Tutto Italiano

Ok. My second trip to the Taste was a solo project. It was the 3rd of July and I knew what I was in for.

The next big shift in attitude toward the Taste happens in your 20’s. That’s when you can finally legally drink there. They don’t make it easy on you. Alcohol is 8-10 tickets and always increasing. Also, for domestic it’s excessive. But when you’re young, you buy it. Or you sneak it in. (Again Mom…other people) Then, going to the Taste becomes what you do at night, and in your 20’s, you are hardly ever there before 5pm. You and the crew get a bunch of food and find a shady spot to chill. This is the Taste at its best. Now, not only don’t you care about the old (over 30) people, but you really don’t care about the teens. You can be on your own little world with your friends. I used to go in my 20s and just take pictures by myself until my friends arrived. Those were some of the best days of my life. I tried to channel my 20 something self but you can’t go home again. Also, there was no light at the end of the rainbow, because none of my friends were crazy enough to come out on the 3rd of July. And I thought I was the smart one.

Crowds are the name of the game and they did not disappoint me.

My first place to hit was Tutto Italiano.

This is a Steak Burger with blue cheese and a mustard sauce. They had assembling these down to a science it being the 3rd and all. This evening was nonstop action. One set comes off and another goes on without a break in the action. It is a marvel to watch though sometimes the burger looked a bit incomplete.

This was my burger with the mustard sauce and smattering of lettuce. But hey, on the 3rd presentation may fall short. That’s ok. It was a decent burger. The seasoning was pretty good, flavorful and not too peppery. The grill took care of adding additional flavor. Also points can’t be lost for the generic patty. I had to ask for additional blue cheese (dressing). That was ok, and they did not complain. The mustard is on the bottom and it was hard enough getting this shot without dropping anything, so I opted not to try.

The meat was very good. The blue cheese was a great addition but the extra was necessary. Lettuce tied it together nicely, but the mustard was a bit lost. The bun was pretty good; a bit big for the burger even with drowning it in blue cheese sauce. The blue cheese was thick and did not soak the bun like the BBQ did. But to Tutto’s credit, they remembered the venue. For a burger that I had to eat standing up in a park with 500,000 of my closest friends, the bun did its job.

Now for the all too familiar refrain…why isn’t it a destination burger? All together now, because you can’t get it again. Yes this was created specifically for the Taste and is not available in the restaurant. Still, it may be around next year. When I asked, they said they did not know yet. If it is, check it out. It was a good food experience from a great restaurant.