Culinary Charity: The Taste of Park Plaza Boston

By: Finance Foodie

Last Tuesday, I attended the Taste of Park Plaza at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. This event was held to support the Great Boston Food Bank, one of my favorite non profits in Boston (because food = good, charity=good, charity that helps end hunger=awesome) and of course, for Boston foodies to sample some delicious treats from local restaurants.

So armed with my map, camera, and flip flops (this was a pub crawl style event, so my 4-inch stilettos had to stay home that night), I set out on my food journey. Below are some tidbits from evening.

First stop, McCormick and Schmick’s. Even though the map said to start at #1, I though I could outsmart the system and avoid the lines by starting at #3. Unfortunately, all the other attendees must have also had this thought because I arrived to a packed house! M&S's Ahi Tuna with Wasabi was waaaay too spicy for my tastes, but these ladies were kind enough to spare a sip of wine from their bottle to wash down the fieriness in my mouth*

*note, wine bottle was just for decoration…but I thought it was pretty sweet nonetheless!

The next stop, Todd English’s Bonfire restaurant, was my favorite of the night. (Being the rebel that I am, I completely deviated from the map’s stated path). No Todd English present, but lots of freshly fried black garlic empanadas and surf and turf tacos to feast on!

At Au Bon Pain, I sampled their new BBQ Chicken Sandwich and Watermelon Smoothie. I usually only have Au Bon Pain for breakfast, but I was pleasantly surprised at their tasty lunch offerings. I especially liked the watermelon smoothie, which was a refreshing burst of fruity sweetness.
The Melting Pot offered cheese fondue and chocolate dipped strawberries. I wasn’t a huge fan of the cheese fondue (tasted a bit like Velveeta from a box), but the plump strawberries were gorgeous and scrumptious even without the chocolate dip!
I then headed over to MJ’ O Conner’s, who was serving clam chowder and shepard’s pie. At this point, I was pretty sweaty from walking around to all the venues (in my uncomfortably heavy business suit) so the thought of imbibing hot soup made me rather “feverish”. Pass.
Finally, I ended my night at Finale. The Dark Chocolate Decadence (and I am not talking about Tyson Beckford) flourless cake was a great “finale” to the night.
After the Taste, all the VIP guests headed to Whiskey Park for the after party. Although tempted to partake in the continued festivities, I decided to call it a night and head home. All and all, a fun filled evening filled with great food and charitable Bostonians!