Festival Review: The 2009 Taste of Wisconsin Dells

The 4^th annual Taste of Wisconsin Dells did not start off with the best of weather, despite the fact that the fest is held in early June. Temperatures hit below 50F, with the wind and rain making things seem even colder.

However, the Taste itself was held under two large tents, with a third tent reserved as the beer tent. Once inside the food tents, and due in large part to numerous vendors cooking food there, it was a bit warmer.

I arrived at the Taste of Wisconsin Dells on a Saturday, about an hour after it had officially opened at 11AM. After finding a parking spot, I ventured over to Oak Street, which is where the tents were set up. There was no admission to enter, luckily. Once inside, I found numerous local area restaurants serving up all kinds of food at rather reasonable prices. Area restaurants included Carvelli's Pizza & Pasta House, Famous Dave's, Firehouse Pizza Company, Gilly's Island, House of Embers, Marley's, Monk's Bar & Grill, Northwoods Bar & Grill, Pizza Pub, Sharky's Bar & Grill, and Taste of New Orleans. There was even a convenience store, Broadway Travel Mart, giving out free samples and coupons for Pep's pizza.

I tried the mini cannoli from Carvelli's (priced at 1 for $2 or 2 for $3). The dough was light and crispy, and the filling was decent. Carvelli's was also offering a meatballs dish ($3) and a cannelloni dish ($3). I also happened upon the Northwoods Bar & Grill- this place was offering boiled fish (accompanied by corn, potato, onion, and carrot) or BBQ ribs for $3. I opted for the ribs and obtained 5-6 good-sized pieces. Unfortunately, the ribs were a bit too sweet for me, and doused with way too much sauce.

For my "dessert", I meandered over to the Culver's of Wisconsin Dells. This vendor had an ice cream cone mascot whom I discovered to have a taste in iPods (see attached picture). Culver's was offering a number of tasty options, such as a $2 single dish, a $3 turtle or caramel cashew sundae, and a $2 lemon ice. I opted for the lemon ice. For an additional 25 cents, I asked for strawberry topping.

I'd never known Culver's to offer lemon ice, but this was single-handedly one of the best desserts I've had in a long time. The strawberry topping was firm and not too sweet. The ice was very smooth, and not at all granulated or crystallized. I will definitely keep Culver's in mind for future dessert cravings.

However, there was more than just food at the Taste of Wisconsin Dells. There was the aforementioned beer tent, offering local brews from the Capital Brewery in Madison as well as the Moosejaw Pizza and Dells Brewing Company in Wisconsin Dells. Also, at 11AM, there had been a Corvettes Adventure Parade, wherein over 200 Corvettes had paraded around town, then settled on a nearby street for viewing. Six blocks away from the Taste, there was an Arts and Crafts Show featuring many local artists. And there was even a book sale at the Kilbourn Public Library.

Of course, entertainment was also part of the Taste. A live band stage was situated in the beer tent and featured groups such as Jessi Lynn, Island Jack, and Swif Kick. At the food tents, there was a family entertainment stage featuring the Canepa Dance Studio, magician Josh Peters, and the Broadway Dinner Theatre.

As if all that were not enough, there was also an ongoing raffle to benefit the restoration of fish to Lake Delton (a year ago, due to heavy rains, this lake overfilled its north bank and emptied into the Wisconsin River). For $5, one could buy a raffle ticket to win Milwaukee Brewers game tickets, overnight stays at area hotels with waterpark tickets, and more.

Despite the weather, I found the Taste of Wisconsin Dells to be a wonderful event. I will definitely be returning next year.

For additional information about the Taste of Wisconsin Dells, check my provided link below this article.