Y2K theme, so guests are encouraged to break out their shiniest early-aughts attire while wandering through the Packing House, Anaheim MAKE, Farmers Park and the Packard Building. (Bonus points, from me, should your garb take inspiration from Brandy’s “What About Us”.)
The menu will span a wide range of cuisines and nearly two dozen Packing District restaurants and vendors.
Among the savory offerings are quesabirria tacos from Urbana Mexican Gastronomy; chicken shawarma, falafel or gyro bowls from Mangal Mediterranean; steak frites with chimichurri from the Wooden Pearl; crispy rice topped with tuna poke at Zabon Ramen and Rolls; and smoked wagyu short rib over garlic mashed potatoes from En Cultura Mexican BBQ.
The Kroft options will include a choice between portobello fries and a pastrami slider, while En Familia Wood Fired Steakhouse will serve mini sopes topped with wagyu barbacoa. Union Burger Society plans to make a wagyu slider with jalapeño bacon jam.
For dessert, Le Parfait Paris will offer a choice of vanilla-caramel or spiced apple tarts, and Randy’s Donuts will serve iced and glazed doughnuts. Mini Monster Cafe’s color-changing Mood Ring Lemonade comes with — what else? — a free mood ring for the first 100 customers.
The festival will once again coincide with D23 Night at the Packing District. The entertainment portion will include early 2000s and Disney tunes, Disney Channel movie trivia and more. The D23 activities are open to the public, with no membership required.
A seven-taste passport costs $55, while a four-taste “petite pass” runs $34.
Details: Tuesday, Aug. 11, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Anaheim Packing District, 440 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, anaheimpackingdistrict.com/worldtaste
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