Del Mar Grill Fest

Who doesn’t love good BBQ? The smell of smoked meat can be detected from miles away. It’s intoxicating, captivating. You can see the passion for food in BBQ. People slaving over the grill- mopping, turning, controlling temperature spikes. Food is such a beautiful thing. Stick a few of our local expert grillers at a venue like the Del Mar racetracks, and you got one heck of a food party. The first annual Del Mar Grill Fest featured small samplings of local BBQ caterers and restaurants.

Cali Comfort
I took a girlfriend along because I couldn’t possibly eat all this food by myself, and trust me! We left this event completely stuffed. Just look at what we started out with: Tri tip sliders from Cali Comfort. The meat was tender and cut thin. It didn’t even need the BBQ sauce. I LOVE BBQ sauce, though, especially sweet ones like this one. The Cali Comfort BBQ sauce has plenty of sugar and a good blend of spices.

Jake’s Del Mar

They had a fun set up. Sand and lawn chairs, a surfboard and beach ball. We tried their veggie spring rolls and spicy sauce. I can see how some people would not like this spicy sauce. For my Mexican tongue, I like it hot. Spring rolls were very much enjoyed, considering all the meat we were eating.

Cowboy West Production
These guys know how to make pulled pork- soft and tender. Their BBQ sauce is heavy on the smoky side and went perfectly with the pork spices. They were also jamming out to country tunes. I felt like I need a cowboy hat and a horse. When in Rome… or in Del Mar??? LOL.

Slaters 50/50
50% bacon 50% beef and a runny egg on top. Hands down the best thing at the Grill Fest! And it showed. There was a long line just to get a bite of this burger. Very juicy and pink in the center because of all the bacon in it. I would have gone back for seconds if I had had room. Oooof! So much food.

Oceanaire
Oyster Rockefeller. Oysters, bacon, and bread crumbs. I will hold my tongue here. (Pun intended). I have eaten at their restaurant before and had a good experience.