Skip the tribute dinner -- wait for Bourdain at the Deuce.

​Now that Super Bowl is over, we can concentrate on the next big event -- the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, which opens February 23.

Like the big game, the SoBeWFF offers lots of opportunities to max out your credit card on parking, food, and booze. Tickets are expensive for the various parties and events that run through February 26, topping out at $500 for entry to the Tribute Dinner, honoring Charlie Trotter and Piero Antinori. Other high-profile events, such as the Burger Bash, are already sold out, meaning unless you've snagged tickets (or are willing to buy through a ticket agency, AKA scalper), you're out of luck. But we have some alternatives to the priciest (or sold-out) events.
More >>

Food Network

Bobby Flay moderates a panel discussion on winning a televised cooking competition.

​While thousands of people will be flocking to the South Beach Wine and Food Festival's Grand Tasting Village for some wine and a glimpse at a celebrity chef, those same chefs will be sneaking across the street to the Hotel Victor for some very intimate (and interesting) panel discussions, designed to inform and inspire the culinary community.

Public Relations firm Bullfrog & Baum are hosting the series of trade talks, entitled Candid Discussions with Industry Insiders. These panels will feature America's foremost chefs, restaurateurs, and celebrities dishing about some provocative topics like catering to younger diners who Tweet and eat, winning at the TV game, and just letting their hair down.

This is the second year for Bullfrog & Baum's trade panel series, and some of the topics of conversation this year have come directly from past panels. Restaurant Diners: The Next Generation, for instance, was inspired by a comment made by Daniel Boulud at the New York Wine and Food Festival. Boulud mentioned that restaurants may want to take influences and insights from diners, rather than vice versa.

The discussions are limited to trade only and by invitation. To snag an invite, RSVP to sobewff@bullfrogandbaum.com. Here are descriptions of the three panel discussions:
More >>

Lesley Elliott

At $225 per ticket, The Grand Tasting Village requires a major financial commitment.

​Although the South Beach Wine & Food Festival is still a month away, the time to get those tickets is now. Indeed, some of the more popular events are sold out. You've already missed the meaty Burger Bash, BBQ & The Blues hosted by Food Network's "Iron Chef" Michael Symon, and Paula Deen's annual Sunday brunch (although it may not be the same now that she has to watch her diet). Many of the "New York Times Dinner Series" are also off the table, as well is your chance to mingle with Antonio Banderas, who is appearing at the festival on behalf of his winery in Spain.

So what's still available, and more importantly, affordable? The "Grand Tasting Village" should be upped to at least the size of a regional municipality for the $225 per ticket price. And "Best of the Best" better be the damn best; at the bargain cost of $350, we are thinking that everything should be topped with caviar or foie gras. Festival for the rest of us? Here's our round up of events that are priced under $100, get the cheap seats while you can.
More >>

Everyone loves Mac'n.

​Last month, we gave four trucks the opportunity to compete to the sixteenth and final truck to be invited to park on the sands of Miami Beach for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival's Trucks on the Beach event hosted by Andrew Zimmern on February 26.

Mac'n Soul Food, Miso Hungry, Sugar Rush, and the MexZican Gourment all hoped you the reader would help them win the popular vote for the chance to feed Zimmern and slew of other TV personalities, chefs, and, of course, the regular crowd. However, only one could make it and Miami's 100 percent vegan food truck Mac'n Soul Food won the big prize.
More >>

Courtesy of South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Help us help Andrew Zimmern pick another food truck.

​With all the South Beach Wine & Food Festival events scheduled for next year's edition, we are perhaps most excited about Trucks on the Beach. The bash, hosted by Andrew Zimmern and serving as the official closing party, will feature 15 trucks dishing out mobile-made bites on the sands of South Beach. And for $95, it's perhaps one of the best priced events.

The local and national trucks scheduled to appear include the Baketress, Big Gay Ice Cream, Bite Gastrotruck, CheeseMe Mobile, Chipotle, CUBANCUBE, C&S Brisket Bus, Dim Ssam a Gogo, the Fish Box, Latin Burger & Taco, Mangia Mia, Mr. Good Stuff, The Rolling Stove, Stocked N Loaded, and Wicked Witches.

However, New Times loves the democratic process, so we asked the festival organizers if we could include one more truck picked by you, our Short Order readers. That's right, a 16th truck will find a place on the sands if you deem it worthy. We've already selected the finalists, but now it's up to you to pick the winner.
More >>

Laine Doss

Bourdain will be back at the 2012 SBWFF

​Tickets for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival go on sale today.

If you attended last year's event you might recall Anthony Bourdain's Wheel of Death, Paula Deen riding Robert Irvine, or Guy Fieri making pizzas for one thousand of his closest friends.  Relive these moments and make new memories at the 2012 South Beach Wine & Food Festival.

The festival, which runs February 23-26, is considered the premiere foodie event in South Florida. Tickets for the hottest celebrity-driven events sell out quickly. According to the website, some events, like Paula Deen's Sunday Brunch and the Anta Banderas Winery event hosted by Antonio Banderas are already sold out, possibly due to the American Express pre-sale.

In addition to the Grand Tasting Village ($225) and the Burger Bash, hosted by Rachael Ray ($225), there are some intriguing new events like:
More >>

Stocked and Loaded

Stocked and Loaded is one of the trucks chosen for the 2012 SBWFF closing party.

​Trucks on the Beach, the 2012 South Beach Wine & Food Festival's new closing party, has announced its food truck roster. Though the Miami food truck scene has close to 100 trucks serving street food, we were surprised to see some trucks from outside the area on the final list.

The event, which closes out the 2012 festival Sunday, February 26, at 6:30 p.m., will be hosted by the Travel Channel's Andrew Zimmern (who was paired with food truck MonTaco at last year's The Best Thing I Ever Ate party).

The trucks will be parked inside the festival's party tent on the beach. Tickets are $95 and include food, wine, cocktails, and music.

The food trucks chosen for the 2012 SBWFF closing party are:
More >>

Pre-sale tickets to the SBWFF go on sale today for Amex cardholders

​The 2012 South Beach Wine & Food Festival comes to town February 23-26 and promises to once again be the premiere foodie event in Miami.

Festival favorites like Burger Bash ($225) hosted by Rachael Ray and Paula Deen's Sunday Brunch ($150) will be joined by some intriguing new events like Conscious Bite Out with Geoffrey Zakarian ($175) and Trucks on the Beach hosted by Andrew Zimmern ($95).
More >>

Lesley Elliott

The tents at last year's South Beach Wine & Food Festival.

​It seems premature to say that the South Beach Wine & Food Festival is already a subject of talk about town, but they recently released the 2012 line-up, and we already spoke to Lee Schrager to get the inside scoop. Plus, Wine Enthusiast's Toast of the Town is this Friday night, and the Miami International Wine Festival is upon us this weekend.

So, we thought some festival etiquette ground rules should really be revisited. Here's our list of the top five grievances, because when gastronomes turn ghastly, faux pas happen. Let's all try to be responsible festival goers, oh, and friends don't let friends...never mind, that's hardly ever true.

5. Cutting The Line
I know it's annoying; that small plate sitting pretty is just so close, yet so far. Don't sneak up to the table from the sides, extend a simple gesture of courtesy - "Is this the end of the line?" works nicely (mutual eye rolling and dismay are totally acceptable). Just go get another thimbleful of wine and wait it out like everyone else.
More >>

Lee Klein

We spoke by phone with Lee Schrager this week about upcoming new events at the 2012 South Beach Wine & Food Festival (February 23 through 26). Monday was part one; today we talk about BubbleQ losing its Bubble, the one-of-a-kind affair at 1111 Lincoln, and the grand closing party that looks to be one of the highlights of the long weekend.

New Times: Let's begin with this year's big finish.
Lee Schrager: Our closing party -- brand new -- will be food carts on the beach (officially called Trucks On The Beach). On Sunday night, we'll have 23 of the top carts in South Florida, and one from outside Florida.

What's that going to look like?
Imagine the BubbleQ tent or Burger Bash tent with the carts and live local bands. Andrew Zimmern is hosting that.
More >>