If there’s ever a time to throw a diet out of the window, April in Houston is it! Every year my husband and I go to Sugar Land Wine and Food Affair’s Sip & Stroll held on a mid-April Saturday at an outdoor venue in Sugar Land, Texas. This intimate wine and food festival draws local restaurants and beverage distributors into strategically placed tents and tables and allows each of them to showcase one (or two) top blissful taste of heaven. The lines move fast, the food is incredible, and the wine is liberally poured.
We’re early birds, so we like to get there the moment it opens and systematically work our way around the venue. Sip & Strollers aren’t pushy here, maybe it’s suburban hospitality or the fact that the event is small enough and long enough to try everything.
Some distributors, such as Hendrick’s Gin, bring lavish displays. This year I fell in love with the brilliant marketing game brought by Hendrick’s Gin, with their nouveau-Edwardian hipster vibe. Their motorcycle and cucumber sidecar was on point!
I always love seeing Texas wines featured at festivals. At Sip & Stroll, we spotted (and tasted) Llano and Flat Creek Estate wines. Flat Creek is one of my favorite Texas wineries!
A short list of the tents/tables we found remarkable (arranged from left to right, top to bottom, click image for higher resolution) included below: Texas de Brazil, Ragin Cajun, Nothing Bundt Cake, Soto’s Kitchen, Cafe Piquet, Piada Italian Street Food, Catering to Your Taste Buds, Lawless Spirits & Kitchen (Sambuca), Guerrilla Gourmet, Mosset Wine & Grille, and Eric’s (Hilton at University of Houston).
Also remarkable (double stacked and arranged from left to right, top to bottom, click image for higher resolution) included below: Songkran Thai Grill, BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, Anco Fine Cheese, P.F. Chang’s, Sprinkles, Kiolbassa, and Blaze Pizza.
And finally a little spice (click image for higher resolution): Big Ben Tavern
Needless to say, after this event, I needed a nap…and maybe a half marathon!
Next: Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair (Part 2: Grand Tasting & Bistro Brunch)