Tiffany L.
Yelp
Learned about the Preview Party thanks to Menu of Menus, and really enjoyed the offerings. The event itself was free but they did ask for a $10 donation to the Houston Blue's Society, but yay for a good cause, and they also provided the live entertainment!
Traffic was quite annoying so couldn't get there till 20 minutes to close but it was almost better as the vendors were trying to almost give away their products! Samples of nasopure, fruit infused water, alcohol, smoked salmon jerky, BBQ pulled pork, cake, cheese, ramen, kickin'kombucha, sushi rolls, lentil chips, salsa, Oriya, Gluten Free Whole Note Baking Mixes, BeeSweet Tea and Dark Chocolate were all provided.
This was really a unique experience as I enjoyed talking to the vendors, hearing their stories/passion for how their products came about, and of course sampling everything!
I was really excited to try the ramen but wasn't too hopeful...the vegetarian broth was way too salty but I liked the cubes of tofu. Whole Foods version of the Tonkatsu was a bit better, but the broth wasn't truly tonkatsu, but more like a nice pork broth. The pork was actually the same pulled pork tried earlier with the BBQ which was fairly tender, but definitely not the traditional thinly sliced pieces of meat.
Out of all the rolls sampled, my favorite would be the tempura battered shrimp and tuna roll, they also had one with brown rice but it tasted a bit too healthy, maybe yummier with some guac?
I won't highlight the same products Liz N. covered but I agree that BeeSweet Lemonade is such an inspirational tale and the Whole Note Baking Mixes are quite an exceptional mix for those suffering with Celiac. In addition I would also check out Oriya, a plant based, all natural protein that is gonna be on sale at least the first week of opening, so definitely try it!
Overall, I loved how we got to preview the new grocery store, and can't wait for its opening on Wednesday! Also, pet lovers rejoice as Friday's is yappy hour on the patio from 5-7 PM!