ALONG COMES MARY

(Editor’s note: Say hi. once again, to Lisa! In this first of a two part series about Lancaster, California, Lisa and her boyfriend, Mike, got to check out the 1st Annual Bacon, Blues and Brews weekend. Make sure to visit Lisa  at Lisa’s Hodge Podge! Oh, and she is also not joking when she says she LOVES watermelon! 😉 Enjoy her post! xo, Mary)

Bacon, Blues and Brews
By Lisa Altschuler

BACON! Did I get your attention? Good! This past weekend I went up to Lancaster, California for their first annual Bacon, Blues and Brews Festival. The festival was located on the beautiful Lancaster Boulevard which has been nicknamed “The Boulevard”. There were 28 food vendors and 20 beer and wine vendors. There was something for everyone who loves bacon!

I was able to sample quite a few goodies. The first thing I had was a spicy bacon taco from the food truck Izzy’s Taco House. It was very delicious and a great way to start the bacon adventure I was about to have. Next, we hit another food truck, Richeeze, for a Bacon Mac and Cheese on a Hawaiian roll. Are you drooling yet? This item has won many awards around Southern California. The owner told me he travels all around, so this truck is one to keep your eyes out for.

We decided to have dessert early and went to the Double D’s Cupcake booth. They were giving out delicious bacon cupcakes. One was a cinnamon swirled cupcake with maple frosting and a candied bacon. The other was a pumpkin spice cupcake with apple compote, bacon and a maple frosting. Both were amazing! Double D’s has appeared on Cupcake Wars and you can find them right here in Lancaster.

We then tried a waffle and bacon dish from the Waffle Oh Truck. Oh so good! This is yet another truck that you can follow and sample yourself. We tasted some peanut and bacon brittle courtesy of Kinetic Brewing Company. They are a microbrew and restaurant on The Boulevard. Next, was a bacon, jalapeño quesadilla from 1800. It was a little spicy, but the cheese helped calm the heat. Lastly, we had a pork belly taco from the culinary students of the University of Antelope Valley. This was very good and they made everything right in front of you. They even had people giving out massages!

We visited a few booths that had nothing to do with bacon. We needed to rest our pallet! We stopped by Mama Vega’s booth. She specializes in jams, salsas, hot sauces and rubs. We sampled the Apple Butter, which had a slight kick to it. It was so good, I had to buy a bottle. She carries her products in Albertson’s in the Antelope Valley and in Bakersfield. She is spreading out soon and within a few months will be in Santa Clarita. You can visit her website at www.mamavega.com. You will not be disappointed.

And what does better with bacon more than beer (and wine for those that are not beer friendly). My first stop was the Stella Rosa booth. This is by far my favorite wine! My favorite is Stella Berry, but I chose to try something else: Stella Peach. I’m not the biggest peach fan, but one sip of this wine is making me reconsider the fruit! It was sweet and light and bubbly. I think I have a new favorite flavor (sorry Stella Berry, we can still be friends). I also tried She Beverage’s Pink Lemonade Beer. The taste was great, but it was too heavy in my stomach (or it could have been the bacon. I may need to retry this beer).

We then went over to the other beer tents and sampled Mike’s Hard Lemonade’s new summer flavor: Watermelon! I am a HUGE watermelon fan and I was not disappointed. The vendor told me it is in stores now, so I may have to go pick some up. And lastly, I picked an old favorite of mine, Angry Orchard. It is my go to “beer”.

While walking around The Blvd, music could be heard from two different stages along the street. We were entertained by six different bands throughout the day. Many were playing covers, which allowed the visitors to dance and sing along. I was very impressed by this event and I am already planning on returning next year. I hope to see you all there!

(*Disclosure: Along Comes Mary was invited to cover this event. All opinions are author’s own.)