Photo credit: Permian Press staff

What happened: The 41st Taste of the Permian Basin brought more than 30 food booths to the Midland County Horseshoe on Thursday, Oct. 1, giving attendees a chance to sample dishes from local restaurants, food trucks, bakers, and student culinary programs.

Hosted by the Permian Basin chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association, the annual event raises money for local culinary programs and other causes while allowing patrons to enjoy good eats.

This event was a lot more fun than I expected. You walk into a room filled with booths from familiar names and new players, all with one goal: to impress you. I was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer amount of food. I had no idea where to start, or how I was supposed to try it all.

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Beyond the food, the evening featured an announcer interviewing vendors, karaoke (mostly used by the students), and a silent auction with some pretty amazing stuff, including homemade cakes up for live bidding.

One of the most entertaining parts of the night was watching vendors move around the room to sample each other’s food.

I love food, but I am a total chicken when it comes to trying unfamiliar things, so this night was a fun challenge.

The big picture: The highlight of the night was the culinary students representing Lee High, Midland High, Ector County ISD, Odessa College, and Glasscock County. Their food was phenomenal for their age, with excellent-sized portions and thoughtful plates.

Odessa College served pork belly with a tangy coleslaw on fried rice paper. I do not enjoy pork at all, but it was great, and their mini lobster rolls were a first for me and very tasty. Their dark chocolate truffles with cayenne had a good taste and a tiny little kick.

Lee served pulled pork with a flavorful barbecue sauce, pickled onion, and pepper jack cheese, plus a jalapeño popper dip with bacon and a street corn with the full fixings. Ector County ISD also brought some good options. Midland High’s selection was more limited and didn’t impress me as much as the other student tables.

Glasscock County led the barbecue, and I went back several times for their herbaceous tenderloin and beef crostinis with a horseradish sauce that had flavor without being too spicy. They also served a phenomenal grilled cheese made with brisket onion jam, smoked Gouda, pepper jack cheese, and pickled red onion.

Go deeper: Among the food trucks, Street Box and La Margarita’s both impressed with their chile verde, chile colorado, and carne guisada. Both spots were delicious, and you could not go wrong with either.

Limon con Chile was the hit of the night among the restaurants. You could choose from chipotle, habanero, or green chile sauce served with chips and topped with an egg cooked to order. It was definitely the most impressive menu selection in the room. Cork & Pig brought a tasty pastrami with melted cheese and coleslaw. Culligan provided water in nice tin bottles.

Desserts were the night’s weak spot. Buttermilk Sky had custard, pecan, and I-40 pies, the latter featuring a pecan base, chocolate chips, and coconut. The pecan was really good, but the other two were just fine, not especially memorable.

Some of the bigger restaurant names felt like missed opportunities. Texas Roadhouse brought their familiar rolls and mashed potatoes, which were good but not enough to draw a crowd. Mulberry Cafe offered chips and queso and chicken salad, while Rusty Taco also served chips and dips. The food wasn’t necessarily bad, but other vendors were serving more memorable dishes.

I’ve eaten at these restaurants before and know they can produce good food. I felt like their picks reflected the easiest dishes to serve a crowd rather than their best material.

Zoom out: Attendees voted for their favorite appetizer, entrée, dessert, and booth. School groups were not in the running, which is a shame, because I would have voted for several of the student plates.

Limon con Chile won both favorite appetizer and entrée, which I thought was well deserved. Flipped shared the appetizer award with their dragon fruit lemonade and also won favorite booth. I was surprised by the booth result because Tall City Brewery had a more elaborate display, while Flipped’s setup seemed relatively simple.

Buttermilk Sky took home the dessert award, and of the options actually on the ballot, they were definitely the right call.

The bottom line: Overall, this event was very fun to attend, and I would definitely encourage people to go next year, especially if you’re a food lover. If you’re more of a serious food critic type, this might not be for you. I would say the point of this event was to have a fun way to discover what restaurants you may have been overlooking in Midland.