The best tastes at Taste of the NFL
February 2, 2009 at 1:50 pm by Taylor Eason
Chef Marty Blitz from Mise en Place
Yea, I was lucky enough to grab a $500 ticket to Saturday’s posh, celebrity-studded affair set up on the astroturf at Tropicana Field. Very well organized, I must give kudos to the people who were able to transform a ballpark into an elegant venue featuring 38 dishes from chefs all over the country. Each creation was paired with a different wine from Gallo Family Vineyards and, as a not-so-side-note, an NFL player.
Reportedly – and I might add, not surprisingly – less attended than other years, there were no lines, no waiting for the food and wine samples. But people ate up the NFL players – current and retired players signing autographs, taking pictures, chatting people up. Some bigger names: Tony Mayberry, Paul Warfield, Kris Jenkins and Earl Morrall.
But I was there for the food, like crab and corn bisque from Seastar Restaurant and Raw Bar in Seattle, paired with Frei Brothers Russian River Chardonnay; sauteed calamari in Yuzu soy glaze from our hometown Mise en Place, paired with Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc; braised short rib meatballs from Tribeca Grill in New York, paired with Louis M. Martini Napa Cabernet (best wine of the night); peppery glazed chicken wings with garlic chips from Bigelow Grill in Pittsburgh; and my favorite food and wine combo: pork belly with collard green risotto from Sunset Grill in Nashville, paired with MacMurray Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Damn, it was good eatin’. And as a cool side item, Epicurious.com also presented three of their recipe contest winners’ dishes. The best was Black and Blue Tackleberry Tart from Dianna Wara, created originally for tailgating at the Chicago Bears. The recipe.
Final assessment: Was it worth $500? With access to celebrity chefs and their food, well-chosen wines, open bar and a uniquely-stocked silent auction (tickets to next year’s Super Bowl in Miami, tons of sports memorabilia, unique getaways), I would say yes. Especially if you arrived on time and loved football.
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