So you would think after last month’s L.A. Food & Wine Festival (see posts 1, 2, 3 & 4), I would have been wined and dined to my heart’s content. But come on folks, it’s me! Also, this is a different take on a food festival with all of the restaurants hailing the lovely city of Newport Beach!
Before I get to the over 20 dishes that I ate on Day 1 (I’m a maniac, I tell you!), I want to give you a bit of the flavor of the atmosphere and the lovely surroundings for this beautiful event! So hold on while I set the stage…
The grounds were simply amazing, with gorgeous tents, beautiful people, and some of the most well-known chefs just hanging around signing books, participating in cooking demos, and having fun too!
I adored the decor with lovely fabrics, beautiful seating areas, and an attention to detail that I was pleasantly surprised by! For a first year event, all of the guests and I were simply blown away with how wonderful everything was planned.
Okay, one last bit of decor… I loved the greenery, the floral arrangements, and a nearby farmer’s market had a wonderful display as well. It certainly set the mood!
Now on to some of the activities! There was an outdoor kitchen on both days with chefs sharing amazing dishes and cooking techniques. The roster of chefs below was impressive, and I caught a couple of the demos.
At the indoor kitchen, they had programs on both days with both sommeliers and chefs. I attended a couple of these and had some fantastic dishes, which I will share with you later!
Near the back of the venue, there was a seating area with jazz bands and singers. Definitely a good place to kick up your feet between wine and food tastings!
Most impressive on the grounds was the enormous Grand Tasting Pavilion, which housed a majority of the restaurants and many wineries. Complete with chandeliers and a bit of shade, it was one of the more popular places to find something to eat and drink!
Speaking of drink… Besides wine, there were several Tequila Patrón stations with different drinks available at each one. When the temperature started to heat up, I definitely looked forward to the cool cocktails!
The festival did such a great job of
But of course, the drink of choice at the festival was wine, wine, and more wine! Here are just a few of the favorites that we tried. Here are eight of our choices, from light to dark…
But of course, there were sooo many to choose from, any oenophile and amateur sommelier would have been happy as a clam. 🙂
First up, I want to share with you a dish that I had at the cooking demo from Chef Casey Overton of The Loft and Executive Pastry Chef Lee Smith of the Montage Laguna Beach.
I’m not sure of the name of the dish, but it was simply a work of art with multiple components all made in front of our eyes. Gorgeous!
The rest of the dishes were found all around the grounds, so I’ll start roughly from the front, moving my way towards the Grand Tasting Pavilion, then ending with the back where most of the desserts were located. Ready for the culinary tour?
Olive Oil collection
Tomato al Pomodoro – heirloom tomatoes, melon, pistachio, sage, white balsamic
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Thin Mint – cream, sugar, milk, mint, thin mint cookies
Coffee Cookies and Cream – coffee, cookies, cream, sugar, milk
And this is just day one of the festivities! I can’t wait to go back tomorrow for more! Update: Day 2 post here)
Newport Beach Wine & Food Festival
Newport Beach Civic Center
100 Civic Center Drive
Newport Beach, CA 92660
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