Recap: Seattle Food & Wine Experience

March 1, 2010...12:41 AM

Recap: Seattle Food & Wine Experience

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No joke, this past weekend was one of the most jam-packed and exciting weekends I’ve had in a very long time. And it couldn’t have come at a better time because I’d been in kind of a funk lately.

The piece de resistance: enjoying the Seattle Food & Wine Experience…for FREE! My normally unlucky self managed to win 2 tickets from a Twitter giveaway contest about a month ago. Naturally, I brought my best friend and fellow food blogger along for the ride.

The event featured delicious food from over 20 restaurants/food exhibitors, hundreds of wines from 11 countries, and beer/cider from several breweries. A portion of the event’s proceeds will benefit the Beecher’s Flagship Foundation.

When we arrived, we went straight to the Columbia Winery booth where Kathy Casey was signing and giving away her Northwest Table cookbook to the first 300 people that stopped by.

We spent the next 4 hours eating and drinking our way through all the booths inside the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. We even squeezed in a little shopping at the Oil & Vinegar booth (if you bought 4 items, you got a bottle of EVOO for free – heck yes!) and Seasalt Superstore booth. And apparently my lucky streak hadn’t quite disappeared — I won a $30 gift certificate to Ponti Seafood Grill when I spun the “wheel of fortune” at Dine Around Seattle‘s booth.

Anyway, I could go on and on about how amazing this event was, but I’ll just leave you with my top picks for food and wine. My partner in crime will also be doing a recap on Friday for Belles of the Sound – be sure to check it out!

Top Food Picks (check out my Flickr stream for photos):

Asian BBQ pork slider w/ cucumber kimchee from Tulalip Bay Fine Dining (my #1 fave food of the day)
Porcini chicken w/ wild mushrooms and black truffle vinaigrette from Pearl Bar & Dining
Smokey bacon maple bar from FROST Doughnuts (hey, don’t knock it till you try it!)
North African Risotto from Andaluca
Roasted lamb flatbread w/ spicy yogurt from Cicchetti Kitchen and Bar (and I don’t even like lamb!)