San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival

I was only able to afford the sips and burgers event for SD Food and wine festival and enjoyed every burger bite and sip.
The freebies were a nice unexpected treat, we met Richard Blais (winner of top Chef),
Purchased a cook book which collects dusts at the moment but had a fantastic time.
Next November 2014 — its on.
Carnitas snack shak was in the house, always good to see them.
Nothing topped the burger with PB and jelly with a side of ice cream.

Fantastic event. I attended in 2013, and it has been my third year in a row now. It is a true «not to miss» event I plan for.
Such a great venue.
Some recommended improvements:
1) a few restaurants ran out of samples… bring more
2) have a few more trash cans around.

Just because this is touted as the largest food and wine event in Southern California, does not make it good. Overall the food was good, no doubt, but mostly from the chain restaurants, which you will get any food and wine event. The problem is the lack of quality in the wine being served, this is really a Paso Robles wine event and Paso wines are mediocre at best. Not one single high end Napa winery showed up, there was Del Dotto, but they are on the better side of average, and that is generous. Too expensive, too crowded for what you get. Sell fewer tickets, charge more and limit this to 90 points or better on the wines. The only good news for Saturday was that Bernardo Winery didn’t even show up, thank god, their wine is terrible too! I have been to the events in Aspen, Pebble Beach and even Los Angeles, all three of these events including the Los Angeles event embarrass San Diego’s.

As usual, this was a fun event. Definitely worth the money for the Grand Tasting on a Saturday. A great way to try many local restaurants and wines from the central coast area.
We did buy the Reserve Tasting tickets the night before and was quite disappointed. The reserves were from mostly from wineries I’ve never heard of and the wines frankly were not that good, and certainly not of reserve quality. They also didn’t have any food, other than cheese and some dessert. For $ 125 a ticket I expect either better reserve wines or better food. I won’t both with that event again.

First I must say that this is showing an incorrect address, saying that the event is in El Cajon. This of course is not true, the main event is on the bay!
Anyhow, the festival is a week long event with different events happening at different locations each night. I am going to assume that this is regarding the main event which takes place on the bay Saturday afternoon.
The event may be expensive but it is worth it, you get more than you monies worth out of it. About 300 vendors are here and it is all you can eat and drink. All of the best restaurants in San Diego are here as well as wineries from all over. There are also a few breweries and other specialty vendors.
It is pretty impossible to make it to each booth no matter how hard you try. You must trust me on this, I have tried my hardest and only succeeded in getting very drunk. I recommend that you look at the map/​list and plan on what booths you want to hit. The next year you can go back to your favorites and try ones that you missed the year before.
I will finish by saying that I got to lots of events and this is by far one of the best.

The San Diego Food & Wine Festival was a multi-​day event of special food & wine dinners at restaurants in San Diego culminating with the Grand Tasting. The Grand Tasting Event was like «The Best of San Diego Restaurants» plus wineries and breweries from around the country. Even with 3 – 4 hours to walk around and just see every booth, you don’t have enough time to see it all. It gives you an excuse to come back the next year! It’s not all just handing out of food and drink. There are also demonstrations and ability to meet your favorite celebrity chef.
The time went by fast. But, I didn’t leave hungry or thirsty. I’ve already made plans to visit next year!

This is my 800^th review and this event is totally worth giving it to.
I went to the Grand Tasting this past Saturday. Amazing! The weather was perfect for this event, nice and sunny but not too warm.
At first I was a little hesitant when my friend told me it was $ 125 a ticket. I’ve been to other wine and food festivals and I would never pay that much to attend any of those. This one however is much different and well worth the money.
The festival is huge. You either have to be picky about which booths you want to hit up, or be anti-​social and race around the place to try everything. My friends and I got about ¾ of the way through by the time 3:00 came and they started kicking us out.
Where to start? There were so many great things. Not being a native of San Diego I don’t know any of the restaurants or wineries so everything was new to me. Many of the restaurants were serving scallops, and by many of them, I mean most. There was a point about half way through where my friends and I all agreed that there were A LOT of scallops being served. That being said, some were really great and others not so much.
Some notable dishes/​drinks:
— Veal Tongue and Cheek. The cheek was quite tender and tasty. As with other tongue I’ve had, it had an interesting texture but was mostly flavourless.
— Burrito from Rubios. The best burrito at the festival. Who knew a chain could provide the best option?
— Bloody Mary. There was only one place I found that was serving them and they were great. As a Canadian though, I wish it had been a Caesar instead.
— Barenjager. First time trying this liqueur. The apple cider drink they were mixing was like crack, I couldn’t get enough.
— Veev. Also a first time trial. They had a cocktail that was like a margarita but flavoured with basil. A refreshing drink half way though after so much wine.
— Sangrita from Casa ZG. I picked up a packet of the mix for $ 5. Good stuff.
— Tequila. There was lots of it and it was all delicious.
— The wine. Some misses, but mostly hits from what I sampled. I don’t pretend to know what I’m talking about since I don’t, but I know what I like.
— Chocolate truffles? Some sort of chocolaty goodness that had pop rocks candy inside. Surprising and delicious.
With so many great food and drink options, it’s pretty easy to go overboard. You may want to pace yourself. Or like my friend and I, you may want to have a competition to keep up with each other. Even though you’re drinking wine and other beverages in relatively small quantities, it quickly catches up to you.
Side note — I stopped by the Unilocal booth to say hi to Danny, but no one was there, just some swag on the table. Sorry I missed ya!
Nov. 30-​day challenge ²⁹⁄₃₀

This is one amazing event! I attended the Grand tasting event on Saturday. Wines, beers, spirits and tons of delicious food. The price is steep, so I decided to volunteer (so I could get in for free) which was totally worth it. My only gripe is that the thing ends so darn early 12 – 3 unless you are a VIP you can get in at 11. There are so many foods and beverages to try it’s hard to do that in only a few hours. I definitely plan on making this a yearly tradition.

Okay, who could resist 70 different restaurants and 700 different varieties of wine? Not I, that’s for sure — even in a rainstorm! Well, truth be told, my bff had already purchased nonrefundable tickets at $ 125 each, so rain or shine we were going to go enjoy that Wine and Food Festival, damn it! And we did, for the most part.
Mind you, it is very difficult to balance a plate, wine glass, umbrella, cutlery, napkin and blistering winds and raindrops-​all at once. However, being the consummate foodie that I am, I managed to try just about everything I wanted to and even managed to get pretty full in the process.
Gary R.(fellow Unilocaler and aforementioned bff) and I decided to make it an adventure, in spite of the task of keeping our glasses filled with wine and not with rain! We slugged through the mud, elbowed our way under canopies and grabbed tasty tidbits at every turn. Only once did we experience a gruff, bitter woman warn us that the line started behind them. Huff. Well, excuse us ladies, apparently you didn’t put your party pants on today! Did you?!
Duck fat fried Tots, Turdunken Nugget, Pulled Pork Sammy’s, Steak and Lobster with melty potatoes in a mushroom sauce, Ahi Tacos, Steak Wraps and Crab Apple Fritters are only some of the delectables I enjoyed most at the event.
My only complaint was that Morton’s ran out of everything just as we arrived at their booth. (Sad face) Someone didn’t plan well, that’s for sure.
Because of the rain, I was unable to write down any of the wines I loved, but Gary bought a case of One Hope’s Merlot that we both really enjoyed at RGang.
This event would have been very nice had the weather been milder. It really was a challenge to get hot food and dry food on such a cold and wet day. We survived it! We really persevered and made it 3 out of the 4 hours; that was an accomplishment! My red Cole Haan booties were not so fortunate though.

Those of us that are true, die-​hard foodies were tested today. Yes, our tenacity, level of commitment, and ability to push through trials and tribulation in order to experience our next culinary conquest were demonstrated on this wet, damp, miserable day at the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival’s annual Grand Tasting Event, located at the North Embarcadero Park. Plagued by intermittent, torrential downpours, we flocked to the entryway with our $ 120+ tickets and collectively told the weather gods in mind and spirit, «F you!», and proceeded down the walkway with our plastic plates and wine glasses in hand. Let me contextualize this a little bit further: We were all DRENCHED!!!
I was truly astounded by the good cheer and energy of those that attended. In spite of the rain, everyone (for the most part) was patient, polite, and jovial. We took a bad situation and made the best of it. Today reminded me why I love being part of this amazing city.
I’m not sure how many booths were lined up along the walkway, but there were a lot! Of course, I believe I covered just about everything. There were very few samples that I found to be objectionable. The food/​wine, however, showcased by these restaurants and wineries stood out to me as home runs (in no particular order):
* Donovan’s Steak & Chop House
They featured a Prime Filet Steak Mini Sandwich that caused me to moan in sheer ecstasy. This is truly an obscene sandwich.
* Dick’s Last Resort
Mini Pulled-​Pork Sandwich. Arguably, this is one of the most tasty interpretations that I can remember having. The coleslaw that was placed on top of the pork is what made it memorable. Thanks to the intrigue Dick’s has spawned within me, I may very well be at its Gaslamp doorstep to further explore the menu.
* The Palm Restaurant
Filet and Potato w/​Mushroom Gravy. Delightful!
* Sweet Cheeks Baking Company
Bananna Cake with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Frosting. I couldn’t get over this cake. In fact, I adored it so much that I actually went back for seconds.
* ONEHOPE Wine
Merlot. I first experienced this wine at R Gang Eatery in Hillcrest and fell madly in love with it. Aside from the taste, what makes this wine more special is that 50% of the proceeds is funneled towards AIDS research. Additionally, their other wines (zin, cab, etc.) are similarly targeted for the causes of breast cancer, autism, our troops, and planet earth. I ordered a full case of the Merlot. With my order, I received a really cool ONEHOPE baseball cap. If you haven’t tried this wine, do it!
* Cupcake Love
Red Velvet Cupcake. I realize that the diversity of opinions on cupcakes is great in our area. This particular cupcake really made me happy.
* Viejas
Steak Salad. Meat was grilled perfectly. Warm. Dressing was divine. Hit the spot.
Now, I do need to take away one of my coveted stars because I felt that those coordinating this event could have erected some tents and peppered them throughout the area for shelter. It was no secret that we were going to have a storm.

Amazing! My 4^th year in a row, and it gets better every year! Some highlights from the 2009 Grand Tasting Event–
1. Whole peppercorn and lavender-​crusted lambchops in a beaujolais wine reduction sauce, with a mini goat «cheesecake»
2. Zen of Seared Diver Scallops by House of Blues– grilled scallops on forbidden and bamboo rice w/​yellow coconut sauce
3. Quady Winery’s «Deviation» wine– need to buy some for an after-​dinner drink at home
4. My personalized etched wineglass– it even says «Lil’ Hapa»!
5. My free loot– a whole pomegranate, a full jug of Pom juice, a bag of salad, several cans of designer wine, glasses from Stella Artois, Hoegarden, Leffe, Pellegrino, an event poster… and other stuff I can’t think of at the moment. I love free stuff!
Few low points, but they included:
— the Sea Urchin-​Infused Beignet, topped with fresh sea urchin: absolutely DISGUSTING. I actually spit this out. What sick person came up with such a perverse concept?!?
— the little spoonful of uni mousse and persimmon «sashimi», topped with seaweed, by Harney Sushi: very yucky
STOP with the f-​ing sea urchin/​uni!
— the usual excessively drunk a-​holes at the end of the event.
Anyway, if you like food and/​or wine (who doesn’t?), then this event is a must. I look forward to this all year, because it is the biggest and the best I have found. It is soooo worth it, and even spending more for VIP tickets gives you an advantage! So start saving for next year, and I’ll see you there!

This review is for the Grand Tasting Event. This was my first time coming to this event. There are tons of booths offering small samples of food and wine for you to try. My experience was not so enjoyable because it was too crowded. You can barely walk around without bumping into other people. There were also no chairs or tables available to rest (except for the VIP area) You pretty much have to stand the whole time eating and drinking and trying to balance your wine glass and your tray along with anything else you have, i.e. handbag, gift bag, etc. Oh, I forgot to mention the «grass» option to sit, however it is not recommended unless you are a hippie. Also, you have to wait in line at almost every booth to get your tiny sample.
It is also not a good idea to wear anything i.e. clothes, shoes, handbag (don’t even bring unless it is a cross body or backpack) that would upset you if some old drunken lady were to spill some red wine on it. It is advisable to wear older or darker clothing and old athletic shoes.
If I were to come again to the Grand Tasting, I would definitely go for the VIP. (Tickets start at $ 125 in advance and $ 150 at the door or $ 175 for VIP) So let’s compare the two: General ($ 125) vs. VIP ($ 175). For the extra $ 50 more, here’s what you get: A separate fenced area offering tables and chairs, a live band, a few private booths, an hour early entry and a gift bag.
Anybody here who gave this event a 5 stars definitely got in for free.

I am so glad I went this year because I had one helluva a time with my friends sipping on some good wine and fantastic grub! If you’re a foodie and love wine like I do, then this event is worth going to my friend! The festival only comes around to San Diego once a year, so start saving now, it’s definitely worth it.
This was my second time going to the grand tasting event, my first time was in 2007 and had a great time at that one too. What are you in for? Picture this… booths and booths and booths of wineries from all over California pouring over 800 bottles of their best wine and the best grub you can sample from the best restaurants in this beautiful city of ours. Gosh, I wrote best a lot, but it’s true and couldn’t describe it any other way… lol!
It was the perfect day to have the festival, the sun was out, the weather was crisp and the crowd was fun. Come hungry because you’re going to do nothing but eat and drink here, plus you want to get your money’s worth!
What were my favorites this year? The braised beef from the Prado booth… OMG, talk about the meat being as tender as it can be. Nobu, Urban Solace, Roy’s, Fleming’s, Truluck’s and Mortons were all there and provided small samples of what they do best, provide awesome dishes! I have to admit, going to the festival can be overwhelming. It gets super crowded, but you get used to it after a while. What I ate at which booth is a blur as far as the details of the ingredients they prepped the food with, but everything I tried did not go to waste, there was not one dish I didn’t like!
If you’re not a wine drinker, there were other vendors, the guys in our group enjoyed the Stella Artois and Hoegaarden all poured full in nice glasses for you to keep. Tommy Bahama’s honey rum was delicious, the Midori snow cones looked refreshing and the candy cane rum was a nice treat. I missed out on the sake booth… darn!
My favorite non-​wine drink was the St. Germain liqueur that was shaken up with champagne, sparkling water and a lemon twist poured over ice. This was a hit, good stuff!
World Market provided nice recycle bags for you to stock up on the free stuff available at lots of booths. I just emptied my goody bag and found some random stuff, it’s always fun to help yourself to this stuff, I got bags of almonds, some chocolate bars and samples of tea, instant coffee and fun stuff like a Slinky, Rubik’s cube key chain, a yoyo, a wine bottle opener, a pack of matches (with an old school pic of a topless lady on it) and a fly swatter… random, right?!
Needless to say I will be back here next year. I went with a group of eight and we’re probably going to multiply with a larger group next year because everyone I went with went for the first time yesterday had already told their friends about joining us there next year. Ah, what a good time had by all!
Cheers!

I volunteered, so I got to go to the Grand Tasting for free… yay! I did work at registration for 5 hours, which was a little long (entrance to the Grand Tasting event is $ 125 — I’m glad I volunteered but don’t know if it’s worth it to do again next year).
If you are planning to go to this event go after 1pm. The event starts at noon but there is a bottleneck and people were complaining about the wait. First they had to wait in the registration line to get a wristband, then they had to wait in the line at the main entrance. There were several unhappy campers.
We were cut loose from work at 2pm, and most of the booths still had plenty of food and wine. By 3, I was quite full and tired (the event lasts until 4). The food was fantastic… I had an amazing scallop, ahi tuna, and of course a ton of other samplings.
Brian Malarkey was at the Oceanaire booth and poured me a sake shot from an ice luge… very fun! They also gave me what I think is called a honeymoon — a shot in a mini martini glass with a raw quail egg, uni, caviar, etc… some guys nearby cheered me on as I downed it. I also got a photo with CJ, the tall dude from Top Chef.
Stella had a booth and gave everyone a nice logo’d beer glass with a gold rim. (I’m sure there is a name for this but I don’t know it!) The amount of food and wine there was so overwhelming… it was a fantastic experience but don’t even try to sample everything! (I think there were 175 booths…)
The weather was perfect (maybe even a little too warm in the sun at high noon) — thanks Indian Summer! The embarcadero location is perfect… such a gorgeous place to enjoy great food and wine!

Overall I feel it was pretty cool. The food was really good and of course the wine, well of course, was great. Some of my stand out food items were whatever chillico did, they ran out of one item and switched to another and both were tasty, and the mushroom, i think, from jade were two of my favorites. Both, of whom, did not win any prizes in the chef of the fest competition. If San Diego will ever be taken seriously as a food city things like this should not be rigged for the chef the the biggest sponsor to win. The food from Viejas was okay, needed seasoning, but not first out of 60 really talented chefs. No offense to the chef from there but even he looked shocked to win. The Oceanair was runner-​up, okay, they put on a cool show. With another of the chefs from the top chef gig they drew allot of attention. Good work! But, Brian was on the cover of the website too. But come on, really the viejas logo was on all the glasses for fuck sakes. I just feel it is insulting to all the chefs and restaurants that put out all the time and money to attend without a shot from the start. I know it was not just about that but, the allure for the chefs was a trip to Fiji, come on man. A piece of grilled shrimp. WHAT! Whatever, it was still a far out time. Thanks for putting it on Michelle M. Your staff did a great job organizing the event… See you next year…