Feast Wilmington- First Event, VIP Kickoff, Friday, March 22, 2024

   There's a saying- Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

   It was a dark and stormy night.

  Ok, not that stormy, not by any means the worst. The forecast warned of winds and possibly heavy rain, but the rain was fairly light, the wind moderate. 

  And Feast Wilmington was well prepared. Two large tents, heavily anchored, housed providers and participants. The tents flanked the Live Oak Bank Pavillion stage at Riverfront Park. This is a great facility! The only time we got wet was when we navigated from one tent to the other. Ticket prices included adult as well as non-alcoholic beverages, listed below. 

  My wife and I tasted dishes from 11 restaurants on this first night of the event, and we enjoyed everything we tried. I have named personal favorites in three categories at the end of this post. This was not a competition, I just wanted to recognize a few dishes that really caught my attention. There were no pre-arranged categories. As I edited photos and reviewed my notes, three criteria just kind of emerged from the "data." There will be three more posts this week, one per day for each event, followed by a final that will name our favorite dishes, overall.  

  

Apple Annie's Bake Shop - Pastry Chef Hans Westermark

Apple Annie's SPRING PETIT FOUR- White Roulette Sponge Cake brushed with a fresh Orange Syrup, two layers of house-made Raspberry Cream and two layers of house-made Lemon Curd Cream

Benny's Big Time Pizzeria - Chef Evan Morton & Chef Ben Knight

PORCINI AND FENNEL PIE- Whipped Ricotta base, Porcini and Cremini Mushrooms, mild Fennel Sausage, Garlic, Pickled Fennel, Parmesan, Fresh Mozzarella. They also served ANATRA ALLA CACCIATORA PIZZA- “Duck Huntsman’s Stew” Spiced Tomato base, braised and shredded Duck, Parmesan, Fresh Mozzarella, finished with Fresh Basil.

Blackburn Brothers Seafood Market – Whitney Blackburn and Mackenzie Lynn

RETAIL MARKET DISPLAY- of fresh seafoods

Bridgewater Wines And Dines - Chef David Andersen

DATE NIGHTS- Fresh local Figs stuffed with Chorizo and Goat Cheese with a Balsamic drizzle

Circa 1922 - Chef Will Copeland

PICKLED NC SHRIMP SALAD- with Green Tomato Chow Chow and Prawn Crisps (photo above). They also served TUNA POKE UMAMI BOMBS- Tuna Poke “Umami” Bombs with crispy Sticky Rice, Avocado and Citrus Ponzu and BERRIES & CREAM- Berries & Cream macerated Strawberries, Creme Diplomat and Rhubarb.

Covey - Chef Parker Lewin

SLOW ROASTED PORK CHEEK - with Sour Cherries, Maple syrup, and Crispy Oats

Floriana - Chef Lou Rivera

LAMB GNOCCHI- Chianti Braised Lamb Ragu with Potato Gnocchi, Ricotta and Fifth Element Farms Micro Basil

G Prime - Chef Kevin Draper

BEEF TENDERLOIN- Shaved Beef Tenderloin with Tallow fried Fondant Potato, Truffle Aioli, Chimichurri, and Pickled Red Onion

Olivero - Chef Sunny Gehert & Chef Lauren Krall Ivey

CRISPY LASAGNA - with Fontina Béchamel, Romesco

Southern Smoke BBQ - Chef Matthew Register

WOOD FIRED BEEF LOIN - with Charred Corn and Tomato Chow Chow

True Blue Butcher and Table – Chef Nick Bilello

BLACK ANGUS BEEF TENDERLOIN - with potatoes dauphinois, braised shiitake mushrooms, and bordelaise sauce

     I regret that my photo from Kipos was lost- Chef George Delidimos, SHORT RIB YOUVETSI - Fork-tender Braised Short Rib with Orzo “Manestra” cooked in braising Jus. The flavor was among the best. 

    Cocktails were provided by End of Days Distillery.

    Featured Beers- CIGAR CITY JAI ALAI IPA, BLUES DALE'S PALE ALE, FOOTHILLS CAROLINA BLONDE, FOOTHILLS HOPPYUM IPA.

Featured Wines- COPPER CAP CHARDONNAY, CURRENCY CABERNET SAUVIGNON, PIN POINT PINOT NOIR, and SEA SALT SAUVIGNON BLANC.

   There was a lot of good food, and there were no limits on returns, either for food samplings or visits to the bar. Picking favorites was not easy, but a few just stood out:

Most attractive presentation: G Prime - Chef Kevin Draper, SHAVED BEEF TENDERLOIN

Most creative/original idea: Olivero - Chef Sunny Gehert & Chef Lauren Krall Ivey, CRISPY LASAGNA

Favorite flavor: Floriana - Chef Lou Rivera, LAMB GNOCCHI; and Kipos - Chef George Delidimos, SHORT RIB YOUVETSI. I could not rank one over the other. Both great!