I'm rounding down this morning since I think Taste should be right at a solid 3.5. It's pretty cool to shut down Tryon and have vendors present food items as well as fun for the family. Just be ready for street fair pricing and the crowds. I don't mind paying for unique food experiences, especially since its a tall order to organize and provide man-power to shut down the main thoroughfare in Uptown.... The crowds - not so much a fan of. Makes for good people watching, but if you gave me the choice of being overheated and stuck in a maze of people, I would probably not choose to do so.
I went on Friday for lunch (when the festivities just started). Luckily most of the food was super fresh.. and still hot from being just cooked. I was pleasantly surprised by the offerings of RiRa's.. and then it was just "stuff your face heaven" for about an hour before I had to go back to work. Even with the Friday work crowd, it still got fairly crowded and you could tell were all the good food was at with the lines that were forming. The Thai place made a killing, but I couldn't wait in their line - their food looked awesome.
Most of the food I ate was either yellow or brown.... mainly fried. I'd kinda like to see more of a different take... more fresh items maybe? But I know how difficult that would be in a outdoor street fair. I'd also like to see more of an international flair instead of the normal Chinese, Thai, and Indian places. I know Charlotte is attracting more folks from diverse cities so we are getting there.
For what it is, it's a good thing to have this event every year.