In Part 1 of my review on Pebble Beach Food and Wine 2009, I described the setting, sights, and sounds of this amazing event. Now its time to highlight the stars of the show: the food and beverages! Well, lets do the drinks first, then the food. I’ll list some of the dishes by categories leading up to a sort of “Best in Show”.

Spoiler: If you’re looking for wine reviews, you won’t find any here. It was all food, beer, and tequila for me!

The Beverages

Let me start by saying the inside of the tent was sweltering hot. I didn’t realize exactly how hot until I had my very first taste; a very warm serving of macaroni and Tillamook cheddar cheese. When I started sweating, I knew the next order of business was to find something cold to drink. Luckily, there was a make shift German beer garden not far from the mac and cheese.

The “Germans” were serving ice cold Leffe, Stella Artios, and Hoegaarden from a beautiful stainless steel tap. Each beer was served in a souvenir glass imprinted with the label. The friendly bar maids were handing out faux suede bags for guests to carry their signature glasses home. I enjoyed a glass of Stella, a beer I already knew, and one of Leffe which was completely new to me. I had heard of Hoegaarden but didn’t get a chance to try it.

The beverages I appreciated the most were found in the Patron lounge. Three bar tenders were there mixing a variety of drinks, all based on Patron’s well known Platinum Tequila. Among the ones I tried were the Grape Ape, the Tradewinds, and the Classic Margarita.

The Grape Ape was flavored with ginger beer and grapefruit juice and topped of with a crushed purple grape.  The flavor was definitely grapefruit juice, not “grape” juice. It was pleasantly bitter but with a slight sweetness, followed by that distinct flavor of tequila.

The Tradewinds was another delicious Patron recipe, flavored with Reposado, Citronge, and orange bitters. This was one of my favorites because it was smooth in flavor and consistency, like a well blended, fruity tea.

By far, though, my favorite was the Classic Margarita. I’m a big fan of this tasty lime flavored drink and the Patron recipe was right on point. It was the stronger of the three I tried, edging out the Tradwinds by a slight margin. Sadly, I didn’t get a picture of the margarita but I’m sure if I did it would have been blurry!

The Food

Again, I have to say “wow”. There were so many great foods to taste at the Grand Tasting Tent that I can’t cover them all. Not only that, but in this humble review, I’ll also fail to mention the chefs, their restaurants, and a slew of other details you might want. Contact me if you need more detail.

Go Meat!

The vegetarians were out of luck at this tasting. Yes, there were plenty of cheeses on hand and the occasional fruit here and there, but the menus were definitely dominated by meat.

One of the first meats I tried was this taste of braised short ribs. They were nothing more than tender and tasty.

This sample, which I was referring to as Oh-Oh-Dee, was a skewer of olive, orange, and duck. Eaten all together in single bite, it was phenomenal.

This roasted pork belly slider was a treat. Served on a tiny bun, the pork was “sandwiched” together with a light slaw.

You Can Never Have Enough Seafood

Along with pork, many of the dishes served in the Tasting Tent were based on seafood. The guests didn’t seem to mind, though, as they scarfed down one sample after another. While all of them were delectable, here are a few of the more memorable ones I tried.

One of the cutest seafood dishes was this tuna tartar served in a little cone. The tuna was so tender it practically melted in my mouth while the cone (can’t recall what it was made of) added a bit of texture and crunch. The flavors combined into pure bliss!

Another delicious seafood offering was a clam chowder served in minature espresso cups. The tiny spoons were the perfect size for scooping and sipping the creamy chowder from the cups.

This lobster and carrot risotto was so damn tasty I almost cried. It was that good! The risotto seemed to be infused with the carrots and was mixed with a light cheese. The lobster brought the dish together in a way that I never would have expected. Lobster and carrots…who knew!?

Prawns. YUM! ‘Nuff said.

The following creation, put together by none other than Roy of Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion fame, was one of my favorite seafood dishes. The line at Roy’s booth was one of the longest in the tent and rightfully so; his restaurants are well known and the dishes speak for themselves when it comes to flavor.

I never learned the exact ingredients that came together to make this dish but let me tell you, it was like a symphony of flavor! The fish, which I deduced was a lightly seared tuna, was served on a bed of something firm and fried – a kind of potato, perhaps? – and topped with a light sauce (I think lobster) and roe. Blanched vegetables rounded out the plate.

Bread, Fruit, and Dessert

There weren’t too many desserts on hand but you can bet that I tried them all. To round things out a bit, I also sampled some breads and fruits.

One of the best breads was this cornbread. I bumped into this server coming into the tent from one of the kitchens outside and he offered me a piece. How could I refuse! The bread was light and crispy and definitely a standout from the other samples of sourdough and more common breads.

A nice touch to the elegance of the Tasting Tent were a few “berry” girls that were passing trays of fruit to the guests. One had berries and chocolate for dipping while another had champagne glasses filled with blueberries, strawberries, blackberries (my fave), and yellow raspberries.

I picked up a phenomenal dessert, oddly enough, at a wine booth. These chocolate Chardonnay and Merlot truffles were made either with the wine or to pair with the wine; I can’t recall. In either case, they were yummy!

The tastiest of all the deserts, though, was also one of the most innovative dishes at the event: The Olive Oil Milkshake. I know, you’re thinking, “Olive oil milkshake? WTH!?” And so was I…until I tasted it. Cold, smooth, creamy, and with the prefect blend of olive oil and sweet cream flavors, this dessert was one that couldn’t have been more appreciated on a hot day.

Most Creative or “OMG THAT’S SO GOOD!”

I love it when chefs think of ways to bring creativity and artistry into the kitchen along with great flavor. A few of the dishes at this event certainly can be described as innovative and creative.

Love pork? Love coffee? How about taking some pork and slow cooking it in coffee for twelve hours? Think you might love that? Yeah, thought so. This dish was os overwhelming in subtle flavor that I was speechless. The coffee and pork came together effortlessly. I’m guessing all the effort was in the lengthy slow roast!

Honestly, scrambled eggs never tasted or looked so good. This dish, scrambled eggs topped with caviar, was simple and delicious. Not too mention cute! The display is what brought me in, the taste made me stay. The eggs are served in the shell (kind of like serving deviled eggs in the hollowed out boiled egg white) with the shell resting on a tiny flower pot. Very nice!

Best In Show

Finally, we come to the most tasty and memorable dish from the entire event. Competition was tough! The chefs certainly put on their best for this very discerning crowd which they did not fail to please.

Its no surprise that my favorite dish comes from the same kitchen that prepared the coffee roasted pork. Their creation – green pea grits with fried trout, topped with lobster and pea salad – was amazing. Being from the south, I love grits and enjoy them combined with seafood; shrimp and grits, for example. These grits were pleasantly surprising with the green peas adding another level of flavor. Delicately breaded and fried, the trout was cooked perfectly. The extremely flavorful lobster was the kicker though, that pulled all of the flavors together.

What a feast!

I hope you enjoyed my look back on this great event. Like I said before, wish you could have been there! With so much to cover, you can see why I had to split things up. If you didn’t see Part 1, check that out for a intro to the event. And stay tuned for Part 3 where I’ll add more photos and videos. Cheers!