Bumbershoot can be described as Seattle’s answer to Lollapalooza, though in actuality, Lollapalooza is Chicago’s answer to Bumbershoot as the summer festival’s history dates back to the early 70s. A cultural staple of Seattle’s Arts scene, Bumbershoot combines a multitude of disciplines across one sprawling campus that comes equipped with front row views of the architectural splendor of the Space Needle, the Frank Gehry-designed MoPop and naturally the rolling hills of houses and trees that populate your horizon line.
It’s no surprise that Bumbershoot’s culinary selection would be as diverse and interesting as its eclectic musical lineup, its galleries of photography and art exhibits, its fun for all ages recess area, its geyser-like fountain in the middle of its Seattle-center based campus, among many other unique features to the full sensory experience. When you are able to consume Spanish paella, raclette melted croissant sandwiches, Kenyan sambusas, Mexican tamales and Himalayan dumplings all within a short distance of each, the choice is literally yours (which Cypress Hill would reprise later, shouts to Dres).
At Uproxx, we don’t take such choices lightly. Who wants to waste $25 on some weak paella at an all-day Music & Arts festival? We aren’t going to let you take that sort of L. So we’re here to shout out all the best things we ate at Bumbershoot this summer.
Shug’s Ice Cream – Root Beer Float
Price: $10
If there’s a Root Beer float on the menu wherever you are, it’s never a bad choice even if it’s supreme indulgence. Soda and ice cream together? In frosty mug on a hot day, that’s something you could justify waiting in line for at a festival.
Sadly, local Seattle creamery Shug’s is not handing out frosty thick rimmed glasses at a music festival (most likely due to liability concerns) but they do dispense the best creamy frothy bubbly treat at Bumbershoot. And truthfully, their root beer float would be welcome anywhere outside Bumbershoot, and outside Seattle, too. The ice cream is textbook perfect vanilla and whatever brand root beer they’ve selected does the trick. Comes complete with spoon and straw, as any float should.
American Donut Maker’s – LSD Donut
Price: $5
A donut roulette is the game you play when you decide to chance it with a fried or baked circular treat at an all-day festival. Questions of freshness, the weather, storage and on site frying are valid concerns when related to the sensitive nature of donut dough. It really can be a wildcard item requiring a few purchases to ensure one is a winner, but that’s donuts anywhere, isn’t it?
American Donut Maker’s LSD was surefire crowd pleaser in its delicious simplicity and textural perfection. LSD stood for Lemon Sugar Donut and there was no delusion to be had when it came to the lemony interior or semi-crunchy sugar-speckled outer layer. The Lemon Sugar Donut is the kind of donut where you may have to pick up a second one to try to take home and not crush in the process.
Eva’s Wild – Salmon Sammie
Price: $18
When in Seattle, Sockeye salmon is fresher than almost anywhere else in the world, so as you do, you don’t deny yourself sockeye salmon in Seattle. And even when there’s a Sockeye “sammie” on the menu at a music festival in Seattle, you give it the time of day, any time of day. It’s just that fresh.
The photos don’t really do the “sammie” justice because you can’t see the nicely seasoned thin but moist cut of grilled salmon underneath the rocket (or arugula as us Mericans say) and ensconced in a sweet soft and crusty seeded bun. Nevermind that I typically avoid tartar sauce (and prefer cocktail sauce with seafood generally), here the salty dill-ish cut of the tartar brought a much-needed acidity to the slightly one note salmon-bun-arugula combo. In their simple genius, Eva’s Wild created an irresistible salmon “sammie” even a festivalgoer could savor on the go. Just make sure you finish it before you try to rush the stage.
The Chicken Supply – Drumstick
Price: $4
A truck called Chicken Supply at a music festival really draws you in, especially when there is surprisingly no other food vendor boasting fried chicken on their menu, despite fried chicken being a venue concession staple and typically even coming in many forms within one venue. Chicken Supply’s offerings included Chicken Bites and Drumsticks, with a choice between basic seasoning and Spicy.
Chicken Supply’s front of house was quick to note that this was their first appearance at such a gathering and also only had existed for a short time beforehand, setting the table for low expectations. However, what was noticeable in the fryer looked semi-drool inducing, the cratering and crackling of the fried coating on each piece of chicken glistening golden in the day’s sun. Getting a bite after a few minutes of anticipation validated the eagerness to sample the goods, the juicy perfection of Chicken Supply’s product was only further heightened by the light seasoning and layered crunch of the umami-laden breading. The spicy option was just slightly too spicy for the already heated day, but the regular variety satiated all fried chicken cravings in the perfect festival-size portion, potentially requiring return visits. It became clear why they didn’t need a multitude of fried chicken options at Bumbershoot, Chicken Supply already had it on lock.
Raclette Cheese House – Raclette Prosciutto croissant sandwich
Price: $12
Raclette Cheese House gets big points for artistry and showmanship alone, even at a music and arts festival, having 3 wheels of melty funky Swiss cheese is still a showstopper. Wheeled and melted a la minute by a few seemingly fanatical mongers, Raclette Cheese House offers a few different permutations of croissant sandwiches that feature ingredients like ham, prosciutto, mustard and pear.
The prosciutto pear croissant-wich was recommended and challenge taken. The initial funk hit harder than the smell wafting through crowd during Cypress Hill’s set later that night. The pear is a bit of an acquired taste on a savory sandwich, but the prosciutto raclette combo is a flavorful savory match and the croissant gives the bite a rich buttery cushion that balances the other flavors. With or without the pear, Raclette Cheese House created a fun and tasty festival taste alternative with a melty performance of its own.
