AHH! I am so excited about my foodie adventure this weekend it is hard for me to even put into words. I will be driving down to South Beach Miami this afternoon for one of the hottest culinary events of the year, Food Network’s South Beach Wine and Food Festival presented by Food and Wine Magazine. My best friend Julie and I bought tickets 5 months ago and it almost seemed like this day would never come.
I am looking forward to this weekend for all the obvious reasons, but the chance to mingle with some of the best in the food world on the white sandy beaches of South Beach for an entire weekend sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime. Not to mention all you can eat and drink (which I plan to do quite a bit of). Here’s a run down of what we’ll be up to this weekend:
Friday Night: “Mischieve in the Garden of Agave” presented by Hornitos Tequila pool side at the Sagamore Hotel
“Hornitos Tequila welcomes late-night revelers to experience Mischieve in the Garden of Agave. Guests enter through a cloud of fog where they will be greeted by beautiful agave girls serving unique “Hornitails” beverages in which Hornitos—the 100 percent pure blue agave tequila—mischievously replaces non-tequila based spirits in classic cocktail combinations like the “Hornipolitan”, “Horni Wallbanger” and “Juan Collins”. Throughout the night artists, performers and dancers will help set the scene. While hundreds of adventurous night-crawlers show their moves on the dance floor, others have the chance to reveal their mischievous side in the privacy of the Hornitos Mischieve photo booth.”
Ya I know what you’re thinking, man that sounds amazing! I loooovvvee tequila so I will be in heaven, but I must remember to mischieve responsibly because starting Saturday Morning we will be up and attem to get to day one of the….
Whole Foods Grand Tasting Village presented by American Express
“For two blissful afternoons, shake off the blanket of ordinary existence and transcend the average. The American Express Grand Tasting is all about the unexpected, the rarely encountered, and the truly unique. Brought together in one astoundingly beautiful location, some of the world’s finest wines and spirits will accompany the best cuisine South Florida restaurants have to offer. Sampling stations will cater to your every fancy as you try all manner of delicious appetizers, signature dishes, and over-the-top desserts while from your glass you sip the perfect wines and spirits to send your taste buds soaring. Well-informed servers and pourers will gladly answer questions and provide you with additional information as you learn about hottest, hippest, and most happening trends, as well as the tried-and-true classics that inevitably come back around.”
Our all access pass gets us unlimited samples of the tasty nibbles and refreshing cocktails so we can really enjoy and let loose. But it’s not just about the food and wine, the tasting village is also home to culinary demonstrations from some of Food Network’s hottest stars. Julie and I have already selected the chef’s we want to see most, hopefully we will be able to get it all in! Here are some of our top choices:
- Bobby Flay
- Rachael Ray
- The Neely’s
- Paula Dean
- Emeril Lagasse
- Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain
- Rocco DiSpirito
And if that’s not enough, we will be doing it all over again on Sunday!
This weekend is bound to be one of the coolest foodie experiences I’ve ever had and I can’t want to learn about new techniques, products, tools and more and share it with all my Fun Fearless Foodie readers. If you don’t already, please be sure to follow me on Twitter at FunFearlessFood to get updates and pics all weekend from the event!
To learn more about the event click here: http://www.sobefest.com/2010/index1.php
Source: South Beach Wine and Food Fest website
Tara O'Keeffe