February is one of my favorite months because it is the time
of one of my favorite events. There is nothing that quite compares with the Food Network’s South Beach Wine & Food
Festival for bringing together chefs and industry insiders. This was my third year in a row attending and
I was especially excited that I would also be covering for Ocean
Drive Magazine.
Chef Michael White prepared a yummy Grilled Pancetta
with glazed figs and roasted pistachios;
Since the party was also the first night of SOBEWFF, many of
the festival’s stars stopped by to visit the participating chefs. Andrew
Zimmern, Robert Irvine and Rachael Ray were just a few who chowed down with
their friends.
My flight was running a bit late, but I arrived in time to
get changed for The Q. I was staying at The
National Hotel for the first time and was happily surprised at the locale –
right in the center of all the events. I had a very nice room with a view and
best of all it was just a quick walk out the back door to the beach. It
happened to be the same beach The Q was set up on, at the Delano.
The Bubble Q had been my favorite event that previous
years. I had been disappointed to hear it would
be cancelled, but happy to find out the new event, hosted by Moet Hennessy and
called simply “The Q” would be very similar. I found that was certainly the
case.
Emeril Lagasse and Guy Fieri hosted The Q, which served as
the festival’s kickoff party. It was an eating frenzy, with some of the
country’s best chefs serving a special barbecue dish of their choice. In
addition, Moet Hennessy’s sponsorship of the event meant plenty of Belvedere
Vodka, Moet Champagne and Hennessy Cognac.
As much as I hate to waste food, I did really want to take
at least a bite out of as many items as possible. Here’s a sampling of some of
the most memorable…
Chris Lilly passed out Big Bob Gibson barbecue, which was
delicious, but was very rich so it was easy to leave it behind;
Dean Fearing of Fearings in Dallas had a superb BBQ Beef Taco that was a combination of sweet and savory;
Chef Yoshi Katsumura made Barbecue Wagyu Spareribs with
Yuzyu sauce and candied skin, served with a Scallion Pancake and Watermelon
Salad. It was terrific;
I really enjoyed my conversation with Nadja G. (check out my story at Cocktails and Joints). She is just so much fun and the pork belly she made was excellent;
The Hill Country Barbecue of New York offered some tender and tasty meat;
Celebrity Cruises brought out a most delicious Spring Roll
with white truffle barbecue sauce;
And, co-host Guy Fieri wowed all with food from his Tex Wasabi restaurant -- a Banh Mi Taco, served with barbecue chicken fried rice.
For dessert, Godiva Chocolate had sweet treats for all, from drinks to mousse, to samples of their Belgium chocolate. Also there all the way from New York was the Big Gay Ice Cream truck, a big hit on a hot night.
I stayed until the end and then headed back to
The National Hotel
for some rest. Day two at the Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival
was going to be a big one for me that included lots of interviews, some time
with Antonio Banderas, and more food, wine and spirits than you could ever
imagine.
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