Some more pics from the Pottstown Mercury
On Sunday, September 14, The Carousel at Pottstown held its 11th Annual Carousel of Flavor. 11th? Yes, the 11th. I have been living in the general vicinity for about 11 years and I only started hearing about this event a couple years ago. This year I almost missed it and it was on my list of events I wanted to go to. I'm not sure why I didn't hear about it until a couple days earlier, but it is frustrating to me that such an inclusive community event is not better advertised. Also, their website is not very detailed or well updated. If you're looking for a volunteer opportunity maybe you should give them a call. Or maybe I'm dense, or maybe I blocked out the image of that terrifying rabbit on their poster. In any case, I got word just in time this year and even though I had a few other things scheduled I was able to stop by for a couple hours.
The carousel is an historical tourist attraction in process of being restored and this event raises money for the project. You can read more about it on their website. Carousel of Flavor is held on the 100 block of High Street. The street itself is closed and a couple of those big tents are set up. Out in front of borough hall they sell tickets for $1 each to purchase food and drinks and you can also catch a trolley ride there to go see the carousel which is located on King Street across from Memorial Park. There are vendors selling crafts and things which I did not visit. Then there are food vendors and then a tent for beer and wine vendors. The vendors are all supposed to offer small dishes so people can come and try several different things. Unfortunately the items weren't that small and we only got to try a few. Not all of the vendors are from Pottstown, but they are all in the general area from King of Prussia to Douglassville. So as far as my 19464 restriction, I am reviewing this event and not the individual establishments necessarily...
Steve and I started with some brisket tacos from Talk's Tavern and OMG Mac n Cheese from Oscar's Catering. The brisket tacos were pretty awesome. They were served in soft flour tortillas with caramelized onions. The white sauce or liquid the beef was in was very thin and made for messy eating, especially when the breeze was blowing. Better keep your taco upwind. The flavor was not Mexican in any way like I was expecting, but the beef was tender and savory. Really good.
The OMG Mac n Cheese was good. It looked like it had been baked and had been made with a roux like good homemade mac n cheese is supposed to be made. I thought the flavor was good, but not bold. It needed more salt at least. I'm one of those people that like a little overdone crunch on the edges. There wasn't any of that, maybe that's good for some people. It was good though. The portion was nice for the price and it was served hot.
Next, we visited the beer and wine tent. One of our favorite bars, Craft Ale House was serving beer. They were pouring local Pottstown brews from Sly Fox (one of my favorite hangouts in Pottstown) as well as Dogfish Head Punkin. The owner, Gary and his wife Melissa were pouring and Patrick was there from Sly Fox talking up the crowd and helping with the taps. Tilted Kilt and Pub 990 had beer in the beer tent too, but it was Rolling Rock and Miller Lite if I recall accurately. That's not really my kind of beer - I guess it's good they had something for everyone. Manatawny Creek Winery was there pouring wine which I did not try that day. They do a decent job for a local PA winery.
After a beer or two I was on to Grumpy's where I was greeted by Sheila, one of the owners. They had a Sloppy Thanksgiving Sandwich that was an open-face turkey sandwich. It had cranberry sauce, filling and a think slice of turkey all covered in a turkey gravy. I love that salty/sweet/tart thing you get when you mix all those flavors together. It was pretty traditional and the flavor was good. I had to find a seat so I could eat it with a knife and fork, but that wasn't much of a problem.
The participating restaurants were apparently tasked with decorating their tables which I didn't see much of. Some of them seemed to be really into the event and excited to be there and meet people while other restaurants didn't make much of an effort to be creative or even show up on time.
There were also a lot of desserts at the event. I imagine part of the reason for that is because they can be made in advance and they don't need to be kept hot or even cold for most of them. I'm not much of a dessert eater so I didn't try any, but if you have a sweet tooth I bet you would have been satisfied here.
Next year I am going to try to skip breakfast and sample more food. As an event I think it is a good format. There is no charge to be there so all types of people and their dogs and their babies could attend. The tickets were only a dollar and the food selections were as little as 2 tickets so you could spend as little or as much as you wanted really. Anytime I get to stand outside and drink is a good time too. Love the fresh air and chatting.
On Sunday, September 14, The Carousel at Pottstown held its 11th Annual Carousel of Flavor. 11th? Yes, the 11th. I have been living in the general vicinity for about 11 years and I only started hearing about this event a couple years ago. This year I almost missed it and it was on my list of events I wanted to go to. I'm not sure why I didn't hear about it until a couple days earlier, but it is frustrating to me that such an inclusive community event is not better advertised. Also, their website is not very detailed or well updated. If you're looking for a volunteer opportunity maybe you should give them a call. Or maybe I'm dense, or maybe I blocked out the image of that terrifying rabbit on their poster. In any case, I got word just in time this year and even though I had a few other things scheduled I was able to stop by for a couple hours. The carousel is an historical tourist attraction in process of being restored and this event raises money for the project. You can read more about it on their website. Carousel of Flavor is held on the 100 block of High Street. The street itself is closed and a couple of those big tents are set up. Out in front of borough hall they sell tickets for $1 each to purchase food and drinks and you can also catch a trolley ride there to go see the carousel which is located on King Street across from Memorial Park. There are vendors selling crafts and things which I did not visit. Then there are food vendors and then a tent for beer and wine vendors. The vendors are all supposed to offer small dishes so people can come and try several different things. Unfortunately the items weren't that small and we only got to try a few. Not all of the vendors are from Pottstown, but they are all in the general area from King of Prussia to Douglassville. So as far as my 19464 restriction, I am reviewing this event and not the individual establishments necessarily...
Steve and I started with some brisket tacos from Talk's Tavern and OMG Mac n Cheese from Oscar's Catering. The brisket tacos were pretty awesome. They were served in soft flour tortillas with caramelized onions. The white sauce or liquid the beef was in was very thin and made for messy eating, especially when the breeze was blowing. Better keep your taco upwind. The flavor was not Mexican in any way like I was expecting, but the beef was tender and savory. Really good.The OMG Mac n Cheese was good. It looked like it had been baked and had been made with a roux like good homemade mac n cheese is supposed to be made. I thought the flavor was good, but not bold. It needed more salt at least. I'm one of those people that like a little overdone crunch on the edges. There wasn't any of that, maybe that's good for some people. It was good though. The portion was nice for the price and it was served hot. Next, we visited the beer and wine tent. One of our favorite bars, Craft Ale House was serving beer. They were pouring local Pottstown brews from Sly Fox (one of my favorite hangouts in Pottstown) as well as Dogfish Head Punkin. The owner, Gary and his wife Melissa were pouring and Patrick was there from Sly Fox talking up the crowd and helping with the taps. Tilted Kilt and Pub 990 had beer in the beer tent too, but it was Rolling Rock and Miller Lite if I recall accurately. That's not really my kind of beer - I guess it's good they had something for everyone. Manatawny Creek Winery was there pouring wine which I did not try that day. They do a decent job for a local PA winery. After a beer or two I was on to Grumpy's where I was greeted by Sheila, one of the owners. They had a Sloppy Thanksgiving Sandwich that was an open-face turkey sandwich. It had cranberry sauce, filling and a think slice of turkey all covered in a turkey gravy. I love that salty/sweet/tart thing you get when you mix all those flavors together. It was pretty traditional and the flavor was good. I had to find a seat so I could eat it with a knife and fork, but that wasn't much of a problem.
Steve decided on the Hot Beef Slider from CD's Place. There was more than one example of a pulled pork slider among the food vendors and I think that's a pretty typical offering for walking around and eating outside. I'm sure they all varied in style and quality as well, but the beef slider was something I don't normally see. It was really good too. It wasn't barbecue flavored like a lot of pulled meats are so that was a plus in the unique department too. It was juicy and tender the way things get when they have been cooked all day. The bun was standard. CD's does catering, they might be worth a look.
The participating restaurants were apparently tasked with decorating their tables which I didn't see much of. Some of them seemed to be really into the event and excited to be there and meet people while other restaurants didn't make much of an effort to be creative or even show up on time. There were also a lot of desserts at the event. I imagine part of the reason for that is because they can be made in advance and they don't need to be kept hot or even cold for most of them. I'm not much of a dessert eater so I didn't try any, but if you have a sweet tooth I bet you would have been satisfied here.
Next year I am going to try to skip breakfast and sample more food. As an event I think it is a good format. There is no charge to be there so all types of people and their dogs and their babies could attend. The tickets were only a dollar and the food selections were as little as 2 tickets so you could spend as little or as much as you wanted really. Anytime I get to stand outside and drink is a good time too. Love the fresh air and chatting.
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