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Masters of Food and Wine: Foodie Review
Feb. 23rd, 2007 09:10 pmThe Short: Nice. Problematic. Probably won't do it again.
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The Long: Went down to Carmel (Stunning views!) for the opening meeting of the "Masters of Food and Wine" at the Highlands Inn. Tickets were pricey and it was a bit far away, but in stunning surroundings. About 10 restaurants--all VERY high end--came and provided nibbles, ranging from The Cheese Shop in Carmel (mmmm. Cheese, Grommet, Cheese! And all the BEST cheese.) to The Slanted Door in San Francisco (High End Vietnamese). And about 40 wineries, pouring their best. And about ...300? People packed in. It was loud, and rich, and crowded, and interesting, and looked to be a very good party--but it doesn't compare to Estrella.
Upon reflection (thanks Shutterg33k) what this thing really provides is access to the names behind the wineries, etc. If you value that, and people all over the world do, this is a do worth going to. If not so much, well, the wines were excellent, as was the food.
I have notes on some wines, and some restaurants, but after about 15 wines my ability to actually taste them is gone. Fighting the crowd sapped a lot of energy.
Kevin was in fine form--and had amazinly pointy shoes. EvilViscountess is a joy and a delight at these things, knowledge and wit combined with a keen crowd eye. The fact that they are local foodies made them indispensible for getting the low down. Yay!
Notes:
Wow, what a crowd. Taking a taxi was the way to go.
The Cheese Shop: OMG! So good, so many, so wow. So getting visited.
....more notes later. One restaurant is now on the Must Eat at list; another (Slanted Door) is on the Go Ahead and Miss list, and there's three new wineries and one champagne brand to add to the pile.
<lj-cut>
The Long: Went down to Carmel (Stunning views!) for the opening meeting of the "Masters of Food and Wine" at the Highlands Inn. Tickets were pricey and it was a bit far away, but in stunning surroundings. About 10 restaurants--all VERY high end--came and provided nibbles, ranging from The Cheese Shop in Carmel (mmmm. Cheese, Grommet, Cheese! And all the BEST cheese.) to The Slanted Door in San Francisco (High End Vietnamese). And about 40 wineries, pouring their best. And about ...300? People packed in. It was loud, and rich, and crowded, and interesting, and looked to be a very good party--but it doesn't compare to Estrella.
Upon reflection (thanks Shutterg33k) what this thing really provides is access to the names behind the wineries, etc. If you value that, and people all over the world do, this is a do worth going to. If not so much, well, the wines were excellent, as was the food.
I have notes on some wines, and some restaurants, but after about 15 wines my ability to actually taste them is gone. Fighting the crowd sapped a lot of energy.
Kevin was in fine form--and had amazinly pointy shoes. EvilViscountess is a joy and a delight at these things, knowledge and wit combined with a keen crowd eye. The fact that they are local foodies made them indispensible for getting the low down. Yay!
Notes:
Wow, what a crowd. Taking a taxi was the way to go.
The Cheese Shop: OMG! So good, so many, so wow. So getting visited.
....more notes later. One restaurant is now on the Must Eat at list; another (Slanted Door) is on the Go Ahead and Miss list, and there's three new wineries and one champagne brand to add to the pile.
