Gimme your burgers, your tots, your mac and cheese balls, your booch and your eyes because I'm about to take you through my Eat Drink Vegan 2018 experience.

Eat Drink Vegan has quadrupled (not actually amount) in size since the first festival I attended back in 2013. This year it was massive. M A S S I V E. More massive than last years and last years was pretty epically massive as well. A far cry from the tiny parking lot on Sunset.

This year, I took photos, but not as many as I could have. Instead, my day consisted of Instagram stories (I'm really digging those candid moments lately), walking, chatting, walking, eating, exploring, sitting at tables, chatting, drinking, sitting under trees and eating some more.

Sadly, I missed some vendors I wanted to try and/or see, as well as, friends who came from near and far, but that's just how it goes. I do what I can so I can be as present as possible. Being a ravenous mess that runs around consuming and drinking all that surrounds me doesn't bring me joy, just nausea.

A few highlights from the day

The Herbivorous Butcher
Modeled by the lovely Trang Lai, The Double Fried Chicken Sandwich is the epitome of quintessential festival food.

No Bones Beach Club PDX - Main Image
The Mac and Cheese balls had the perfect ratio of crispy, outer exterior to creamy, pasta center and the drizzle of sauce thoroughly enhanced the dish. This was easily one of my favorite festival foods of the day.

Monty's Good Burger - Main Image
Straight up burger and tots. What a way to bring back a childhood classic sans cruelty and heart disease! HOORAY!

Boochcraft - Main Image
To round out the table, let's all toast to cold, refreshing booches from Boochcraft. Cheers!!

Ms. Chi Cafe
The SBD of the day; veggie dumplings and cold glass noodle salad. A dish that goes beyond festival food. A dish I could eat daily. All the flavors worked in unison and the textures on point. Little FYI, Chef Shirley Chung was a Top Chef finalist.

Sumo Dog
I've been wanting to try Sumo Dog for quite some time, which means, it was a vendor I specifically put on my, "Come On, Let's Finally Try This Dog" list for EDV. The Chili Cheese was the favorite out of the two AND the one I wasn't even going to purchase. Goes to show you, there are times where I'm not always right. SHOCKER, but true. I learned a valuable lesson at EDV that I can take with me for years to come.

Wines by Vinovore
I frequented throughout the day this booth probably a little more than most. The wine of choice, on this festival day, was Bellissima. An organic line of sparkling wines created by Christie Brinkley. Light, simple and paired well with everything I ate.

Alpen Organics
Another evolution to this years EDV was the addition of CBD vendors. A few booths that served CBD beers had the longest lines and a few vendors such as Alpen had a constant flow of individuals. The whole area was a little, "off the beaten path", but I think with the draw and curiosity, next year it might have more prominence.

Honorable Mention

Tiny Tiki Pop Up
This was one of the best desserts I've had in a while and it was served the night before at the Seed Food and Wine Pre-Eat Drink Vegan event. Intricate layers within a single bite made the word Mouthgasm come to life. A chilled, gelatinous coconut cream layer atop a not overly sweet, sweet potato center with a buttery, flaky macadamia nut crust–total perfection.

Charlies Brownies
It's hard to leave any festival without a brownie to-go!! Especially, the ones that contain CBD oil from Alpen Organics.

As I mentioned in the third paragraph, I did not partake in taking many pictures this year which means, I did not take many pictures of me with friends or vendors. This one shot was taken outside the bathrooms (glamorous) thanks to 1_delicaterose.

The shot on the right was from the meeting table we kept loading food onto. Bottles of Mountain Valley Spring Water, Jewel's Coco-Mari and Pastrami Pizza and The Herbivorous Butcher's Double Fried Chicken Sandwich were all present for this round. Throughout the day, the table played host to a revolving door policy.

Out of all the festivals–and there are many now–I choose to attend Eat Drink Vegan above most. It's a day that always brings together good friends, fun festival food, tasty drinks and a tan.