Photo Essay: Latin Food Fest Santa Monica

Another weekend, another great opportunity to try great dishes!

The Latin Food Fest season kicked off this weekend with a celebration adjacent to the Santa Monica Pier.  Attendants had the opportunity to eat, drink, watch demos and mingle with acclaimed chefs while meters away from the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean.

This is my fifth year attending one of the festivals (how that happened?).  In particular, I stopped by The Gran Tasting, an all-you-can-eat, one-price journey thru Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Spain. More than 50 local restaurants offered delicious, small-sized dishes to attendants.

The 2017 Latin Food Fest, Los Angeles (Santa Monica) included other events such as “Chefs Night Out,”, “Mercado,” and “Latin Supperclub.”

Enough talking! It is time to take a look at the glorious food we had the opportunity to taste.

Grilled meat and chicken served with farofa – Fogo da Chao

Taquitos con mole negro – El Nopal Oaxacan Restaurant

Gringa – El Nopal Oaxacan Restaurant

Taquito with fiery salsa

Sonora dog – Pocho’s Tacos

Carnitas torta – Pocho’s Tacos

Poke infused with Latin flavors – The Poke Shack

Ensalada (means salad in Spanish but it is a Salvadoran beverage consisting of pineapple or passion fruit juice and pieces of fruit and herbs) – Los Molcajes

Pupusa revuelta (mixed pupusa), yuca con chicharron (cassava with pork rinds) y empanada (mashed sweet plantains filled with vanilla custard) – Los Molcajes

Carnitas taco – Northgate Market

Marlin taco – Coni’s Seafood

Ceviche tostada – Coni’s Seafood

Horchata cupcake – Viva los Cupcakes

Squash taco – Mas Malo

Smoked Gouda and mozzarella empanada with pepper jelly – Soca Chef

Scallop aguachile

Tres leches, coconut kiss and sweet empanada

Barbacoa tacos – Aqui es Texcoco

Ropa vieja (stewed shredded beef), coconut rice and fried sweet plantain

Jamon Iberico Pata Negra – Master Carver Pedro Liebana

Lucuma (Peruvian fruit) ice cream – Pops

Organic apple sauce – North Coast

Bush’s Beans

Naked Juice

Coconut Water – Obrigado

Assortment of chips – Rise Buddy

Basmati rice with pineapple and raisins – Mahatma

Tacos al pastor – Big Green Egg

Other photos

Group Mestizo was in charge of the live music (tropical rhythms, of course)

And, what better way to finish the day by strolling along the Santa Monica Pier (only a few steps from the festival location)

Details

• Find more information about the event: http://latinfoodfest.com/
• I suggest signing for the event’s newsletter. In that way, you can keep up with the latest news, discounts and last minute additions to the lineups.

Upcoming Events

• San Diego – August 18-19, 2017
• Orange County – November 10-11, 2017

Have you attended the Latin Food Fest? What would you like to try?

The good news is that you can prepare some of your favorite festival foods at home.  Check out this site for some of the best cooking gear.