BRISTOL, Conn. — Families flocked to Lake Compounce this weekend for a day of rides, food and drinks. The park is collaborating with local restaurant The Art of Yum for their first-ever Bites and Pints Food and Drink Festival.
Chef and Co-owner Donte Jones shared with us what their concept is all about.
"A lot of our menu items are Asian and Latin influenced. We like to call it modern American comfort food because it’s like a big, huge melting pot of different cultures," Jones said.
The event runs every Saturday and Sunday in June and features live music, in addition to six booths with flavor-inspired food and cocktail menus. The booths have a variety of different bites, including truffle fries, street corn, BBQ pork sliders and chicken and waffles.
The Art of Yum Taco with smoked chicken, T.A.O.Y. sauce, cheddar cheese and veggies is also on the menu, which was voted Connecticut’s best taco.
But beyond the food, the festival marks two occasions. For America’s oldest theme park, it commemorates the 175th anniversary.
“It’s actually our first ever Bites and Pints event in celebration of 175 years of the park being open which we’re really excited about,” Lake Compounce PR Manager Lynsey Winters said.
For park goers, the festival is a sign of a return to normal after a difficult year.
“The kids love it. They enjoy the rides and we’re out enjoying the food and drink as well this afternoon,” said Eddie Mulholland who recently moved to Connecticut from Scotland. “It’s been nice not having to wear a mask and get out and get back to a bit of normal.”
"Obviously, we came out of a pandemic. It’s very tough for a lot of restaurants these days. People are starting to get out more so, you know, that’s a fun thing,” Jones said.
The festival runs every Saturday and Sunday during the month of June.