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Newsy Nuggets: Taste this

Written By Scott Joseph On October 5, 2022

Taste of College ParkPhoto: Taste of College Park

We have a couple of Taste ofs coming up and one that’s ongoing into next month,

The first is Taste of College Park, Thursday, Oct. 13, from 6 to 9 p.m. in and around Historic Dubsdread.

The event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of College Park who claim it is the “oldest and most important social event in College Park.” TOCP is the club’s primary fundraising event, with net proceeds going to local and national charities. In addition to ticket sales, proceeds include bids from a silent auction.

Tickets are $75 plus a fee of $6.20 and can be purchased at the Eventbrite page. And while the Rotary Club’s site notes that the evening will feature “over a dozen local restaurants and distributors,” it doesn’t name any of them. (But I’m pretty sure we can count on Tap Room at Dubsdread being there.)

South Steel SJO March AD copy

The following week it’s the 21st annual A Taste of Thornton Park, Thursday, Oct. 20, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The event is centered around the fountain at the intersection of Hyer Avenue and Washington Street. ATOPT is sponsored by the Thornton Park Neighborhood Association, which uses the proceeds from the sale of tickets – $40 in advance, $50 at the gate – for beautification projects, special events and maintenance of that fountain.

The association’s ticket sales site also does not list the participating restaurants, but there’s enough tasty things in the area to make it worthwhile. The sales site specifies that IDs will be checked at the gate and that strollers and pets are not allowed. People with pets in strollers may be detained for questioning.

Over at the Kennedy Space Center, now through Nov. 6, it’s Taste of Space: Fall Bites!, which may or may not be a derogatory comment about autumn.

This one is different from other Taste of… events. First of all, you are not required to go to space to attend. TOS:FB! offers samples from some of the complex’s food outlets with the purchase of a ticket to KSC ($75). However, you’re limited to just two of the samples, which thankfully do not include food in squeeze tubes or anything made with Tang.

Not that the items listed on the center’s website sound all that more alluring. They include:
Space Bowl Bistro: Cranberry Smoothie
Milky Way: Apple Blossom with Caramel Sauce
Orbit Cafe: Citrus Jell-O with Lemon Foam, Black Forest Cupcake, Cheesy Potato Casserole with Bratwurst
Chat with an Astronaut*: Beer Cheese Dip with Pretzel
Moon Rock Cafe: Wisconsin Beer Cheese Soup with Bacon and Pretzel; Pumpkin Cheesecake

The asterisked Chat with an Astronaut requires a separate fee and will feature an actual live astronaut to share your beer dip and pretzel with and ask questions. (Many years ago I took a tour of Radio City Music Hall and it included meeting an actual Rockette who preened for us; I can’t get the image of an astronaut wearing a feather plumed out of my head.)

A better option might be the event’s one-night-only Marstini Shake-off, Friday, Oct. 7, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $159 per person and include tastes from an expanded menu (also includes beer cheese dip with pretzel bites but without an astronaut attached). You’ll also taste samples of local bar and restaurant versions of what a Marstini should taste like. Participants include Playalinda Brewing Company, Third Culture Kitchen, The Space Bar (not the keyboard kind) and Jack & Harry’s. The information page notes that participants can “purchase full versions of any of the Marstinis created that evening.” But if you do, please have a designated pilot. More information at the Kennedy Space Center website.

We hope you find our reviews and news articles useful and entertaining. It has always been our goal to assist you in making informed decisions when spending your dining dollars. If we’ve helped you in any way, please consider making a contribution to help us continue our journalism. Thank you.

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