Featured Fit: Taste of the Nation HotList 2014

This past Monday was our 4th year in a row attending the Taste of the Nation HotList event at the Guthrie Theater!

You can read about the past two years HERE and HERE. I pulled up some pictures from those past years too, as well as the 2011 event, which was pre-blog.

2011 Taste of the Nation Hotlist:

2012 Taste of the Nation Hotlist:

2013 Taste of the Nation Hotlist:

...and then the 2014 Taste of the Nation HotList!

I wore an old dress that I bought for my younger sister's wedding rehearsal dinner in 2011. An oldie, but I think it still works..here's a picture from that event back in 2011.

The event started at 7 pm, and featured small bites from many different restaurants (including restaurants that haven't even opened yet!)

Here's more information from the event website:

Honorary Chef Chair Tim McKee invites you to the Guthrie Theater on June 23 to sample the Twin Cities' hottest food and drink trends at Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation Minneapolis HOTlist. Chefs will offer portions of their very best dishes for you to sample, and bartenders will shake up unique cocktails and pour fine wine and beer for your enjoyment. Whose cuisine will reign supreme? Cast your vote for your favorite dish of the night to decide.

We're thrilled to feature an incredible lineup of local restaurants committed to Share Our Strength's vision of ending childhood hunger. HOTlist 2014 will again feature a silent auction filled with delightful packages and unique experiences. You can also enjoy great music, dancing, and scenic views of the Mississippi river.

Your ticket includes all food, a full beverage program featuring beer, wine, cocktails & non-alcoholic beverages, and great entertainment. Guests will also have the opportunity to bid on unique and one-of-a-kind items in the evening's silent auction and more. 

We had a great evening hanging out with the few friends that also attended this year (such as the below couple!)

We enjoyed tasting all the awesome dishes...

  

...and we imbibed in a few cocktails from local mixologists as well.

Eventually, we found ourselves reviewing all the silent auction items.  If you recall, last year, I won the wardrobe consultation with A la Mode Wardrobe Consulting, which I absolutely loved (read more about it HERE and HERE) so I was hoping to have good luck again this time around.

Luck was on our side. 

We did end up winning some really great items, such as an immersion blender! Yay!

It was a nice event, and I am sure we will go back next year. It is fun and for a good cause. And I always love the view from the Guthrie!

However, I do have one small complaint. A lot of the restaurants were running out of food by 8:15! The event was supposed to go from 7-10. We arrived at 7:15, and didn't even get to try all the restaurants because they were out of food by the time we made our way around.  I hope that next year they plan a little better for the crowds!

Featured Fit: Taste of the Nation's HotList!

By Cool J in Minneapolis

I've done a few posts about different Taste of the Nation events that my husband and I have attended in the past year or two (check out THIS POST, THIS POST, and THIS POST), and last night was another great event put on by this charity. It was the Taste of the Nation- HotList!

What's the HotList? Only one of the most fun events in Minneapolis!

"The top chefs and mixologists in the Twin Cities are banning together to host an evening of fabulous food, drinks, music and prizes – all in the name of fighting childhood hunger." 

source

This awesome event was held at the beautiful Guthrie Theater along the Mississippi River.

Tickets were $75/piece, but that $75 got you tons of small plates from some of the best local restaurants. Name a restaurant, and it was probably there! La Belle Vie, Barbette, Be'Wiched, Bradstreet Crafthouse, Brasa, Bryant Lake Bowl, Butcher & the Boar, Chino Latino, Cosmos, Forepaugh's, Gather, the Gray House, Icehouse, the Lynn on Bryant, Marin, Masu Sushi & Robata, Petite Sweets, Salty Tart, Sea Change, the Strip Club, and Sun Street Breads...so many amazing chefs cooking up so many delectable bites.

La Belle Vie's unique course

Each attendee received a "voting" card to vote on their favorite restaurant. Personally, I voted for Bradstreet Crafthouse, who was serving up a small french toast bite topped with pork belly, peanut butter, and syrup. Sounds funky, but it was so yummy! The winner of the night (with the most votes) was Salty Tart with banana creme dessert.

In addition to all the great food, there was a wide assortment of signature cocktails, a "wine ring toss" (I won a huge bottle!) and a silent auction.

In fact, I went a little crazy on the silent auction, winning ALL THREE items on which I bid. I went home with a Blush Beauty Room goodie bag (lots of Bare Minerals makeup inside), a gift basket and $100 gift card to Ollu Dog Salon, and my favorite item...drumroll please...

A $300 gift card to A la Mode Wardrobe Consultants! 

I cannot wait to schedule my wardrobe consultation, though I'm not 100% sure what it will entail. I hope to find out soon. But a friend of mine won a similar one at last year's Hotlist. She said the consultant came to her house to review her closet, had her pick out her favorite outfits and explain why they were her favorites, and then took her shopping, pulling outfits from lots of stores that she feels will flatter and enhance her personal style. She could choose what she wanted to buy. What a fabulous idea! And all for a good cause, right?

So, yes, the event was such a blast! I wore a Shoshanna dress that  I had actually purchased for my friend's wedding in Mexico last year...remember this picture?

This time I paired the dress with a pair of Nine West polka dot heels and silver J.Crew necklace.

There were so many cute outfits at this event, on friends and on strangers. I was especially happy to see that some of them were even items from my Fashion Swap in April.

Susie's dress used to be mine!

And Julia's dress (on the far right) was also from the swap. I loved the gold on her!

The men looked pretty darn handsome too, didn't they?

I had such a fun evening, eating all the scrumptious food and catching up with friends. It was a beautiful night (except the mosquitoes out on the infinity bridge).

...Stay tuned for my Wardrobe Consultation in a few weeks!