The Suncoast Food and Wine Fest: A Delectable Way to Spend an Afternoon

[Amy Warren, LMHC / WQ Mag Columnist]

It was a wise decision to change the name of the Suncoast Wine Fest to the Suncoast Food and Wine Fest this year. As I noted in my column last year, this festival is just as much about the food as it is the wine. The festival itself didn’t change this year other than the addition of specialty beers to further accommodate the masses. It’s just that now the name reflects what has always been true – you can easily enjoy this festival for the food alone. Next year, even if you don’t enjoy wine, it’s well worth the price of admission. For the eighth year, the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch produced a fun-filled and delectable afternoon that will benefit a variety of local charities.

Three huge tents housed samplings of food from over 30 area restaurants and cooking schools. Ample tastes of over 300 wines from top distributors were the go-to items in the center of each tent, with enough variety to satisfy anyone's tastes. Patrons also had an opportunity to speak with some of the winemakers themselves like the ones from Anthony Bell wines (always a favorite) and our local Lakewood Winery. The buzz around the festival seemed to be unanimous as far as the food was concerned – the Culinary Arts students at Manatee Technical Institute stole the show. Never fear, there are new and innovative chefs on the horizon. Lining almost half of a tent, the students had a spread that was a feast within itself. Most of the students’ creations were a hit with my favorites being the duck liver pate topped with shaved truffle and the chocolate polenta. A misstep was the chocolate blue cheese truffle, introducing two incredible flavors to each other which were never meant to meet. Once again, the chefs at Publix Apron’s Cooking School demonstrated their prowess with chai cured salmon drizzled with ginger-plum jam. Crab cakes were a popular chef’s choice at the festival. I sampled at least four or five of them. The Sandbar Restaurant with their Maryland-style crab cakes with hefty chunks of crab was by far the best. Of the bisques, Tommy Bahama’s crab bisque received the most rave reviews. Some new and inviting restaurants on the scene from our northern area were SOMA Restaurant in Bradenton (chef/owner Dave Shiplett formerly of Poseidon and Ezra), River House Reef and Grill in Palmetto, and Grove House Grill in Terra Ceia.

I hurriedly ate my way through the first two tents of food determined not to miss out on desserts like I did last year, only to find that by the time I made it to the third tent some of the restaurants on my favorites lists had already given out of food. In less than an hour and a half, Derek’s had already served 1200 pulled pork sandwiches! At the station for Ruth Chris Steakhouse, I could be heard saying “Where’s the beef?” I’ve already configured a new plan for next year’s festival. I’m going to hand pick which restaurant stations I immediately rush towards and then re-work my way through each tent in the hopes of not missing out on the remaining restaurants. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll still be returning year after year to savor the delights of the Suncoast Food and Wine Festival until I finally get it right…and even then, I’ll still be back.