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| - I tried more of the food this year (scroll halfway down for more info), but I still mainly went for the music. Bite of Las Vegas delivered on both counts.
The weather was ridiculous to start the day, but unlike last year, they managed to keep the bands going pretty much on schedule. I skipped Nick Fradiani and the two local acts, whoever they may have been, but I arrived just in the nick of time for Andy Grammer's start time at 3:10pm. Some of you may be familiar with his popular singles from radio stations such as MIX 94.1. Anyway, he and his band were energetic, and he played a lot of songs that were easy to enjoy in his ~30-minute set, including his current catchy tune "Honey, I'm Good." I also loved his incorporation of loop pedals on one of his tracks, as well as the talk box on his cover of the current Jack U single.
A quick reflection on how easy it was to redeem the Groupon (which I got for $10.40 after stacking discounts vs. $16 early pre-purchase). The signs were clear on where to go as long as you read them, and they just waved you through once they scanned your barcode. Interestingly, they didn't bother to check my stuff, so that sealed gallon of bottled water could easily have been an open gallon of vodka, or something even better. Maybe next year...
Most of the music was great after that point. Needtobreathe brought a Southern rock sound that I just wasn't feeling, other than their current single "Shelter." Lifehouse killed it though, with energetic playing and spot-on vocals for their first live performance in three months. They played most of their hits, to the delight of fans. Matt Nathanson was also awesome with a cover-filled set and charismatic audience engagement. Finally, Third Eye Blind rocked the headliner spot with old hits and new songs - perhaps a few too many of the latter for some listeners, judging from how I was able to inch closer to the stage every few minutes.
I was actually quite surprised after last year at how I was able to get relatively close to the stage with minimal effort if I wanted to. I'm not sure if it was just the broader appeal of last year's acts that led to a massive turnout, the scorching temperatures of this year (what a relief when cloud cover arrived at around 4:45), or if people had other things to do today, but it felt that attendance was down - which is a good thing for the people who did end up showing, including yours truly.
I know a lot of you wanna hear about the food, and I finally did get into it. Several chains were present, but I focused on interesting bites from local restaurants, all of which happened to cost $5. Props to everyone for keeping most of the items affordable and allowing for a lot of sampling - I see the point of this event now, despite the lack of high-end restaurants.
My first order was a small steak plate from Via Brasil, which was cooked to medium but was tender enough for a plastic knife to do its job. It was seasoned and wasn't too bad aside from the lack of a starch.
I also had a sample of Aloha Kitchen's chicken. They were really pushing samples, and the chicken with its extreme tenderness and light sweetness could definitely have been a pick if I'd had fewer other options.
Next dish was a ceviche from El Ceviche, a shop that is aiming to open on S. Eastern Avenue in about two weeks. It was actually a nice portion with good chunks of fish, Peruvian corn that wasn't too mushy, red onion, a thick potato slice, and lettuce. I liked it and enjoyed their complementary (yes, the one with an "e") passion fruit juice for $3, which came in a pretty large cup and provided the sweetness to counter the acidity of the ceviche. I think they'll be worth a visit once they've launched their business.
I made a final round at around 7pm, at which time the lines had predictably grown. I had found an interesting chicken tikka masala with rice and naan at Mint Indian Bistro's tent, and their line was quite short either due to being overlooked or because they were able to plate quickly. The rice may have been a little bland and dry, but the chicken was excellent and the naan wasn't too bad. I'm interested now in trying their actual restaurant, which probably means that they've succeeded.
My final bite was the pumpkin cheesecake ($4) from Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, which I realize now is a chain, and yet I really couldn't care less. They had won best dessert of Bite of Las Vegas 2015 earlier, and I can't really argue with the judges on this decision. It was rich and had nice pumpkin flavor, and I had to restrain myself from eating it so that I could share a taste with my friends.
Overall, it was a very fun day for at least four of the five senses (not entirely sure about touch). There is good food to be found, and while the music lineup was a step down from last year, the big-name artists generally delivered. Go to Bite of Las Vegas when you can, and hopefully obtain a cheap ticket.
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