Summer BBQ'n Fun @ Tremont 647

Doesn't BBQ go hand in hand with summer?  Ice cold beers, great music, loud laughter hanging thickly in humid air and grills ablaze with delicious smelling food.  Oh summer, you rock and last night was the epitome of a great summer evening.  I had the pleasure of joining my friends Fiona and John at Tremont 647 for the 7th Annual Grilling Social featuring fantastic local chefs grilling up some seriously good eats.  The theme this year was "street food from around the world" and the menu did not disappoint.  I'll admit, I even found my self a little star struck; meeting and talking with such well known chefs as Andy Husbands (of Tremont 647 and Sister Sorel), Mark Orfaly (of Pigalle), Brian Poe (Rattlesnake) and Chris Coombs (of dbar).

Like most of the events that I attend, I had no idea what to expect.  The small Tremont 647 and Sister Sorel (which are sort of joining locations) were transformed into a back yard BBQ.  Only it was in the front of the restaurant, under two small blue tents that housed two lengthy grills and billowy smoke.  While making our way to each tent to sample the fare, servers passed around little plates of yummy little sliders and pulled chicken tortillas.  Ice cold Harpoon beer was flowing freely.  (All three of them are not mine, by the way.)

In the first tent, we sampled burgers with what appeared to be a black bean spread, a raddicio slaw and a piece of grilled shrimp.  I don't care for shrimp so I skipped this sample but those around me said that it was delicious.

As I worked my way from the first to the second tent, I got to see and catch up with some of food blogger friends; Pam and Rachel.  At the second tent, there was a Russian pork and onion kebab that was served with a sweet plum sauce.  In addition to that, there was a wedge of toasted whole wheat pita bread topped with tzatziki, a hearty slice of lamb and a salsa of crunchy cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions and mint.  This by far was my favorite.  The flavors just all came together perfectly and that mint!  It was just so refreshing.  (Special note about the below picture: I'd love to tell that I had enough hand-eye coordination to pull off a shot of me grabbing for a lamb pita.  I'd also love to tell you that I thought to stage an action shot.  In reality, my friend John reached in for a second helping just as I was snapping the picture.  Look at that folks! A real-live, un-staged action shot!  You just don't see that everyday, now do you?)

For dessert, these yummy little brownie-like 'smores were being passed around.  They were great with a crispy graham cracker crust, rich chocolate and a fired up marshmallow on top.  It was a little sweet for my taste but that didn't stop me from eating the better part of one of them.

 After all the eating, I left with a fully belly, a huge smile on my face and the appreciation my city and it's talented chefs along with all the happiness that a summer evening can bring.