Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2012
By
Carol & Joe Davis
Dining Detectives
We
had the good fortune this year on a beautiful sunny and
warm Saturday, to be able to attend The Fifth Annual Pebble
Beach Food and Wine Grand Tasting Tent. This was a well-produced
small portion of the four day April 12-15, 2012 event which featured
250 Wineries, 75 Celebrity Chefs, Cooking Demonstrations, Dinners,
Celebrity Golf as well as Wine and Spirits Tastings. Thousands
of Foodies from around the world came to Pebble Beach to maximize
culinary indulgence and to mingle, mix, sip and taste. Having
attended quite a few "Tasting Tents"
over the years so we know that is important to have a Plan and
to wear stylish comfortable shoes. The first thing to accept is
that you will never ever be able to eat and drink everything in
the three or four hour timeframe which is generally the length
of these Tent events.
|
click
on image to enlarge & get caption |
This
realization will take away the feeling of being rushed. Avoid
the urge to run in and find the first wine pourer, even if they
are featuring $200 a bottle Cabernet Sauvignon. Spend a few minutes
to review the Program, see the layout, ask where there are areas
to sit, check the schedule of Cooking Demonstrations and Book
Signings then pick out your "must do's". Of course we
always enjoy the food first!
The
Chefs are busy creating and plating but there will be opportunities
when they will be proud to talk about their creations, sign autographs
and allow you to take pictures. This we've found to be the real
value, adds to the fun and gives you some creative ideas for your
next dinner party and will be excellent memories from the event!
While tasting the cuisine, note the location of the wines that
you would like to taste, so on your second time around you know
where you want to stop.
By
the way....they never run out of wine. Look for places to sit
down and relax and soak in the total experience. Don't be afraid
to linger and let others in your party go off on their own for
a short period of time while you just chill. Chat with others
about what they thought was outstanding, found unique and consider
a third trip around. This plan lets you maximize your experience
and avoids the "I Wish I had" or the "If Only".
Of course you always have the option of coming back for a second
day and some "Tent" events offer two day passes at reduced
rates.
The
Celebrity Chefs who created dinners or tastes at Pebble Beach
were notably the best of the best from the USA and resorts around
the world. They included Jacques Pepin, Guy Fieri , Food Network's
Anne Burrell , Top Chef Judge Johnny Iuzzini , French Laundry's
Thomas Keller , Boulevard's Nancy Oakes , Wayfare Tavern's Tyler
Florence , Bottega's Michael Chiarello , Meadowood's Christopher
Kostow , Calistoga Ranch's Christian Ojeda, Mustard's Cindy Pawlcyn
, Spago's Sherry Yard , Incanto's Chris Cosentino and Lukshon's
Sam Yoon to name a few. The tastes were all spectacular presentations
and definitely world class. Sam Choy's Crab Soup was our overall
favorite taste. The shellfish from Miami Joe's Stone Crab's Andre
Bienvenu was also outstanding.
The
participating wineries were international and ranged from world
class like Opus One and Dom Perignon to local Monterey Bay wines
like Bernardus and popularly priced favorites like Kim Crawford
New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Ferrari Carano Alexander Valley
Fume Blanc. We enjoyed tastes of Grgich Hills, Capture, Plumpjack
and Silver Oak as well.
We
found the ultimate place to sit down for a while at the Belvedere
Vodka Lounge. There were three bartenders who were keeping up
with a feverish demand for cocktails made with this luxury Vodka
from Poland. They also had a waitress that was serving both within
the lounge and made stops around the tent serving to the chefs.
We had a chance to enjoy their latest flavored vodka made with
all natural ingredients called Belvedere Lemon Tea and learned
that all of their vodka is made with Dankowskie Gold Rye, pure
artesian well water and has no additives. We chatted with Claire
Smith who is the Head of Spirit Creation and Mixology. She was
very personable and knowledgeable having worked for Belvedere
for more than ten years. She mentioned that there has been an
explosion of flavored vodkas over the past five years and how
exciting it was for her to help create them while respecting the
grain and using all natural ingredients.
We
also learned a few Bartender tips like rolling lemons or limes
on the bar for easier juicing and adding salt to cocktails to
boost complexity. We asked for comments from some of the other
attendees in the lounge. Several had not tried Belvedere before
but would certainly order it in the future as it was light, smooth,
had no bite or strong alcohol taste. Some enjoyed the cocktails
and some loved it neat.
We
had an excellent time at the Pebble Beach Food and Wine
Grand Tasting Tent. The event was not oversold so it
was not too crowded. Most people we talked to afterward felt that
they had a unique culinary experience, met and chatted with the
Chefs, had unique tastes of excellent cuisine, tried many wines
and enjoyed the Belvedere Cocktail Lounge. We look forward to
returning next year as this is a world class event.
Pebble
Beach Food & Wine 2012
www.PebbleBeachFoodandWine.com