The Taste of Somerville has been one of the largest food festivals in New England for much of its 28 years, and this year was packed too. Boynton Yards was nicely crowded (without being claustrophobic) for the Wednesday event’s more than 50 sampling tables of restaurants and drink purveyors and 1,000 attendees. The sun beat down in the high 80s without ever getting too oppressive, though diners seeking relief from a meat-heavy menu might be why Forge’s ice cream ran out about halfway through the 5 to 8 p.m. benefit for the nonprofit Elizabeth Peabody House.
There was so much good food to be had, from Vera’s arancini (a crisped pea risotto with Parmesan and herb aioli) and hot, chewy PopUp Bagels (sue me, but no schmear is needed) to the substantial plates of blackened chicken Alfredo served by Tony C’s Sports Bar & Grill, which had a sneaky heat of its own. When staggering happily away from the event, though, it turns out there were five dishes that had me already plotting how soon I could get back to their sources for more.
Gufo snap pea Caesar
This lands on the list of Taste best-ofs every year, but it’s there for a reason. You can’t munch absentmindedly through these dressed snap peas and sliced watermelon radishes under toasted breadcrumbs; too many bites will surprise you with the fresh crispness of this side dish ($18 at the restaurant). Gufo, 660 Cambridge St., East Cambridge
Olde Magoun’s Saloon jerk pork tacos
Yum. I didn’t expect a simple taco to become a favorite at a Taste, where I look for the new. There was actually lots of great meat, including the marinated sirloin steak tips from The Independent restaurant and in the sliders at the Five Horses Tavern table – a house-smoked brisket so good that the roll, cheese and pickle with it kind of dragged it down. The Olde Magoun’s tacos avoided that trap: They came with mango salsa and guacamole that enhanced this fusion treat, which isn’t on the restaurant menu. (That suggests an experiment with the $22 street corn quesadilla with hardwood smoked pork or Linda’s nachos with pulled pork for $23.) Olde Magoun’s Saloon, 518 Medford St., Magoun Square, Somerville
Oliveira’s rodizio sampler
What, more meat? Yes, you were warned. And it’s all you should expect from a churrascaria that specializes in large chunks of meat slow cooked on giant skewers to be carved off upon request. The Taste serving was giant, much like dining in at this all-you-can-eat experience, and came with savory rice and a bright tomato side. The steak was fine and, in a few bites, very fine, but the surprise here was the chicken – easily a challenge for the samples from the nearby Tribos Peri Peri, which drew the larger line. Feasting at this city classic by the East Somerville T stop will cost you nearly another Taste of Somerville ($46 to $57), but fill you up like one too. Oliveira’s Steak House, 120 Washington St., East Somerville
Sacco’s Bowl Haven by American Flatbread pizza
This was our first stop upon entering the Taste – strips of thin-crust cheese and pepperoni pies – because it was right by the entrance and there was no line. But the slices landed in front of us sizzling and so flavorful that no matter what delights were ahead, I never stopped thinking about another slice. As charming as is the candlepin bowling at this preserved, 10-lane gem from 1939, it’s the flatbread I care about. (A small Cheese and Herb is $14.25 and a Margherita is $18.25; the Pepperoni and Peppers is $18.50.) Sacco’s Bowl Haven by American Flatbread, 45 Day St., Davis Square, Somerville
Gracie’s Ice Cream sandwiches
By dessert time at the Gracie’s stand I was thoroughly overwhelmed – in fact, this wasn’t even our first dessert; we scored one the last of Forge’s ultracreamy coffee ice cream scoops, which we paired with some chocolate bread from When Pigs Fly ($10.74) – and my faculties had collapsed like a drugged-out Hunter S. Thompson toward the end of “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” I skipped a hand-torched Fluff cone and a scoop in favor of a sandwich, a generous slab of ice creams between Pop Tarts being set out and melting in hard-to-choose-from variety. I chose chocolate between what I believe to be the Frosted Brown Sugar toaster pastry, packed together far enough ahead of time that the ice cream suffused and softened the Pop Tart in a perfect meld. I don’t know if it was Frosted Brown Sugar; I don’t know what the price of this treat is in-store. I may have sabotaged myself for the excuse to go to Gracie’s and get another. Gracie’s Ice Cream, 22 Union Square, Somerville
Next is the Taste of Cambridge, 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at University Park Commons, 65 Sidney St., Cambridgeport near Central Square, Cambridge. $74.50.
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