The annual "first taste of summer" includes a lot of great tunes and even more great tastes. BottleRock 2018 had over 50 food vendors, making the decision of "what to eat" harder than ever. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way, though — a 3-day festival in Napa has big culinary shoes to fill. Here are five BottleRock food vendors that stole the show this year (and who you should be on the lookout for in years to come).
1. Strictly Vegan Jamaican Cuisine
If this picture doesn't get a fellow vegan's mouth watering, I'm not sure what will. The "Reggae Wrap" is nutrient-packed with kale, a selection of veggies and enough quinoa to get you through a whole festival day. Their menu also includes salads with curried tofu, fresh coconut and sweet fried plantains (yum). Strictly Vegan Jamaican Cuisine is a mobile enterprise that caters to festivals and other special events, meaning the only way to continue enjoying their food is to attend more festivals — really a win-win situation.
2. Bouchon Bakery
Located a stone's throw away from BottleRock in Yountville, CA, Bouchon Bakery originally opened in 2003 to provide bread to Chef Thomas Keller's world-renowned restaurant, The French Laundry. On top of bread, Bouchon's mouth-watering croissants, macarons, madeleines, brownies, caramel corn, sandwiches (and the list goes on) has made Bouchon Bakery one of a kind. This salted caramel macaron from Bouchon definitely can't be missed.
3. Johnny Doughnuts
The creation above is every foodie's dream, a doughnut sundae. This concoction takes a maple, old-fashioned doughnut glazed with caramel and smothers it with a large dollop of vanilla soft serve — just wow. Johnny Doughnuts in San Rafael has been baking with locally sourced ingredients since 2013 and has three doughnut food trucks to serve their amazing creations on the go! The soft serve on top is from Straus Family Creamery in Marin County — hooray for local cows!
4. Tica's Tacos
Tica's Tacos mostly serves festivals, but if you catch yourself in Philadelphia, they have a meal delivery service there, too! The "Harvest Taco" is topped with roasted Brussels sprouts, pickled sweet potatoes, sliced pecorino and apple-whiskey aioli — a perfect choice for the vegetarian festival-goer. But don't fret, meat-eaters — Tica's has plenty of options, including their duck and carnitas tacos.
5. Tarla Mediterranean Grill
The chickpea gyro from Tarla Mediterranean Grill is so jam-packed with onions, tomatoes, parsley salad and tzatziki that you can barely see any pita peeking out underneath. Tarla is a Napa restaurant that specializes in cuisine from Turkey and Greece — making it the perfect spot if you have a craving for authentic spanakopita, fresh dolma or baba ghanoush. Many of their plates can be modified to be made gluten-free, too!
Tastes of Summer
Needless to say, I'll be coming back next year (and the year after that). There's something for everyone — whether you're vegan, paleo, vegetarian, hard-core carnivore — you name it. Plus, there's not only a massive variety of different foods, but a lot of high quality options, as proven by these killer vendors. If you want to taste your summer as much as you live it, this is the festival for you.