We (we being Bob my husband, Zach my son, Courtney my daughter, Heidi my niece and Mark her husband) just got back from the Taste of the Valley at The Shops at Riverwoods and it was awesome!  For $10 you purchased a wrist band and punch card and then could go to any of 44 different vendors (mostly food) and get a sample.  We were there for about 1 1/2 hours, didn’t even get to half of the booths but were so stuffed that we had to leave.  The event started at 11:00 and goes until 3:00 so if you live near me and are reading this post now, then you can still make it there before it ends!  Here is one example of a “sample” at the event from a restaurant called “Cafe Paesan”:

It’s lasagna (which they only serve on Fridays and Saturdays) and a salad which was some kind of Thai Pork Salad and a Wild Berry Tiramisu (which was delicious!).  Pretty big sample!  We also tried Tucanos, California Pizza Kitchen, Coneys, Harvest Restaurant at Thanksgiving Point, Malawis Pizza and Goodwood Barbeque (which was also almost a full meal with pasta and potato salads, baked beans,  a meatball and pulled pork).  All of them were delicious!  Here’s another pic of what we came home with:

Chocolate covered fruit from Edible Arrangements, red velvet cupcake from Cupcake Chic and penuche pecan fudge and vanilla peanut butter fudge from The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory!

Here’s what we didn’t even get to try:  PF Changs, Crio Bru, Brown Brothers Catering, Melanie’s, Dream Dinners, Daily Bread, Gloria’s Little Italy, Rubios, Los 3 Amigos, Marley’s, Pepsi, La Jolla Groves (bummed about missing that one!), Main Event, Noodles and Company and Pier Cafe.  There were other booths for non food vendors as well.  It was awesome but I wish they’d do it more than once a year!