Wow.

In a word, that pretty much sums up the event.  If I had to be as concise as possible in describing the food and the experience, “wow” would pretty much do it.  I’ve been to some very nice food/wine tastings and PBFW – at least the Sunday afternoon Lexus Grand Tasting Tent which was the only event I attended – pretty much trumped them all.

With so much to cover, I’m writing my review in three parts; think of it as a three course meal!  First, an appetizer; I’ll give you an idea of the Location and Setting.  Then the main course; the Food and Beverage that made this event so delectable.  Finally, we’ll finish up with a gallery of the many pictures I took with a few videos on the side.  Let’s get started!

Location and Setting

I flew from Los Angeles to San Jose on Sunday morning, rented a car, and drove down to Pebble Beach.

Pebble Beach was the perfect location for this event.  If the cost of admission ($165 retail) didn’t give an air of exclusivity, the location most certainly did.  Surrounded by forests on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other, the venue was only accessible via winding roads lined with golf courses and stately homes…correction: mansions!

An army of helpful police officers and staff directed traffic to easy and free parking near the Lexus Grand Tasting Tent.  Lexus owners had the privilege of valet parking at the front of the tent.  Sadly, I got no credit.  My rental Toyota Prius was just a cousin to the Lexus family.

Situated on a huge field, the Grand Tasting Tent seemed almost humble in spite of its name.  It looked smallish from the outside.  Inside was a completely different story.  Every corner of this 60000+ square foot tent was filled with activity.

The inside perimeter of the tent was the staging area for the chefs and winemakers, each identified by a sign over their table.  The chefs had booths with mini kitchens where they put the finishing touches on their dishes before plating and serving them.

For every chef, booths for ten to twelve winemakers were placed in between.  For all the wine that was present though, I didn’t drink any.  I know, I know; what a spoiler!  I went to a food and WINE event and missed out on half of the deal.  But let me tell you, there was so much going on and so many foods and other beverages to enjoy, I felt like spending time and stomach space on wine would be a loss.  Maybe next time. 🙂  Ok, back to the story…

In the center of the tents – there were two tents, one huge one in the front and a slightly smaller one in the back – were more chefs, winemakers, and a couple stages.  In the front tent, one stage had a jewelry store where guests could browse cases full of necklaces and watches while sipping champagne.  Also in the front, was a photo booth with a 2010 Lexus IS C.  Of course I stopped to take a picture!

The back tent was more of the same, with chefs busy doing their thing and winemakers popping bottles.  There were two stages here also; the first one had another Lexus parked on the front (the HS Hybrid) and a small lounge on the back.

The second stage became home to me after a while.  Patron was there offering samples of some very tasty mixed drinks! 🙂  With the unseasonably warm weather, the tent was sweltering inside and the ice cold tequila was quite refreshing.  Their bartenders made quite a scene as they mixed up their signature drinks.  On the other side of the stage was Patron’s neighbor, Sobieski Vodka.

Adding to the buzz of the event (and my personal buzz), an unseen DJ mixed dance tracks and jazz standards which played on loud speakers throughout the venue.  The vibe was like the biggest, most bad ass, open-bar-cocktail-party I’d ever been too.

I wish you could have been there!  Hopefully, I’ve whetted your appetite for the next course, the Food and Beverage.  I’ll be posting that soon.  Without giving away too much, the F&B were amazing.  But you knew that already!