TAKE A BITE. The 2017 Taste of Blue Ash takes place in Summit Park Aug. 25-26. Vendors from across Cincinnati (including food trucks) set up shop to show off their specialties. It also featured musical performances by Loverboy, Big & Rich, and more. While it is now too late to enjoy the festival itself, these reviews can help get to know the offerings of restaurants in the area. Plus, there is always next year! All photos courtesy of Jenna Bao and Adhiti Chundur.

PICKLE PUNCH. The Flavor Punch food truck serves up pumpernickel fried pickles with a side of ranch. We have tried fried pickles at just about every restaurant at which we have ever seen the dish, so we might venture to say that we know a thing or two about them. Flavor Punch Food Truck’s version with a pumpernickel crumb-encrusted outer shell was fantastic. The pumpernickel flavor was not noticeable, but the crunch and balance of sourness were on point. Unfortunately, the dish for some reason took at least five minutes to produce. However, we would say the food was worth it.

FLAVOR MEDLEY. The Taste of Blue Ash certainly does not disappoint meat lovers. There were multiple BBQ joints including City BBQ and Remi J’s BBQ, but this bowl came from Sweets and Meats BBQ, a food truck. This dish is macaroni and cheese topped with your choice of pulled pork/chicken (in this case pork), and vinegar-based coleslaw on top. Jenna found this one absolutely delicious; she was literally exclaiming with joy. (Adhiti is a vegetarian.) The mac and cheese was the star of the show, not gooey but plenty cheesy, just the way Jenna likes it. The flavors also blended well. The only complaint is that everything could have had a bit more seasoning, and the cole slaw featured one giant cabbage stub, but neither significantly impeded the dish.

FRESH SQUEEZED. There is nothing to wash down a variety of flavors at a food festival like (reportedly) fresh-squeezed lemonade. We went with the option with real sugar (as opposed to Splenda), and it was incredibly refreshing. The size was pretty small for its price at a full red Solo cup half-filled with ice at $3, but it was hardly tart and took the edge off the hot afternoon sun.

CREME DE LA CREME. Busken Bakery’s “Giant Cream Puff” is an alluring option for those with a sweet tooth. Busken has three flavors: original, strawberry, and chocolate chip. I decided to try the chocolate chip cream puff, and I was not disappointed. The rich, smooth, Bavarian cream was the star, and the puff nicely balanced out the richness of the cream. However, the cream puff was a little difficult to eat, and I wished there was either less cream and more of the puff. Overall, I would say the “Giant Cream Puff” was a nice addition to our food saga.

ICE, ICE, BABY. We topped off our food saga with Kona Ice, a staple at any summer food festival. Jenna got half pina colada and half orange; Adhiti got half sour green apple and half blue raspberry. Shaved ice is a pretty self-explanatory dish, but on a hot summer’s day, with our bellies full and palates satiated, it was a refreshing end to the adventure.

FINAL VERDICT. The Taste of Blue Ash is a fun and accessible food festival with a variety of food trucks and options. It has good food for vegetarians and surprisingly good desserts. Yet, there is not much that shocks or surprises. The best food fest we have gone to is still the Asian Food Fest (coming up in May).