Orecchiette from Cibo Wine Bar
Taking place last night under the festival’s famed tents, the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival 2018 welcomed its first signature event of the weekend: Barilla’s Italian Bites on the Beach hosted by Giada De Laurentiis. Sponsored by HCP Media and the Miami Herald Media Company, this Italian walk-around feast brought together 30+ of the nation’s top Italian chefs and restaurants; wine, beer, and spirits brands; Multi-Platinum and Grammy nominated group, Smash Mouth; and of course, America’s darling queen of Italian cuisine, Giada De Laurentiis.
As hundreds of attendees walked through the sparkling sands of South Beach, they tasted every corner of Italy—from Piedmont, Tuscany, and Sardinia, to Campania, Sicily, Rome, and more. The participating chefs and restaurants included some of the nation’s best, like Nina Compton’s Compère Lapin and Giada’s namesake GIADA, along with the best of South Florida, like Michael Schwartz’ Harry’s Pizzeria and Fi’lia, Macchialina, Louie Bossi’s Ristorante Bar Pizzeria, and ZUCCA. While everything we ate and drank was delicious, some of our standout bites from the evening were the Short Rib Bolognese with Fresh Ricotta from R House Wynwood {2727 NW 2 Avenue, Wynwood; 305.576.0201}, Orecchiette with rapini and spicy Italian sausage from Cibo Wine Bar South Beach {200 South Pointe Drive, Miami Beach; 305.987.6060}, and the Meat Lovers Cavatelli from Dolce Italian {1690 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach; 786.975.2550}. We washed it all down with vintage wines and bubbly from Mezza di Mezzacorona and Mezzacorona Trentino, Heineken beer, refreshing negronis from Campari, and Aperol’s classic Aperol Spritz.
Like any Miami party, this night didn’t disappoint. While guests wined, dined, and mingled, Giada took photos with her fans, and famed rock band Smash Mouth hit the stage to perform their greatest hits. With their glasses, plates, and bellies full, guests got to relive their younger years while Smash Mouth jammed out to “All Star,” “Walkin’ on the Sun,” “Can’t Get Enough of You Baby,” and “Why Can’t We Be Friends.” La dolce vita, indeed!
During SOBEWFF, more that 60,000 locals and visitors alike attend hundreds of walk-around-tastings, signature events, celebrity chef dinners, late-night parties, workshops, dessert events, food competitions, and more. Some fan favorite events include: Fontainebleau Miami Beach presents Wine Spectator’s Best of the Best, Heineken Light Burger Bash presented by Schweid & Sons hosted by Guy Fieri, Goya Foods’ Grand Tasting Village, BACARDÍ presents Walshy Fire’s Rum & Bass Beach Party, and Southern Kitchen Brunch hosted by Trisha Yearwood. The 2018 event saw celebrities, celebrity chefs, and event hosts like José Andrés, Giada De Laurentiis, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Duff Goldman, Anne Burrell, Robert Irvine, Scott Conant, Emeril Lagasse, Michael Schwartz, Jonathan “Foodgod” Cheban, Katie Lee, Marcus Samuelsson, Guy Fieri, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, to name a few.
Happy SOBEWFF!
By Jennifer Agress | Miami Editor
