The past week has been a great week for food events.  The exec chef at my job asked me a few weeks ago to help him cook in the Battle of the Burger, which is today, and I couldn’t be more excited.  I’ve never cooked for anyone other than friends and family, and the first time I do it, it will be for 1,000 people in one of the biggest competitions this summer.  Wish me luck!  Those who are going, stop by the Cafeteria Boston tent, we’re showcasing our lamb burger and it’s sure to be a winner! More on how I do with that later.

Last week, I stopped by BostInno’s BostonFest, a celebration of Boston food, people, companies, and culture.  The Celtics were there, as well as some food trucks.  It was a bit of a madhouse, but I was able to try food from three trucks before their supplies ran out (and I got too full).

I stopped by The Dining Car a couple of times to try some of their menu.

The Russian tried the Korean Bulgogi BBQ slider (top) while I tried the caprese.  Both were flavorful and filling, and the homemade foccacia made my whole sandwich.  The lightly salted bread and the soft mozz were such a great combo.  The only complaint I would have is the bread was maybe too oily, but that can happen with foccacia and it was well worth the extra napkins.

Every person I saw had a portion of The Dining Car’s fried cauliflower topped with a curry aioli.  The cauliflower turns nutty when fried, a soft inside paired nicely with the crunchy shell and the curry sauce really make it stand out.  A great snack to pair with our beers while we overlooked the view and listened to some jazz.

I also meandered over to the Chicken & Rice Guys truck. I’ve seen this truck all over the city, and I’ve yet to try it. That was a mistake.

Tender lamb and chicken that we topped with their white sauce all served over rice with some lettuce.  Very satisfying, very homey, like my mother would make if she know how to make gyro roasted lamb.

I was also really excited to try the Area Four truck, since I’ve been hearing so much awesomeness about the restaurant. By the time we made it over there, they had run out of most food.  I tried their Kafta wrap, which was sausage, lettuce, yogurt sauce and cilantro all topped with a lemon vinaigrette.

The sausage was spicy and the yogurt was really nice, but I still want to make my way over to the restaurant so I can get the full idea of what Area Four is really about.

Overall, the event was really fun, I just wish I had made it in time to try more food.  Tonight, I will hopefully get to try all the burgers that are competing so I can beat them all with my culinary skills.

-L