There was a time when festival food meant BYO PB&J and bland burritos.
These days, concert goers expect the caliber of food to match the music — you want really good grub to power the days-long dance-a-thon.
This Weekend's Boston Calling is no exception, with vendors hawking everything from grass-fed burgers to hot Belgian waffles.
This year, the festival even has its own exclusive beer for the event being brewed by Mikkeller — a hoppy, fruity pilsner made with California oranges.
In the spirit of preparedness, we've put together a little preview of what to expect.
We'll be at Boston Calling all weekend, eating and dancing our little hearts outs. Follow the gastronomic adventures and help us spread the word on the best eats at #CravingCalling.
This New York based risotto ball maker will be serving the wonderfully portable, piping-hot, deep-fried Italian rice treats. Festival menu items include: ragu - saffron risotto with tomato meat sauce, peas and mozzarella; bianco verde - basil pesto with mozzarella; buffalo ball - roasted chicken with gorgonzola cheese; and a sweet Nutella arancini with cinnamon and sugar.
There are few more perfect on-the-go foods than a Vietnamese bahn mi style sandwich with crusty bread, tangy pickles and savory filling. What more could you want? The Boston-based, food truck fleet will be stacking three of their most popular sandwiches at the festival — spice-rubbed chicken, BBQ char siu pork, and roasted soy and paprika tofu.
The Marlborough based restaurant will be serving up a slew of Southern specialties including ribs, pulled pork and chicken sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, and cornbread.
The North Shore mobile pizza oven will be churning out charred artisanal pies.
Is there any sweeter scent than that of of yeasted, Belgian batter being caramelized on a hot waffle iron? We don't think so. The only question is whether to top them with berries, chocolate, or both. If you'd like to start studying the options, check out our visit to the truck.
Don't worry, it's not all refined carbs and meaty sandos here, Whole Heart will be serving up plant-based veggie and grain bowls, like their Tazon Style – with pineapple, corn salsa, Korean black beans, smashed cucumber, tomato, red cabbage slaw, and lime vinaigrette, with crunchy corn nuts thrown in for good measure.
The local burger chain — whose jalapeno burger holds a coveted place in our stellar burger round up — will be on-site with a variety of grass-fed patties.
These guys are going surf n' turf style with steak sandwiches and lobster rolls. Festival food has officially gone fancy.
