Peppers Cali-Ente is a new booth this year, and in our opinion it is a great addition. Both of the food items made it into our Top 7 new items from this year’s festival.
Jalapeño Popper Mac & Cheese with Bacon, $7.50
Both of the mac and cheese offerings this year were quite different from last year. We sorely missed the French Onion Mac & Cheese, but this was a great replacement. The French fried jalapenos were the perfect spicy accompaniment to the creamy cheese and crunchy bacon. They weren’t too spicy – even the older children in our group enjoyed this dish.
Verlasso™ Sustainable Salmon Peruvian Poke with a Cucumber-Lime Salad and Aju Verde Salsa, $7.50
The salmon poke would be the number one new item at many other events, which speaks to the overall quality of the California Food and Wine event. Available at “Peppers Cali-ente” and served with Cucumber-Lime Salad and Ajl Verde Salsa, this spicy and wonderfully fresh dish is an absolute must for anyone attending the event.
Lime Margarita with Jalapeño Garnish, $12.50
A respectable lime margarita with a lot of spice thanks to the jalapeños. I find it hard to believe it is just a garnish since this definitely had a kick to it.
Watermelon Lemonade (non-alcoholic), with optional Habanero Sugar & Chili-Lime Half-Rim, $5.00
While this is a nice flavored lemonade, what makes it amazing is the spicy sugar rim. It really packs a late-hitting punch (which is avoidable if you use the straw, but you won’t want to). I wish this rim was also on the lime margarita.
