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[title]Who said Coachella was all about the music? The lineup of restaurants was just as impressive this year, offering festival-goers a chance to try some of LA's best eateries between sets. Nothing was off limits: Deep-fried hot dogs topped with bonito flakes and tonkatsu sauce; piping-hot margherita pizza pulled straight from the oven; noodle bowls with pork belly and perfectly cooked eggs; even ultra-boozy Otter Pops which we slurped up while watchng Azealia Banks fucking nail her performance.
There were a few more formal dining experiences, as well: Outstanding in the Field returned for three nights of farm-to-table fare. We attended Saturday's dinner featuring chefs Alex Reznik (Ditmas Kitchen & Cocktails) and Vartan Abgaryan (Cliff's Edge), held in the VIP Rose Garden near the Sahara stage. Bowls of dandelion and kale salad, smoked fish, wild mussels and lamb with za'atar-crusted potatoes were shared as Dirty South blared in the background. It felt pretty magical, though that may have been the multiple glasses of wine kicking in.
After a bit of a rocky start, the pop-up dinners (POT, Terrine, The Gadarene Swine and Scratch Bar all participated) finally kicked off Saturday eve in the VIP section. On Sunday, we sat down for a 8-course meal in The Gadarene Swine and Scratch Bar's kitchen—a surreal experience to have at a music festival. One by one, chef Phillip Lee and pastry chef Margarita Lee (Have you read our interview with them? They're pretty amazing.) placed bite after bite in front of us: tomato avocado shooters; braised pork belly and oysters; blackened cauliflower; crispy yucca with avocado mousse; roasted mushrooms with burnt sweet potato mousse; dried hangar steak and, to finish, a coconut pudding with brown sugar streusel and fresh strawberries. Not exactly your standard festival fare. The meal was incredible and, lucky for weekend 2 attendees, will be back this weekend along with POT and Terrine. You can make your reservations through the Reserve app.
Overall, the dining options at this year's festival were fantastic, and we can only imagine that next year's will be even better. And if you're really just here for the music? There's always popsicles and coconut water.
RECOMMENDED: See all coverage of the 2015 Coachella festival