An amazing aroma had already filled the air when I entered Uplands “Taste of the IE”. I waded through a sea of white umbrellas, each one enticing me with a delicious entrée, dessert, or drink. Plate in hand, I made my first stop at “Qdoba Mexican Grill” and tried their “Mango Salad Sampler.” A sweet, and slightly spiced, mango salsa was placed on top of a chopped roasted chicken salad. Judging by how many people went back for seconds, I wasn’t the only one who found this to be a winning combination.
Standing nearby were the guys from “Dale Brothers Brewery”, offering a choice of their “Pomona Queen” Amber Lager or “California Black Beer” Dark Lager (which is actually a pretty light tasting beer). Obviously beer lovers, the guys kept the crowd entertained as they poured generous cups of their full-bodied brews.
“The Sand Witch Shop” served up their famous sandwiches, as well as some rich Broccoli Cheese and tasty Chicken Noodle soup. “Gold Standard Catering” challenged them with their tender pork sandwich with coleslaw, and “Maniac Mikes Café” showed off their homemade chowder.
Pizza was plentiful! “Shakeys” ,“Papa Johns”, and even “The Pizza Factory”. “Claros Italian Markets” added fresh angel hair pasta, mushrooms, and green olives to my plate. Claros is one of the few authentic Italian Delis in the Inland Empire, and definitely worth checking out. I grabbed a glass of wine from “Liquorama”, to finish off my Italian feast!
My night ended with a creamy tiramisu from “Dolce Café & Bakery”, and a “Buffalo Chicken” cupcake from “{Desi}gn Cakes & Cupcakes”. The Buffalo Chicken cupcake is a polenta cake with ranch cream cheese frosting, topped with a buttermilk chicken bite and a touch of hot sauce. An amazing blend of sweet and salty invaded my senses and then erupted when I tasted the hot sauce. I grabbed a sampler cup of coffee from “Café Milagroso”, and somehow waddled my way home already looking forward to next year’s event!
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