Can't wait to see more Cambodian fare-type booths, particularly hoping for fresh fish, produce and…read morethe like. Mostly various ethnic foods ready made at this time. The generator is crazy loud. Too close to the booths. Music needs work. I like the ethnic music, but it needs to be louder than Metallica? What happened there? Also, just a few random booths, but I guess I was hoping for Cambodia food, produce, and such here, rather than miscellaneous vendors selling cheap hair bobs, hats, t-shirts, and similar items. It's the second week. Here's hoping that it becomes a bit more integrated, has tables, and a theme!

Last summer, I attended the Tofu Festival in Little Tokyo for the very first time. Since I do like…read moretofu, I was very much interested to see what creations they would come up. My palate was definitely ready for whatever challenge lay before me. Luckily, we got there early to avoid some of the intense heat that came in later on in the afternoon, plus we didn't have as many lines to stand in, which made it easier to sample quite a variety of tofu dishes. But before any sampling was going to take place, scrip tickets had to be purchased. With dishes ranging from as little as 1 ticket to the highest being 7 tickets, I figured that I'd do pretty good with $20 worth of tickets and believe me, I used every single one of my tickets. A perk with going with other people is that we also did a lot of sampling of each other's dishes. I can definitely say that I had more tofu that one day than I've had in an entire year. Along with the items you had to "purchase", there were also quite a few vendors giving out free samples. The samples were primarily various beverages, which were very much appreciated. Now on to the food. There were two soy products that were kind of unusual (at least to me). One was soy "croutons." Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of this product but upon sampling them from someone else's dish, I found them to be too dry and even a little hard, so it was definitely a miss for me. The other new soy product was soy jerky and I can't believe how much I liked it. You could tell that it wasn't meat, but it was still chewy and the spices they used really gave a lot of flavor to the dried tofu. As for the foods I really liked, one of them was a cold gazpacho soup with tofu. Yum! It was definitely appropriate for the hot weather, but the spicing of the soup was really good and the tofu kind of absorbed some of that flavor, so it made the tofu that much tastier. I also really enjoyed a Japanese eggplant curry with tofu. That curry was to die for. If only I had rice, I would have been a really happy camper. Other things I really enjoyed was deep fried tofu that came with a Thai sweet chili sauce and for dessert, my soy Chai Tea ice cream was heavenly. Misses for me included the tofu sausage in a lettuce cup. That sausage was really dry and there was no flavor to it and while I liked the creamy texture of the tofu appetizer from Maison Akira, the whole dish just had a fishy taste to it that did not appeal to me at all. When the tofu dish was good, it was really good. When it was so-so, it was really so-so. I can't say that there was anything innovative in regards to any of the tofu dishes, but overall, it was a very fun day and I would definitely make a return trip this year. To see pics of the 2006 Tofu Festival, go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594257984707/

I love food festivals. Food, booze, music and being outdoors. That's pretty perfect if you ask me…read more(which you didn't.) I like a good tofu dish and that's just what this Occasion offered -- good tofu dishes. I didn't have much that touched upon the greatness that I craved but I did have a kick ass time. Blackalicious performed and they were wonderful (an odd booking but it was fantastic.) _C$

Such a cool car show on the Santa Monica Pier! They have it every month, seasonal, and a bunch of…read morebeautiful, classic cars are on display by their owners for people to view and take photos of. It's super cool. They also have live music playing and a few booths. We even got free bananas and cookie snacks when we went. It is free and super rad! It is also located right next to the restrooms, so very convenient. The only thing I had to pay for was parking, but not bad at all. Worth it forsure.

Walking up, I was skeptical. But once that door opened, I could tell I was in for a treat. Chefs…read moreMustache Ruttenberg and Thiqqolas Fenn were of the highest of class chefs hailing from San Mateo and Bakersfield. These chefs whipped up an Italian melody, that if you had no idea where your surroundings were, you would think you were dining in Naples. #toomuchsauce

The wings are very colorful, rainbow in fact and you're very pretty and majestic. It's hanging out…read moreright outside this hamburger joint for you to come take some pictures with.

This was an absolutely lovely event. We looked around at the different tea vendors and got to…read moresample lots of different teas. They give you a nice bag at the beginning with a program and tea cup. The vendors were both indoors and outdoors. At the end, one of the vendors even sang to us which was cool. We went to the tea and chocolate tasting which was a nice experience. Then we saw a Japanese tea ceremony which was cool and different. Since it is supposed to be international I would of loved a tea and sandwich British type class too...maybe next year. I'd also like some more decaf teas. I would definitely come again another year. It's a good excuse to get down to Little Tokyo. Admission was $20 but we found a discount code on their page for 1/2 off. With our extra $10 we included the chocolate tasting. I love a good deal! Plus, I called them up on the phone beforehand to ask some questions about the event and they were really nice. Admission included free admission to the museum which is an awesome place to visit as well. Then you can go outside and explore LIttle Tokyo. This time there was also Japanese dancing in the street. It was a lovely afternoon.

This was our first time attending and for 2018 it was at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, there were a…read morecouple of things that the wife and I like about the show, but the location was not ideal for an event of this type. first off there was no signage as we were driving around the Rose Bowl to indicate the location, once you get into the parking lot there are some small signs, directing you in the right direction. Getting to the desk where you pay admission($20 per person) we were greeted by friendly staff, you get a small tote bag and a tasting cup for tea. The festival was on the Third floor of the stadium, taking the elevator up we discover it is all outside, fortunately it was nice and not too windy on the day we went. Another problem is that there are vendors to the right and left so as an attendee it not really easy to wander, you go one way and then back the other. There were about 40 vendor and they were all very nice and attentive to the customers, pitching their respective wares. Lots of teas to taste and reasonable prices. Overall it was worth the admission fee and I would consider attending again.

Good job, OC Weekly. Now I feel bad for ripping you a new one for your Decadence event two years…read moreago. Simply, there were big portions and a great variety of delicious food from numerous vendors, so much that I was stuffed within twenty minutes. Gourmet versions of French toast, panini, crepes, corn taco, biscuits and gravy, chiquchi chicaquill chickquil --- fine, enchiladas, and my surprising favorite: crab stuffed trout. The big tent provided enough shade, while the breezy outside area (which would benefit from a few more tables) provided enough space to escape the crowds. There were enough bathrooms and trash cans, and the musical acts provided great ambiance. Cornhole, an oversized Jenga I was afraid to touch, a friendly staff, photo booth, and refreshing lack of spam vendors (like timeshares) were nice touches. Best of all, except for the lines at the bar, lines were pretty short if not non-existent. High five. You made it hard to complain... the worst I can do is say that ran out of water at the hand washing station. Oh, so maybe you don't want that high five. Hope there's a 2nd annual next year! OC Weekly FreshER Toast.

Unlike Glen (first reviewer), I do not feel bad ripping you on that OC Decadence fiasco you…read moresponsored a few years back. However, I see you learned from your mistakes. This event was your redemptive quality. It was excellent! Tickets were reasonable at $35. I didn't see the value in a VIP until I arrived, and saw the extra patio and swag bags for the VIP. Still, I would purchase my ticket on Pancake Day again for the $10 discount. The venue was nice, even though the parking line was out of this world. Once parked in the spacious lot ($10), the entrance line was long, but it moved well. We were in in about 10 to 15 minutes. It helped that the security staff and the ticket people had great attitudes. There were food vendors etc. outside, food vendors etc. inside, and a Bloody Mary garden in the back. The Bloody Mary garden was interesting. I don't drink, but it looked fun. AYCD while playing corn hole and jumbo Jenga--while voting on the best Bloody Mary's. Interesting. The event was so well-capped that I never encountered a real line. There was delicious food everywhere! I got full off of little delicious bites immediately (that spinach thing from Zov's was amazing!), then I was able to enjoy the entertainment. There was enough seating (if not sitting all day) for all to digest and have another round. Other highlights included the Nutella shake, crab-stuffed trout, short rib pancake, pesto-smothered panini, butter lemon tart...okay, everything I tasted was good. I would have stayed the whole 3 hours, if not for the need arising and me avoiding port-o-potties like the plague! Overall, this is an event worth the annual calendering.

This was a pretty neat festival. The day was quite warm, so I could sympathize with the animals…read moretrapped in the tar. Ok, it wasn't quite that bad, but you get the idea. There were things to keep children and adults of all ages entertained. Live musical entertainment, food trucks, a bar/lounge area, booths, and of course, the tar pits! Hot stuff!

Well I rode my bike then walked around this lovely gathering and found it a bit breezy and cool! In…read morefact, at first I was concerned my bike would be challenging to ditch and perhaps merit an evil eye by Security. Well, maybe next year. Right now, it's the perfect time to experience Tarfest. I got there about 3pm. First, I must thank Merry Karnowsky Gallery. http://www.yelp.com/biz/merry-karnowsky-gallery-los-angeles Due to their postings I learned about this Event. They also had a fun promotion that afforded an exclusive signed poster of Tarfest (by Mel Kadel), plus a drink ticket. I'm sure others were getting the word out there, but they're the reason this was on my radar. Once there, it was easy to hang around awhile. Fun to be by LACMA and right near the Tar Pits. Entering from 6th Street, I got to see the giant rock and the newly graveled path. So what was so good here? *Busy but not swarming crazy hey-move-it crowded. *Music is rockin' without competing with those who wish to converse a hundred or two yards away. (The band, SOFT SELLS was fun to listen to -- with Blondfire, Steelwells, So Many Wizards, et al on the bill.) *No entrance fee *Some nice lookin' Food Trucks! *A Bar! with some wine but also MicroBrewery grog from Lagunitas Brewery. Good Pils! *Awesome individual Live Art (painting) by: Greg Simkins, Johnny Rodriguez, Codak Smith and Van Saro. *Hoola Hoops for everyone to shake it. *Lots of cool sponsors including Yelp, KCRW, and Launch L.A. Also some Health Conscious organizations got their messages out, too, in a pleasant, permission marketing kinda way. Hats, shirts, magazines and more were among things you could either walk with or donate towards. This is the type of Event I believe will be too crowded and too chaotic in a few years. Here's hoping I'm waayyy off on that estimation. I'm glad to have been there today. It was simply delightful and inspiring and fun!