Pebble Beach Food & Wine

This was our first time to the Pebble Beach Food & Wine event. We attended only the Grand Tasting. Unlike SF Eats and Vegas Uncork’d, early access is only available if you are purchasing a package of events (or I’m sure if you are lucky enough to be comped the tickets). We were towards the front of the line and the tents are large enough that we didn’t start running into long lines until we were already too full to care.
If you enjoy wine, this event is an amazing opportunity to try a wide variety of some great wines. We skipped the wine (yes for such expensive tickets we didn’t even sample the wine!) and focused on the food and the experience. I thought it was odd that attendees didn’t even get to keep their wine glasses unless they had a Chase preferred card and entered with that group. For the price of the ticket the glass should have been included.
We had some excellent food and saw a number of famous chefs. The attendees were typically well dressed. The tents and restrooms were upscale. A number of chefs ran out of food well before the 3:00 finish time.

My friend invited me on his dime to attend Guy Fieri’s barbeque on Saturday evening this past. Frankly, I was disappointed to some extent. The fact is that it was not a barbecue at all but nothing more than several points of interest with ‘little bites’ or commonly called small ‘tapas servings’. the food was mediocre and to my understanding, Guy’s recipes were not included in the menu at all. You would think with all of his experience traveling around the world that he could have served some of his signature plates. Vendor’s were hired from as far as Texas to prepare variety’s of small bites.
The venue was so crowded that at one time I commented that they could have sold another 3 or 4 tickets to attend the event. We were packed in like sardines in a vacuumed can. There were lines waiting to be able to pick up a bite and within two hours of the three hour event most of the vendors had run out of food. This is no exaggeration. The four stations of food served that were standouts in my mind were the seafood cups, beef cheeks with a great demi glaze, slow cooked goat-​my favorite and oysters. Kudos to you for providing your culinary treats from wherever long distance you may have traveled from.
The wine table hosted several wines form one vendor. I had three tastes and had to dump each one. the champagne was served just above room temperature and I asked why the champagne/​sparkling wine was not chilled in an ice bucket to keep warm. The host was ignorant to the fact that sparkling wine needs to be chilled to 34 – 36 degrees for it’s best taste especially for a low quality product. The few other choices of chardonnay, cabernet and pinot noir were everyday run of the mill that I could top with my choice of 5 – 10 dollar wines from my collection.
Perhaps the highlight of the night was the beer display along with the coffee table and the band which was in the separate room that many of the patrons did not find out about until later in the event.
As far as the main attraction was concerned-​Guy Fieri-​he showed up late in the evening about 7:45 or so. He took a few selfies with some or the paying customers and for no reason al all decided to talk with the staff and people serving the tapas and doing picture taking with them instead of paying attention to the people waiting in line to have him accommodate them with a picture. He was a disappointment to say the least and acted like a celebrity on an ego trip who was more concerned with his own image than the advertisement we were to have received. I am no longer a fan of Guy.
Three stars-​yes-​at 90 dollars I would have given 3.5 stars. A lot of hype and feeding frenzy for people to be a part of the event and have nothing to do but spend more than necessary.

The owners of this food and wine festival have taken it too far. What used to be an enjoyable experience, now is packed with cheap and desperate people looking to score. The ticket prices have soared and the quality has gone down. It’s time for new management before this event becomes a circus

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If you are a foodie or a wine lover, and love beautiful nature that mother earth giving us, you must check out Pebble Beach Food & Wine next year.
The Grand Tasting on Saturday is $ 225 and VIP is separated totally worth the price. This year was Lexus sponsored, if you drive your Lexus in, it’s FREE valet right in front of the tent.
3 hours of endless 100 celebrity chefs and 250 wineries come together to showcase a dynamic weekend of exceptional lunches, dinners, cooking demos, chef collaborations, and experience the amazing Grand Tastings, featuring the industry’s leading experts and most coveted restaurants in the world. And it’s all surrounded by 1 of the most beautiful scenery in the world.
The drinks were poured by some of the BEST Sommeliers in the world! Sommeliers from all the Michelin Star restaurants around the US was there, from RN74, Saison, Hakkasan, Coi, The Little Nell, Daniel, and a whole lot more… Chef John Cox of Sierra Mar at the Post Ranch Inn was serving $ 70,000.00 worth of caviar, still in the sturgeon, over blini, and it was all gone in 3 hrs. You see the caliber of this Grand Tasting alone!
Celebrity chefs were every where… Even some of the celeb chefs didn’t participate the event, they still walking around just like you and I, enjoying the food and wine. I was star struck after star struck, true story!
I also got to attend other amazing events such as Royal Tokaji, Beringer Wine tastings with the winemakers… The special dinners, the Meatopia, and the Opening Reception with equally impressive chefs and wines.
I have attended the Food & Wine Classic Aspen, New York Food & Wine, Vegas Uncork’d, Flavor! Napa, South Beach Food & Wine, this is the top notch caliber, classy property, elegantly organized, impressive line up with chefs, Somms, and special celeb guests, as well as to notch service.
Other Pebble Beach Food & Wine event highlights include «An Evening at Maude» as celebrated chef and culinary personality Curtis Stone transports the flavors, aromas, and essence of his first-​ever Los Angeles restaurant to Pebble Beach; join Master Sommeliers and winemakers for unprecedented wine tastings with Château Margaux, Domaine Faiveley, Kosta Browne, and Penfolds Grange. Meat purists will enjoy a whole-​animal «Meatopia» marquee event co-​produced by Esquire Magazine’s Josh Ozersky while others will get ready for cooking demonstrations with the likes of Iron Chef Jose Garces, Dana Cowin, or Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto as he pays homage to the quintessential comfort food-​Ramen 101.
I can’t wait to come back next year. Thank you Mr. David Alan Bernahl of
for making this 8^th Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine possible and raised money for 5 charities, all for a great cause and a fantastic 4 days of the decadent in food and wine with an epic epicurean event, Pebble Beach Food and Wine.
If you plan to attend next year, book the hotels earlier, it can be a challenge and pricey, however, they offer shuttles every hour or half an hour between Pebble Beach Resorts to downtown Monterey.

Honestly the best of the best when it comes to food and wine events. You have pretty much all of the great wineries represented as well as all of the celebrity chefs you would ever want to meet. The décor was fantastic, especially the Hendricks table, the Ghirardelli Chocolate Bar and the Stella Artois table. As far as the food goes, it is a lot of chicken liver mousse, $ 70,000 worth of caviar, pork belly puffs and other gastronomical wonders. This is definitely the event for foodies or people in the industry!

Grand Tasting only — this was the third (twice to many) time at the GT.
Really a corporate feel from the second you walk in w the generic wine glasses. You know these guys make a killing — why not proved nice wine glasses like a few years back? Cheap that is why.
Bottom line is you can go to each sampling and may be impressed or blown away 2… 3… times MAX.
However, it is a great spot to mingle with chefs you may be familiar with or whose food you have had in the past.
This time around the most popular guy, getting a crowd was Guy Fierri — personally not fan of his DDD but hey — its only my opinion.
On the other hand — DDD is an immensely popular show and there were So MANY people wanting a photo opportunity… Instead this guy is cooking he food — some crappy tasting macaroni hamburger thing.
Now every Famous Chef I’ve ever seen here takes the time to speak to fans. Not this guy — he was too cool — actually a complete douche bag is more like it.

Top notch event!
I was lucky enough to be gifted tickets to the Lexus Grand Tasting and made the trek down to Pebble Beach on Sunday. You can leisurely wander under the giant tent sampling wine while enjoying food served up by Chefs from some of the best restaurants around.
The tasting event is 3 hours long (12−3pm) which is just enough time to stop and sample all your favorites while chatting with new friends without feeling rushed. Get there early and don’t hesitate to begin sampling food right away. I did see a few chefs run out before 3pm which I suppose will happen, especially if it’s good grub. There are limited places to sit, so I recommend wearing comfortable shoes as you’ll be standing almost the entire time.
Since the event ends early, there was time to finish the day with a beautiful trip down 17-​Mile Drive. Next time, it would be great to make it a full weekend and attend both tasting days (different chefs attend Sat/​Sun) and one of the seminars or celebrity chef cooking demos. I most certainly will be back!

It was my first time attending the Pebble Beach Food & Wine, 7^th Annual, and it was absolutely amazing!
All my favorite Napa Valley, Italian, French, and Portugese wineries were present like Joseph Phelps, Caymus, Silver Oak, Paradigm, Testarossa, Graham’s, Perrier-​Jouet, Monteverro and much much more. All you can taste wine, great ambiance and great conversations. what more can you ask for!
There was definitely a lot of good eats served by some very cool Food Network stars like Guy Fieri and Robert Irvine, but for me Chef Donatella won the best tasting award with her meatballs and won my heart in the process :).
This was a memorable weekend worth the price of admission. Not nearly enough time to see and experience all the wonders that this venue had too offer, but as they say,“better to have loved than to not have loved at all.”

My second year here and I think it is a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon; In a class learning from the best. The $ 100 goes to local charities so the price is well worth the learning curve. For me, I can walk to the event and drink my heart out. I must say considering the wine imbibed it is a very mature crowd. I have nothing bad to say about this event. You can do the whole weekend which I have not done or just drop in on a class or two, which is very fun. Mostly wine industry people attend this event.

Fabulous all the way around. Up close and personal with the best chefs in the U.S.
The boys from CLM know what’s up. My friend (Darren A) and I were lucky enough to attend two dinners, three tastings, two cooking demos (by Morimoto — WHAT! and Carla Hall), and the Lexus Grand Tasting Tent.
WHEW! It’s a lot all in one weekend.
But you know what, it doesn’t get better than a 5-​star food and wine festival with a beautiful beach backdrop.
The dinners, tastings and demos (and from what I hear, the after-​parties, which neither of us attended) are what make this festival. You get to try the best the chefs have to offer while meeting some lovely people at your table. As for the Lexus Grand Tasting Tent, it’s amazing, but get there EARLY. Once it gets crowded, it’s time to go.
A couple tips I will give for next year’s festival:
1. Tickets are worth the price. Those $ 500 dinners are like 7 courses with wine pairings. So just pay up and enjoy!
2. BOOK A HOTEL BEFORE YOU BUY YOUR TICKETS! If you can, try to book one of the hotels that offer shuttle service to and from the festival.
3. There’s a lot going on that weekend (Golf anyone!?), so try not to get as frustrated as I did when the hotel staff aren’t briefed on what’s going on with the food festival.
So put it on your calendar for next year and have fun!!!

For my 700^th review, I figured I’d share a once-​in-​a-​lifetime opportunity.
I won two tickets to the 6^th Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine thanks to a contest on a popular food blog. Valued at $ 500 each, the tickets were for the Battle of the Coasts: West dinner event featuring a ton of wine and west coast chefs Nancy Oakes, Thomas McNaughton, Dominique Crenn, Tyler Florence, and Lincoln Carson.
Held at Stillwater Bar & Grill at The Lodge, the event began at 6:30 pm. Arriving at 6:45 pm, we checked in and hung around the beautiful waiting area and grabbed our glasses of Dom Perignon, Epernay 2003. While soaking up the stunning views of Pebble Beach on the balcony, we were unaware of the hor d’oeuvres being passed around. What a shame too, since they sounded amazing as we read them off a menu provided after we were seated.
Hors D’Oeuvres
Teleme Fonduta Ravioli, Nancy Oakes
«Taste of Spring Vegetables», Thomas McNaughton
Smoked Shima Ajo, Dominique Crenn
Sweet Pea Deviled Eggs, Tyler Florence
First Course
Uni, Dominique Crenn
Grieve Family Winery Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley 2011
I’m not fond of uni, so I was pleasantly surprised when I actually enjoyed my first bite. Consisting of licorice, white chocolate, and yuzu, the sauce the uni was plated over was absolutely delicious. Both my mom and I consumed as much as possible using our forks, even though we would’ve rather licked our plates clean. But in such a bougie environment, one wouldn’t dare.
Second Course
Black Cioppino, Thomas McNaughton
Clendenen Family Chardonnay, «Le Bön Climat,» Santa Maria 2008
This was probably the least memorable course in the entire meal. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious. The fish was so soft and tender, with great flavor. However, compared to all the other courses, it really didn’t stand out as much and seemed the most safe (least interesting).
Third Course
Roasted King Quail & Foie Gras, Nancy Oakes
Sandhi Pinot Noir, «Sanford & Benedict,» Santa Rita. Hills 2011
I know, I know. You must be thinking, «Foie Gras!!! Wasn’t it banned in CA?!» Yes, yes it was (Nancy Oakes is a rebel). Which is why I’ve never actually tried it as I’ve only just recently become more adventurous with food. The foie gras was so so so soft and served within soft nappa cabbage. Claiming it was the best foie gras she’s ever eaten (even in France), my mom gladly took my portion when I offered it to her as I didn’t particularly like the texture. The Roasted King Quail, on the other hand, was so good! The best quail I’ve eaten in recent memory, or possibly ever.
Fourth Course
Roasted Beef Bone, Tyler Florence
Quintessa, Rutherford 2006
Short rib crust, dry aged cap, hedge hogs, asparagus, and sea bean — this was also another first for me, as bone marrow has always been very unappealing to me. But when am I ever going to have a chance to eat bone marrow for free again? Probably never. So I forced it down. Even though I really, really, really didn’t like it. It was so salty and the texture, like foie gras, was very repulsive. However, the short rib was very tender and tasty.
Fifth Course
Red Velvet Cake, Lincoln Carson
Taylor Fladgate, Vintage Porto 2003
Served with rooibos, strawberries, and hibiscus, the cake was yummy but surprisingly underwhelming compared to the rest of the meal. Definitely could’ve been a lot better. The vintage porto was also way too strong and dry to be a dessert wine. We were also surprised by a small mignardises plate consisting of various chocolates.
Considering we didn’t pay a dime for this $ 1,000 dinner, the overall experience was fantastic and surely a once-​in-​a-​lifetime opportunity. There’s no way I’d ever drop five Benjamins for a meal at a food festival to hang out with a bunch of bougie foodies, or ever have the chance to consume foie gras in CA again. And I got to meet Tyler Florence! Thus, without a doubt, PBFW easily gets five stars from me.

This past weekend was my second time at the Pebble Beach Food & Wine Grand Tasting Event. The first time (2 years ago), my wife had an amazing time and said we would definitely pay the $ 150 per person again… worth every penny. This past year, we were shocked to see the prices have gone up to $ 225 per person… A little expensive for two people to go, but luckily, our friend is one of the sponsors for this event so we were comped a couple of passes! WOOOHOOO!
I should’ve driven my Lexus since they had preferred parking and FREE valet service for Lexus drivers only since this event is sponsored by Lexus, but we still got good parking since we showed up early. Although the 12−3pm tasting may appear to be short, any longer than 1.5 hours of sipping on wine, beer, and stuffing your face with food, you’ll be crawling out if you don’t pace yourself. I believe over 100 wineries were pouring, Stella had a beer booth, along with Patron Tequila, and another brewery. The food that the chefs were serving was phenomenal, and lets be honest, after sampling over 8+ wines, they all start to taste pretty similar if you don’t cleanse your palette with water, food, or something else besides wine.
Favorite was probably the Patron stage… free photo booth with full size print outs and images sent directly to your phone, full bar serving patron products. The Bloody Maria was AWESOME! And they were handing out popsicles! The tent does get REALLY hot an hour into it so prepare to dress in light layers or short sleeves. Chefs were extremely friendly and willing to stop what they were doing to take pics with fans and/​or admirers, and all the wineries pouring were very helpful and friendly.
I’m hoping the price doesn’t go up again next year, but if it does, I think I would consider paying for it again if my finances let me. Where else could you sample food and wine at this caliber in one day?

This event is old hack from the Masters of Food and Wine of the Highlands Inn, Carmel, CA.
No creativity or surprises from the start.
They sell as many tickets as they can, once you get your glass of wine from a long line, you just go to the next long line for the next glass.
Get there early (before the doors open) before they run out of food as well.
Not Fun!

This was my first time attending any food and wine festival, especially one of this magnitude and prominence. This was a foodie and wine lovers paradise. It cannot get any better than this. My lady and I got to go to both the Saturday and Sunday Grand Tasting events.
As soon as you walk into that majestic white tent, you’re transported to a magical Wonka-​esque land of food and wine. A place where you can come face to face with some of your favorite celebrity chefs such as Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio, Daniel Boulud, Food Network’s Tyler Florence, and Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto and sample their wondrous creations.
We were more focused on trying every food booth possible and for the most part we succeeded, except for a couple of booths which had run out early. It’s a shame the Grand Tasting lasts only 3 hours. It was a bit of a rush to go from booth to booth.
Morimoto’s «Angry Squid». Florence’s Buttermilk Fried Chicken. Roland Passot’s Foie Gras Soup with Duck Proscuitto. Roy Garcia’s «Bacon Wrapped Bacon». These were among the several of the hits we appreciatively gobbled up during the weekend. Honestly, there was nothing bad. Being served by these highly regarded chefs was a dream. A dream which I would love to experience again.

Ditto what everyone said. Amazing event. Scored free tix to the Lexus Grand Tasting. Got to nuzzle up to Fabio –swoon– and have (lots of) the yet to be released Belvedere Pink Grapefruit… NOM! It was a foodie paradise. Nuff said.

This event is a Foodies Dream Come True!
Party in your mouth with all the wonderful flavors
And fabulous Chefs!!!
I will be back every year!!!

Not even the unusual torrential rains could damper my excitement as we took the drive down the coastline to attend the 3^rd Annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine. Upon pulling up to the Equestrian Center I was overwhelmed by the sight of the huge white tents that covered 60,000 square feet – the location of the Lexus Grand Tasting Event.
As we were ushered into the tents – though it could have been another world as far as I was concerned. Warm ambient lighting bathed the white tents as the wonderful aromas mixed with the guests chattering filled the air. Not 5 seconds later were we warmly greeted with wine glasses and bags to carry all of our goodies. As we walked passed the «foyer» area of the tent, I stopped mid-​step to take in all that was around me. Food and wine stations packed side by side, groups mingling throughout the area, giant posters of celebrity chefs behind their tables.
Over the next three hours we sampled wines from vineyards such as J. Lohr, Wente, Talbott, Kutch, Domaine Chandon, and the list goes on and on. Over 200 wineries participated this year.
We also spend that time sampling DELICIOUS eats from such Chefs as Chef Chiarello, Chef Reddington, Chef Lauren, Chef Douglas… So much goodness that I can’t do justice covering it all.
And to top it all off… meeting some fabulous Celebrity Chefs.
The best FOODIE Event I have EVER BEEN TO. Definitely is a pretty penny but SO worth it :)

I didn’t have any tickets and was a bit bummed but I have some amazing friends that invited me last minute…
*Saturday: Marques de Murrieta — Castillo Ygay Veritcal Tasting
Learned about the Rioja region of Spain by the President/​Owner/​Co-​winemaker himself… a young hot man named V. Dalmau Cebrián-​Sagarriga, Count of Creixell. His wines were excellent and I loved learning about the histroy of their wine. (I would have done better in History in high school and college if I was able to sip on wine in class.)
*Sunday: Brut & Rose — 30 Years of Vintage at Veuve Clicquot
My roommate hooked it up and asked if I wanted to attend… His words were: «Wakey, wakey… Eggs & … Champagne?!?» There was an ’85 (year he was born) and an ’80 vintage Brut and they served Roses too… Surprisingly I enjoyed the Roses more than the Bruts and there was even an ’78 Rose!!! We were in Bubbly Heaven.
*Sunday: Lexus Grand Tasting
This was ridiculous. It was a windy and stormy day and the tent felt like it was going to collapse. I tried a lot of food, wine, champagne and some cavier but I strayed away from the Patron Lounge which is so not like me. I guess I didn’t want to black out at this event. My favorite food item was prepared by Chef Charles Pham of Slanted Door. Shiho… really? You’ve been to his restaurant more than a handful of times, it’s solid an good but I thought I’d go nuts over everyone elses creations… I mean there were some big timers out there. Nope, Charles Pham kept it light and tasty. Seared Halibut over some rice vermicelli noodles a light broth/​sauce and served t next to a side of herbs which I topped on my halibut. Best flavor and texture combination ever!
I am not into Celebrities in a sense that I don’t get star struck but the second I saw Masaharu Morimoto, I flipped out and ran to the line to take a photo with the guy. I couldn’t even say a sentence as I just said, «Picture, Picture» or did I say it in Japanese? «Sashin, Sashin»?!? I sounded ridiculous and I really should have kept it together.
I turly look forward to attending. Every event is price but so worth it. Some of the Champagne we tasted at the Vueve Clicquot Tasting… you cannot even buy in the states!!! Über impressed.

The best food and wine event I ever went to. This deserves 10 stars.
I was able to go because I was a volunteer. But I worked at the VIP tents and sat next to the likes of Thomas Keller and Tom Colicchio. I also got to meet many Top Chef contestants and chatted with Masaharu Morimoto. I tried the best donuts of my life by Sherry Yard. Tried food created by Roy Yamaguchi, Christopher Kostow, and Hubert Keller. I am definitely looking forward to working this event again in the Spring and I believe that ALL foodies should attend this annual event. EVERY top chef and winery are here for you to try their food and wine.
The events consist of the Grand Tasting Tent, Cooking Demos, Lunch, Wine Tastings and more. It located on the coast next to the beautiful Spanish Bay Inn.

I was lucky enough to score some tickets to the 2^nd annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival.
We went to the following events:
* Thomas Keller Cooking Demo
* Vérité Winery Bordeaux Blends Wine Tasting
* Farm-​to-​Table Lunch
* Lexus Grand Tasting — Saturday
We had an a-​m-​a-​z-​i-​n-​g time!!! It’s foodie paradise.