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    Home » US Travel » Boston » Somerville » Davis Square

    The Painted Burro 2nd Annual Guac Off 2014

    Published: Apr 28, 2014 · Modified: Oct 12, 2017 by Jennifer Che

    2014_PaintedBurroGuacOff
    Holy guacamole!

    I am a huge fan of avocados. I've always loved their intense creamy flavor, high nutritional value, and overall versatility. I love eating them in sushi (even though it's not particularly authentic to Japan); I've made avocado ice cream and it's divine; and I regularly make guacamole at home.

    Imagine my excitement when the Painted Burro invited me to come and be a judge at their annual "Guac Off".
    Getting ready to judge some guac!! @michellepc @jwilliam101 @ThePaintedBurro #GuacOff
    I, along with two other judges, Somerville firefighter (and Burro Churro Challenge winner) Jay McKenzie and Somerville Scout writer and blogger at The Economical Eater, Michelle Lahey, would be solely responsible for picking the ultimate winner of this competitive event.
    _DSC6911
    Here's how the contest worked.

    Earlier, interested competitors had submitted their guacamole recipes to the Painted Burro for consideration. Out of all the entries, the Painted Burro picked twelve finalists to feature in the Guac Off.
    _DSC6914
    These twelves finalists picked up their avocados from the Painted Burro a day before the event. They prepared their masterpieces at home and brought them in on the day of competition.
    _DSC6913
    While the contestants personally prepared their guacamole for the judges, the staff at the Painted Burro helped prepare larger portions of the same recipes for the general public to sample.
    _DSC6915
    The public's vote would determine the People's Choice winners, while the judges would determine the ultimate winner.
    _DSC6918
    Aaron Goldman presented his dish called Smoke and Fire. He made a smoky bean dip to go along with his guacamole, which had a kick. A nice touch was his homemade pita chips, which were really good.
    _DSC6920
    Lauren Wentworth presented the Caribbean GiacaMANGO!, which included chunks of chopped mango. The guacamole had an overall sweetness caused by the fruit.
    _DSC6922
    Christina Oliveria made Crispy Pork Belly & Mango Guacamole, which also included chunks of fresh mango but had crispy pork belly, which added a nice salty umami to offset the sweetness of the mango.
    _DSC6923
    Ellen Wong presented Cilantro Lovers with a Twist. Her guacamole included Asian fish sauce as the secret ingredient, which added a subtle umami to the dish without overpowering the fresh avocado flavors. I really enjoyed this one.
    _DSC6926 OreganoGuac
    Nicole Leavenworth presented "Abuela Irene's Guacamole". The presentation for this dish was definitely one of the most unique. A man came out with a tiny little guitar (ukelele perhaps?) and sang us a song that he wrote for the guacamole, which included lyrics revealing the secret ingredient - "dried oregano". The dried oregano was very pronounced and most certainly defined the dish.
    _DSC6927
    Jay Nungesser presented GuacaMOLE! Verde, which had toasted seeds on top. I really liked the textural contrast as well as the nutty flavor that the seeds added.
    _DSC6928
    Isaac Hendrick presented the Granada Guacamole, which had fresh pomegranate seeds mixed in. I really enjoyed the slightly tart pop that the pomegranate seeds added to the guacamole.
    _DSC6929
    Adam Riegel presented Buffamole!, an avocado mixture topped with a shredded buffalo chicken served with tortillas and carrots. It was a playful take on buffalo wings and had great flavor.
    _DSC6930
    Maya and Andy presented "A-Town's Great Guac", which was beautifully presented in an avocado shell, complete with tortilla stars and an umbrella. They pointed out that the stars were edible and most importantly, there was no cilantro, because some people do not like it.
    _DSC6932
    Aditi Pai presented A Smoky Summer Night, which included chopped cantaloupe for a unique, sweeter flavor profile.
    _DSC6933
    Dasha Smirnova presented Dasha's Dynamite Guamacole. This was by far the spiciest of the entries. It was made from smoked ghost chilies from Dasha's own backyard. She included a ghost chili in each bowl, but told us it was just for decoration and recommended not eating it.
    PaintedBurro2

    One of our judges, Jay, decided that he was going to eat it since it was in the bowl. You can see his reaction as he's eating the ghost chili.
    He couldn't taste anything for quite awhile after that bite.

    _DSC6938
    Lyle Bradley presented the Eastie Special, a classic guacamole that was just downright delicious. It was balanced in flavor, had a nice citrus (lime?) kick, and was one of the few that was perfectly salted. I felt like I could eat this one forever.
    _DSC6916
    It was a hard decision for me. We were supposed to judge them on various aspects, including creativity, presentation, and taste. After repeatedly crossing out numbers and changing things around, I finally reached my decision.

    The manager, Alec, averaged all our scores to figure out the final winner.

    We had no idea who it would be.

    Here's Alec, getting everyone's attention as he prepared to announce the winner.
    _DSC6946
    The winner of the People's Choice Award is . . . . a TIE! We have two winners! They are:

    Ellen Wong for her Cilantro Lovers with a Twist and Lyle Bradley for Eastie Special!

    I really enjoyed both of their guacamoles and thought that prize was well deserved.

    And now . . . the runner up winner of the 2nd Annual Guac Off is Lyle Bradley (again!) for Eastie Special! Clearly this guy's guacamole was really good.
    _DSC6948
    And then the crowned winner of the Guac Off?
    _DSC6950
    Isaac Hendrick with his Granada Guacamole!
    _DSC6952
    Congrats Isaac!!
    _DSC6954
    Isaac won $150, bragging rights, as well as the honor of having his guacamole featured on the Painted Burro menu.

    I really liked his guacamole because the pomegranate seeds added a lovely, surprisingly zing to the guac that made it strangely addictive.

    Congrats Isaac! Can't wait to try your guac at the Painted Burro!
    _DSC6928

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    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen
    Jennifer Che Tiny Urban Kitchen

    Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am an expat who moved from Boston to Hong Kong 5 years ago. Born and raised in Ohio to Taiwanese immigrant parents, I am a chemistry nerd, patent attorney by day, blogger by night, church musician on weekends, and food enthusiast always. Feel free to explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!

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