Best "Food" Forward at Reno Party in the Park

Every foodie's fantasy is perhaps gorging on heaps of food, served to you, platter by platter, first to be enjoyed for all its essence, and then second, to be assessed as it is pitted against the plate that has come before it five minutes ago and the next one that will come in another five minutes. Repeat this, say, eight times, and then, move on to dessert with chili brownies with mint and ice cream, Belgian waffles crusted on the edges (yes, despite the ice cream plopped on top of it!) in a berry compote, and for kicks, why not just add some blueberry sorbet (made with local berries, of course) in champagne. And did I forget to mention that all of this starts with cocktails? Four.

Today, that fantasy came to reality for me as I was invited to be a judge at the cook-off at one of the best food events in the Reno Tahoe area every summer - Party in the Park put on by Reno Street Food. It was, in a sense, hedonistic and your brain and guts would often collide as to how much you should be ingesting. After all, it wasn't an eating contest. But in the end, indulgence won over conscience and I ate as though I was privy to information that a meteor would wipe out earth the next day.

All that volume of great local food is stuff foodgasms are made of. The amazing local culinary talent in this biggest little city still astounds me, given that the food scene here just barely took off a few years ago. A standing O to all the local food trucks who put their best food forward to get a shot at being named "Best Drink", "Best Food Truck", and "Best Dessert" for this season.

The jury:

Ryan Goldhammer | Restauranteur (Noble Pie Face & Pignic)

Chris Hart | Host & Media Personality

Justin Impossible | Entertainer/Magician

Photo credit: Patty Bobek, Communications Director, Reno Street Food

The best food trucks this season, as decided by my cohorts and myself:

Best Drink | Cider with Guinness Float by Ceol

Best Food | Reuben Wrap by Still Rollin'

Best Dessert | Belgian Waffle topped with ice cream by Waffle Wagon

I had other favorites, too, that didn't quite make it to the top spot, but they were all excellent in their own right, and I wouldn't think twice about standing in line for them!

Party in the Park is a local food event featuring dozens of local food trucks organized by Reno Street Food at Idlewild Park in Reno, Nevada. This super awesome event also features live local music and it runs every Friday evening from May to October. The best way to enjoy is to bring friends and families along, set up lawn chairs or picnic blankets on the grass, and savor summer while its here. For more information about this event, click here.

Photo credit: Patty Bobek, Communications Director, Reno Street Food

Congratulations to all the winners and participants. There were eight entries to "Best Food", but there are dozens of trucks more beyond those covered in this post. My hands were also as full as my mouth, so unfortunately, I was unable to snap photos of every single entry. The best thing is to head over to Idlewild on Fridays to catch the last two parties before it is over for the season.

A special thank you to Patty Bobek and Team of Reno Street Food for the invitation to judge the first-ever Party in the Park food truck cook-off.

#renotahoe #food