Stars: 4.7 out of 5
Pros: Attendance, Set-up, Food
Cons: Drivers/Parking
If Richmond does one thing right (it does lots of things right actually) it knows how to put on a festival. So, I was excited to be able to attend the Lebanese Food Festival. A group of friends of mine planned to go on Saturday morning, which worked out perfect because I could go with them before work. Sadly, the day dawned gray and raining. We would not be turned back by a touch of weather though, for there was delightful food on the line. So, like warriors heading into battle, we left for the festival.
I will voice my complaint early and I'm very torn if this complaint is actually the fault of the organizers. I am heavily leaning towards it is not. I think the blame for this complaint rests solely in the hands of stupid people. That being said, let me get to it. Parking at the Lebanese Food Festival is less then ideal. And not because there is a lack of parking. As a matter of fact, there was ample parking spots. People apparently don't understand how cars work... One woman, for example, held up the entire line of traffic on the street for several minutes as she tried to turn into the VERY well marked exit. She then got upset when that couldn't happen due to the cars EXITING! She finally moved along. People in the parking lots also had some struggles, which I won't list here. I know that this is truly not the fault of the event organizers, but it negatively effected me, hence I noted it.
Once we got in and parked we all walked across the soggy lawn to the food tents. The first thing that struck me, aside from tiny drops of precipitation, was the size of the crowd. There were a TON of people there, rain be damned! That says to me 2 things, the event is consistently good year after year and Richmond is not scared to turn out for things. That should be taken as a giant compliment not only to the Lebanese Food Festival people, but also to all Richmonders. We appreciate a good time and will go out in almost any weather to have one.
The girls decided that the first order of business was a glass or 3 of wine. So, a glasses and then a bottle were purchased. While we stood there drinking, those without cash went to the conveniently located ATM. While we waited I took a moment to appreciate the set-up of the festival. All of the food was contained under one very large tent along the sides which left plenty of room for walking around. The wine was in a separate tent with other cold beverages near it. That helped keep the crowd of people needing drinks from hindering the flow of the food-getters. There were several large covered seating areas which were invaluable in the rain, but would have proven to be just as needed had it been sunny.
It was finally food time. Now, I will freely admit that I know about as much about Lebanese food as the next non-Lebanese American (that's pretty much 0). That being said, I didn't know what I wanted to try or even what was offered. This led to my customary wandering around and buying things on impulse. The girls all seemed to have a plan, so we all decided to just meet up at the end of the tent and find a seat. The smells coming from the booths were amazing. I literally wanted to eat everything. But I didn't, due to self control and a limited budget. I loaded my tray with a few choice items then headed to meet the girls. On my way to our seat I saw this older gentleman cooking over a grill. It just stands to show that no matter how old us men get, we demand to be king of the fire. It's a sight I personally trust to mean good food.
As we sat down, I tried to get pictures of everyone's trays. The variety of food was stunning, from stuffed grape-leaves to shrimp & rice to shawarma. We all swapped a few things around, but I'm really going to focus on what I got. I started out with stuffed squash. This is basically skinned and cored summer squash that is then stuffed with a meat and rice mixture. It is cooked in a thin tomato-based broth. II really liked it because the squash was well cooked and the stuffing was quite flavorful. I could have done with a thicker broth or even no broth. The thinness of it just led it to be unnecessary to me. I also got meat pies (I have no idea what they are really called). These were little flakey pastry dough crescents filled with ground beef and spices. They were warm and crunchy, with a ton of flavor. They weren't overly greasy either, which was a plus. I got a chicken shawarma as my "main course" because I love almost anything wrapped in a warm pita. The first thing I noticed when I bit into the shawarma was the garlic, but not in a displeasing way. It is heavy and well bonded with the chicken. The pita was soft and warm. It helped sop up the immense amount of juice from the meat. It was excellent. I finished the meal with what we at the table decided was almost a deep-fried doughnut. It was dough that had been fried in balls and covered in a glaze. Amazing! All in all, an excellent meal.
The Lebanese Food Festival was a very pleasant trip away from the ordinary. Kudos to the organizers for planning well. I truly appreciated the variety and flavors of the food on display there. I will certainly try very hard to get back there next year in hopes of finding something new for me to eat. I suggest that you do as well, broaden your horizons.
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