Taste the World in Fenton Village returns on Sunday, May 4, 2014 for the 4th annual event that spotlights the diversity of restaurants south of Downtown Silver Spring. The event is 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., with a raffle at 5:30 p.m.
This family-friendly “restaurant crawl” offers $2 - $5 sample appetizers and tasting plates with international flavors. Rain or shine, 30 Fenton Village restaurants will welcome event attendees to sample their diverse cuisines and cultures at the same time.
The participating restaurants are Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant, The Big Greek Café, Bombay Gaylord, Fenton Café, Fire Station 1 Restaurant, Gebeta Ethiopian Restaurant, Ghar-E-Kabob, Golden House, The Greek Place, Jackie’s Restaurant, Kaldi’s Coffee Bar, Kefa Café, La Madeleine Country French Café , Langano Ethiopian Restaurant, Lesaac Ethiopian Café , Lotus Café, and Lucy’s Ethiopian Restaurant.
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Also, Mandarin Restaurant, Manny & Olga’s Pizza, Odalis Bar and Restaurant, Pacci’s Neapolitan Pizzeria, Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza , Piratz Tavern, Roger Miller Restaurant, Society, Thai Derm, Thai Market, Urban Butcher, Vicino Ristorante Italiano, and Zed’s Café.
Taste the World in Fenton Village is different from other food-themed festivals. Instead of browsing vendors in one central place, participants actually walk the community and enter the businesses to enjoy the fare and the atmosphere. For example, you can:
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- Ask the sisters Lene and Abeba in Kefa Café about their “Best of Fenton Village” certificate and check out the mural on their alley wall;
- Feel the rhythm at Odalis Bar and Restaurant and know immediately why this is a “go-to” venue for the area’s Latino families;
- Savor the scents of spices and special ingredients that attract chefs and foodies to the Thai Market—part specialty marketplace and part eat-in lunch and dinner spot;
- Delight in the Ethiopian/African ambiance at Abysinnia, a venue at the crossroads between the Arabian Peninsula and the African continent that fills the senses with a potpourri of color, sounds and aromas; and
- Experience the 26 other restaurants, each one offering patrons a unique experience.
Pick up your free event “passport” at the Main Stage located at the public parking Lot 3 off Fenton between Thayer and Silver Spring avenues. Or start at the Yelp stage at the corner of Georgia and Sligo avenues.
There's plenty of free parking in nearby garages, and the site is walkable from the Silver Spring Metro Station.
Beyond the great restaurant adventure, Taste the World will feature free music and entertainment on two stages; information tables from local sponsors; free tours and talks about Silver Spring history at the Historic B&O station; and a raffle with exciting prizes.
Get your Taste the World passport stamped by at least three participating restaurants, and turn it in back at the starting point for a chance to win prizes. Participating restaurants are mapped on the passport you will receive and will be marked with balloons and signs.
The raffle Grand Prize is a “Weekend for 2 in Silver Spring,” which features an exciting package of car service, hotel stay, dinner, entertainment, and breakfast or lunch.
Title Sponsors for the 2014 event are Montgomery County, Silver Spring Urban District, Yelp, All The Hits 107.3, United Therapeutics, Pepco, Insight Property Group/Fenwick Apartments, The Blairs, and local realtor Suzy Zusy.
Event Sponsors are Donohoe and Linowes & Blocher, and Taster Sponsors are Capital One, Dr. Glee and Landex. All The Hits 107.3 (WRQX) and online guide Yelp have signed on as the event’s first-ever media sponsors.
During Taste the World and every day of the year, Fenton Village offers metro area families and visitors a unique dining experience—all within a five-block area often called the “hidden gem of Silver Spring.”
The Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board and Silver Spring Town Center, Inc. co-host this volunteer-driven annual event in collaboration with local small business owners and with the support of corporate sponsors and government. The first Taste the World in Fenton Village was held in 2011.
Maps, lists of restaurants and sponsors, and other details and updates will be available at tastetheworld.fentonvillage.org and facebook.com/Fenton Village. Also, please follow us on Twitter at @TasteOfFenton.
