Taste of Berkley Preview: Restaurants to Entice Customers with Specialties

After a very successful last year, Taste of Berkley is back again Thursday night.

The 21-and-older food and wine event is 6-9 p.m. at the . The cost is $25 per person and all proceeds go to Berkley-Huntington Woods Youth Assistance.

Here's a sneak peek at the participating vendors and what treats are in store:

Crispelli’s

, which , is part bakery and part pizzeria that features old-world Italian specialties such as stone oven baked pizza and a few Michigan inspired dishes like their Michigan salad and Detroit style deep dish pizza. It also has a full menu of freshly made artisan breads and Italian pastries.

At Taste of Berkley, Chef Steve Lindemier said he will be handing out plates of his prosciutto carpaccio appetizer, which is thinly sliced prosciutto with parmigiano reggiano cheese and arugula and white bean salads.

“It’s something we sell at restaurant and it’s suitable for a grazing function,” Lindemier said. “It’s also very representative of what we do at the restaurant.”

Hogger’s BBQ

has been serving up Southern barbecue specialties for almost three years and won the Berkley Chili Cook Off last fall.

“We use all our own recipes and make everything in house, including our homemade barbecue sauces,” Hogger’s owner Jane Lamcaster said.

For Taste of Berkley, Lamcaster said she will be showcasing Hogger's pulled pork sliders and chicken barbecue sliders, which are its specialty items. Their ribs are very popular, she said.

Butterfly Bake Shoppe

specializes in customized cakes, cookies, muffins and other sweets that are made fresh each day with as many Michigan products as possible.

Butterfly owner Dawn Schwanke said she will be bringing a little sample of her lemon bars and Hungarian torte along with cupcakes and decorated cookies to this year’s Taste of Berkley.

“They are probably the things people come to our shop and enjoy most,” she said. “They are kind of our specialty items.”

Butterfly Bake Shoppe was voted for best bakery.

O’Mara’s Irish Restaurant

Downtown Berkley’s specializes in traditional Irish fare such as Shepherd’s pie and corned beef and cabbage, but has an extensive menu featuring American favorites and vegetarian items as well. You can also find Irish whiskey, St. Patty’s coffee (a blend of O’Mara’s Irish Crème, Kahlua and whipped cream) and other Irish-themed drinks.

For Taste of Berkley, O’Mara’s manager Lewis Sawyer said it will bring tequila shrimp and Bordelaise meatballs, which are specialty items not on its main menu.

“We thought they’re something different and we wanted to pick food that traveled well and could sit out for a few hours,” Sawyer explained. “We had the best food last year and we want to have the best food again this year. Everyone has meatballs, but ours are the best.”

Coffee Beanery

The has an extensive menu of coffee varieties made with its signature blend coffee and other drinks such as signature hot cocoa, hot specialty teas and assorted fruit smoothie flavors. It also serves made-to-order breakfast sandwiches, toasted signature sandwiches, specialty wraps and salads.

The Beanery’s owner Dan Clealy said he will be serving its signature Beanery blend coffee and Caesar turkey wraps at Taste of Berkley.

“We are trying to get as much customer awareness of what food we have to offer,” Clealy explained about why he chose to bring turkey wraps. “Most people know us for beverages, but we have sandwiches and salads that are all made fresh, too.”

Blarney Stone Pub

The has the traditional pub feel with a large bar, spacious booths and beer and drink menu. What makes it unique in the pub world is its full menu that was recently expanded with burgers and pizza.

Blarney Stone manager Bo Burton said the pub is best known for its Susie Q Fish & Chips, the dish that made the old Woodward diner famous. For Taste of Berkley, Burton said it will be serving its barbecue ribs and cornbread, which he said are also quite popular.

“We always get good reviews on both of those items,” Burton said. “We twice-bake the ribs in our homemade barbecue sauce so they’re really tender.”

The pub was a for best place to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.

Mr. Kabob Mediterranean Cuisine

serves up homemade Middle Eastern cuisine such as chicken shawarma pita wraps and falafel. Its stuffed grape leaves are also handmade by “Momma” each day.

“What makes us stand out is our food quality,” restaurant manager Sam Gully said. “We use the freshest vegetables and most tender meat and that’s what people come back for.”

Gully said it will bring its original and red pepper hommous and garlic spread with pita bread for people at Taste of Berkley to try.

Elwin & Company

in downtown Berkley specializes in homemade baked goods, and is known for its award-winning scones. The scones come in a wide variety from sweet to savory, and there are also fat-free and reduced-fat flavors as well. The bakery has been family owned and operated since 1990.

Elwin’s owner Elwin Greenwald said he will bring to Taste of Berkley samples of his breads, cookies and scones. The bread flavors will be cranberry orange walnut, banana walnut, pumpkin with dried cherries and pecans and zucchini raisin. The cookies varieties will be sugar, oatmeal raisin, chocolate chunk and its fancy smanshy cherry (dried maraschino cherries and chocolate with a glaze). The scones will be savory spinach and cheddar, raspberry white chocolate, blueberry, cinnamon twist and chocolate chip.

“These are probably are most popular flavors,” Greenwald said. “They’re also really colorful when displayed in baskets.”

Greenwald also said he would have Elwin’s spring/summer soup menu available for people to look at.

Farina’s Banquet Center

has been a family owned catering service for more than 25 years. It offers a range of breakfast, lunch, dinner and hors d'oeuvres buffets with items such as homemade Italian sausage, sliced slow roasted sirloin of beef with a rich burgundy wine sauce and potatoes farina (lightly seasoned and roasted redskins with its secret family recipe.)

For Taste of Berkley, general manager Brooke Holdman said Farina's will serve Italian and Polish sausage, redskin potatoes and two cold salads.

“We wanted to do a mini-taste of Farina,” Holdman explained. “We are really excited about doing this event again this year because we had a great time doing it last year.”

The Lunch Café

specializes in made-to-order sandwiches, wraps and salads and homemade soups and salad dressings. The business, owned by Berkley resident Cinda Coon, uses a local roaster’s coffee brew called the “The Lunch Café” or TLC blend to make its coffee drinks.

The café's manager, Angela Coon, said it will be serving samples of its Michigan salad, chicken salad, skinny jimmy sandwich, chicken caprese sandwich and lemon limeade at Taste of Berkley.

“These are all our good sellers and the limeade is awesome,” Coon said. “We are a great place to go for lunch because all our food is affordable and everything is yummy and these items show that.”

Amici’s Pizza

is a certified green restaurant that features gourmet pizzas, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free varieties. It focuses on using the freshest ingredients to create unique flavor combinations and source as much of its produce locally.

“We hand pick all the ingredients that go into our sauces,” co-owner Jennifer Stark explained. “That makes us different from every other pizza place.”

Stark said Amici's will be having its roasted garlic and portabella pizza, spinach, gorgonzola and garlic pizza, arugula, goat cheese and walnut pizza and traditional sausage and pepperoni pizza available for sampling at Taste of Berkley.