See also: Scottsdale Culinary Festival Burger Battle: Here Are The 2015 Winners
Within the picnic were exclusive events such as the Southwest Festival of Beers, the Campari North American Spirit Tour, and the VIP Passport to the Picnic, all of which can be experienced for an additional cost. The Epicurean Expo, held inside the Center for the Performing Arts, was open to all general admission attendees, and featured kitchenware displays and live chef demos throughout the day. We visited the GAP to see just what the event had in store for food lovers across the Valley.
After scoping out our options for a good while, we noticed some appetizing looking dishes coming from the Roka Akor booth and jumped in line. Though the line was one of the longest at the festival, it moved quickly as there were only three items offered.
We settled upon the Robata salmon, "robata" meaning grilled on a skewer in Japanese. The salmon was topped with teriyaki sauce and a pickled cucumber and carrot slaw. Sadly, what looked like a delicious fish dish turned out to be overcooked. The salmon was dry and sub par, salvaged only slightly by the sauce and garnishing of pickled slaw. It seemed that in order to keep up with the continual inflow of orders, quality was sacrificed for quantity in preparing this dish.
