Taste of Cambridge 2011

Cambridge is one of my favorite foodie cities in all of the US. Like Boston, it has an ever-growing number of amazing restaurants and celebrity chefs. Our little New England home is all grown up when it comes to food, wine, and cocktails.

Taste events are ideal for anyone looking to check out the food scene, and I love Taste of Cambridge for the incredible collection of restaurants and the creative high quality food samples. Warning: at an event like this you might be overwhelmed, and you could get full very quickly. Pace yourself.

I didn’t photograph everything; with over 50 restaurants, food purveyors, brewers, and wine distributors, there was a lot going on. Hopefully my little tour will give you a glimpse into what I ate.

The beloved Formaggio Kitchen was standing by with what else but their gorgeous cheeses.

Bambara was grilling up bruschetta, but I went for their pulled pork with truffled honey. For whatever reason, I arrived at this event craving meat, and meat I ate.

Upstairs on the Square had one of the big hits of the night, duck tacos with all sorts of toppings. I could have easily parked myself at their table, filling tacos with lime sour cream and jalapenos. It was brilliant.

Oleana also stole my heart with a wheat berry and vegetable salad, cool, light, and refreshing, with a creamy yogurt topping and a flavorful blend of spices.

This vegan pie looked too good to eat!

And on the not-so-vegan side, bacon cotton candy from Harvest.

Harvest also made these delectable pulled pork banh mi sandwiches with crunchy slaw.

Other favorites? Homemade hobnobs from Craigie on Main, sushi rolls from Café Sushi, deviled eggs from Russell House Tavern, and brisket with BBQ beans and cornbread from Savenor’s. I told you I was all about finding the meat dishes!

Taste of Cambridge was truly a delight for the senses, if not a little overwhelming at times. Everything I tasted was delicious; I was glad that my strategy included taking photos and surveying the food before I dove in. I definitely missed a few things that I should have tried, but you can’t eat it all!

What do you go for first at big food events? Do you have a strategy?

Note: My entry to Taste of Cambridge was via a media pass which I did not pay for. However, my opinions are entirely my own.