Food Network personalities, high-profile chefs, and food fans from all over the world will descend over Miami next week for the 2010 South Beach Wine & Food Festival from February 25 to 28. You locals should consider yourself lucky: In years past, you'd be hard pressed to find a ticket to any of the festival events at this stage, but this year you still have a few options.
Forget the Amstel Light Burger Bash hosted by Rachael Ray on Thursday, February 25. The burger-and-beer extravaganza featuring patties by Bobby Flay, Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn, Michael's Genuine, and Shake Shack to name a few, sold out back in October.
Tickets to the Perrier-Jouet BubbleQ hosted by Emeril Lagasse on Friday, February 26 at the Delano Hotel, however, are surprisingly still available. The evening of bubbly and barbecue, which was once among the first to sell out, is really your only option before the weekend. Perhaps it's the $350 price tag. But then, a $525-per-person tribute dinner honoring French chef Daniel Boulud sold out long ago.
If Food Network celebs are your thing, you've missed the boat. Paula Deen's Kiss My Grits Jazz Brunch, Ming Tsai's Dim Sum and Disco
at The Setai, and Guy Fieri's Moon Over Miami closing party are all
sold out. Your only event option to snag a glimpse at a famous face is
the Whole Foods Grand Tasting Village on Saturday, February 27 and
Sunday, February 28 where you can watch your favorite star do cooking
demos and then wait in line for an eternity to get their autograph. (Oh,
and you can also battle crowds to taste wines and sample foods.) Tickets
are $212.50 per person. If you go, catch Anthony Bourdain and Eric
Ripert who will both be on stage on Sunday at 4:15 p.m.
Aside from wine seminars, which range in price between $85 and $150,
tickets are still available for a Prelude Dinner at Red, the Steakhouse
on Wednesday, February 24, featuring Iron Chef Michael Symon and Red
chef Peter Vauthy. On Saturday, Eos chef Michael Psilakis will host a
Haute Holistic Dinner featuring holistic nutritionist Dr. Etti Ben-Zion
and food expert Terry Zarikian at Eos at The Viceroy. Or if you're up
for a late-night snack, Midnight Amore, an Italian-themed dinner on
Saturday at Scarpetta is still available. The night features food by
chef Scott Conant of Scarpetta, Alex Guarnaschelli of the Food
Network's Chopped and Rocco DiSpirito (tickets cost $125). Finally, you
can always go to Joe's Stone Crab for some claws. For $175 per person,
you can attend Joe's Big Chill brunch on Sunday, February 28; tickets are still available.
For a full event schedule and to purchase tickets, visit sobefest.com.
