A stream of jazzy notes and raspy lyrics float up to my ears as I approach the One Kendall Square Music Lab last Wednesday. The band, 3rd Left, is the featured entertainment for the evening. Hailing from Plymouth, MA, the rock and jazz inspired four-man ensemble creates the perfect mood for an evening of food, drinks, and mingling.
As I walked up to the door of Delmonico’s I couldn’t help humming the opening theme to Wall-E.
“We’ll see the shows, at Delmonico’s, and we’ll close the town in a whirl!” Turns out, it’s no coincidence, Delmonico’s is the oldest fine dining restaurant in America and has been open since 1837, more than enough time to earn its honorific place in some song lyrics. But we’re not here for nostalgia, we’re here to be fed.
The Fancy Food Show at the Javits Convention Center is massive, filled to the brim with hundreds of thousands of products from all over the world. It was so exciting, I didn't know where to begin!
After drinking a little too much Australian wine, I "stumbled" into the amazing Chocolove booth. Ooh chocolate and wine! How much better can it get? Besides the chocolate being yummy goodness, each of the wrappers included a different poem inscribed by a famous poet. What a great gift to your sweety pie!
Now, sticking to the wine and chocolate theme, I cannot think of a better way to enjoy vanilla ice cream than to top it off with champagne mint chocolate sauce! Whoever came up with this is genius!
I had an amazing time and wish I could have stopped by every booth, but my journey stops here. I wish you all the best wine and chocolate dreams.....
For more highlights, check out my guest post about the Fancy Food Show on Grace's blog, GraceNotesNYC!
On Thursday, June 25th, the rain gods took a break from dousing New England with unrelenting rain showers just in time for the 7th Annual Taste of Cambridge food festival. With cuisines from India to Ireland, the Taste of Cambridge “celebrates the diverse dining scene of one MA’s most historic cities”. Held in the court yard of the classically chic, Charles Hotel, Thursday’s savory food bazaar was jammed packed with food aficionados and curious tasters alike. Proceeds from this event benefited Youth on Fire, a care center for homeless / street-involved youth, and Club Passim’s Culture for Kids/Music Speaks, a free, monthly, multicultural program whose goals are to provide children with exposure to other cultures and peoples.
Starting off with something familiar
I ventured into the festive melee of food, music, and laughter for my first sampling. As the fates would have it, I stumbled upon Koreana, Cambridge’s premier Korean restaurant (and my shameless addiction). I sampled their kimchee (pickled cabbage with spicy seasoning), Gal bi (grilled, marinated beef), and chapchae (stir-fried cellophane noodles). The serving size was just enough to leave me with room to move on to the next food station.
Trying to stay cool
I will admit, the warm weather did play somewhat of a role in my sampling choices. Due to the humidity, I gravitated to any table that offered a cool and refreshing treat. Therefore, I found myself enjoying a creamy summer gazpacho from Small Plates and a flavorful shrimp gazpacho from Legal Seafoods. I topped off my night with a scoop of delicious homemade Black Raspberry ice cream from Lizzy’s Ice Cream.
Want to see some of my highlights for TOC, check out the following clip
