Atlanta Dogwood Festival

Atlanta Dogwood Festival - April 2012

What an amazing event! The weekend weather was great! I was able to park within a few blocks and walk comfortably to Piedmont Park. I brought a guest with me and we arrived at the Friends of Dogwood Pavilion, located in the amazing Greystone area of Piedmont Park, after a nice stroll. We were greeted graciously and were able to interact with the vendors immediately.

Our first impression was the layout and how easily it was going to be to navigate through it. As we navigated through the event, we felt the following vendors made it pleasurable enough for honorable mentions.

Food

With that said, our first stop was at Genki, and their manager Lee introduced us to their flavorful snack and fruitful saki; it was so good they had two girls keeping the saki coming all afternoon! Anis Café and Bistro, what a delight, presented the most delightful Mussels and Biscuit plate to us! As always, Five Napkins didn't let us down with their signature burger, fresh off the grill. The Melting Pot kept us on the sweet end of town with their chocolate covered strawberry, chocolate and cake plate.

And the fun part of the food section was actually seeing Pitty Pats Porch and Max Lager's next to each other as if they were in a barbeque showoff. They both had their positives. You could taste Pitty Pats Porch pulled pork sandwich's Jack Daniels smokey flavor. And Max Lager's slaw topping was the difference in their sandwich. But both earned their keep.

Incredibly, after all that, there is still room for desert! And what an option, in fact one of the best desert options you could ever imagine. Nothing Budnt Cakes brought an array of their best deserts. I'm sad I was only able to try three of them, but still glad I had the chance to taste their Chocolate, Cinnamon Swirl, and their Pecan Praline flavors. OMG! Moist, fresh, and extreme flavor are only but a few of the words that I can use to express myself. Whatever next activity requires desert. This is where I'm getting it!

Spirits

Our first taste was The Beach House with real good summery type of flavors on both their white and red wines. Very light and balanced for the palate; enjoyed them both! Savida Sangria was more than expected. Their fusion of flavors was very welcoming.

Then there was Wine Shoe Atlanta. What a treat it was to be taken to a European type of guesthouse environment. Both Jesus Garcia-Cascon and Teresa L. Ely had us intrigued with their extensive array of hand-selected wines. It felt as if we were in the best atmosphere to be blessed with such experience. Of course we tried everything. Our favorites were the Corte de Sole Soave; what an impression has this wine left us, the name says it all. Everyone must also taste Estylo Puro Albarino 100%. Another impressive wine was the Vinum Africa Cabernet, bold and excellent. And my first choice was the Mt. Jagged 2003 Shiraz; all I can say is that its powerful flavor would make anyone sip it until it's totally gone. Hello another blissful day in paradise!

I am extremely pleased with the Atlanta Dogwood Festival. In one word: Impressive. The vendors, booths, stages and the kid activities were truly a pleasure to enjoy. Definitely looking forward to the next one.