Why work up an appetite on a treadmill when you can do it strolling the streets browsing among hundreds of art booths and dancing to live music under the warm Indian summer sun? Come to the Millbrae Art & Wine Festival, August 30-31, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Broadway, and you’ll get your exercise, along with great entertainment and plenty of good eats.
All the shopping and shimmying will give you a hankering for something grilled and juicy or fried and finger-lickin’ good. Check out Petaluma’s award-winning Backyard BBQ, a festival first-timer recruited for their world-class barbecued ribs, steak, and chicken topped off with a hearty side of spicy beans like you’ve never tasted before. East Bay gourmand Mike Hutslar is back firing up tasty designer sausages, jumbo corn dogs, curly fries, fried zucchini and mozzarella sticks.
Try Uncle Bill’s hot links — the ultimate in spicy sausages — and see why he calls his corndogs “gourmet.” Leonardo’s Café and Deli serves up plump pork sausages, both fennel-scented Italian-style and spicy Polish-style, topped with their famous sautéed peppers, onions and garlic. They also prepare a delectable grilled lemon chicken sandwich for those looking for a beef alternative.
Crazy for calamari? Aroma Catering serves theirs with a kicky Mexican cilantro-lime sauce, while Gourmet Faire uses Florida’s famous Key limes. Aroma also offers chicken quesadillas, Philly cheesesteaks, hot dogs, corn dogs, fried zucchini and artichokes, roasted corn and garlic fries. Gourmet Faire has its own version of garlic fries, as well as generously stuffed gyros and corn dogs.
Other renditions of gyros can be found at B. Food International, where you have a choice of lamb-beef or chicken wrapped in a pita with lettuce, onion, tomatoes, green pepper, feta cheese and cucumber sauce. Their falafels are equally enticing, as are their enormous (1/2-pound) sausages —veal bratwurst, Cajun, Italian, Polish kielbasa and hot links, served on a French roll with grilled onions, peppers and sauerkraut.
Asian anyone? Sonoma Teriyaki grills a tender chicken in that famous salty-sweet sauce and serves it either on a stick or over a steaming round of rice. Their fried rice and chow mein are equally delicious, with crunchy vegetables and bean sprouts.
Feel like a little something from France? Let Lemoine Crêperie entice you with savory options such as cheese, spinach, bacon and ham, or sweet fillings including fresh strawberries, peaches, whipped cream, cream cheese, cherries, apple sauce, vanilla pudding and that devilish hazelnut spread, Nutella.
Everybody craves popcorn at a street fair, and Olde Tyme Kettle Korn is at the top of the game with perfectly popped kernels gently flavored with that irresistible sweet-salty magic. Of course popcorn makes anyone thirsty, so Orange Mist comes to the rescue with its orangy-juicy-frothy secret recipe. The soft frozen lemonade at I Scream Vending also works well to stave off thirst, which you might work up after sampling their scrumptious pretzels and churros. Or you can eat and cool off at the same time with their classic ice cream bars.
Fruit Friz offers another great thirst-quenching option that also works as a perfect summertime dessert. Their colorful smoothies come in three layers: strawberry, peaches and bananas. For a slightly more sinful dessert, Kurlander Soft Serve has luscious vanilla and chocolate frozen yogurt topped with flavor burst drizzles of mocha java creamsicle or mint. Not a bad way to end the day.
The Margarita King –– The World’s Best Margarita –– offers festivalgoers another refreshing beverage alternative. Margaritas will come in many variations: there’s the “King Cocktail” (basic margarita), the “Miami Vice” (margarita with a splash of pineapple juice), and the “Girlfriend” (margarita with a splash of pomegranate juice). Beer lovers will be delighted with the assortment of tasty brews –– Sam Adams Summer Ale, Pyramid Hefeweizen, Coors Light and Corona.
The wine list will feature award-winning varietals from Brassfield Estate including Pinot Grigio, Serenity (a white blend), Syrah and Zinfandel along with Beringer Founders Estate Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, White Zinfandel and Champagne. Stylish souvenir glasses will also be available.
