bacon. bAcOn. BaCoN. BACON.  Have we got you excited yet?!  We went to the 3rd Annual LA Bacon Fest this past weekend put on by Drink Eat Play (with a name like that it’s like it was meant to be, right?) and it was, to say the least, AWESOME. All you can eat bacon dishes and all you can drink beer.  You may as well just stop reading the article now and set a calendar reminder (no but really, keep going please)…

At Paramount Studios on their “New York” street, the locale was super fun and really had you feelin’ that city life.  When we bought tickets months ago (yes the general tickets sell out, so get em’ early) we didn’t even care what restaurants and breweries were going to be featured (all we cared about were the words “bacon” and “festival” together), so we were stoked to see the variety; some of the hottest, newest, classics and anticipated eateries were all there.  There were 2 DJ’s: one mixing R&B, the other spinning some oldies but goodies, and with the free flowing brew you better believe people were hitting the dance floor (we may or may not have had plates in our hands while we got down).  There were also photo booths with fun props that you couldn’t just pass by without making a pit stop.

The crowd consisted of bacon-lovers of all ages with an emphasis on dudes.  And not your typical health nut, vegan, gluten-free LA man. Real men. Who love to eat… and eat a lot.  Alex even said “I feel like I could find my future husband here“. We definitely see more food festivals in our future.  Oh, and outside were the protesters. #sorryimnotsorry.What was awesome (if the bottomless booze and food wasn’t enough) was that most of the stands had their Exec chefs on-site doing the cooking and meeting the crowd. It was nice to be able to chat them up in a laid-back setting.

That being said, I’m pretty sure we’re still full. Between the two of us, we tried at least a bite of EVERYTHING (yes it was rough but someone had to give you the scoop — you’re welcome).  And YES we’re going back next year and we hope to see you there… Just make sure not to eat anything before…or have any dinner plans later that day (Alie made that mistake this year — amateur).

WOOD & VINE – bacon chili. We didn’t love Wood &Vine the last time we went for dinner, but we’d give it a second chance if it means eating this again.

MENDOCINO FARMS – cubano – Smokehouse Pulled Pork, Prime Honey Ham, Creamy Mojo Sauce, and Mendos Pickles. Take your next lunch break and head over to your nearest Mendocino Farms.

BIG WANGS – bacon wrapped blue cheese tater tot. I mean, yea.

SMOKE CITY MARKET – bacon and pulled pork sliders. And it had coleslaw in it. This had to be one of the best sammies of the day.

TOMS URBAN – pork belly tacos. The perfect proportions and temperatures on everything. And that’s hard at a festival so we can’t wait to see them in their restaurant.

BELLY & SNOUT – a shot of pork, fried egg, red onion, chicharron, green onions, and garlic crema. This was one shot of happiness we can’t wait to take and again.

DOG HAUS – one pork slider of deliciousness.

BLING BLING DUMPLING – bacon cheeseburger dumpling. genius.

ICE QUE  – not sure if we would venture to Alhambra for this, but it was the perfect bacony sweetness to end our trip on.

 

We’ll keep you posted on next year’s date. General admission ticket- $75.  And be honest with yourself, uber there.