More than 50 restaurants took part as the Somerville Chamber of Commerce hosted its 27th annual Taste of Somerville on Wednesday. To date, the food festival has raised about $1 million for Somerville nonprofits; proceeds from this year’s event, held for the first time at Boynton Yards near Union Square, went to Somerville Homeless Coalition.
Last June, I visited the Taste of Cambridge, a similar event that has issued more than $300,000 in grants to Cambridge nonprofits, and reported on 10 of my favorite bites and sips. Doing the same for Somerville’s event, I was similarly impressed by the quality and breadth of the offerings.
From 5 to 8 p.m., for the price of a $65 ticket, visitors get unlimited access to food and drinks from the vendors. Eateries from across the city hand out samples, and attendees – generally between 900 and 1,200 of them – get to spend three hours walking between booths and trying bites. It’s a pretty good deal.
The event featured live music, lawn games and plenty of seating. Overall, the energy was high, and as I reflected after visiting the Taste of Cambridge, this was an impressive showing of “community” in every sense of the word.
Here are 10 of the best things I tried:
Pear sorbet
Forge Baking Co. & Ice Cream Bar
Wednesday was a warm day, and when Taste of Somerville started at 5 p.m., the sun was still high in the sky. Upon walking in, I saw Forge was serving ice cream and made a beeline for its table. Pear sorbet sounded like a perfectly light, refreshing treat, and it was. The pear flavor was pronounced without being overpowering, and the sorbet was just the right consistency.
Cornbread
The Neighborhood Restaurant & Bakery
The Neighborhood is known for its cream of wheat, which it was serving at the festival and was very good, but what I loved perhaps even more was its cornbread. It was incredibly moist and soft, with a distinctive corn taste. Sweet and savory, this bite melted in my mouth and was among the best cornbreads I have ever had.
Snap pea Caesar
Gufo
I tried Gufo’s snap pea Caesar at Taste of Cambridge last year and have not stopped thinking about it since. I was thrilled to see Gufo had a table at Taste of Somerville and was again serving this salad. The fresh crunch of the snap peas offset the creaminess of the dressing, with thin slices of watermelon radish adding a nice zestiness and a topping of toasted breadcrumbs bringing it all together.
Spicy black bean tostada
Lone Star Taco Bar
Like Gufo, Lone Star was at Taste of Cambridge last year – a benefit of being on the border of Cambridge and Somerville, I suppose – but with a different menu item. This year’s black bean tostada was made up of a flavorful black bean puree atop a crispy tortilla and topped with avocado tomatillo salsa and queso fresco. I would have loved a thicker spread of the black bean puree, but this was a really tasty bite with a nice crunch.
Orange chicken
Lotus XPress
Served with vegetable lo mein, Lotus Xpress’ orange chicken was everything you want from the dish. The chunks of meat were lightly battered, so they were simultaneously crispy and juicy, and the orange sauce was sweet and tangy with just the right amount of orange flavor. It didn’t feel overly heavy and was a great complement to the noodles.
Crispy pea risotto arancini with herb aioli
Vera’s
In addition to a lovely mocktail, Vera’s was serving a rich and delicious arancini. The rice balls were crispy on the outside and full of creamy risotto with large peas; an herb aioli added a vibrant, fresh punchiness. It certainly would have been better freshly fried, but the fact that it was still that enjoyable seemed like a testament to its quality.
Chouquette
Café Saint-Germain
Choquettes, or petits choux, are small spheres of choux pastry that have been sugared and baked, I learned from the kind person staffing Café Saint-Germain’s table. What a delightful little treat! These were incredibly light and airy, with a delicately sweet and slightly eggy flavor and a subtly crunchy exterior from the pearl sugar. I could have easily eaten 10 of these.
Al pastor taco
Los Amigos Taqueria
Los Amigos’ al pastor taco was served on a soft corn tortilla and topped with a green salsa and pico de gallo. The meat was incredibly flavorful, and the salsa provided a nice herby freshness. I always appreciate an al pastor that has pineapple chunks you can actually see and taste, and this one was heavy with them.
Lemonatti
Aeronaut Brewing Co.
My feelings on beer are generally pretty tepid, so it’s always a win when I find one I genuinely enjoy. The Lemonatti from Aeronaut, one of three beers it served at the festival, was crisp and refreshing with a tart, lemony flavor. Reminiscent of a shandy, this was a perfect sip on a summer night.
Torched salmon nigiri
Ebi Sushi
Watching Ebi Sushi’s chef construct these torched salmon nigiris was watching an artist at work. He shaped the rice expertly into an oval, added a tiny dab of eel sauce to affix the salmon to the top and seared it lightly with a small blowtorch before topping it with more eel sauce, a touch of truffle mayonnaise and scallions. The result was delicious, the surface of the salmon slightly crisped while the center remained raw, and the sauces adding extra bite.
A stronger
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