Get ready for chocolate booze, chocolate bao, and chocolate-glazed ribs at the Harvard Square Chocolate Festival
The weekend, chocoholics will descend on Cambridge for the ninth annual Harvard Square Chocolate Festival.
The three-day event, hosted by the Harvard Square Business Association, kicks off on Friday with several Harvard Square restaurants featuring chocolate-themed menus and vendors offering limited-time items and deals.
For example, chocolate lovers can head to The Red House for chocolate-dusted scallops and smoked bourbon-and-chocolate-glazed baby back pork ribs, while the Noir Bar and Parsnip Lounge will celebrate with chocolate martinis and cocktails. Tom’s BaoBao will unveil their latest creation, a marshmallow-light chocolate bao that the restaurant will offer through Valentine’s Day.
Chocolate cupcakes from a previous festival.
Of course, the festival will also include the widely popular free Chocolate Tasting Event on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. More than 20 vendors, including Wagamama and Flour Bakery, will provide free samples of their decadent chocolate offerings, said Denise Jillson, executive director of the Harvard Square Business Association. Expect Harvard Square to transform into “a chocolate village,” she said.
Attendees are encouraged to get there early, as the event attracts hundreds.
Festivalgoers line up for free samples.
On Sunday, the festival will round out with vendors at the weekly Charles Square Farmers Market selling special chocolate items from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. There will be chocolate-covered bacon from Stillman Quality Meats, hot cocoa from Busa Farm, and chocolate-roasted nuts from guest vendor Q’s Nuts, Jillson said.
For the serious chocolate aficionados, the Cambridge Center for Adult Education will host two informational chocolate events on Sunday: instruction on chocolate and wine pairings called Delicious & Divine: A Chocolate & Wine Affair from 2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. for $55 and Chocolate 101: A Brief History & Tasting from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. for $35.
For more information on the festival and a list of all participating vendors, visit the Harvard Square website.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com