Continued from Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair (Part 1: Sip & Stroll)
This year in addition to attending Sugar Land Wine and Food Affair’s Sip & Stroll, we also attended The Grand Tasting on Friday night at Sugar Land Marriott Town Square and Bistro Brunch in the Town Square by the Marriott on Sunday. We had VIP passes for the weekend and made a weekend staycation of it by staying in the host hotel. I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this sooner. For the weekend we either walked or took a shuttle to/from each event. Very convenient!
The Grand Tasting was lavish! This was the weekend festival’s best-of-the-best. We tasted generous servings of the best dishes the Houston area (and beyond) had to offer. And the wine pours were ridiculously liberal…not in a bad way! I always love seeing Texas wines featured at festivals. At The Grand Tasting, we spotted (and tasted) Pedernales Cellars and Beckar Vineyards, both from Fredericksburg, Texas.
Some liquor distributors, such as Hendrick’s Gin, bring lavish displays. Hendrick’s Gin has a brilliant marketing scheme, with their nouveau-Edwardian hipster vibe. They make beards, bowler hats, and cucumbers cool.
A short list of the tables we found remarkable (double stacked and arranged from left to right, top to bottom, click image for higher resolution) included below: Seasons 52, Olivette at the Houstonian Hotel, Grazia Italian Kitchen, and The Remington Restaurant at St. Regis Houston Hotel.
Also remarkable (arranged from left to right, top to bottom, click image for higher resolution) included below: Tony Mandola’s Gulf Coast Kitchen, Quattro at Four Seasons, and Max’s Wine Dive.
HEB always puts on a grand display, and this year I could’ve happily drowned in their cheese, cake, and bread display. Mostly the bread. I love carbs.
The Bistro Brunch was a fine wrap-up of an intensely flavorful weekend. This event was casual chic in an open air plaza at Sugar Land’s Town Square. It was a lovely gluttonous brunch!
Hendrick’s Gin did it again with their stage presence, and we were able to see the swanky motorcycle and cucumber sidecar again.
Of course the drinks were on point! We enjoyed gin cocktails, wine, and bloody marys. All were very refreshing in the Texas heat.
Paella was cooked on-site and the line for that is always long, but worth it! Another long line I knew to hit first before it piled up was The Burning Pear. Their lobster and waffles draw a crowd!
A short list of the tents/tables we found remarkable (double stacked and arranged from left to right, top to bottom, click image for higher resolution) included below: Zoe’s Kitchen and Anna’s Gourmet Greek Food Truck.
Also remarkable (arranged from left to right, top to bottom, click image for higher resolution) included below: The Burning Pear at Sugar Land Marriott, King’s Biergarten, The Original Marini’s Empanada House, Chimichurri’s, Texas de Brazil, Ol’ Railroad Cafe, Chef Smirnov Catering, and Rocky Mountain Institute of Meat.
OMG more carbs: Rockstar Bagels!
And the entertainment was swank as well with jazz, a Krav Maga dance(?), and caricature wine bottle painting by Bonnie Blue.
Until next year, Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair!