Devoured Culinary Classic is an annual two day event that takes place at the Phoenix Art Museum. This is Arizona’s biggest food festival that also includes wine, beer and local food artisans.

Just like most years pork is heavily featured. Lines were short. Water was available and rest rooms were fresh, clean and well maintained.

In the reception room there are several food artisans that welcome you before you actually attend the festival. One was AJ’s Fine Food that made a vegetable and pasta quiche topped with a shrimp. It was very hardy and if you ate it all you wouldn’t be hungry.  Usually AJ’s offers an eye dazzling spread of desserts but this year they donated the take home wine glasses and bottled water to the devoured event and of course offered quiche.

Other reception room offerings included-

Aloha cakes

Heavenly sweets

Fluff it gourmet marshmallows

Cookie Girl Cookies

And More

Now the clock turns to that magic time of 11:30 and the doors open to the general admission and I get to attend the festival. I do note I am not a professional food critic so I can eat what I want. I chose to skip some things and only tried what I thought I might like. I didn’t try everything I photoed so it’s possible I missed some gems.

The Clever Koi was my first stop and I tried their version of teriyaki short rib with daikon kimchi. My piece was marbled with more fat than I can tolerate.  My husband’s piece was less fatty than what I had. I picked the wrong sample for me.

Aioli Gourmet Burgers is a food truck that set up here and made Italian Style Cheese burgers with pancetta and mozzarella cheese. The people there were very pleasant and conversational.

The most stunning plate was the salad from St Frances. This was among my favorites of the day. It just made me happy to look at it and I enjoyed the impossible to find glacier lettuce in the salad. This really was a joy to eat.

The Dhaba offered Tikka Masala, Muttar Paneer and a beverage. The food seemed toned down in flavor from the last time I tried their food but it was still good.

The best of what I tried came from Binkley’s. It didn’t look special but it was perfection. Smooth velvety mushroom soup with a truffle foam. I actually went back to have a second serving of this soup because it was so fantastic.

I skipped over The Vig but it was nice that they made two offerings of crab salad and bacon wrapped chilis.

One of my husband’s favorite bites came from Lon’s at the Hermosa. It was Pork Mangalitsa over sweet corn bread.

Lon’s at the Hermosa also offered salad.

One of my husband’s other favorites was the pork belly tacos from Otro Cafe.

Pork Tostadas from the Sierra Bonita Grill and-

Chicken Tortilla Soup that was rich with tortillas.

Tavern America offered salads topped with duck confit. I didn’t try this one but my husband said the duck meat was on the dry side.

T Cooks offered Pickled Beets with Goat Cheese and-

Bourbon Bacon Cookies

North Italia offered Pork Agnolotti that were generous in size.

Simple but nicely executed bacon wrapped shrimp from the newly opened Desert Rose Steakhouse.

Urban Beans made Deconstructed Tamales. Usually Urban Beans is among my favorites at Devoured but this one wasn’t for me.

The soon to open Match at FOUND:RE made Korean Style Short Ribs.

Another one of my husband’s favorites was the Ancho Glazed wild boar belly over polenta.

It was about 85 degrees outside and the Coconut Lemongrass Sorbet from Alto Ristorante really hit the spot. It was the best of the desserts I tried on Saturday.

The Henry offered really thick toast with roasted asparagus decorated with flowers and lots of light but rich sauce. It was pretty but sort of weird. Sorry my photo came out blurry. The henry also offered coconut cream puffs that were tasty.

I was so looking forward to this Chicken from the Phoenix City Grill. I love good chicken and it’s my favorite protein. To me there is nothing more delicious than really flavorful juicy chicken. Then after a bite or two……

IT WAS FORKING RAW!

We showed the cook so he’d know to cook the chicken more.

I thought the Hamachi Crudo from Corduroy was a breath of fresh air after all the heavier offerings.

Cafe Lalibela gave you a postage sized whole meal on a plate.

Windsor gave out Menage Pork.

Cute little Coffee Toffee Drumsticxs from Churn.

Pork Empanadas from Joyride Taco.

Short Rib filled pasta from Federal Pizza.

The food from Bootleggers might have been great but-

They were out of food when we got there at 12:30.

Pat and Waldo’s and Otakumen are twin newly opened restaurants that do Italian Food and Ramen. It was bold that participated in Devoured. I thought some of the execution seemed off.

I thought it was special and nice that O.H.S.O. gave out doggie bags with House Made Dog Biscuits made with beer by product for Dogs. My Dogs devoured the biscuit.

We came and Devoured. Can’t wait for Sunday!