To everyone who attended the Taste of Dishntunes.com 2010: Thank you!  We know you were satisfied.  To everyone who was unable to attend, here is what you missed:

Official Taste of Dishntunes.com winners:

Best Entree: The Luana Tavern – Beef and Chicken Philly Cheese Sandwiches + Broiled Shrimp (152 tasting tickets collected)

Todd Olsen, Owner of the Luana Tavern accepts the Taste of Dishntunes.com Best Entree Award

Runner Up: Milty’s, Lansing – Bacon Wrapped Shrimp, Pork Ribs in Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce (132 tasting tickets collected)

Best Dessert: J&D Mart and Catering Service, New Vienna, IA – Chocolate Raspberry Trifle (95 tasting tickets collected)
Runner up Johnson’s, Elkader – Homemade Chocolate Cookies (77 tasting tickets collected)

Diane Knepper of J&DMart and Catering Service accepts the Taste of Dishntunes.com Best Dessert Award

Best Drink: Willow Creek Wine and Garden, Elkader – Iowa Wines and Winearita’s (113 tasting tickets collected)
Runner Up: Jodi’s Americana Grille, Monona – Oreo Speedwagon Ice Cream Drink (93 tasting tickets collected)

Janet Pries and Brenda McConnell accept the Taste of Dishntunes.com Best Drink award for Willow Creek Wine & Garden

Total Tickets Collected:

1st place: J&D Mart & Catering Service – 219
2nd place :Milty’s Restaurant, Lansing – 202
3rd place: Jodi’s Americana Grill, Monona – 192

In no particular order, here is a list of the items served:
Lakeside Ballroom, Guttenberg, IA - Prime Rib Tasters were glad to get their prime rib fix! They were well pleased with the juicy, perfectly seasoned prime rib from Lakeside.  Jeff and Kari Friedlein were as always the perfect hosts and had a good time showing off their culinary skills!
Schera’s Restaurant, Elkader, IA -  Brian, Frederique and crew provided samples from their delectable Alergian menu: Kefta-Algerian Meatball in a tomato stew,  Blue Casbah drink comprised of Blue Curacao, vodka, mint leaves, & their Algerian Orange Blossom Cake with homemade honey syrup. Many “Taste” attendees enjoyed the refreshing selections and made plans to enjoy Schera’s patio dining soon.
J&D Mart and Catering Service, New Vienna, IA – Owner Dianne Knepper and crew were on hand to display a sample of their winning catering menu:  A signature dish called Rolled, Stuffed Pork Loin, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Mediterranean Pasta Salad and Chocolate Raspberry Trifle.  One person was heard saying…”I need to have another wedding reception featuring their food!”

McGregor Beer and Brat Garden, McGregor, IA - Owner Andrea McElwaine served samples of the “best brat sold on the Mississippi River.” Attendees enjoyed 1/2 a brat smothered in kraut and onion and tastes of a variety of specialty beers sold at the friendly “islandy” spot – The McGregor Beer and Brat Garden.

Willow Creek Wine and Garden, Elkader, IA – Brenda and Janet had their blenders in hand as they served enough samples of their amazing Wine-A-Ritas  & Iowa Wines to win the “Best Drink” award.  This is where most people began their tasting sessions and a few who ended here.  “We were glad to introduce our Wine-A-Ritas to the Taste of dishntunes.com crowd. Many ladies kept returning for second and third samples.  It is great to have this kind of exposure.”

Jodi’s Americana Grille, Monona, IA -  For a  first time, Taste of Dishntunes.com attendee Jodi Welsh and crew fit right in.  The crowd enjoyed the new version of Jodi’s mom’s famous Americana Supper Club chicken.  They served their famous Americana Chicken all night long and much to the pleasure of many samplers they given two pieces of chicken with one tasting ticket.  If it wasn’t the Americana Chicken the group was after, they were in search of the runner-up drink, an ice cream drink called the Oreo Speedwagon. One word: YUM.

Fennelly’s Irish Pub, Elkader, IA – Husband and wife team Tim and Trisha Finley were serving up hundreds of their famous Buffalo Wings and Ribs.   Dishntunes.com was so glad to have the Buffalo Wing experts on hand to impress the crowd.  I personally loved the wings, they were very tasty and tangy and I can’t wait for the arrival of their new extremely hot wings.

Milty’s Restaurant, Lansing IA – All the way from Lansing, Iowa, Milty’s owner Mike Conway mobilized his restaurant in fine form.  He dazzled the crowd on two fronts, the entree and dessert category.  Mike served up an impressive batch of bacon wrapped shrimp and ribs smothered in a zippy Jack Daniels BBQ sauce.  The dessert lovers kept coming back for tastes of his fluffy, homemade cheesecake.

Old Man River Restaurant & Brewery, McGregor, IA -  Chefs Mitch and Pete were on hand cooking and serving up the Old Man’s amazing Smoked Chicken Alfredo and samples of a couple of  Old Man brews and root beer.   One of the Old Man’s competitors for the evening commented, “Old Man River’s alfredo is absolutely to die for!”

Johnson’s Restaurant, Elkader, IA -  The ever gracious Terry Johnson was at home serving his classic Steam Baked Chicken & fresh out of the oven, homemade chocolate chip cookies.   After one cookie sample, one child made plans to use all of their tasting tickets on Johnson’s chocolate chip cookies!

The Luana Tavern, Luana, IA -  Congratulations to the hard working Mr. Todd Olsen, owner of the Luana Tavern.  The unassuming restaurant owner delighted the crowd with his Chicken or Beef Philly Cheese sandwiches and the mouthwatering Broiled Shrimp.  For several hours Todd diligently, prepared his Taste of Dishntunes.com “Best Entree” dishes to the masses.  As a result, plenty of Taste of Dishntunes.com attendees will be making trips to the Luana Tavern.