Cleveland's Finest Hors d'Oeuvre Contest 2017

Every year, Our Lady of the Wayside hosts one of the tastiest contests in the city, Cleveland's Finest Hors d'Oeuvre Contest. Some of Cleveland's favorite chefs gather at Progressive Field and battle it out for bragging rights. 

When you arrive, you drop off your coat, pick up a ballot and grab a glass. Then the fun begins. Look at this lineup - yum!

There were more entries than ever before so you had to make sure to pace yourself. We succeeded but barely were able to try one of the adorable cupcakes. My personal vote went to the mini veal parmesan sausage sandwich with a brioch bun. It was a creative and incredibly delicious homage to Progressive Field. 

My 2nd place was the beef wonton from Driftwood Catering. Super simple but perfectly executed. It got bonus points for being easy to eat too.

Here are some more of the delicious things we ate:

Shrimp and grits, Lobster and pea risotto cups, Lobster arancini.

Loved my super cute mini cupcake - so good! The banana chip garnish was a fun touch. French onion brioche bites from Tartine were really unique and delicious.

The sold out event hosted 800 guests. My awesome date and I had a blast sampling all the delicious entries and wine.

And the winners were:

Corleone's (citrus scallop with mango puree and pomegranate pearls served in a scallop shell, Tree House (beef rotello with lobster pasta) and Carrie Cerino's (Caribbean shrimp with Calypso rice).

Inaddition to tasty hors d' oeuvres, guests sipped on wine samplings from Sobon Wine Company and Clara C Fioridi and beer tastings from Roosterfish Brewery. Entertainment was provided by singer-songwriters Nate Jones and Jessica Shetler, and Cleveland Firelands Collective.

Our Lady of the Wayside really knows how to throw a fun event and all proceeds are used for the amazing work they . Their next foodie event is Grapes and Ale.

*** Disclosure: I was invited to attend the event in exchange for sharing my

experiences with you. As always, the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. ***