5.14.2013

Went | Harvard Square Mayfair 2013 + Cinco de Mayo

Since moving to Cambridge last year, Mike has had no trouble finding his favorite events around the city. There's the twice-annual Harvard Bookstore Warehouse Sale, and then there's Harvard Mayfair. 

Because Mayfair (held on the first Sunday in May each year) fell on Cinco de Mayo this year, there was a competing event right down the street from our house: the Taza Chocolate Factory's Cinco de Mayo block party. We stopped there on our way to Mayfair and were pleasantly surprised by dueling taco trucks, Brooklyn beer samples, smoky margarita samples, Taza chocolate samples, and free batch ice cream. 
Can I just say that all of my favorite sentences include the phrase free ice cream in them? I'd never heard of this brand before, but everything pointed to a winner: it's locally sourced and made in Massachusetts and they have a salted caramel flavor. Not to mention, I loved their branding. 
And I'm not talking those little to go sauce cups sized samples. These were real, full scoop samples, complete with a Taza topping cart nearby.
The ice cream held us over on our walk to Harvard Square for the main event. The salted caramel was my favorite of the two we tried; Mike preferred the cinnamon with chocolate bits. 
Let me just say that Mike will love any event that involves eating food out of trucks/booths/carts/stands. And I'm a fan of any place where I can sample multiple cuisines without committing to one big plate of food or price. As such, we partook in spring rolls, potstickers, chicken on a stick, pad thai, a mozarella + tomato + basil + balsamic panini, and soft serve ice cream + an elephant ear for dessert. Needless to say, we walked the long way home.
OH, and how could I forget my $2 freshly shucked oyster from Russell House's tent? It was cold and refreshing with a little bit of lemon juice and Tabasco. Mike looked on in horror, but I'll get him to try them one day. 
Mayfair is the perfect way to start off the outdoor season. The past few years it's managed to be sunny with a slight chill in the breeze to keep you comfortable while you sample all that Cambridge has to offer. It's a great reintroduction to our city after a long winter inside. How do you celebrate the start of Spring?

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