Fork Lift Food Fest 2013

I think I hit the jackpot at the Fork Lift Food Fest, a sub-component of the (hopefully, first annual) Outside the Box Music & Performing Arts Festival sponsored in large part by founder and philanthropist Ted Cutler. According to the participating restaurants list on the official website, Scampo was scheduled for Friday. Now, I like Scampo – I had a very good Restaurant Week experience there just this prior March. But with the current heat wave forecasting Friday to be the hotter of the two weekdays of the food fest, I thought I’d play smart and check it out today instead. 

I braved the overhead sun and muggy weather with my shade hat firmly tied on… and found the tented area on City Hall Plaza to be rather sparsely populated.  Good for me.  Bad for them.  The heat must have kept the crowds away as it did my friend who told me “I don’t plan on going to City Hall to roast.” 

Chart House Boston

Since I thought I had read somewhere that the food tickets ($1 each) were sold in increments of 5 and that each taste was priced at 1-5 food tickets, I did a quick walk through of the tents first, so I wouldn’t over-convert my dollars for tickets.  Turns out I was wrong though, as the ladies at my first  Food, Soda & Water Tickets stand was more than willing to sell me as many or as few food tickets my heart desired.

Avocado Crab Mango Stack 4 tix

During my grand tour, the station with the longest line (5 people deep) was Scampo at the Liberty Hotel.  I checked out the menu – Chef Lydia Shire’s Lobster Sausage with Crispy Pork Cracklin’s 4 Tickets – ding, ding, ding!  The aroma of warm melted butter filled the air…  A quick run to the ticket stand, a short wait in line, and one of those big, fat, glistening sausages threatening to jump out of the beautifully toasted bun was mine!

Lydia and her Lobster Sausage 4 tix

I hid myself in the shade of one of several umbrella-ed tables, and bit.  Juices flowed and chunks of crustacean were proudly exposed.  (And my plate blew away – oops!)  Yup, the winner was here.

Having overheard Lydia tell another diner that this was the only day they’d be at the festival, I was tempted to buy a second and to stick it in the freezer for later… but instead, I bought another and took it to a friend who worked close by.  There is joy in sharing delicious food, you know!

Jasper White's cooking demo is about to begin

FYI -

Hours:
Thursday, July 18th – 11am – 9pm
Friday, July 19th – 11am – 9pm
Saturday, July 20th – 11am – 9pm
Sunday, July 21st (grand finale!) – 11am – 5pm

Cost:
Entrance – free
Food – Tasting tickets are sold for $1 each – I think they had a credit card machine… but I paid cash, so I’m not 100% sure

Facilities:
Portapotties were set up against the side of the Government Center T station

To give you some ideas of the prices here –
Shake Shack’s Shack Burger (aka Cheeseburger) 5 tickets
State Room’s Spicy Chinese Chicken Salad, Crispy Wonton Chip, Hoisin Ginger Sauce 3 tickets
Isabelle’s Curly Cakes cupcakes ranged from 3-5 tickets

And I think the cheapest drink option at 1 ticket was at Olde Thyme Franks, in case you aren’t carrying your water bottle.

Tips:
Bring a hat
Bring water
Bring money/credit card
Bring your appetite
Bring wet naps – great for cleaning those fingers!

I bet it is going to be busier this weekend, despite the heat, since most folk won’t be stuck at work.