Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival 2012: One Fake Foodie's Adventure

I call myself a fake foodie because I'm not really sure I qualify as an actual foodie. I found a post on the blog Meals and Miles that has some good discussion on the topic, and based on some of these ideas, sure, why not, I AM a foodie!

Granted, part of my hesitation to claim that title might have to do with the fact that there are certain things I don't eat. Beef, pork, lamb, duck, and any other meat that's not chicken, turkey, or fish are on that list and have been since about 1995. And when I'm asked why, I say, "Well, I was already leaning that way to try to be healthier and then I saw the movie Babe, and if it talked in Babe, I don't eat it." Yes, I have had some weird looks with that answer! On the other hand I never ever judge anyone about their desire for some nice prime rib or a juicy burger! That being said, I have decided to break my own long-held rules with a couple of bites each year...

... at the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival.

Okay, let me get something out of the way upfront. Attending this festival isn't cheap, by any stretch of the imagination. I am extremely fortunate to have attended this two years in a row because I have a dollface (a term of endearment she uses and I love) of a friend who has treated a couple of friends and I to lodging when we're there, so all I need to do is buy tickets to whichever events we're going to attend. In real life, I never go to fancy restaurants, so I justify the expense by getting the experience of sampling from the chefs of several different fancy restaurants all in one fell swoop. 

In addition to loving food, I am a TOTAL GEEK when it comes to celebrity chefs, the ones I've seen on TV (like on Food Network or The Cooking Channel, or in the case of Jacques Pepin, ones I know from watching cooking shows with my mom on KQED back in the day [oh yes, my love of cooking shows goes WAY back]), or ones I've read about in restaurant reviews or elsewhere. These guys are like rock stars to me. Some of the chefs we saw or met or sampled food from were Anne Burrell, Geoffrey Zakarian, Michael Symon, Michael Chiarello, Tim Love, Tyler Florence, Dean Fearing, Daniel Buloud, MASAHARU MORIMOTO... I was pretty stoked about that one. I used to watch the original Iron Chef back when it was on local station KTSF, in Japanese with English subtitles. Such a fan! Granted, I didn't even try his food this year, as he made something with bacon... hmm... but I did try...

... Michael Chiarello's bite, which was some type of crostini that had Andouille sausage on it and it was SO GOOD. I love that guy. We went to a seminar last year and had our picture taken with him and he was just so playful and charming. This year we showed up at his booth and he said, "You ladies look DELICIOUS!" How could I not try his meaty bite? I mean, come on. That one was a no-brainer! He has a restaurant called Bottega in Yountville and I've never been but I will go there one day, hopefully when he's there!

Another bite of meat I had was from Tyler Florence, who's based in Mill Valley and owns Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco. It was Kobe beef, cooked oh-so-perfectly and served on a popover. It. Was. Ridiculously delicious. I figure if I'm going to break my meat rule, go big or go home. I'd never had Kobe beef before and just WOW. Also, Tyler is so cute and he served me the plate. I mean come on, again, what's a non-meat-eating girl to do when that guy hands her a plate of meat? SHE EATS IT!

Sadly, a less successful break of my rules was sampling Tim Love's goat taco. First of all, let me say this: Tim Love is one of my favorite celeb chefs. I'd seen him on TV before and last year he made a tamale with a rabbit and rattlesnake sausage. Yes, that's right, rabbit and rattlesnake. So my girlfriends were like, "Oh my gosh, Jen, YOU GOTTA TRY THIS." And I'm like, "It's rabbit. And rattlesnake." And Tim Love was like, "Come on, try it." And if I remember correctly he served me up a bite and watched excitedly as I ate it. Again, what's a girl to do? And it was DELICIOUS!! So this year he was making goat tacos, and I'm like, this is my boy Tim Love. I'd walked past him at an event Thursday night and was like, "Hey, it's Tim Love!" So when I walked up to his booth he recognized me (pretty sure I was the only nearly six-foot-tall brown lady at the event and possibly in all of Pebble Beach that weekend, so I do tend to stand out) and he was all, "Heeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyy!" It was so cute. So of course I'm gonna try his goat taco. But I was not feelin' it. Perhaps goat is an acquired taste. A couple of my girlfriends said it was delicious! So don't go by me if you're thinking of trying a goat taco anytime soon!

The best bite of the weekend came from Geoffrey Zakarian, the newest Iron Chef on  Iron Chef America, and frequent judge on Chopped. First of all, he is a very handsome man. Oh boy. Beautiful gray hair and cool glasses but yes, I like nerdy dudes so the glasses really work for me.  Anyway, he made what was a smoked hamachi mousse which sounds odd, possibly, but super wowza. As my friend, Steph, described it, "It was a fluffy bite of Heaven on a silver spoon." Yes, it really was. It had sliced jalapeno on top and something else that escapes me... Anyway, I think we might have gone for thirds on that one. It was just an unbelievable explosion of flavor in our mouths!

Another fabulous bite was a salmon slider on a Hawaiian roll that Sam Choy made. So simple and so delicious. Definitely had seconds and when we went back for thirds they were gone! 

There is not enough space here to tell you about every delicious bite I had. It was a ridiculously amazing experience, gastronomically speaking, and one that everyone should try to have if they love food and celebrity chefs!

Oh, and I didn't even mention WINE. It is a food and wine fest, after all. Yes, there is a ton of wine to try. (Personally, I'm more of a beer person, and to that end they offered Stella, Leffe, and Hoegaarden; I am really hoping they'll expand the selection, but believe me, I got my fill  — and free glasses!). Everywhere you look are booths from wineries all over California and beyond. 

I must mention some food quickly that we had outside of Pebble Beach. We had an AMAZING dinner at a restaurant called Passionfish in Pacific Grove. I had a salad described on the menu as, "Grilled sardines & romaine/aged asiago/Caesar panna cotta." It was simply one of the best things I have ever had in my entire life and I will never forget how the combination of flavors danced in my mouth. I haven't eaten breakfast yet and just talking about it is making my mouth water!!!! It's a special occasion type of place, the kind of meal you have that will last a couple of hours and of which you will likely enjoy every bite.

Before we headed home we stopped in Carmel to get some cheese from The Cheese Shop (a place that you MUST go to at least once if you are passionate about cheese), and we had lunch at a charming restaurant called Little Napoli. Yummy eats and particularly delicious appetizers.

Doing this post has made me super excited about going again next year. Think about treating yourself to at least one event if you are a total geek about this sort of thing like I am. Just to take in the scenery in Pebble Beach and that area is worth the drive. Attending one of these events is an experience that will stay with you forever and make you feel like a real foodie, if only for a couple of hours!