I go to the salsa festival almost every year (and have even flown in for it when I have lived out of state). I started going back when it was in Scottsdale and I have seen it grow from a small festival to the behemoth it is today.
This year I was a little disappointed for a couple reasons:
1.) Participants were only given a very small bag of chips (though we were able to charm a couple extra bags out for our group); in previous years, an unlimited number of chips were provided.
2.) Only ONE of the hot salsas was hot enough to make me wish I ate dairy. I wish I knew which it was, but I suspect it was the booth NEXT to the avocado salsa that had a bit of a kick to it... because I took one bite and my throat was ON FIRE.
Now, I LOVE hot salsa. I have gone in previous years and have just about had a bleeding tongue. That is not the goal for me, though. Taste is. Unfortunately, this year I only tasted two or three salsas that I liked. One was a milder red salsa that would be a nice topping for fish. I also liked the hot avocado salsa and one other red salsa that was spicy, but not too hot.
Still, the lack of hot salsas at the festival was apparent. I wonder what happened to them this year? Did all these companies go out of business? Is the festival just too cost prohibitive for them to participate now?
What was good about the festival?
Cheap margaritas. $6 for a pretty strong drink at a festival is always appreciated.
Walgreens was there, as usual, handing out Tums and selling bottled water for 2/$1. Thank you Walgreen's! I always start off with two Tums before eating the salsa and get more as needed. This year I only needed two. :( The bottled water was necessary!
Friends and food always make for a good time. Thanks to my three best buds for a nice time. :)
Will I go again? Of course! It benefits a hemophiliac charity... and it is still my favorite food festival in town.