We all know that Concord is home to lots of great dining establishments.
And while that’s a great thing to have, after all, variety is the spice of life, it can also lead to some big decision-making problems.
Let’s face it, going out to eat can get a little spendy, so you can’t do it every day. But we want to eat and try it all, which means choosing the right place to eat can present quite the challenge.
Luckily, once a year, you don’t have to choose – and that one day just so happens to be this week. Restaurants from all over Concord and beyond will descend upon the Grappone Conference Center on Thursday for the 11th annual Taste of Concord.
So buy a ticket, skip lunch and prepare to stuff your face with all sorts of tasty goodness. There will be more than 30 restaurants and businesses on hand, handing out samples of all sorts of food.
Beer and wine tasting is also on the agenda, along with live music, cooking demonstrations, a silent auction and raffles.
And we can’t forget about the Top Chef Competition, held each year to determine which local eatery produces the best tasting slider.
For the last two years, Arnie’s Place has earned top billing and will return with a mysterious creation looking for a three-peat.
But there will be some tough competition with all these great slider combinations on the menu:
Alan’s of Boscawen: Prime Rib with au jus.
Arnies Place: “Secret” smoked pork.
The Barley House: Lamb with fennel cucumber relish and pomegranate ketchup.
The Draft: Pulled pork with moonshine pickled slaw.
Everyday Cafe & Pub: Bayley Hazen Blue Cheese stuffed grass fed beef with bacon, jam, lettuce and tomato relish on homemade potato buns.
Hungry Buffalo: Thin sliced slow roasted wild boar with house rub and homemade barbecue sauce, topped with cheddar.
Tarte Cafe & Bakery: Pork Belly Banh Mi.
The evening runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., which means if you get there for the start, that’s three solid hours of munching. You definitely won’t being hitting up the drive-thru on the way home .
The Taste of Concord is held in support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Concord.
Individual tickets are $30, but if you have nine friends who want to go with you, a package of 10 tickets will only cost you $250. Quick math tells us that’s only $25 a person.
Tickets may be purchased prior to the event at The Wine’ing Butcher, 16 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke; Cimo’s South End Deli, 250 South St.; Quality Cash Market, 11 Eastman St.; and the 99 Restaurant & Pub, 60 D’Amante Drive.
Tickets can also be ordered online by visiting tasteofconcord.com. Online ticket orders will be held at will call. And if you’re not sure what your social life is going to look like on Thursday, you can also wait till the last minute and buy them at the door.
Tickets may also be purchased by calling Jon Clay at 410-5173 or emailing clay@centralnhclubs.org.
Insider staff
