Feed me Please!

After much anticipation, rain date included, this year's Taste of Cambridge was a sound success. From the turn out, to the food and the weather, this event had it going on.

I always find it difficult to pace myself at such events, there is so much food and so many people, I tend to unleash my appetite within the first fifteen minutes and get so full so fast that I can't really enjoy the many dishes restaurants have to offer. Taste of Cambridge was no different, however I am proud to say that I managed to try pretty much everything and pick out my favorites...my secret weapon? Bring a buddy - this way you can share portions, allowing you to try everything without having to finish the whole dish or feel guilty about throwing food away. (Some places hadn't quite mastered the realistic portion size).

Let's go through some of the highlights! Starting with the apparent trend of the year...tacos!

 

We had pork tacos from East Coast Grill..

Smoked duck tacos from Upstairs on the Square...

My favorite tacos were actually from Casablanca. The Morocco taco: smoked lamb, fried baby chickpeas and perserved lemon on a corn tortilla. The crispy chickpeas and the slight tang of the lemon made for an unexpected delight!

Another favorite was Oleana's rendition of a greek salad with pita. It was a cornucopia of flavours which all managed to both complement eachother while remaining distinctive...no mean feat!

Of course, I would not be satisfied without a serious dessert showdown. The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts did a good job with some of their inventive offerings; their rum raisin cookies were especially light and tasty.  However it was Veggie Planet, a soon-to-be sister of Veggie Galaxy that really took the cake with their amazing vegan delights. This was in fact the only booth I went back to twice. I couldn't get enough of their coconut citrus cupcakes, taza chocolate chip cookies or their cheesecake. 

Lizzy's ice cream put JP Licks to shame with their interesting flavours, my last taste of the evening was in fact their raspberry chocolate chip ice cream in conjuncture with their ginger...great for digestion:) (this was also part of my master plan...I swear!)

On top of all the food, no less than three bands were playing throughout the evening. It made for a great distraction and much needed break from the seemingly endless food offerings.

The beauty behind events like this is that you can eat a huge amount of food, taste from the very best restuarants in the area and although it may not feel like it at the time, you know you will someday be ready for another meal.  With all the knowledge you have acquired of the local eateries, you will have no issue navigating the sometimes intimidating list of great cambridge tastes. 

As for me, I have a reservation at Harvest tomorrow night, and I know that I will be ordering their Smoked  bacon cotton candy!