Wine and Spirits Travel

When the Food Network’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival  ended, my eating and drinking did not. The only thing that changed was the company and I’m always happy when that my companions are family. I was picked up at The National Hotel after the end of the festival by my mom and cousin Gayle. We were off to check out one of the most talked about restaurants to hit South Beach in a long time. Juvia had it all – location, décor, food and drinks. The location may have looked a bit strange from the outside (a private elevator taking you to the roof of the garage), but once upstairs there was no doubt this place was special. I have never seen such beautiful views of Miami and I loved the combination of elegance and comfort. Juvia is a great place for cocktails and I was smitten with the Pear Sangria, while Gayle enjoyed a Purple Rain we started with. I have to admit I was a bit concerned with the menu when I first saw it as it was mostly filled with seafood, but I fo

For those who have not been to the Whole Foods Grand Market at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival , it is hard to describe. The “market” consists of three blocks (on the beach) of food, wine and spirits. There are three rows in each block offering more than anyone could ingest in one day. Still, we all try our best. The food seminars on the Kitchen Aid states continued throughout the day and I got to catch some of the ones by Rocco Dispirito, Bobby Deen (mom Paula was also on the stage Sunday) and Countess Luann de Lesseps. They were all pretty full and the participants seemed to enjoy both the food and the cooking tips. The Whole Foods booth was actually a group of booths, from which the samples added up to an entire meal on its own. I really enjoyed the Spinach Feta Pinwheel. It went down perfectly with a Pom Pomegrante Bellini. Speaking of the Bellini, The Wilson Creek Peach Bellini sparkling wine was just great. It was pretty hot outside, but