Food & Wine Festival

Sunday afternoon was the 5th Annual Seville Quarter Wine and Food Festival.  It was my second year attending the event.  Armed with knowledge from last year's event, I wisely headed to the food first before supplies were depleted.  The pasta from Mike D's, the pulled pork tacos from Frank & Lola's, and the Wagyu brisket from the Butcher Shoppe were among my favorite food items.  George Artisan Bakery & Bistro built a beautiful display of sweet treats and I had to restrain myself from sampling everything!

The champagne bar in the courtyard is also a very popular spot so Emily and I headed there upon her arrival.  We enjoyed the champagne bar but our favorite bubbly was found at a separate table. The Domain Rosier Brut was featured at the French wine dinner last Thursday night. Emily and I both agreed that it was our favorite. We were unable to attend the dinner so we were happy to have the opportunity to try the featured wines from Jean Francois Wine Imports.    

Cheers to good wine and good food!

The pulled pork tacos from Frank & Lola's at Margaritaville Hotel were delicious.

The Domain Rosier Brut was our favorite and a great value at $15.99!

Top: Equipment | Jeans: Karl Lagerfeld (similar here) | Bag: Kelly Wynne
Top: Banana Republic (similar here) | Jeans: Jbrand 

The JCB N0.21 was our favorite from this trio.

The pulled pork sandwich with Carolina style sauce from The Butcher Shoppe.

A hazelnut cupcake from George Artisan Bakery & Bistro.

Seville Quarter

Beautiful sunset as we were leaving Seville.

Linking up with:
Style Elixir
Barnabas Lane

Tastemakers Take Downtown 2015

Last weekend was the annual Tastemakers event in downtown Pensacola.  I think I had more fun this year because I knew what to expect and the restaurants seemed more prepared for the crowds. Tickets were $25/person for a passport to visit the twelve participating restaurants.

We met at Seville Quarter where we enjoyed a Spanish Paella with Vina Borgia Garnacha.  At Seville, we boarded the trolley and went to Nom Sushi for Hiyashi Chuka (chilled Ramen salad) and Cucumber Sake Lemonade. The trolley took us to Chrisoula's Cheesecake Shoppe, Ever'man Grocery & Cafe,  and Pot Roast & Pinot.  We were then dropped at the corner of the main drag (Palafox & Garden) where we made our way toward Main Street stopping at Pita Pit, Hopjacks's, Beef O'Brady's, The Tin Cow and World of Beer.  Unfortunately, we did not make it to Four Seasons to taste the fried chicken but we all know how good it is and will pay them a visit in the near future.

All in all, it was a great event with what seemed like a good turnout. We went on Friday but the event was Saturday night as well and the passport includes discount for dining until September 19.

To see last year's post...

Tastemakers Take Downtown 2014

A great everyday wine available at Seville.

Spanish Paella at Seville Quarter

Grilled flank steak with a house made chimichurri sauce at Pot Roast & Pinot.

Belgian fries at Hopjacks

Classic burger at Tin Cow

Baklava cheesecake at Chrisoula's Cheesecake Shoppe

The Wittekerke was served at Hopjacks with the Belgian fries but not available instead on tap.
We were happy to find it on tap a little later at World of Beer.

World of Beer

Daisy & Courtney

Emily at Tin Cow

Ladybug Blessings / Bless Her Heart Y'all

Wino Wednesday: Domaine de Joy

Finding ourselves childless on Sunday night and recovering from a four day baseball tournament, Will and I headed down to the Seville Wine Shop to pick up a bottle of wine.  We decided on the Domaine de Joy.  One reason was that it was already chilled! I was familiar with the label but had not had the opportunity to taste the wine.  The price was great at $12.99.

The Domaine de Joy l'eclat is a wonderfully refreshing blend of grapes from the South West region of France.  The region is known as the Cotes de Gascogne IGP.  In the classification system, these wines fall above the Vin de table and below Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée. The winemakers enjoy more freedom and the consumers benefit as the wines are very affordable.

Domaine de Joy is a blend of the following varietals:

50% Colombard

20% Ugni Blanc

20% Gros Manseng

10% Sauvignon Blanc

Enjoy it as an aperitif or with grilled fish.

Martinis & Music

A glass of pink champagne at the martini party

For years Scott's favorite night of the year was in between Christmas and New Year's when he would host his annual martini party.  It was a the-more-the-merrier kind of event, and it was kind of legendary.  There were no invitations, so he never knew who would show up, and he loved that about it.  I even went a few times before we really knew each and long before we started dating!  For many reasons (not including the "boring" wife) and much to Scott's dismay, we no longer have the martini party.  So you can imagine his excitement when his best friend, Louis, suggested they revive the martini party.  It was a scaled-down version, but it provided a pre-party before we went to listen to a favorite local band, DLP (Doctors, Lawyers and Politicians).

We met up at The Fish House in the Bait Shop for heavy hors d'oeurves and, of course, martinis with friends who were in town from Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco and Nashville, to name a few places.  The Bait Shop is a great place to have a small, private gathering.  The room is just the right size, but you have all the benefits of being at The Fish House.  We enjoyed bruschetta, sushi rolls, steamed shrimp and a delicious charcuterie plate along with appletinis, chocolate martinis and good, old-fashioned dirty martinis.

By the time we got to Seville Quarter, the band was rocking, and we all had a great time listening to the music and dancing with friends!

Linking up with:

Walking In Memphis In Heels

The Fashion Canvas

Prosecco & Plaid

Myriad Musings