Guests of South Beach Wine and Food Festival’s Grand Tasting Village sampled bold cuisine, stylish wines, and carefully creative spirits in the iconic white tents on Saturday February 27th & Sunday February 28th, 2016. The South Florida Sage had a blast attending on Sunday!

All images appearing in this post photographed by Holli Lapes, property of TheSoFlaSage.com

I couldn’t imagine how an ice sculpture would survive on the beach (although the weather was nice and breezy last Sunday afternoon) but a sand sculpture- that is more like it!

There was a new layout this year with more places to relax and enjoy this grand experience — whether it’s with a cocktail under the shade or your hips swaying to beat of the music coming from the Hard Rock VIP tent.

Holli – The SoFla Sage

The Grand Tasting tents celebrated all areas of Miami as participating restaurants are grouped together in culinary quadrants representing districts across South Florida — from South Miami and Coral Gables to Brickell, Wynwood, South Beach and on into Fort Lauderdale.

Pork

Peach Slushie made with Bulleit Whiskey

Colorful KitchenAid Mixers

Food Network and Cooking Channel chefs, authors and culinary personalities dice it out on the KitchenAid Culinary Demo Stages.

Culinary Demonstration by Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods

Holli Lapes & Andrew Zimmern chatting during his book signing after the demo

I was thrilled to meet one of my favorite Food Network stars!

Smoked Wahoo Fish Dip

Honey Orange Crush Spritzer

This cocktail, made with proseco and aperol, reminded me of a creamsicle – loved it.

Ricotta & Broccolini Toast by DIRT // Eat Clean – Miami Beach, Florida

A beautiful (and quite delicious) sample, brightened with watermelon radish and tomato.

Steak

Parmesan Cheese

Fresh Burrata by Fratelli La Bufala in Miami Beach, Florida

WOW! Creamy and delightful – now I must make my way to the restaurant, Fratelli was nice enough to give out $15 coupons along with the tasting.

Cannoli

18th Century Punch with Bitters, Lemon, Rum, Spices and Rosemary

This punch was the bomb as far as flavor goes and what a fantastic presentation with the giant ice cube and bursts of color!

Oxtail by Barton G. Miami Beach, Florida

Potato Causa

Guava Pastelito + Ham & Cheese Croqueta by Vicky Bakery of Maimi, Florida

Nothing says Miami like pastelito and croqueta, YUM!

Black Raspberry Chocolate Ice Cream by Graeter’s of Ohio

I had never heard of Graeter’s before! I am a huge fan of black raspberry with chocolate ice cream and was excited to see that it is Graeter’s signature flavor – I would definitely buy this in stores.

Shaved Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce and Pistachios by Mr. Bing of Miami, Florida

This “ice cream with a fork” won the title of Best Bite on The Beach by voters choice in the Miami New Times! I would agree that it was one of the best things I tasted at the festival.

Samoa Donut by The Salty Donut of Wynwood, Florida

The Salty Donut, which started as a pop up during Art Basel Miami 2015 has gained much attention during the last few months with their creative donuts. Salty is here to stay – a permanent location will open soon. I enjoyed the taste and texture of the Samoa!

This was my first time attending the Grand Tasting Village and I loved it. My advice: arrive on time as the event gets busier as the day progresses, and don’t forget to pace yourself – there are so many delightful bites to try and plenty of wine & liquor samples. Also, plan ahead – look at the schedule to see what time your favorite Food Network star will be doing a demo and book signing! Or maybe you are only interested in the demos, in that case – you can buy a ticket to attend just the demo portion of the event!

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All images appearing in this post photographed by Holli Lapes, property of TheSoFlaSage.com