This week I attended a Boston local food festival called Taste of Cambridge and even got a VIP bracelet thanks to Google+! Zac and I set up The Danger Booth to promote the new Google+ collaboration with Zagat. While Zac manned the booth, I ran around sampling foods from the 90+ food vendors that were in attendance. We had a good system going, if something was mediocre, we wouldn’t waste stomach space finishing it but quickly disposed of it and moved on. It allowed us get the most samples while feeling the least sick. All samples were very decently sized and Harpoon Brewery even had a tent set up giving patrons full size cups of their UFO White beer. We had a great time! Highlights from our food adventure are below (click images for larger view, small photos are described in clockwise order)
Appetizers:
Strawberry Spinach Salad -Henrietta’s Table
One of the best things I ate at the festival and definitely the best strawberry salad I’ve ever had. The pecans were seasoned with cayenne pepper, cumin, and other spices. The strawberries were fresh and he did not skimp on the large chunks of creamy goat cheese.
Seven Grain Roll + Sun-Dried Tomato Spread – Iggy’s Bread
Lamb Skewers + Lemon Olive Orzo – Amelia’s Trattoria
Sun-Dried Tomato Tortellini Salad, Southwest Sweet Potato Salad, Vegan Oreo Cheesecake – Basil Tree
Salmon + Caramelized Onion Crostini - Sidney’s Grille
Mains
Local Grass-Fed Beef + Caramelized Onions + Vermont Cheddar Cheese + Chipotle Mayo + House Cured Pickle – Four Burgers
Easily the best thing we ate. The burger was juicy and flavorful. The pickle had a nice crunch and everything tastes better with caramelized onions. I will be going back to Four Burgers for sure.
“Pork Three Ways” Pulled Pork Burger – Asgard Irish Pub & Restaurant
Roasted Pork Belly on a Corn Arepa with Smashed Avocado, Chipotle Aioli, and Cotija Cheese – Lord Hobo
Grilled Pork Belly BLT on a Buttermilk Biscuit – PARK Restaurant
Veggie Black Bean Burger with Tarragon Basil Pesto, Red Cabbage Slaw, and Sweet Corn Mash – Veggie Galaxy
Random Assortment
Paella (veggie on left, seafood on right) – Kika Tapas
I gotta be honest, I don’t really eat seafood, so I only ate the veggie one and it was very good but nothing outstanding (I think the seafood one was probably amazing so it was definitely my loss) I want to call out the chefs running this booth for being awesome and friendly. I would come to Kika just because you left a good impression on me! :)
Smoked Chicken Bahn Mi + Siracha Foie Gras Aioli + Picked Carrots & Cilantro – West Bridge
Various Sushi – Fuji
Unknown Variety of Dosa – The Dosa Factory
Sweet Chili Baby Octopus – Garden at the Cellar (I did not eat this!)
Dessert
Chocolate Mouse Cake – Lyndell’s Bakery
OKAY they literally gave out entire cakes, tarts, pastries, and cookies. These were definitely not samples. Did I hate it? Absolutely not. This mousse was awesome. And the owner of Lyndell’s was super sweet and friendly. Great feelings shared over great desserts.
Blueberry Cheesecake + Boston Cream Pie - Finale Desserterie & Bakery Cafe
Extremely Chocolate + Peanut Butter Cookie Dough – JP Licks
Chocolate Chip + Spice Girl + Chocolate Monster - Cow & Crumb
Black & White Cookie – Lyndell’s Bakery
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