100Eats Presents: Nepenthia Beer Garden

Totally fun. Wish there were more food options for no pork eaters, but that is mostly my problem. i heard great things about the food. All staff and helpers were amazing. Bathrooms were an issue. You need a place to pee with that much beer. Plastic cups were a joke. I would have brought my own if I had known.

Great first effort in a wonderfully serene setting that is Tewinkle Park. The food vendors secured made a great effort and the standout was Haven Gastropub with a stunning polenta topped with Kurobata pork and peach salsa. Mick’s Karma Bar burgers never disappoint and their at this event only burger was outstanding. Sadly, the food was so good it disappeared quickly.
There was beer after beer and I sampled much. I loved the Noble Ale Works Naughty Sauce brew which sadly disappeared too fast but the cheese and bread next to Noble from The Cheese Store at the OC Mart Mix helped quell the disappointment.
The VIP wristband didnt offer many discernible perks so I would skip that unless the benefits were greatly increased.
There was an overall great vibe and I would return again.
Note to promoter Bobby: Just Say yes to dessert in 2014!

What a surprise to find such a lovely little park hidden away with water and trees straight out of a Lord of the Rings movie. No wonder several people occupied the park for wedding photos. I was delighted to attend my second even crested by Bobby Navarro. Besides the venue being spectacular, the people involved and the cause were equally awesome. I met so many like minded people and was delighted to see the Unilocal crew there in attendance.
The food was awesome, but there were some slight technical difficulties in preventing them to shine as they usually do. Iron Press had issues with their electricity, which created an insane line. Needless to say, it was worth the hour wait since the food was amazing.
It was a real disappointment hat the catering manager for Slater ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ screwed up. I was very excited about seeing them there and their mistake was a sad one for us and them. Needless to say there was no lacking of red meat. Several booths were doing sliders all equally delish.
The beer… well, what can I say, but awesome. I adore the craft brew movement and was delighted to see so many key players in attendance. It was a lively group enjoying the support of each other and the arts. There were several art booths that offered really fun opportunities for interaction and the groups of volunteers were lovely and kind and willing to go the extra mile.
I can’t help but be excited for the next event. I think they will continue to grow and it is exciting to have entered on the ground floor and look forward to watching this become a larger and better event in years to come. I am betting next time we will have more restrooms!
Great job for everyone involved and be sure to watch for the next opportunity. I’m betting Pig Out 2.0 is one you better mark on your calendar!

5 Stars in terms of the craft beers that were here. Honestly, it wouldn’t be a 5 star if it wasn’t for some of the beer people I knew here. How so? Well, let me tell you about my experience here. Go grab a beer because this will take 10 minutes off of your life.
First of all, this event was hosted by Bobby Navarro of 100eats.
Personally I have never met him but basically he is friends with all my foodie friends on Facebook. So when the Nepenthia event came around, I was intrigued with the upscale type of food and beer vendors that were available.
The Haven Collective –Ran out of food early, but the pale ale was delish!
Hopscotch-​Carnitas nachos? Very flavorful
Nieuport 17-​AWESOME chili! I ate the whole thing and it was a LOT!
Chapter One: The Modern Local-​cupcakes are always welcomed!
Wild Goose Tavern-​cheeseburger sliders were tasty!
The Cheese Shop-​Great cheese, even had the cucumber gazpacho
Crow Bar and Kitchen-Didn’t get to try
Mick’s Karma Bar-​Spanish chorizo sliders? Hell yes!
Slapfish-​Had the poke here, I’m a fan of here but serving was bit small

The Iron Press-​Chicken and waffles? Had the 2^nd to last one, thanks to the couple in front of me who ended up sharing
Travel Costa Mesa-Didn’t see you guys, sorry
OC Fair & Event Center-​Thank you for the spin the wheel and I got a wine bag!
The Board Members of Inspire Artistic Minds
Melissa’s Produce-​Had edamame from here.
Unilocal-​Hi Elise!

–Didn’t see you guys either.
As with the beers, these were who came
Noble Ale Works-​I got a chance to have their beers during Taste of Anaheim. Naughty sauce, great! Finally got to try Earl Gray’s Dinghy, it’s not in your face type of drink but you definitely can taste the Earl Gray.
Ballast Point Brewing-​dammit, I missed getting beer by one minute.
The Bruery-​Thanks to my buddies from
I got to try a sour (and I love sours!) and a scotch type brew that had 15% ABV. It was SUPER DELISH but I felt it right away! Thanks again Phillipe and Orangey!
Stone Brewing Co.-Sublimely Self Righteous? What? OMG, fill my cup now!
Beachwood BBQ and Brewing-​I didn’t get any here but I said Hi to Jared
Tustin Brewing Co.-I believe I had the Red here. I’m not a big Red fan so I’ll leave it at that. I do like their beer here tho.
Firestone Walker Brewing Co.-These guys were friendly and awesome, too bad they didn’t have Parabola on tap!
Hangar 24 Craft Brewery-​I didn’t have their beer :(
Pizza Port Brewing Co.-I can’t remember what I had here, but I have gone to the Carlsbad and had pizza and beer and though it was small, it’s just that laid back atmosphere to be appreciated.
Cismontane-​The volunteers that were here really needed to be cut off, but they were at least overly friendly.
Culture Brewing Co.-Didn’t have you guys either
Valiant Brewing Co.-Sorry didn’t visit
El Segundo Brewing Co.-Sorry didn’t visit
Bootleggers Brewery-​No knuckle sandwich, bummer! But I’ve had beer like palomino and rustic rye here, solid beers
Ritual Brewing Co.-Sorry didn’t visit
Haven Brewing Co.-Pale Ale, awesome!
TAPS Brewery-​Sorry didn’t visit
Karl Strauss Brewing Co. D-​Sorry didn’t visit
Monks’ Ale-​Sorry didn’t visit
Left Coast Brewing Co.-They had one of my favorite, Hopjuice IPA on tap! OMG, I got this towards the end when I was so full, I will visit you in SC in your tap room soon!
Now I know what you’re thinking, I didn’t visit every single place and I gave it a 5 star? Well, again it’s really the quality over quantity here. Food wise, I think it was really not enough. I really needed more. I did see a lot more people having a great time here more than any other beer events. Trust me, I go to a LOT of beer events.
Oh, on a side note, I was also a volunteer here. If you didn’t get enough ice, it was my fault. I think between me and this other guy Chris, we delivered over 1000 lbs. of ice.
Overall a very chilled event, not overly crowded with great beer and friends. I finally got to meet a few folks like Hope, Jaime, Robin, Austin, Joe, Sadya here and I got to hang out with Aaron, Elise, Ryan for a bit.
I hope this event comes again next year, hopefully with more food vendors and keep the existing beer vendors. Maybe not have it at Costa Mesa because I heard only in CM you need a police present for xxx number of people attending. So that does get expensive, I am sure.
Oh, almost forgot, there were some Art from the local artists, really a great way to showcase your product. I’m surprised no one was selling anything art beer related.
Keep up the great work Bobby!

Hits:
— Slapfish served some kind of tartar with a chip
— One booth was serving nachos topped with a nectarine salsa
— Wild Goose Tavern’s sliders — liked the sun dried tomatoes in them
— Naughty Sauce from Noble Ale Works– beer that tastes like coffee!
— plenty of breweries and beer options
Misses:
— the VIP status wrist band didn’t give you much perks besides a crowded seated area with access to beers that someone will serve you, probably could have done with the regular admission
— long lines at ALL of the food areas… probably wouldn’t have been a big deal if I drank more
I’d probably save that chunk of change for a different event in the future.