| rev:text
| - So I was struggling between three and four stars for this event. Part of me is frustrated by some of the ticket prices and portion sizes of some of the vendors yet the other part of me loves the variety and the excellence of the food presented. However, the latter part of me is much stronger than the former, so I ended up with a 4-star review.
There are tons of options from Thai, to Indian, to Caribbean, to Greek, to Canadian, so there is something for everyone. The diversity is just amazing and it's a great chance for you to try something that you might not otherwise eat or for you to try a new restaurant all together. I now have a couple of new places on my list of places to frequent (which is already getting quite long.)
A review from last year did mention that there needs to be a great spread of places. I don't have any comparison, but there did seem to be decent geographical representation this go-around. It was a little odd, though, that Jackie's Thai (which is in the food court at the Market) was also one of the vendors, but that was the only oddity I could see.
The venue is in the entirety of the outdoor space of the Eau Claire market and it's really well used. There are multiple places to buy tickets which are $1 each (so try not to get caught in the one long line at the entrance.) There were about 25-30 vendors this year and then another good group that were in the beer garden area. Like I said earlier, the variety was excellent and most places also had a good sampling of their menu with an appetizer-style dish, a couple of entrees, and maybe a dessert. There were also a couple of dessert-specific booths, such as ice-cream melts.
Because of the way the space is laid out, it's perfect for small/large groups, families with kids, and people with dogs. It really is a great way to spend the day and eat some great food. There are also live bands and other vendors to keep yourself occupied while you are digesting your food.
The only thing that I would say was that there was a time during the afternoon that it got pretty crowded and the lines were pretty long. Also, towards the end of the afternoon, many of the vendors were selling out of their premium items. So, I would say that getting there earlier rather than later is a good idea. You also need to find a place to park downtown (or take the train) so an early arrival is good all-around.
I will definitely be looking forward to this event next year, and I will arrive much earlier.
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