The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WHERE TASTE OF ATLANTA CAN BE FOUND THIS YEAR
The festival, in its 16th year, debuts its new O4W Park location.
In its 16th year, Taste of Atlanta has moved from Tech Square to Historic Fourth Ward Park, and added a few new wrinkles along the way.
But the food that more than 100 participating restaurants will serve over the weekend, Oct. 20-22 this year, remains the big draw for the crowds that gather to enjoy this perennial outdoor fall event.
“We want to be in a cool, hip neighborhood, and we really feel like Fourth Ward Park is the place to be,” Taste of Atlanta founder Dale DeSena said of the move. “It’s right off the Beltline and across the street from Ponce City Market.
“We’re going to be utilizing the large piece of land off North Avenue with the pond and the Beltline. But we’re also going to use the piece at Ralph McGill and Garden Park Drive. And that’s where our Grand Tasting, which is the name of our VIP experience this year, will take place.”
Metro restaurants offering tastes this Saturday and Sunday for general admission festivalgoers include returning favorites such as Bhojanic, Max Lager’s, Davio’s, Jim ‘n Nick’s Bar-B-Q, Waffle House and Woody’s Cheesesteaks.
Among the new restaurants this year, look for 4 Rivers Smokehouse, Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, Le Bilboquet, PS 404, the Halal Guys and Todd English Tavern.
General admission tickets are $25 in advance each day and include one RFID wristband loaded with 10 “taste points” to redeem for food. You will need to activate the wristband, and you can reload it with more points for more food.
If you want to go big and be a VIP, Grand Tasting Experience tickets are $75 in advance each day and include one RFID wristband loaded with 20 taste points. That gets you access to both the main festival and entry to the VIP tents for food not found at the festival, plus tastes of 100-plus craft beers, wine and cocktails.
As usual, the food and fun begin with the Friday evening kickoff party. Tickets are $85 and must be purchased in advance.
Dubbed the “Sweet 16 of Taste of Atlanta,” Friday festivities will be hosted by Jonathan and Justin Fox of Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q.
In addition to their own Fox Bros. fare, the brothers are curating tastes from the likes of Canoe, Chicken + Beer, Donetto, Seed Kitchen & Bar, the General Muir and several other restaurants, served up with cocktails from Ticonderoga Club, and music by Saved by the Band.
“For Sweet 16, we’re going to have a really great dessert tent this year,” DeSena said. “We’ll have things like High Road Craft Ice Cream’s warm apple bread pudding with bourbon syrup and vanilla fleur de sel ice cream.”
Another thing DeSena is excited about is the new Taste of Atlanta Marketplace with multiple product lines from six fancy food vendors.
“We’ll be showcasing Georgia food products and some fun new Taste of Atlanta products,” DeSena said.
Taste of Atlanta staples on the schedule, once again, include the popular Chef ’s Table, hosted by Tom Sullivan, with aD J putting some music in the mix this year.
The Kitchen Workshop hosted
by Holly Firfer is a hands-on cooking experience with Atlanta chefs teaching and demonstrating in each session.
The Home Plate cooking stage showcases daily family-friendly demos and the Future Chef Food Fight, where three budding young chefs are put to the test by young judges.
Finally, on Sunday, the always lively Barcraft Competition brings together Atlanta’s top bartenders to compete for the best bartender title in a contest hosted by Greg Best of Ticonderoga Club.
“I think this festival is so outstanding because all the chefs are so accessible,” DeSena said, summing up the Taste of Atlanta experience. “But more than that, you can try restaurants from neighborhoods all over Atlanta. Where else can you go to so many restaurants at one time, all in one place?”