Elise and I grabbed bagel sandwiches at Posh Bagel, where we ate last year, before shopping in Union Square and the areas around.
After buying a major Christmas present for myself, we made our way to the Tasting Pavilion at the Metreon.
Foodbuzz did an excellent job of organizing the Tasting Pavilion this year. There were smaller crowds and tons of friendly vendors excited to talk about and share their product.
Some of my favorite vendors included:
J. Lee Roy’s who makes some of the most delicious bbq and dipping sauces I’ve ever had and is owned by some of the friendliest people at the Tasting Pavilion.
I’m really looking forward to making some pulled pork with their Dippin’ Sauce.
Foodzie is owned by some more awesome people, Emily and Rob, and has amazing monthly Tasting Boxes and now Cooking Boxes.
They were showcasing some delicious products available in their boxes including Nana Mae’s Apple Juice and Fat Toad Farm’s Goat’s Milk Caramel.
Vignette Wine Country Soda was one of my favorite beverages (there were so many!). I tried the Rosé soda, which I really liked. I want to pick some up for my parents to try, I think they would really enjoy it.
There were many other great vendors, it was nice to meet all of them and try their amazing products.
After the Tasting Pavilion Elise and headed over to pick up her race registration, then we jetted back to the hotel to get ready for the Gala Dinner.
The Gala Dinner was held at the Hyatt near Union Square.
The highlight? A cooking demonstration by Tyler Florence. He prepared pork chops with braised cabbage.
Before being seated for dinner Alexia provided a variety of fries.
Then we took our seats to watch Tyler cook. We had an amazing table.
That’s Kara, Kathleen, Elise, me, Mellissa, and Melissa.
While we watched Tyler cook, we enjoyed some appetizers including sushi, butternut squash risotto bites with roasted wild mushrooms, and vegetable samosas with tamarind dipping sauce.
After the cooking demonstration we were served a Bibb lettuce salad with honey roasted pear, glazed pecans, and bleu cheese vinaigrette.
The main course was Brandt Beef Farms Filet Mignon and Meyer Lemon Roasted Prawns with heirloom carrots, celery root puree, and peppercorn demi.
Dessert was a San Francisco Trio of Sourdough Bread Pudding, Cowgirl Creamery Cheesecake, and Scharffen Berger Chocolate Mousse.
Unfortunately, none of the food really impressed me as much as last year’s Gala Dinner did. Some things were undercooked, some were overcooked, and others were just very questionable, mainly the bread pudding that resembled a hockey puck. Fortunately, I had enjoyed a lot of amazing food at the Tasting Pavilion, so a lackluster dinner wasn’t a big problem, aside from the disappointment.
Have you ever watched a cooking demonstration?
And what do you think of Tyler Florence? I like him, but I think the fact that he shares a name with my husband has something to do with it.
