AmericaJR.com [ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS: Attendees enjoy 3rd Annual Taste of La Quinta fundraiser ]

by Jason Rzucidlo

americajr@americajr.com

WATCH: Highlights of the 3rd Annual Taste of La Quinta fundraiser with interviews

LA QUINTA, Calif. -- The 3rd Annual Taste of La Quinta finally took place on Saturday afternoon after it was postponed on March 19 due to inclement weather. The special event drew not only local residents, but also tourists to the Coachella Valley, who were on spring break. It was a benefit for Shelter From the Storm and The Boys and Girls Club of La Quinta. All attendees received a commemorative wine glass and lanyard to hold it. More than 20 restaurants and 50 plus wines were available at the Taste of La Quinta.

"We have over 500 attendees," said Renee Woodward, director of design and communications at the La Quinta Chamber of Commerce. "We're so excited to have Bobby's Detroit Coney Island be a member and also to participate. We've sold out on a lot of our glasses and our lanyards. This is the first year that we've offered the lanyards for the first 500 people. Obviously, it's Easter weekend so you can take a positive spin on that. There's a lot of people in town."

Food tickets were $25 for 10 tastes. Wine tickets were $15 for five pours. All attendees who purchased wine tickets also received a commemorative wine glass and lanyard.

"It's our first time participating," explained Linda Locklear, co-owner of Bobby's Detroit Coney Island. "People are coming back three, four, five times to get their fix of coney dogs. This is all donated. The people come here and they buy tickets and they go around and sample food. Our sampling today is our hot dogs and chili. It's been non-stop, pretty busy. Stop by Bobby's Detroit Coney Island and try the best dogs in the valley."

The legendary Steve Madaio and Friends band provided the live entertainment throughout the afternoon.

"Sterling Sauvignon Blanc seems to be our best seller of the day," said Brian Sullivan, key account specialist at Pacific Wine & Spirits. "Typically, there's a lot more people. Maybe it's early. It's only 2 o'clock. We're doing well. It's going good. Today, I would say the white wines are going best. The vinay, chardonnay and sauvignon blanc by far. It's 85 degrees out. We're pouring a lot more of those than the reds."

All of the participating restaurants donated their food and wine because the event was a charity fundraiser.

"We've been here many times for the Taste of La Quinta," explained Melinda Deamon, a hostess at The Hog's Breath Inn. "We have a barbecued pulled pork slider. This is on our happy hour menu. It's one of our customers' absolute favorites. Our happy hour is everyday from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. I thought the turnout was pretty nice today. It was a little bit warm today, but we had a lot of people coming through and enjoying themselves."

Sarah King, another hostess, added: "This is my first time here yes, but the restaurant no. We had a lot of people coming back for seconds and thirds. We did good. We are located in Old Town La Quinta 78065 Main Street. We're in the Carmel building and we're on the second floor."

The following restaurants participated in the 3rd Annual Taste of La Quinta: Adobe Grill, Applebee's, Bobby's Detroit Coney Island, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Desert Sage, El Ranchito, Ernie's Bar & Grill, Juliette's Bakery, La Quinta Olive Oil Co, Lamppost Pizza and Louise's Pantry.

"It is my first time here," said Jody Tague, an attendee from Cathedral City, Calif. "It's a beautiful day to be here, that's for certain. I love it, it's great. You can take a walk and eat and drink at the same time. It's exercise and eating, it's fantastic, my two favorite things. I just got here. I only had the hot dog and chili and that was delicious. I've got nine more tastings to go. This is a pinot grigio wine. It's something new I tried. Cheers!"

Additional restaurants that took part in the special event include Red Robin, Rosati's Pizzeria, Rock-n-Baja Cantina, Rose Amarillo's, Schlotzskys, Solano's Bistro, Souplanation, Stuft Pizza Bar & Grill, The Grill on Main, The Hog's Breath Inn and TWENTY6.

"I came here last year too," explained Rob Tanner, an attendee from Palm Desert, Calif. "I had two pieces of pizza, pulled pork, carrot cake, meatballs and then I had some white wine and red wine. All very good. This new wine contraption is pretty nice. It's very convenient and very drinker friendly. I'm very impressed. Everything is priced good."

The 3rd Annual Taste of La Quinta ran from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on April 7 in the city's Old Town District.

"A Slice of La Quinta 2012" is the La Quinta Chamber of Commerce's next special event. It will be a mixer featuring a pizza tasting contest. Costco, Domino's, Hogs Breath Inn, Jake's Pizza, Rosati's Pizza and Stuft Bar & Grill are all participating. It will take place at Hyundai of La Quinta at 79025 Hwy. 111 in La Quinta, Calif. on Wednesday, April 25 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

For more information about the Taste of La Quinta, visit www.lqchamber.com/pdf/taste-of-la-quinta.pdf