Eat Drink SF

I went to this event in August, and I have to say I wasn’t that impressed, I know tickets were going for about $ 100, luckily I was able to pick them up on social living (or groupon can’t remember) for quite a bit less, so I can’t complain too much.
The venue itself was somewhat roomie, and the food was the ultimate foodie treat, however a lot of the stands seemed to run out of the main item they were know for, fairly fast. the lines were huge and some of the stands were just not worth the wait.
What stood out the most for me was the high end whiskey they were serving, along with other liquors as well. I also loved the cheese stand, which gave everyone a tray of 4 different kind of cheeses including manchego, Yum!!! and lots and lots of craftbeer.
Overall, I enjoyed the event, however I can’t picture myself paying for this even next year. The lines were way too long in my opinion and I can probably spend what I spent having a nice 3 – 4 course meal somewhere. If you haven’t been I encourage you to go and try it out for yourself ;)

Not long after I moved to SF I had heard that Eat Drink SF was THE FOODIE EVENT of the year. Goodness gracious, that could not be more correct. Please let me explain why…
The food and drinks are completely bottomless. I’m not going to lie, I totally fasted all day before arriving at this event. Some of the best chefs and restaurants are present here. Each booth either pours you a refreshing glass or serves up a delightful small plate. It’s pretty much a fancy foodie grazing pasture!
The event is maliciously planned. Helpful staff is plentiful and the line to get in moved very swiftly at the beginning of the event. They generously helped us take photos and find a lost iPhone (oops!)
Breakout sessions and chef demos also occurred. My friend and I sat down and experienced a wine tasting demo. We came to drink and shockingly ended up learning a thing our two!
I’m so excited for next year’s event. I plan on going to multiple sessions next year and maybe even a remote one. I’m so glad that I was able to experience such a cool event!

Eat Drink SF is a foodie dream come true! The venue is hosted in a large warehouse at the beautiful Fort Mason. The space is completely transformed and smartly designed with food stations along the walls and middle of the space with seating areas and drink booths interspersed in between. The venue also had lots of potted plants framing each station and string lights along the ceiling, giving the space an elegant and chic vibe. The festival hosted top restaurants from San Francisco, such as The Sutro at Cliffhouse, Gitane, and Farallon, desserts from top bakeries such as Chef Madeline, and wine and cocktails from top wineries and bars from around the city. Each restaurant serves a single bite to give you a taste of what they have to offer and to, of course, keep you hungry enough to stuff yourself at other restaurant stations. My favorite place to try would have to be Café Madeline, because I am a sweet tooth and this bakery had the most decadent and rich desserts which meant that I was in heaven! The venue also had speakers placed throughout and was playing the hottest hits on the radio, only contributing to the hip vibe of this festival. I did have a couple of issues with the festival which caused me to drop a star from my review. First of all, there was hardly any seating, and when people are food coma-​ing, they do not want to fight for seats. I also wished the venue had larger plates or trays of some sort to allow you to hold onto many different dishes — I understand that a tray may detract from the vibe of the festival, but it is just more efficient. Lastly, I believe the festival needs to be longer. I went to the Saturday evening session, which is three hours long, and you may think that three hours is enough to eat and drink to your heart’s content, but the reality is that you need more time to try all the food and drinks available at the festival. Overall, I absolutely loved this event and you can bet that I’ll be back next year!

I attended the Saturday evening (7:45pm) event for the first time this year. $ 110 per person … not exactly cheap. The set up was beautiful, and the restaurants participating were some of the best in SF; however, most of them ran out of food around 9pm!
There was a long line to enter, which moved pretty quickly, but we still didn’t make it inside until after 8pm. People much behind us probably barely got to try some of the foods! There were also classes /​talks /​workshops … but if you attended those, GOOD LUCK trying to find some food afterwards!
All in all, it’s a great event — great idea — but running out of food barely halfway through the duration is NOT ok.

I hate to deviate from all these 5-​star reviews, but I have to dock off a star for the price of this event. A normal ticket for this event is $ 110, which is steep unless you have a bottomless belly for food AND drink.
That being said, this is a pretty fun foodie event! Despite the high price, I actually liked the fact that it was ticketed. No need to spend any additional money once you get your foot in the door. And, the food samples are mostly delicious. Mmm, foie gras. Mmmmmmmm truffled grilled cheese. I ate so many samples my belly felt like bursting. I also managed to fit in two delicious cocktails (one gin-​based, one bourbon-​based). There were lines for some of the restaurants, but they moved pretty quickly. I would say we spent maybe 3 – 5 minutes tops for the vendors with lines, and this was for the pretty packed Saturday night grand tasting. There aren’t many places with cocktail tables though, so you have to have some pretty wicked balancing skills sometimes if you want to eat your plate of food + drink your beverage.
Would I come back? …maybe. I’m not entirely sure I ate/​drank enough to break even on my ticket price. But, it was still super fun!
Parking wasn’t too tough at Fort Mason either, we found free parking nearby.

I purchased tickets to attend this event. I attended the Saturday Afternoon Grand Tasting event which was not as pricey as the other Grand Tastings at $ 95/​per person. There was a long line outside of Fort Mason prior to the general admission entrance however once 1:15pm rolled along everyone got in pretty easily with no delays.
The setup was nice. The area was spacious and they included tables and chairs for some easy resting when you got tired of walking around. I looped through completely once. This included visiting every booth which was do-​able. There were lines for the more popular vendors but the lines moved fairly quickly.
So what’s the reason for the 3 star rating? The food was alright. I wouldn’t attend in a future year. The pictures on Unilocal from the previous year are misleading of mini bowls with ramen, there was a ramen vendor there but they didn’t serve ramen. The sushi place served a watermelon salad. It seemed that most of the booths served food that was convenient (i.e. crostini, toast, sliders, buns, vegetable salads). Additionally a lot of the items handed out I wouldn’t say are the specialty foods of the vendors. For example Pizzeria Delfina did not hand out pizza, nor did Tony’s Pizza Napoletana. For American cuisine the popular item to give out was anything on crostini or toast (which got tiring after awhile). Another favorite between the vendors was fruit salads or veggie salads. Yes some of them were creative but I was really looking for more variety and hope in the future they’ll find other creative ways to display flavors.
As far as pricing goes if you’re only going for the food I don’t think it’s worth it. If you drink a decent amount of alcohol I do think however the price is worth it. There were a lot of drink vendors and they were pretty generous with the pours, if I had more tolerance in my system for alcohol I would have tried to maximize this more!

Wow. Eat Drink SF is literally foodie heaven.
It was my first year attending this fabulous event! I went to the Afternoon Grand Tasting. I recommend going about 15 minutes before the scheduled time! Even though I was early, the line was still crazy long. Instead of parking inside the lot, there’s tons of free parking in the residential area around Fort Mason (Octavia + Bay St)!
Right when you walk in, you’re handed your own personal wine glass! You’re supposed to give it back at the end of the event though :(. You can choose to take pictures on the Eat Drink SF «red carpet» or another background with fruits + veggies and stuff! (see pic below haha).
Right away you’re bombarded with freebies, food samples, unlimited wine, unlimited booze… you name it. Some of the food was meh, of course. But others will have you coming back for seconds. Some restaurants have not even opened yet! It seems like a great way to sample new and upcoming restaurants in the SF Bay Area! The samples from the popular restaurants always always have a long line! But honestly, the longest I’ve waited was 5 minutes. Some of the booths that impressed me were Dragon Beux, Souvla, The Ramen Bar, and Tony’s Pizza Napoletana.
I highly recommend coming with a friend or two. Since the samples are unlimited, your friend can wait in line while you wait in another. Each of you can get two samples! It’s good to have a system! I did this, and I was able to pretty much sample everything.
One day, when I’m a big baller… I hope to get VIP tickets. haha jk. But for $ 85, the event was definitely worth it. I plan on coming back next year!

I had so much fun unleashing my inner FOODIE tonight at the ultimate Eat Drink SF event in the city with my ultimate FOODIE Clucking Hen-​ster, Dchao. I heard such great things about Eat Drink SF, so this was definitely an food expo that I was looking forward too all year. The whole experience blew me away. Think of Coachella, except for gourmet, savory foods and handcrafted cocktails, wines, and beers from all the best local restaurants and vendors in the San Francisco Bay Area. My favorites were definitely the Foie gras, DOSA’s Lamb Kabobs, CDXX’s Meatballs, M.Y. China’s Siu Mai, and Mr. Espresso’s Draft Latte (coffee + beer = best of both worlds)!
This was truly the FOODIE event of foodie events with tasty, intricate, and beautiful bit-​sized sampling that puts Costco to shame! The best surprise of the night was bumping into my childhood superstar Chef Martin Yan, prepping Siu Mai samples himself, at the M.Y. China booth! Of course, I had to stop him for a photo opt.
Tickets were a pretty pricey, but so worth it! We hopped on the early bird ticket sale for $ 95 the first week they were released. I’m so planning to come back next year and probably get the 3-​day pass for sure. I’m telling you, it’s Coachella for FOODIES! #EDSF

I was very lucky to get a free pass for Friday evening from Unilocal: D
Thank you so much again!!!
If you love good food and not afraid to try something new, this is one of the best events to go.
I was super excited and very hungry when we arrived. The line on the entrance was so long and first we very thinking it would take forever until we will get in, but the event team was very quick.
This year I couldn’t drink, because I’m almost 6 months pregnant, but I had also without it a wonderful time and the were enough non-​alcoholic stuff to (water fountain, juice bar… and more).
I was more focused on the food and it was impossible for me to try everything…
The restaurants prepare tiny potions and first you think this isn’t much, but when you try different ones you will feel quickly how your stomach gets bigger: D
Everything was so yummy, but I had my favorites! The cheese plate was a big highlight and also the Mr. Espresso coffee shop.
If you need a little break from eating and drinking you can also watch at the main stage live cooking shows or take a beverage class instead.
The only thing I didn’t liked was that the only had a view places to sit. Fort Mason is so big and it wouldn’t be a problem to put some more tables and chairs. Maybe next year ;)
I think personally that a three-​day pass for this event is to much, but for 1 or maybe 2-​days (if you are a good eater) it’s totally worth it! You only have to decide on which day and time you go.
I tried last year the afternoon and I prefer it more than the evening, but it’s only a personal thing ;D
So buy your ticket for next year soon (when the are available) and have a wonderful time there! I will be also back in 2016: D

Once upon a time:
We methodically worked our way around the perimeter of the festival pavilion at Fort Mason, continuously impressed by the taste, presentation and abundance of magnificent samples San Francisco’s culinary geniuses so exquisitely presented us. The only thing that was more impressive than the food was the beautiful grace and dignity of the presenters themselves.
I began to be concerned my taste buds might become so completely spoiled that they might lose interest in the food I prepared for them at home. Every single sample I tasted was put together in such an exquisite manner, with so much thought and attention to detail, that I thought it could not possibly get any better, only to walk a couple of very short steps to find another magnificent example of culinary perfection.
The center of the pavilion was well stocked with the bay area’s finest mixologists. Each offered their own list of creative cocktails crafted from a menagerie of some of the finest spirits available. A splendid variety of fine wines and craft beers also competed for our indulgence.
We willingly participated in this unbelievable ritual of gluttony for almost three hours until we finally became overwhelmed and staggered out the exit. Looking back on this incredible event, I keep thinking I am going to be forced to return next year to make sure it wasn’t just an incredible fantasy.
That is my story and I am sticking to it.

How much food could a foodchick eat if a foodchick could eat food?
That question is now easily answerable: 135 minutes worth after which I was done, kaput, finito.
Eat Drink SF (formerly known as «SF Chefs»), is presented by the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, whose mission is to «promote, extend, protect, and serve the SF Bay Area restaurant industry». The event is subtitled «an epic foodie festival». «An epic foodie/​drinkie festival» might have been more technically accurate but doesn’t roll off the tongue as well. All I know is that they definitely got the «epic» part covered: more than 200 of the finest restaurants, bars, breweries, wineries, and distilleries participated.
General admission tickets for this multi-​day event run $ 125 with VIP tickets running $ 200. Though I came by my tickets free of charge (thank you, Unilocal), I ate and drank imagining what I’d think if I’d paid $ 125 and what I’d think is that this is a great event, no bargain, but also not a gouge.
Additional thoughts:
* General Admission tickets entitle you to 2 hours and 45 minutes of eating and drinking and, like I said, your stomach may be through before your tickets are. Though I liked some samples more than others, absolutely nothing fell into the «don’t like» category.
* Many people, I imagine, study the mapped layout and look to sample items from specific places they wish to try. I was less discerning and began by straight-​lining it down a single row before failing miserably. There was an awful lot to sample and enjoy. I didn’t get to everything but have no regrets. Stopping between bites, to spend some time sipping and meeting Lodi winemakers, for instance, is a great and equally worthy activity.
* The alcohol offerings are eclectic and broad. Not just beers and wines, but broad selections of wines from a single region (e.g. New Zealand, Lodi). Spirits abound also, and many are served in unique glasses, fit for purpose.
* You’re given an unmarked wine glass upon entry. and expected to return it upon departure. Many of the individual alcohol providers serve in their own glasses which you might wish to take with you as a souvenir. For this purpose, it’s good to bring a small bag along with you.
* In addition to the drinking glasses, there’s other take-​home items here (e.g. Torani syrup, metal water jugs, raisins), though not a ton. Still, another good reason to bring a small bag along.
* Those dorky things that hang around your neck to hold your full wine glass and free your hands for other things? If you have one, bring it.
* I did notice some (not many) vendors starting to run out of offerings after the first 135 minutes of general admission, on Sunday, the final day of the event. Who cares? It was the time to cease eating and drinking and stand back and enjoy the big gospel choir which came in and just tore the place up. Perfect planning.
* I’m uncertain who gets the money for this event. Does it filter back to the participants? I hope so as it’s obvious that participating as a vendor here at this packed event is going to cost a business some serious $$$.
* Finally, I’m all for recycling but am I the only one who stands at the line of garbage cans topped with pictures of acceptable trash while trying to figure out whether what I’m holding is «compost», «recycle», or «garbage»? This exhausts me (and apparently a lot of other people) which is why I believe many just chose to leave garbage on the tables they ate at. Tacky, but there’s got to be a simpler, no-​brainer solution to recycling.

Attended the Sunday sold out event hosted by Lexus. Thanks to Unilocal,I received a 15% discount per general admission tickets. Located free parking on the street and it was just a short walk to Fort Mason’s Festival pavilion (indoors) where this event was being held for the first time.
I attended several events at the LA Food & Wine events in 2012 by Lexus and enjoyed the event so I knew this would be worth checking out. The VIP admission was at 12:30 pm and the line wasn’t that long and included an area that had additional tastings.
We were in line and admitted at exactly by 1:15pm. We received wine glasses for tastings of some 60 breweries, wineries and bars offering spirits. The isles were lined with 35 local restaurants offering bite size tastings including award winning chef desserts.
I really enjoyed this event BC the size wasn’t oversold and I was able to enjoy everything and indulge on seconds and 3rds of my favorite entrées.
Overall, a great event and I wouldn’t hesitate to return to the next years Eat Drink SF.

As part of Unilocal’s 10^th anniversary birthday celebration during the ⁷⁄₃₁ — 8÷3÷14 weekend, Unilocaler Terry K. and I were very fortunate to receive confirmation to attend the popular Eat Drink SF, an annual food, wine, spirits festival presented by the Golden Gate Restaurant Assn. Our gratitude to Unilocal for providing us with complimentary tickets, which are normally $ 125/​person, w/​proceeds for financial scholarships to Bay Area students enrolled in culinary/​hospitality programs.
Formerly called the SF Chefs, this 3-​day foodie event was formerly held under white tents at Union Square. This year, it moved to a more spacious, fully-​enclosed exhibition pavilions at the Fort Mason Center in the Marina District. W/​more than 200 different restaurants, bars, distilleries, breweries, & wineries participating during the 3-​day event, our attendance on Sunday included samplings from 36 restaurants; 29 bars, spirits, beer, wine, & beverage booths; cooking demos; & wine classes offered by the SF Wine School. There was even a booth displaying Wusthof fine cutlery of varying knives/​cooking shears.


Upon entering the pavilion, we were given empty wine glasses, which set the tone for this event. This 3-​hour event was spectacular — all the delicious gourmet offerings that you can eat & all the satisfying alcoholic/​non-​alcoholic libations possible, that you can imagine! We ate/​drank until we could no longer continue! We watched a cooking class on how to cook a lobster. We chatted w/​restaurant chefs from some of the finest restaurants, as well as brewers, mixologists, and wine experts. There were lots of giveaways that you could take home, such as different wine glasses, hazelnut syrups, snacks, etc.


Some of the foods that I enjoyed:
— Sam’s Chowder House: house-​smoked salami crostini w/​pepperonata & crème fraiche

— Osteria Coppa: eggplant capriata & summer squash

— Fog City: Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream w/​caramel sauce

— FIVE Restaurant & Bar: cured & confit black mission fig over brioche toast w/​mint ricotta; smoked duck breast w/​cheese, toasted hazelnuts, fig jam
— Precita Park Café: house-​made Burrato w/​marinated figs, herb mousse, walnut praline

— Emporio Rulli: passion fruit soaked baba (dessert bread) w/​house-​made mascarpone cream, organic local peaches, & topped w/​cinnamon streusel (my favorite at this show). They also had a magnificent tower of sweets & a fancy decorated cake on display.

— Sammy’s Aloha at Butterfly: Hawaiian style ahi poke & salmon spring roll
Some of the interesting wine and spirits vendors were:
— Hangar 1 Vodka: cocktails served in mason jars

— Stella Artois: Belgian beers
— Wines & spirits from various regions, states & countries, e.g., Napa Valley, Lodi, Washington State, New Zealand, Japan, Portugal.
We were also fortunate to be given entrance to the VIP Lounge, which had luxury RV trailers w/​cushioned bench seats to sit on after being on our feet for so long, as well as private restrooms. It also had its own food/​drink booths. I enjoyed the Moroccan spiced Sonoma country duck w/​picked beets & caramelized figs (Kitchen of Sacramento) & the smooth coffee by Nespresso Coffee.


Great to bump into new-​found Unilocaler Bay Area friends we met from earlier Unilocal 10^th anniversary events — Mitzi A., William M., Christine R. — who gave us tips as to their favorite booths. After the show ended, they showered us with 8 hours of their first-​class SF hospitality by taking us to after-​show drinks & their personalized guided tours of the SF suburbs/​landmarks & the ‘hoods that they grew up in. Unilocalers are so much fun!
Thank you, Unilocal,for letting us experience this amazing SF foodie/​drink festival as part of your 10^th birthday celebration! Another opportunity to learn more about SF’s food/​drink establishments & how the Unilocal community embraces them!

And it’s sad to say goodbye! But if we had to, The Eat Drink SF is definitely the way to do it.
Restaurant Vendors, liquor and wine purveyors, Kitchen appliance representatives, Chefs from many named restaurants in SF giving demonstrations and lessons on who to cook!
Lucky enough to have been awarded tickets to partake in this great event, I made sure to stop at the variety of eateries and speak with those who tirelessly gave of their time to put a Foodie Conference together.
This event was held at Fort Mason, first time venue for Eat Drink SF. While many of us walked the aisles, it didn’t seem crowded. That would be kudos to the planners for preparing such a great foot print of the venue.
At the end of the day I walked away learning there is a new area for wines and it is the Lodi Valley. I also have my pick of the eateries and had 2 servings of the Cucumber Gazpacho with Grilled Gulf Shrimp, prepared by Press. A definite must try for me on my next visit to the great San Francisco.
As my weekend comes to an end, I extend heartfelt thanks to Unilocal for all they did to entertain us on their auspicious 10 year Anniversary! Thank you Unilocal

I’ve always been curious about Eat Drink SF, but was always hesitant due to the ticket prices. I got lucky and ended up going this year by scoring tickets from Unilocal for their 10^th Anniversary. I invited the lovely Lorrayne to attend with me and we both didn’t know what we were getting into.
Let me tell you, next year, I will be spending the money on buying a ticket here because it is so worth it. I left with my bag feeling 10lbs heavier from all the free stuff I was putting in it. All the tastings were free. All the drinks were free. FREE. It was all so glorious. Now I understand the high ticket prices and it’s completely worth it in the end. It was pretty busy once we first walked in, but it seemed to die down after awhile. We both left so full and oh so buzzed.
Thank you so much Unilocal for the tickets! I had a fantastic time and will be back again next year for sure!

This event is a MECCA for food and wine lovers!!! Love the new, spacious venue at Fort Mason Center. Kudos to the Eat Drink SF (formerly SF Chefs) team who thought of this ingenious idea for its 6^th year. Due to the volume of attendees, vendors, Chefs, mixologists, etc., this massive space made the entire process more efficient and less crowded than Union Square. Fort Mason can accommodate three times the amount of foodies than any other location in SF! Many thanks to Unilocal,I scored tickets to this EPIC foodie festival, and had no trouble finding a sidekick, as hubby had to work. My friend Kaje was super-​stoked, he was already in line with the VIP’s! =D
The restaurant industry is where it’s at, especially in SF. Food is quintessential in this gastronomic city where eating is our favorite past time. Local chefs demonstrated their amazing culinary talent for a diverse crowd of attendees from all over the Bay Area and beyond with endless libations. I was on the lookout for Chef Kevin Weber, as I grew up by Cliff House, and he has made savory bites for the locals during its 100 year anniversary, in addition to Sunday Brunch at the Terrace. His passion is contagious and extremely hard-​working; he was going on his fourteenth hour when we caught up with him back at Cliff House around 8 p.m. I enjoyed seeing all the other Chefs from Nick’s Cove (Austin & Adam), Betelnut (Chef Mario & GM Brett).
Last but not least, I loved seeing all the familiar faces ( Unilocalies from Hawaii, Phoenix, SF, Marin & South Bay), as we meandered around this enormous hangar, sipping on Hangar 1 vodka served in mason jars — perfect setting. Awesome time had by all, looking forward to next year’s Eat Drink SF and kicking it off with a crawl Thursday night before the festivities begin at Fort Mason woo-​hoo!!!

I had very high expectations for this event considering how much i paid and I was not disappointed at all. I love every bit of it and had so much fun!
There were over 50 vendors of food and drinks and each one was as interesting as the next. I definitely took down some restaurants I will be trying soon! All the food was great and the organization of the event was beyond my expectation. They were on point and def made the night enjoyable.
What’s best about this event? They kept it live and entertaining the whole time! and I especially love them for it. Many of the restaurants were fully stocked and I appreciate it bc lately a lot of food festival have been very unprepared but not eat drink sf! My favorite dish was from hakkasan so that will be first go to place to try!
Enjoy my pictures! I will be back next year!

This was a fantastic event! I had pretty high expectations considering the price of tickets and I was not disappointed. Unlimited tastings of delicious food and drinks, it couldn’t get any better! I’ve never been to past events which I believe were held in tents at Union Square. I’m glad they changed the venue to Fort Mason, because the building was large enough for the amount of people attending.
I’m already looking forward to next year’s event!

First and foremost, thank you Christine R. for letting me be your +1.
They opened promptly on time, and there was no issue or slow downs with checking tickets or IDs. Everything was so speedy!
Upon entrance, there were a bunch of vendors everywhere. The very first thing you see is the free water bottles and water vendor.
The food was amazing. Nothing short of excellent. You were able to talk to chefs face to face and they were all so friendly!
The drinks were all good: wine, beer, whiskey, vodka.
I got to try a little of everything and everybody brought their A-​game.
There were a handful of goodies to take home, like Hangar mason jars, stella chalices, hoegaarden glasses, and goose island glasses.
The only issue was that parking was a bit tight because there was the farmers market, but there were enough people leaving the farmers market that spaces opened up!
Overall, a great event, with amazing foods and drinks. Recommended!

Formerly SF Chefs. Food. Wine. this event took on new branding and a new location in 2014. Rebranded as Eat Drink SF the highly anticipated tasting event featuring hundreds of San Francisco Bay Area restaurants, bars, vineyards and distillers made its debut at the Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason (
) Friday night going head to head with another very popular event also held at Fort Mason that event being Off The Grid.
I purchased a VIP ticket via Groupon during the early bird sale and combined with a local discount offered by Groupon during the weekend when I purchased the ticket managed to save a hefty $ 60 over the price of the same ticket purchased closer to the event. So was the event worth my $ 140? If you consider the amount of alcohol consumed and the variety of foods available to devour I think I did quite well, and yes, the ticket was well worth the money.
The new venue provided ample space for the crowd to move around just about eliminating many of the overcrowding issues that occurred when this event was held inside a temporary tent erected at Union Square. Also gone is Visa Signature as the title sponsor making ticket purchasing much easier since it is no longer required that attendees use only a Visa card for their purchases. For the record American Express took on the role as title sponsor this year but didn’t force attendees to only use an American Express card. Kudos to Amex!
If you’ve attended this event in past years the set-​up will seem familiar to you with just a few exceptions. Most of the participating restaurants are situated along the side walls and vendors providing beverages both alcoholic and non-​alcoholic are scattered throughout the space that makes up the center of the pavilion. Bottled water has been replaced with refillable gift item metal water bottles for all attendees (
). The VIP lounge made exclusively for VIP ticket holders is no longer a dinky little room hidden off to one side but is a huge comfortable lounge with lots of cushioned seating, private restrooms and oh yes, our own special restaurants and wineries available to VIP only.
My goal coming into the evening was to just take in as much as I could, enjoy myself and have fun. I didn’t try to sample each and every restaurant’s offerings like I have in past years, and as it turned out I did have less food to eat but a lot more drinks combining wine with a Stella Artois or two and a handful of cocktails since it’s pretty difficult to turn down samples of some of my favorite Hangar One vodkas. I had a great time and even chatted up with some beautiful people.
Foodwise, mostly everything I tried was delicious, but there were a few standouts that I gladly returned to try again starting with the assorted Charcuterie from Epic Roasthouse (
), the Lobster Corn Dogs from the yet-​to-​be-​opened Tap 415 (
), the Cold Noodle Salad with hot seared Lemongrass Beef from Le Coloniel (
) and the Beef Tongue Tortellini from Kuleto’s (
).
I’ve posted a bunch of other photos for your enjoyment, and I’m already looking forward to the Sunday afternoon grand tasting for which I’ll have VIP tickets to enjoy once again.