It was 96° degrees in the shade yesterday at the 17th Street Farmer’s Market, but thousands of people showed up for the second annual Richmond Bacon Festival. With all those bacon lovers gathered in one place, I felt the love! Dozens of restaurants and confectioners had set up booths peddling bacon-flavored drinks, bacon-flavored candy and everything in between. Due to a tight schedule, I had time to sample only a small portion of the delicacies available, but every morcel I ate was delicious. The saying is true: Everything is better with bacon.
The pepper-bacon concoction pictured to the left was spicy and very tasty … but, I must say, a bit over-priced for $4. That translated into $1 per bite (or $.50 per nibble). While I do share the view that bacon is the main ingredient of the ambrosia of the gods, there are limits to how much I’m willing to pay even for ambrosia.
The pork taco seen at right was more satisfying. Strictly speaking, pork is not bacon. But it’s close enough. This taco was delicious, and there was enough of it to stick to the ribs.
The best tasting confection (no photo, alas) might best be described as a gourmet hot pocket — crispy bacon and cheddar cheese baked inside a hardball-sized piece of bread with a slightly crusty exterior. Hmm hmm good.
Some people think of the hamburger as the quintessentially American food. To be sure, burgers are yummy but there’s not much room for subtlety or nuance in the preparation of a burger. By contrast, bacon lends itself to infinite experimentation. As the foodie culture continues its take-over of American cuisine, I expect to see ever more bacon-driven innovation. Three hundred and sixty-four days seems way too long to wait until the next festival!
— JAB
