The Contemporary Austin Education Center hosted an evening that left my stomach full and my face with a wide smile. I guess that’s what happens when some of Austin’s finest restaurants are paired with fantastic wine and extravagant cocktails. The La Dolce Vita Food & Wine Festival was a fantastic evening that featured a combination of over 50 food, wine, coffee and dessert establishments. Each festival goer was able to vote on their favorite food, Texas red wine and Texas White Wine.
The event donated all proceeds to educational programs that The Contemporary Austin offers to school children, teens, families and adults. Each year these programs serve thousands of children and adults. In addition to the delectable food and drinks, there were educational and interactive art displays for attendees to enjoy.
It was difficult to find food at the festival that I didn’t enjoy, but we there were a couple selection that stood above the rest.
My vote for the night went to Trio. They offered a scallop wrapped in beef bacon. Yup, that’s right beef bacon. Under it all laid some incredible delicious grits. The delicious scallop was cooked to perfection and the crispy bacon on the outside was a delightful addition. The blend of all these flavors made this the dish of the night.
The best dessert definitely went to Noble Pig. They made a delicious bite sized donut with salted caramel custard, raspberry, thyme and “fluer de sel” (a special hand-harvested sea salt collected by workers who scrape only the top layer of salt before it sinks to the bottom of large salt pans). I was unaware that this award winning Austin sandwich shop even made donuts. Next time I’m at the restaurant I know what I will be ordering.
A close runner up were the delicious bites by Chef Todd Pearson of Food Fanatics. He plated up two of my favorite dishes of the evening. The first was his flavorful Duck Confit Bahn Mi sandwich. I did not go back for seconds often, but for this dish I simply had to. His other dish was a sweet potato pumpkin tart with cinnamon and brown sugar ice cream. Forget pumpkin spice lattes, I’ll take an order of the goodness.
The festival goers voted Bob’s Steak & Chop House the official winner of the night. They served a medallion of USDA Prime filet mignon, seared it on both sides, served it atop a skillet-fried potato with sautéed onions and bit of peppercorn gravy. The team from Bob’s Steak & Chop House was certainly thrilled to take home the prize.
While the overall wine selection was a spectacular treat compared to what I’d usually splurge on, two wines stood out among the rest. From the local wineries, the hands down winner was the Duchman Family Winery. However, the Domain Australis Sauvignon Blanc really stood out to our crew as the most refreshing and crisp white with just enough grapefruit to make it nearly tart. Considering that we probably sampled 20+ different wine vendors, it was a serious challenge to stand out so we were shocked to find out that this wine could be purchased for about $11 at the local Twin Liquors. The overall quality of the wines alone will bring us back to this event next year. It was such a treat to get to try so many different vendors without breaking the bank splurging on each bottle.
For a slightly higher ticket price La Dolce Vida Food & Wine Festival offered an upscale cocktail lounge. This was the spot to be for any liquor fan. My favorite of the night was from HG Supply Company. Their “Do Do” drink featured coconut infused ultimate vodka, fresh kiwi and lime. The fresh kiwi stole the show and added an excellent flavor to this cocktail. I highly recommend drinking this cocktail to get your daily source of fruit.
The set up of the event was first class all the way. The decorations were beautiful and the master centerpiece was a giant tin foil man elegantly promoting the arts. There was also a mini foil man the festival goers could cover up in foil themselves. Overall this event was an A+, and everyone there left with a great smile. La Dolce Vita Food & Wine Festival we’ll see you again next year.
