Food Trucks Riverboat St Paul

The closing social event for TBEX in Minnesota was hosted by Visit Saint Paul Minnesota.

The event was called: A Centennial Celebration. Rolling on the River in Saint Paul.

The event included a spectacular evening of hometown brews, food truck chews and Minnesota music on the banks of the Mississippi – America’s most iconic river.

The event was held on Harriet Island in Saint Paul, MN.

Event Details

Busses from Gray Line took guests from the Radisson Blue Mall of America to the park.

Upon arrival at the park, we were given a lanyard with a card noting the locations for all the food and beer vendors as well as the activities.

The event was held in a beautiful park that had a great view of the Downtown Saint Paul Skyline.

Food trucks were setup throughout the park with craft beer vendors positioned in between.

A stage was setup on the banks of the Mississippi river where the White Iron Band performed local music.

Saint Paul Ambassadors were circulating throughout the event offering to answer questions as well as to give information on the city.

Two Riverboat tours were scheduled on the Padelford Riverboats. One at 8:15 PM and one at 9:00 PM.  Attendees were given a choice of the time while we were on the bus. I selected the 9:00 PM departure and was presented a ticket.

Food Trucks

There were seven food trucks setup throughout the park, each offering a couple of dishes for guests to sample.

The Fork in the Road truck served BBQ Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Buffalo Chicken Slider with Blue Cheese Spread.

I tasted the Buffalo Chicken Slider. The chicken was tender and it was seasoned well. The bread was soft and had a good taste. The blue cheese spread was tangy.

Natedogs served its signature all natural, locally raised, skin-on Natedogs wiener with a choice of two scratchmade toppings and mustards, one mustard made with local beer.

The Natedog that I sampled had a spicy mustard topping. The hot dog had an excellent taste and the mustard enhanced the flavor.

R.A. MacSammy’s served Depp-Fried Beer and Bacon Mac’n’Cheese Bites and N’Awlins Mac’n’Cheese.

The N’Awlins Mac’n’Cheese had a tangy flavor with the cajun spices and sausage on top. The mac’n’cheese part was rich and creamy and it had an excellent taste and flavor.

Funfare Global Street Eats served Cuban Sandwiches and Choripan.

The Cuban Sandwich was served hot and the bread was toasted well. The sandwich had a good flavor and it was prepared with a pickle and mustard. The meat was excellent.

Potter’s Pasties served Beef Pasty and Chicken Pasty.

I had a few bites of the beef pasty. The beef pasty was served on a rich and flaky puff pastry and it was stuffed with beef and vegetables and it was seasoned well. The dish had a good taste and flavor.

Tiki Tim’s served Fish Tacos and Tiki Cakes, which were their version of crab cakes.

The Fish Taco was excellent. The fish was crispy and it was cooked with a great breeding. The taco was topped with fresh vegetables and it had an amazing sauce.

Whole Sum Foods served a Fresh Quinoa Salad and a Classic Strawberry Banana Smoothie.

The salad was fresh and it had a good flavor and seasoning.

Craft Beer

There were nine craft breweries offering a variety of beer options.

Bad Weather Brewing served Migration Blonde Ale, Sun Pillar and Hopcromancer IPA

Lake Monster Brewing served Empty Rowboat IPA, Calhoun Claw Pilsner, Murmur Milk Stout and Smash Ale

Tin Whiskers Brewing served Wheatstone Bridge, Flipswitch IPA, Parity Pilsner, Short Circuit Stout

Flat Earth Brewing served Black Helicopter Coffee Stout, Northwest Passage IPA, Bermuda Triangle Tripel

Summit Brewing Company served Summit EPA, Pilsner, Saga and Great Northern Porter

Urban Growler Brewing served CowBell Cream Ale, Midwest IPA and Sticky Rice American Wheat Ale

Great Waters Brewing served Golden Prairie Blonde, Brown Trout Brown Ale, Cask Conditioned St. Andrew’s Cross Scotch Ale

Sidhe Brewing served Bast Kissed Cream Ale, Red Hare IPA, Payne Reliever Bohemian Pilsner

Wabasha Brewing Company served Westside Popper, Red Dessert IPA and Hail Summer Ale.

Riverboat Ride

In order to accommodate all the guests arriving at the event, the riverboat rides were delayed about 30 or 40 minutes each.

Once it was time to board, an announcement was made and guests were directed on to the boat.

The boat was a classic Riverboat that sailed along the Mississippi river for about 40 minutes.

The boat featured a lower level with tables and chairs for dining as well as a bar.

The second level featured a dance floor as well as open deck in order to view the scenery along the river.

A third level with an observation deck was also available.

The bar on the first floor served complimentary beer, wine and soda and had a cash bar for mixed drinks.

The boat departed shortly after all the guests boarded and the Captain made a few announcements about the voyage and then asked guests to explore the different decks of the boat and enjoy the ride.

The boat first went south along the Mississippi first offering a view of the high bridge.

After touring south for some time, the boat turned around and made its way back towards the city offering great skyline views of Downtown St Paul.

When the boat returned, the Captain thanked guests for traveling on the boat and he invited guests to have a great night.

I thought it was a lot of fun having the opportunity to ride on the boat. It was cool watching the paddle wheel spin to provide the propulsion on the river.

The boats are used for Weddings and other events and it was be a cool experience to get to spend a few hours on the river.

Event Conclusion

After the Riverboat returned to the park, busses were available to transport guests back to the hotel.

The event staff thanked everyone as they were departing.

The bus was clean and comfortable and the seats were of the luxury variety that reclined and offered for a nice 20 minute ride back to the hotel.

Summary

Visit Saint Paul put together an amazing event to conclude TBEX. I was excited to try all the food and I thought that it was excellent. I also loved the opportunity taking a ride on the Padelford Riverboats. There were so many beer options available as well. I sampled a couple of them and I thought they were very good.

Overall it was an excellent event.

I appreciate having the opportunity to attend.