The Taste of Mexico

The 4th Annual Taste of Mexico happened this weekend at La Plaza de Cultura y Artes in Downtown Los Angeles. And for those of you that didn't make it due to lack of (insert your reason HERE), let me fill you in and attempt to persuade you to attend the next time around. 

The Taste of Mexico is a food event that showcases some of the best leading restaurants in Mexican cuisine. In the past, it has only been an evening event. This year, The Taste of Mexico was a two part event. During the brunch hour (12:00pm-4:00pm), they hosted a picnic. The picnic was very family oriented. The restaurants outlined the gorgeous quad area, leaving the grass area open for folks to enjoy the entertainment,  all while sitting under patio umbrellas and throw blankets provided by the event. The musical guests performed everything from jarocho sounds to cumbia beats. There was a myriad of food to select from. If you were looking for spice, you might head out to grab a taste of the chilaquiles being served by La Casita Mexicana  or the perfectly crafted tacos by Mexicali Taco & Co. Or you might be looking for something sweet to delight your palate, in which case you would be hovering over the amazing pan de muerto being served at La Monarca Bakery. Perhaps you just wanted to feast your eyes on something creatively delicious, then I'd probably find you at Compania de Cafe admiring their Azulejo cookies and sipping on their amazing tamarind drink with a hint of coffee. Yes, coffee and tamarind. Don't knock it till you try it! Oh, and me you ask? If I had it my way, I'd prop up right next to the Michemobil beating the heat with a michelada (or two) and listening to Metralleta de Oro spin their cumbias. But alas, one can dream since I was on a three hour lunch break from school. *sigh*

The evening event was the picnic on steroids. But before I let the pictures do the rest of the talking, let me give you a list (in no particular order) of the amazing restaurants at the event. These were some of the vendors that were there exciting everyone's taste buds,  La Casita Mexicana, La Guelaguetza, Michemobil, Coni Seafood, Compania de Cafe, Northgate Supermarkets, La Monarca Bakery, Amor y Tacos, El Borrego de Oro, Mexicali Taco & Co., Mariscos Jalisco, Artesana Pops, Mr. Churro, Tacos Punta Cabras, Ceviche Project, Yxta, Tortas Bravas, El Coraloense, and my favorite of the night Mariscos El Faro! And many more!  Some of the restaurants were there for both events, and others were at one or the other. 

The weather couldn't have been more perfect!




Miles testing out his skills




No more pictures mom! -Miles

Taste of Mexico red carpet

Northgate Supermarkets Fruit Cart

Compania de Cafe

Compania de Cafe Azulejo Cookies

Consome and Lamb Taco

Arroz con Leche & Rompope

My Little Carnivore

I don't want to taco 'bout it right now :)

Food OVERLOAD

Music+Food= Score!

Mr. Churro, my sincere apologies for those three kids that kept going back for more.

 

<3

Enjoying an Artesana Pop

Get a good shot Gael!

Mesmerized by amazingly delicious food!

Artesana Pops, thanks for keeping me cool at #TOM14

If you didn't make it out this year, make it a point to attend next year. And if you were in attendance, see you next year!

Cheers!

Sweet Child O' Mine

Music is my Boyfriend

Before I go on any further, let me just say that I need a "Blogger for Dummies" book ASAP. I still don't how to edit my "About Me", or how to even upload a photo, so please bear with me. Maybe I should have looked into all of this before launching, but that might have set me back another TWO YEARS!

Day 1- Music Fest Ready!

Now that I vented, let us move on to the real content for this post. This past Labor Day weekend, I attended the Made in America Music Festival held in the heart of my beloved Los Angeles. Live music is what I live for. That is an attribute I get from my father. He instilled in me a great appreciation for music (not just any type of music), and for musicianship as well. Thanks dad! Having said that, unlike the other 99.9% of the people that were in attendance, I was not there to see Kendrick Lamar or Kanye West perform. My sole purpose of hanging out all day in the Southern Cali heat, exchanging sweat with  6 feet tall,  250 lbs. guy(s), in the middle of what seemed like chaos, was to see  John  Mayer. There is something about a man playing guitar that makes me melt. Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Peter Frampton, Son House, Carlos Santana, Slash, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Eddie Van Halen, are just a few examples of some of my all time favorite guitar players. John Mayer incorporates a little bit of these artists into his music in a very unique/clever way,  and perhaps that is why I absolutely love him!  He is my definition of a "true" musician. He is a guitar virtuoso, and an amazing lyricist. His music moves me emotionally, mentally, and physically. It does everything music is supposed to do, at least in my opinion. Needless to say, I was in heaven when he took over the Marilyn stage and played for an entire hour. And of course, that hour was not nearly enough for me. He left me wanting more.

John Mayer was the sole reason for my attendance this weekend, but that doesn't  mean I didn't enjoy other artists or the ambiance for that matter. There were food trucks, beer gardens, and a mini "supreme scream"-like carnival ride.  Juanes, Capital Cities, Imagine Dragons, Weezer, Rise Againts, Sublime with Rome, and (surprise surprise), Iggy Azalea were also artists that I was excited to see perform. Such an eclectic group of artists right? But that is why music makes the world go round. Music brings people and cultures together, and that makes my heart leap for joy!

Day 1- Festival Wear

Day 2- Festival Wear

Supreme Scream-like Carnival Ride




Day 2- John Mayer

 Cheers!