My sis and I had a fun time at the 2013 taste of Charlotte event. Lots of great free samples and several high quality restaurants showcasing their products. I loved the fried pickles from the ale house and they gave a $5 off card.
The culture and atmosphere on Friday night was nice because it wasn't busy and cheerful people with good music.
Some of the restaurants were a just dumb with their portion size. If I'm giving you 3 tokens that's $4. Why would I pay $4 for a tiny piece of chicken or one cupcake? Add some rice or veg to the chicken and make the cupcake 2 tokens.