Tampa Bay Wine and Food Festival
I'll be staying out on St. Pete Beach when the festival is going on in late May. Is it worth the $100 dollar ticket for the "grand tasting", I think they call it? Might be fun, but a hundred dollar's worth? Thanks so much for any info you might have. Pat
Pat Hammond
Mar 02, 2007 02:02PM
I have not been to this but the web site says the VIP grand tasting is $150. It may be worth $75 because the list includes many of the bay area top restaurants and lots of wine. I imagine that you will spend a lot of time standing in lines. So if you are OK with spending a few hours there to run the gamut, it will be an OK food value. It is at the baseball stadium so it will be a low-key evening. You will not get much comfort from sitting on the stadium seats and they will likely not have other seats. I would not spring for the VIP "celebrity" event unless you cotton to sports players and local TV personalities (think men with makeup and good hair, or bottle-blond women). Tampa and St. Pete are not known for attracting high-brow blings.
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Ah, I thought it was being held at the Don Cesar on St. Pete Beach. I think I'll pass. Thanks very much.
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I think TGirl is referring to the Abilities Wine & Food Festival, a charity event held in March at the ball field. Below that item on the Abilities website is a description of a different event, the "inaugural three-day waterfront wine and food extravaganza at the world-class Don CeSar Beach Resort, a Loews property, showcasing renown vintners and chefs, a Golf Challenge at Feather Sound CC, black-tie gala and auction, Bubble Bash, grand tasting, and Beach Blanket BBQ".
Sure sounds cool to me! Don Cesar is a first class property, and I imagine this event will be awesome. Have you called the number listed and gotten anymore information?
http://www.abilitiesfoundation.com/en/
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Joan, Hi, and thanks. I've registered. We'll be at the Don CeSar during that period, and it sounds wonderful and for a very good cause, it seems. Sorry for the lapse, I just checked this thread a moment ago!
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Yes it will definitely be worth the price. It is the first year they are doing this event. This event is also benefiting Abilities Foundation much like the event in March being held at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
The Event at the Loews Don CeSar is a first time event. The Grand Tasting will be in a tent on the beach with several other seminars in the hotel. There are a bunch of other events going on but I don’t know ll the details. This event is going to sell out quickly as it is the first of it's kind in the area. Southern Wine and Spirits is hosting the event. They are involved in these events all over the country. It is sure to be first rate.
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Thanks to you, too, Seeker. I've signed up!
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