Four Days Of Wine And- My Kind Of Party!
Yep, write me off for the end of the month. From Thursday, the 26th, to Sunday, the 29th, we’ll once again be celebrating the Key West Food & Wine Festival (KWFWF). Four days of Bacchanalian (God, I love it when I get to use that word) glory! So, what is this festival thing? Well, it’s a celebration of all the wonderful restaurants and bars we have in our little hamlet, as well as the chefs, bartenders, writers, planners, artists, and photographers that make our island special.
There will be five main events. The first is the kickoff party, “Kick Off Your Flip-Flops Beach Party” at the Southernmost Beach Cafe. The party is sponsored by Barefoot Wines and there will be food, drinks and live music while you dangle your feet in the water. The next night will be the “Turtles and Sharks and Mermaids, OH MY! Grand Tasting” at the Key West Aquarium. This event will feature a wine tasting, local seafood and a performance by Fancy Pants Entertainment.
Next up, Saturday evening, will feature “Duval UNCORKED,” a mile long pub crawl style wine and food tasting. Wineries will be showing off their goods at shops and galleries, while Key West’s finest restaurants provide tastings of their favorite dishes. If you see me lying in the gutter, just make sure I’m not blocking traffic.
Then, at noon on Sunday, the Restaurant Store’s parking lot will host the “Outdoor Wine Market.” Wines will be available to taste and buy, at greatly reduced prices, as well as food, fish, and flower vendors, plus a few craft booths. This is the way Key West does open air markets!
Finally, from 4 to 7 pm on Sunday, is my favorite event of all, “The 18th House Master Chefs Classic.” In this event, Key West’s finest chefs compete for best appetizer, entrée and dessert honors bestowed by a judicious panel (including me!) and for the prestigious People’s Choice award, bestowed by you (at least you get to vote). This event is a major fund raiser for the MARC House, which does such a wonderful job taking care of our reMARCable citizens and, as such, I expect to see you all there. At the same time, this event has sold out each year; get your tickets now!
So those are the “signature” events for the festival, but it is far from all that’s happening. There are over 20 events, plus five seminars, going on for the four days. Suffice it to say that there should be something for everybody. Now I’m sure you’ve noticed that I haven’t included pricing for any of the events and that’s only because I only have so much room. For prices and more info on all the events you can go to keywestfoodandwinefestival.com and you’ll find all the details there. One item you should consider, though, is the VIP pass. It gets you entrance into all of the above events, except the Master Chefs Classic, for $335; plus you get one Annual MARC seminar entrance, the Coconut Recipe Contest, the Seafood Shakedown and a VIP gift bag. So, that’s what’s up with the Key West Food and Wine Festival for this year.
Now let’s see what other events are coming up in our new year and first up is a “South of the Equator” tasting at the Strip House, hosted by the Tasters Guild. They’ll be cruising through the bottom of the world, tasting wines from Chile, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. It’s on Wednesday, Jan. 11 and is only $25 for members and $30 for others. To make reservations, call 292-4004.
Next is my new favorite event, the food and wine pairing at the Shor restaurant at the Hyatt. Six wines and six small plates for $32++. The last one was so good that attendees were signing up for the next one that evening. It’s on Thursday, Jan. 19 at 6 pm and the last one sold out, so call 809-4000 now to book your seats.
That’s it for this week, so until the next time – wine a bit, you’ll feel better.
, at 6 pm, and the cost is
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