Food festival season continues with A Taste of Cardiff

It seems as though every week there is some type of culinary festival going on in San Diego and North County is no exception with the upcoming Taste of Cardiff happening May 8.

And while all these events have their charms, I’m thinking Taste of Cardiff takes the most spectacular location prize. Ocean views abound and the beauty of Cardiff-by-the-Sea is hard to top. With that, I had a conversation with Greta Ott from the Cardiff 101 Main Street Association to learn more.

Like Leucadia and Encinitas, Cardiff has really developed into a dining destination. How long has the Taste of Cardiff been happening and what was the first one like compared to this year?

This is the fifth year of Taste of Cardiff. It has been awesome to watch the event grow! Cardiff truly is a small town and this event really encourages everyone to get out and visit shops and restaurants together. It is really awesome that this event has become an annual tradition for so many, both for folks living in Cardiff and those coming in for the event. Some people ride bikes in groups, and for others it’s a date night. We are also pleased to learn that some local businesses attend as a group as a work bonding activity.

You have some new additions to your participating restaurant lineup this year. Who is new to the Taste?

Cardiff restaurateurs have been so supportive of the event. All of our favorites, such at Tower 13, VG Donuts and Pacific Coast Grill are back. We are happy to report that 7-Eleven has joined the lineup. The food in Cardiff is quite tasty and diverse, from an acai bowl from Sambazon to a chimichanga from Las Olas.

Also, new this year is our partnering with Uber. For all of you that are not familiar with Uber, it is a non-taxi ride sharing option. Uber town cars will be lined up on Chesterfield to shuttle eaters to restaurant row and to Bull Taco. This will not be a free service, but Uber representatives will be around handing out coupons, that one could use for a free ride. Of course many will choose to walk, as the sunset views in Cardiff are hard to beat.

There are also participating businesses that are offering the ever popular sip-stops, tell me about those.

We are very excited to introduce sip stops this year. Sippers will be stopping at eight host businesses along the route to sample beer and wine from local breweries and wineries. It’s a great chance to stop into Dirty Dogs and try some beer from Culture Brewing, for example. The sip stops are included on an upgraded ticket, $35 for both food and drink. I can’t decide if I am more excited about sampling The Lost Abbey, which will be at Fowler’s or Stone Brewery at Ooh Fashionista.

The music lineup looks fun too, where can people catch live music?

The music is going to be great, we added an additional band to keep the tasters entertained. Cardiff School District’s own Ada Harris Chamber Ensemble will start the event (5 to 5:45 p.m.) in the Rimel’s courtyard, followed by The Shantyannes (6 to 8 p.m.). The Red Fox Tails will be jamming, once again, in the Seaside Market courtyard through the entire event.

Adrienne Nims will be performing in front of Ki’s on restaurant row. And don’t miss Bucket Ruckus, who will be playing in front of Bull Taco.

If you were to suggest a route for people to take to be able to hit all the restaurants and sip stops, what would it be?

It seems everyone always has their own walking and eating strategy at Taste of Cardiff.

Personally, I like to start at the north end at Cicciotti’s Trattoria and work my way south.

Of course this year, tasters and sippers will be spending time on Newcastle at Releaf Spa, Pure Life Thai Spa and our Cardiff 101 office. And I always like to end at Bull Taco because the view is amazing.

No matter where Taste of Cardiff participators start, I am certain they will have a great night in Cardiff. We anticipate this event to sell out. So mark your calendar and purchase your tickets.

The taste will be held on May 8 from 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $25/$35 with sip-stops. Tickets can be purchased at tasteofcardiff.com and placed at will call to be picked up day of the event.