The premise of this blog proves that I'm a fan of desserts. The same can be said about food in general, and this weekend gave me a chance to indulge in said fandom unlike any other. Or, should I say phandom?
On Saturday, the Phantom Gourmet Food Festival came to Boston! Over 80 food vendors from the greater Boston area converged on Lansdowne and Ipswich Streets to offer samples of their cooking and baking. Rumor was that one's stomach capacity would be sorely tested, so I tried to limit my food intake the night before and morning leading up to the event. I arrived downtown around noon, and met up with some friends who had been there since the festival opened at 10:30. They had already passed through one street's worth of vendors, and I heard glowing reviews of everything from ribs to risotto, crabcakes to cupcakes. My stomach was groaning in anticipation, so we left Tequila Rain and meandered down Ipswich Street. We were soon swallowed up in a crowd of purple-bead-wearing "Phantom Phans," and a few elaborately-costumed fellows emulating the caped and masked Phantom Gourmet mascot.
The verb "gorge," referring to a ravenous style of eating, most accurately describes my response to the array of food I found on this street. The most compelling dishes, to use Carr's classification, were either meat or sweet - I tried to stay away from the breads and pastas, since I knew they would fill me up but not provide much flavor. My favorite meat dishes were ribs from Firefly's, served with a side of whipped sweet potatoes and pecans, and Harrows' chicken pies, complete with thick, savory sauce and pastry topping. (Linda, if BC Dining had had access to these pies, chicken pot pie day would have been one hundred times as exciting.) However, in keeping with the theme of this blog, I'll give you a breakdown of the sweets:
- Wholly Cannoli, dynamite stick - this cannoli in ball form was, without a question, the best dessert there. The dynamite stick had a traditional ricotta cannoli filling. That filling was enrobed in caramel, and then contained within a chocolate-covered pastry shell. The resultant ball was then given a coating of chopped-up pecans and cocoa powder. I was absolutely delighted. (A note to Mike's Pastry: start offering a version of these if you want my cannoli patronage to remain in the North End! Sadly, Wholly Cannoli is based out of Worcester.)
- Simply Divine Brownies, brownie truffles - these truffles were small, extremely dense bits of brownie enrobed in fruit-flavored chocolate. The raspberry and cranberry truffles were decent, but simply divine? Not even close.
- Ivy's Fine Cakes and Pastries, assorted cakes/brownies - these tasted too much of mass-produced baking mixes to deserve special mention for their flavor. However, their cakes were beautifully presented, and an Ivy's wedding cake would make a stunning visual statement at any ceremony.
- Sugar Bakery, brambles and cupcakes - a bramble cookie is made from two layers of pie crust dough, with fruity filling between the layers and a healthy sprinkling of sugar on top. These cookies were crisp, sweet, and fruity - a definite winner, and something I might try to recreate. The bakery's cupcakes were equally pleasing. I had a chocolate caramel cupcake, which featured a delicious and moist cake topped with swirls of caramel and sweet frosting.
- Pure Chocolate, P2C2 bar - this Quincy-based chocolatier uses Belgian chocolate to create interesting barks and individual pieces. The P2C2 bar is milk chocolate swirled with peanut butter, caramel, and crisped rice. Tasty, and a potential personal replacement for Berkshire Bark's discontinued Pretzelogical bar.
There were several other dessert offerings, such as ice cream and biscotti, but I was too full from meats, the above sweets, and Captain Eli's blueberry soda to partake. Stuffed and barely able to walk (waddle?), I insisted on a break to nurture the food coma.
One La Verdad margarita and glass of water later, it was time to hit Lansdowne! Unfortunately, most of the dessert vendors there (Kickass Cupcakes, Rosie's Bakery) had closed up shop after running out of samples, so I didn't enjoy as many sweets during the second round. However, there was one interesting dessert. Gaga's "SherBetter" is a light, refreshing frozen dairy treat that contains more butter fat than sherbet, but less than ice cream. I tried two fruity flavors (lemon and rainbow), and enjoyed the smooth consistency and robust fruity flavor. Would I have this again? Not necessarily, since all frozen-dairy-treat cravings can be satisfied by my beloved Christina's, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Food-wise, Not Your Average Joe's offered delicious crabcakes and a mixed-greens salad, and Ivy (reviewed in the Restaurant Week entry below) served arancini, which are fried balls of cheesy risotto. I also sampled cheese, clam chowder, and another helping of chicken pie.
Sigh. Foodie heaven! I look forward to the Festival's return next September.
Needless to say, I did not eat for the rest of the day, and my appetite has only now returned, more than 24 hours after my last Festival bite. Perhaps a light dinner is in order?
