Local eatery The Mill served up hummus on endives topped with crushed nuts.
Expressive tastes, dozens of wines…what could go wrong? Plenty.
About a week ago, I was gifted the opportunity to drink and dine at the St. Pete Food and Wine Festival. The annual fest boasts wines from all around the world and vibrant food from local eateries. The weekend-long tasting lasted from 1-5 p.m. in downtown St. Petersburg’s North Straub Park.
But here’s the catch: a $95 ticket is the cost per day for the four-hour tasting, and half of the booths were served by volunteers in a sweaty tent. It makes me wonder where the money is going.
I can say that I’m quite glad I didn’t have to pay my way.
Let me start out with the good.
There were two tents that were completely covered, which was fantastic, as it rained on and off that day. There was no shortage of vino, both red and white, and I was able to sample pinot noirs, sauvignon blancs and some interesting blends like rhubarb wine. The food (for the most part) was well thought out, considering the fest is the kind of event that requires you to juggle your glass, your plate and your bags.
I appreciated that the chef’s used appropriately sized plates to make handling easier and limited their tastings of items that may have needed to be sliced up. All food vendors had napkins and forks and the chefs and servers were knowledgeable about their offerings. I got to taste items like watermelon bruschetta with goat cheese and a cold truffle oil corn soup, and most was executed well.
However, there is always room for improvement –and let me try and say this without being too wine-y.
My main concern, especially as a college student, is that of price, and with that, value. The fest is not worth the nearly $100 it costs.
First, the wines are mostly being served by volunteers, not wine reps from the vineyard or the owners of the company. This leaves drinkers with wine descriptions like: “Here we have dry and white.” Dry and white? Really? I would expect a more educated elaboration from a wine festival.
Let’s talk about Bonefish Grill. Yes, that’s no mirage. Bonefish Grill, a member of the dining group Blooming Brands, had a tasting table at the fest. The minute I saw a chain restaurant at a local event, I winced.
For a town that is so focused on “keeping St. Pete local” it was disheartening to see a big name brand, and even worse to be given promotional cards. It was a free expo. A tacky move, plain and simple.
Some of the food was duplicated, which wasn’t inspiring. I sampled two gazpachos (one with too much cumin) and while I was eating a cold curry soup from The Vine, a local eatery, I heard that the main stage would be doing a demonstration on a cold curry soup. Not so cool. (Pun intended.)
The heat was another issue.
I get it. It’s Florida. It was September. It was going to be hot. I might even sweat a little. However, more than three small fans in the oversized tent would have been welcomed. After the first hour, I questioned whether I was in a greenhouse. My hair was wet with sweat.
The ambience needed adjusting as well. Top 40 hits blared from one set of speakers and were inconsistently audible. As a millennial, I am familiar and fond of some “top 40 music,” but I can’t be too sure the majority of the festival goers (many of them over 45) were too acquainted with the music, or wanted to be for that matter.
The main point was I ate some really delicious things and I drank a lot of nice wines. However, the St. Pete Food and Wine fest has two options: Either lower the price or up the ante.
I’ll drink to that.
