Coverage of Bacchanalia XI wouldn't be complete without mentioning some of the dishes provided by local restaurants for the food-tasting event. So, here are my comments on the offerings:

Molinari's tempted us with fresh mozzarella rounds topped with soppressata – a dry Italian salami – basil, marinated local sweet peppers and vincotto (boiled grape balsamic vinegar). Each portion was served with house-made rosemary focaccia bread.

The soppressata was mild and the balsamic sweet, not bitey. Overall, the flavors went well together.

A popular restaurant station was Full of Crepe, where two kinds of filled French-style pancakes were available. The beef crepe with caramelized onions, tomatoes and gorgonzola cheese sauce was tasty, but the gorgonzola flavor wasn't very prominent. My favorite was the brie-stuffed crepe with fresh basil leaves.

Over at Yianni's Taverna, pastitsio was being served. That's a traditional Greek baked pasta dish of ground beef, noodles and béchamel sauce. The beef was nicely spiced, and there was an interesting blend of flavors.

The Blue Sky Café treated us to two dishes – butternut squash and habanero pepper soup, along with spiced apple cobbler. The soup was smooth and tangy, but not so fiery as to overpower the sweetness of the squash. The cobbler was more of an apple stew, which was thick and sweet – a perfect complement to the soup.

The Other Fish offered up huge trays of different kinds of sushi rolls. The line was the longest at this station, and no wonder. The pleasant taste of California roll and sliced fresh ginger stayed on my palate for some time. It was worth the wait.

Ever-popular chicken parmesan was on the menu at the Taste of Italy station. The chicken was thin and crispy, but moist and tender - just the way I like it. The chicken was accented with a sweet tomato sauce in just the right proportion.

Salsa and chips were provided by the Cactus Blue Mexican Restaurant. The bright, fresh tomato salsa had just a hint of cilantro and hot peppers – enough to entice, but not overwhelm the taste buds.

Kathy Donnelly of the Ivory Poinsettia provided several samples of her baking skills. The tres leches sponge cake was a moist delight, with no embellishments to take away from the texture and flavor.

Last, but in my opinion the best, was the Guiness beef and kidney stew right off the everyday menu at Molly's Irish Grille and Sports Bar. It had full-bodied flavor with just a hint of beer. It was loaded with chunks of beef and vegetables, which were tender, but not overdone. This is quite a feat at an event where food has to made ahead of time, transported to the event site, then kept constantly warm for three hours or more.

As someone who tries to cook, I take my culinary hat off to all the restaurants who participated in the Bacchanalia food-tasting fundraiser.

by Carole gorney