A Taste of Cambridge

This week I had the pleasure of attending Taste of Cambridge, an annual event put on by the Cambridge Licensee Advisory Board.  Over 50 restaurants (both food and drink purveyors) and an even bigger crowd gathered in the courtyard outside the Charles Hotel to get a taste of the diverse dining scene in Cambridge!  This years beneficiaries included the very worthy Salvation Army Cambridge/Somerville Corps "Restoring Lives Capital Campaign" and the Cambridge Program/Special Olympics Saturday Program.

To say there was a lot of food is an understatement!  I did my best to sample from the restaurants I've been wanting to try, or those that everyone was buzzing about :)  Here are some of my favorite bites of the evening...

I think this was my first taste of the night, but I can't pass up elote!!  Grilled corn on the cob with cotija cheese and lime-chile salt from Ole was good, although a little too saucy.

The huge egg fan that I am, I was also excited to try the deviled egg from Russel House Tavern.  Local farm eggs were topped with shrimp and micro greens, with a bit of melon.  I can't say I tasted the melon in there, but certainly enjoyed this bite!

The Moroccoo Taco from Casablanca was delicious.  The smoked lamb was so tender and paired well with the fried chickpeas, preserved lemon and charmoula that adorned the taco.  I was totally smitten with the filling :)

Tacos were a popular item, and another popular one was the Crispy Duck Taco from Upstairs on the Square.  I think the accoutrements really made the taco; with pickled jalapenos, lime sour cream,spicy cabbage and pickled shallots each bite packed some good flavors.

I totally fell for the homemade veggie burger from Christopher's Restaurant.  It was packed with lots of goodies (I can't remember anything but the roasted corn, sorry!) and topped with pesto and roasted red peppers...  fabulous.

Stone Hearth Pizza offered up a local, organic meatball slider that was absolutely delicious, and the ciabatta that it was served on- perfectly toasty.

Another restaurant that I can't wait to go to is Oleana, especially after tasting their toasted green wheat salad, topped with whipped feta and wild oregano.  Yum!!

For a sweet ending, I tasted a few desserts from Veggie Galaxy, a vegan bakery spin-off ofVeggie Planet that will be opening this summer.  I kind of wanted to try everything on the table, but settled for a bite of the vegan cheesecake, TAZO chocolate chip cookie, and coconut citrus cupcake.

I also couldn't resist the PB&J hob nob from Craigie on Main!  My hob nob was a little short of jam, but I never complain about something that tastes like peanut butter-y bliss :)

Feed me please!

Only a portion of what I consumed over the evening, I left stuffed and excited about all the restaurants I need to find my way back too :)  It was also great to see Elina and Adam, Meghan, Megan, Justin and Elizabeth!

Elina, Meghan and Megan

Do you locals have a favorite restaurant in Cambridge??

Disclosure:  My ticket to the event was complimentary, but the opinions are my own.