Sample some of the region’s best cuisine during several “Taste-y” events this month.
•The annual Taste of Roanoke starts at 5 p.m. Saturday on Main Street in downtown Roanoke.
Vendors will include Nick’s Junction (breaded tenderloin sandwiches), Joseph Decuis (gumbo, burgers and brats) and Roanoke Village Inn (grilled tenderloin sandwiches and barbecued ribs).
There also will be sloppy joes, root beer floats, ice cream and gelato, apple dumplings and other baked goods. The Conglomernotes, a 17-piece band, will perform.
Food prices are $1 to $7 and admission is free.
Proceeds benefit the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce scholarship fund.
The weekly farmers market still will be open from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.
•The Taste of Decatur will be Monday at the Riverside Center, 231 E. Monroe St. in Decatur.
From 4 to 8 p.m., enjoy samples from Arby’s, Goldie’s Goodies, Manley Meats, Niblick Downtown Bistro, Pizza King, Old 27 Ice Cream Shop and West End Restaurant. Prices are 50 cents to $2.
•The Taste of Marko’s at Marko’s on 2nd in Decatur also will be on Monday.
The restaurant will have a beer and wine tasting event with appetizers from 5 to 8 p.m. Admission is $20. For information, call 724-8880. Marko’s is at 135 S. Second St.
•More than 20 restaurants will take part in Taste of the Arts 2011 from noon to 7 p.m. Aug. 27 at Arts United Center, 300 E. Main St.
So far, they include the Acme, BakerStreet, Chuck & Bird’s, Club Soda, Friends, Hall’s, JK O’Donnell’s, Mad Anthony Food & Brewery and Vince’s. Food and beverage tickets will be $1; some items will require multiple tickets.
For more information, go to www.tasteoftheartsfortwayne.org.
SpoonZ offers frozen yogurt
Serving 10 flavors of frozen yogurt with live active cultures, SpoonZ Fro Yo is open at 1034 Thomas Road, in Orchard Crossing near Target.
Customers fill their own dishes with their favorite flavor and add any of the 40 toppings, such as fruit, candy, cereal, hot fudge or raspberry sauce.
Chocolate, vanilla and a version of strawberry are on the permanent menu; the other yogurt flavors will change regularly.
The treats cost 42 cents per ounce.
“What adds up is when people go crazy on the toppings,” co-owner Angie Zimske says. Her sister, Amy Stephens, is the other owner.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.
JK O’Donnell’s serves beer dinner
Beer and heirloom tomatoes always make a good summertime meal.
To celebrate both, JK O’Donnell’s will have a vegetarian dinner at 6 p.m. Aug. 29, featuring beers from New Holland Brewing Co. in Holland, Mich.
The menu includes cream of parsnip soup, heirloom tomato salad, oyster and shiitake mushroom slider on focaccia bread, gnocchi with pesto, and parmesan-breaded artichoke hearts stuffed with cheese and served over ratatouille.
The dessert is goat-cheese ice cream with a bourbon-blackberry glaze.
The meat and produce are from Country Gardens & Farm Market in Roanoke, Home Place Gourmet in Decatur, Little Hillside Market in St. Joe and Witmer Produce in New Haven.
The dinner is $35, which doesn’t include tax or gratuity.
Reservations are required; call 420-5563.
Pierceton throws tomato festival
Where’s the best place to show off your tomato-juggling skills?
The fourth annual Pierceton Heirloom Tomato Festival, of course.
The free event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in Bower Park at the Old Depot, at Indiana 13 and Market Street.
Other highlights include a green tomato pie contest and auction, tomato sandwich social, tomato worm contest, crafters, food vendors and a farmers market.
Bruce Lube will discuss organic solutions for garden pests at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
For information, call Pat Knott at 574-453-1887.
Lunch on the menu at TW Fable
TW Fable in Bluffton has added a lunch menu that’s available from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays.
It includes soups, salads and sandwiches, such as a BLT, burger, chicken salad and tuna wrap.
Entrées are roasted chicken, braised tilapia, seared tuna, petit filet and a pasta dish that will change weekly.
Prices for sandwiches and entrées are $10 to $18.
The restaurant is at 360 N. Main St. For reservations, call 260-353-1360.
The “Destination Tasting: Passport Series” continues at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 29, focusing on Austria, Germany and Switzerland.
The nine-course meal is $60; it’s $30 for a wine pairing. Reservations are required.
Tidbits
•Hall’s Tavern at Coventry, 5745 Coventry Lane, will have a Scotch-tasting event from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 25. It’s $30. Reservations are required; call 459-2893.
•Cebolla’s Mexican Grill, 1037 Smaltz Way in Auburn, will have a grand opening celebration from 8 p.m. to midnight Friday with various specials and the Choice Band. For information, call 260-927-1182.
•Satek Winery in Fremont recently won 27 medals at the Indy International Wine Competition in West Lafayette, including three golds for Larry’s Luscious, Pinot Gris and Mango Mania. The competition included 2,500 commercial entries from 40 states and 15 countries. The winery, at 6208 N. Van Guilder Road in Fremont, is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
