Eat Real Festival Year Two

I managed to get away to enjoy a few hours at  the Eat Real festival in Oakland this past weekend. I went last year as well, but this was a bigger & better event. Just about any kind of food you could want was being served from trucks, carts & booths. Of course there were several versions of the traditional taco truck or taco stand and they all looked great. Click on the pics for larger images.

And some not so traditional versions...

There were Filipino food trucks...

Argentinian & Indian food trucks...

And of course, a local favorite made even more famous by their recent appearance on the Food Network's "The Great Food Truck Race", Spencer on the Go!

Yes, I did have the Escargot Lollipop, which was excellent and no, Spencer would not tell me who wins. So much for my phone call to Vegas.

And there was entertainment in the form of good, live music...

And more food...

And beverages...

And great wood-fired barbacue...

I talked with one of the guys from this crew; they came all the way from Alabama to do this event! They are trying to organize a similar event at home and have come to Eat Real the past two years to gain experience and learn what it takes to put together a food event of this magnitude. Oh, and they smoked a whole hog from Marin Sun Farms, who provided their pastured pork for all of the food vendors at Eat Real. Yumm!

Can't forget desert...

But wait, there's loads more food...

And there was a whole section on Urban Homesteading...

Even my favorite CSA folks were here...

My family really enjoys the box we get from Farm Fresh to You every other week. My little urban container garden is pretty good, but the CSA subscription keeps us in diverse, seasonal, organic fruits & vegetables that come fresh from the farm, for the same money we used to spend at the local mega-market.

Organic dairy products anyone???

Have I told you about the "Pulled Rabbit Sandwich" yet???

Oh yes I did & it was delish! The rabbit, from Canvas Restaurant (a roving supper club) was a product of Devil's Gulch Ranch, on the Marin county coast. Another great example of sustainable, organic agriculture just a few miles from San Francisco. The Pasternaks are not only farming, ranching & wine making people, they provide many educational opportunities as well. Elmer Fud woulda' loved this.

And more food...

Mac & Cheese is the new Beef Stroganoff (especially the "Trailer Mac") and these ladies were rockin' it! MMMmmmm, pans full of warm gooey, cheesy goodness.

And more food...

Seemed like the crowd was enjoying the whole Eat Real experience. The absolutely perfect weather didn't hurt either.

My visit ended with something you don't see every day...

A hog butchering competition. I know, seems a little strange, but part of the Eat Real message is for people to be more directly connected with their food and know where it comes from. These guys were truly skilled craftsmen and impressive to watch. Absolutely nothing was wasted. The lady emcee did a terrific job of describing exactly what was going on, interacting with the crowd & the judges and provided a lot of education along the way. I learned a lot about pastured pork and what I can do to improve my food supply. This was an unexpectedly good surprise.

So, what did I eat you ask? Limited time and funds were my restrictions or I could've easily spent the whole weekend here. My first taste was the Maui Taco from The Taco Guys. This was a fantastic little fish taco with great big flavor and wonderfully crispy fried Pacific Rock Cod & Sriracha Mayo. My second bite was the pulled rabbit sandwich from Canvas Restaurant and third was the Escargot Lollipop from Spencer on the Go! Okay, I did have one beer on the way out. In truth, I wish I had used that $6.00 on more food.

So there you have it; Eat Real Festival looked to be a huge success this year and I can't wait to see what next year brings. If you made the fest, let me know what your favorite bites were. If you didn't make it, mark your calendar for next year. If you are a fan of fresh, local, real food, this event is not to be missed!