taste mcallen

we had the pleasure of attending taste mcallen back on march 31st. held at oval park, (next to the palms crossing plaza in front of the mcallen convention center) and hosted by the mcallen chamber of commerce, this annual event featured over 25 local and chain restaurants, live music, beer/wine tent and a cooking pit manned by the rgv texas chef's association. 

it should be no surprise that my usual rgv favorites topped our list of must-trys at this event as well: cc's sweets and tweets (for the last 2 years i thought it was "cc's sweets and treats" whoops. you learn something new every day!) dished up brownies, mini red velvet cupcakes, caramel corn, refreshing lemonade and my personal favorite: a cookies and cream macaron ice cream sandwich! definitely keep that one in mind come summertime.

newly-minted-culinary-powerhouse bodega showed up with pork tenderloin and a killer mac and cheese, while house wine and bistro offered a tasty "mcallen cheesesteak."

as for chains, corner bakery, dairy queen, delia's tamales, el pollo loco and kumori were all serving up some of their favorites. before sundown, dairy queen was particularly popular - what better way to cool down than with a little dq ice cream?

overall the event was a really laid back way to enjoy this beautiful spot and sample some new restaurants you may not have had the opportunity to try yet.