CK and I just dragged ourselves home from the annual brouhaha that is the Harvard Square Mayfair. Along with our good friend Anna, we essentially ate our way through block after block of tempting festive food vendors. Everywhere you looked there was something edible: sausage, french fries, kettle corn, ice cream, burgers, pakoras, and even fried plantains. It was a regular carnival of binge eating. Hooray!
Thankfully soon after we arrived we actually made a rather sensible decision to have a calm sit down meal at a new restaurant that recently opened in the square called Tory Row. Our food was great! Exactly what we needed. I had a veggie filled chicken pot pie, CK sampled their tomato, basil, parmesen flatbread, and Anna declared her grilled chicken sandwich a keeper. I also was really taken with the very modern atmosphere. Lots of grey and chrome which I always find appealing. If you have a chance to stop in I definitely recommend it.
Then it was off to find junk food! Our first stop was supposed to be a fudge vendor that Anna and I fondly remembered from last year’s fair, but we were soon sidelined when Anna and CK both stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of a bubbling cauldron of fried plantains. So into line we went and Anna and CK had a long conversation about their love of Coco Rico and the relative merits of Cola Champagne as well as their mutual hatred of Malta. I just love it when my two favorite people start geeking out about their shared Puerto Rican Heritage.
Once the sweet and crispy plantains were safely in our bellies our next stop on the calorie train was the fried dough man. Now I can’t recall the last time I had fried dough but it was probably 3000 years ago and I suspect that I was sporting crimped hair and hot pink sneakers. That piece of fried dough tasted like nectar of the gods. Warm and golden brown, I eagerly and quite happily munched my way through the whole cinnamon and sugared piece.
But the fudge lady was still MIA. While we Nancy Drewed our way through the crowds I managed to win a free dinner at Wagamama (Yasai Katsu Curry here I come) and I also found a gorgeous pink ring and these colorful freshwater pearl earrings in a little store on Church Street called Tis·tiK. And then we found her. The fudge lady! Right now I have four pieces of delectable fudge sitting on my dining room table, but I’m just so completely full that I can’t even look at them. But very soon I’m going to take a little nibble. Which should I try first: Peanut Butter, Chocolate Mint Swirl, Cookie Dough, or Maple Walnut? It’s just too hard to decide. I’m so glad I ran this morning…Hopefully I’ll see some of you at next year’s Mayfair!
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Looks like fun. I love eating my way through fairs! Great chance to try lots of things!
You definitely made out at the May Fair, I’m totally jealous of the fudge and fried dough!
Looks so fun – I didn’t even know this was going on this weekend. Those fried plantains would have completely distracted me as well – yum! I’ll have to check out Tory Row sometime.
This fair seems fabulous. Wish I could’ve gone. All of those treats look incredible!
love the ring! such a soft pink… really… super cute!
so basically you had me at ‘kettle corn’… I’ve been known to eat tot he point of sick with that.
but fudge. fudge looks GOOD. I think that I need to make some fudge. like soon. like maybe today. *drool*
fun post! I love reading about your local habitat! 🙂
Go for the Maple Walnut first. I would say Chocolate Mint Swirl, but it’s green, and that’s a little strange. And if you’re REALLY craving chocolate and mint, I saw you have some fantastic-looking thin mint swirl ice cream.
Oh, I wanted to go to this! I completely forgot & spent all Sunday bored.
Everything looks so fun and yummy. I love a good fair or festival.
I LOVE those earrings! Too bad they don’t have them listed on their website :o( Bummer!!
Erin – The earrings are listed on their Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2134068&id=33463961270
I wonder if you email them directly if they might be able to work out some sort of shipping deal with you? There were definitely a bunch in the store. The salespeople are super nice. Good luck!
I drove by Harvard Square over the weekend and saw the detour signs and was wondering what Mayfair was. Now I know!
Fried dough and fudge and earrings and a ring what more could you want!
Erin!
I know a Hungarian version of that fried dough:
Filled with feta cheese! Street vendors in Hungary have the most delicious versions!
Gabi @ Mamaliga.
wow so amazing! i used to live in waltham and would go to harvard sq every week. i misss it soo much! seems like a tasty trip 🙂
Nice recap! I ate my way around the Square too. Make Music had some amazing chocolate madeleines, and Mt. Everest made tasty momos. However, I ate at Tory Row last night and am sad to report that NONE of our food was good. I took two bites of my veggie burger (super starchy, made with some sort of blend of overcooked/undercooked rice) and greens (completely tasteless, with like two droplets of a bland dressing) and had to push the plate away. I NEVER do that. It’s too bad, since it’s the sister resto of Cambridge 1, Audubon Circle and Miracle of Science (as well as the Middlesex), which are all fairly solid food and drink-wise. Seems like they’re still figuring things out. For now, I’d only recommend the beer – which can be had more cheaply at Charlie’s anyhow.
Ryan – I’m sorry to hear you had a bad veggie burger. I think veggie burgers are a tough item for most restaurants to do right. I’ve not often come across a good one. The day we went the food really was very good, but like most restaurants they have good days and bad and as Tory Row is so new you are absolutely right that they probably are trying to work out the kinks. Either way I still think it’s at least a great place to get a drink (which I did last night actually). Perhaps we crossed paths and didn’t even know it?
i definitely need to hit that up next year 🙂