50 Best Restaurants: The Matchup at Dante's Sausagefest


One of our favorite annual events at Cambridge restaurant Dante — besides the killer Fourth of July party on the patio, naturally — is the fall cook-off they hold outdoors. An invitational competition that has chefs from all over town whipping up tasty lowbrow fare, it has an ever-changing theme; the past several years have seen a Ball Brawl (meatballs), the Slurpdown (soups and stews), Ravioli Rumble (guess), and Nine Chilis of Hell (spicy!).

This Sunday’s Sausagefest will no doubt be one for the books. A few weeks ago, we asked Dante to name his favorite takes on tube meat around town. Now we have the scoop on some of the actual entries for this year’s showdown. Here’s a preview:

The competitor: Patricia Yeo, Om and the forthcoming Moksa

The dish: Duck confit & duck sausage kim chi ji gae, a stew with duck confit, sausage, homemade kim chi, rice gnocchi, mushrooms, tofu, and spinach.

The competitor: Damien DiPaola, Vito’s Tavern

The dish: ‘Bruzzese sausage nachos, a pile of freshly fried chips layered with black beans, melted Velveeta, shredded cheddar and Jack cheeses, crumbled sausage, and jalapeno slices, served on an “Italian flag” of guacamole, sour cream, and house-made pico de gallo.

 

The competitor: Anthony Caturano, Prezza

The dish: Creamy polenta with tomato-braised sausage, topped with and salty pecorino.

 

The competitor: Brian Poe, Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake

The dish: House-made sausage filled with spicy chilis and cooked in a jalapeno, chanterelle mushroom, and IPA broth.

Hungry yet? Get your tickets for the 2 p.m. feast right here. (Dante, 40 Edwin H. Land Blvd., Cambridge, 617-497-4200, restaurantdante.com.)

We’re blogging about the 50 Best Restaurants on Chowder all month long at bostonmagazine.com/50best. Join the conversation on Twitter (#50Best) with @ChowderBoston.