South Beach Wine & Food Festival 2012 Events Announced

Photo courtesy of SBWFF

Guess who's back!

​Ready to eat again, Miami? The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival just launched its new site and it's a veritable cornucopia of events, both new and old. Taking place February 23-26, the 2012 extravaganza looks to be bigger and better than ever.

Yes the Grand Tasting Village will still be grand and tasty; yes you can still eat an entire field of cattle at the Burger Bash; yes you will be able to watch your kids whip up veggie treats at Fun and Fit as a Family; and yes, Best of the Best will still be the best, but the next Festival also ushers in a load of new events, including:

• Salsa at Sea, a Latin-themed dance party hosted by Douglas Rodriguez and Food Network star Aarón Sanchez, along with Sugarcane's Timon Balloo and pastry chef Pinchet Ong
• The Q After Dark, a late-night cocktail binge and
• Sunday Supper by Meatball Shop

Ticketholders can also Dine in the Dark with David Burke, have a Conscious Bite Out with Tudor House's Geoffrey Zakarian, and sip like a matador with Antonio Banderas as he introduces his new winery.

Oh wait -- were you wondering what happened to BubbleQ? Let's have the Festival's founder and director, Lee Schrager, explain: "For 2012 we've reinvented our beloved BubbleQ event as The Q, which will be hosted by Guy Fieri and Emeril Lagasse." And? "We moved Burger Bash to the Friday night of the Festival -- those are the most significant changes. The Q also has its own after party this year -- which can be bought as a separate ticket -- and we're featuring another great party at the 1111 Lincoln Road space called Party: Impossible featuring Epicure Gourmet Market hosted by Robert Irvine, and a new event, Trucks on the Beach hosted by Andrew Zimmern. Plus there are a number of new brunches and dinners to keep everyone full all weekend!"

As if we were concerned about our intake levels.

Along with the predictably popular events (Paula's Sunday Brunch, for example, cause we're all hoping she get drunk or drop another article of clothing), we foresee the following will sell out quicker than you can say "gluttony": the Farm-to-Table Brunch with Michael Schwartz, The Flavors of Flay, and maybe even BBQ & The Blues (mostly because Michael Symon is hosting and we just love us some Smilin' Symon).

Want to throw around some big bucks? Plan to fork out $500 clams if you want to attend next year's Tribute Dinner honoring Charlie Trotter and Piero Antinori. Until then, let the dieting begin!

South Beach Wine & Food Festival tickets go on sale October 24, unless you can partake in the American Express presale, October 10-23.

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