Feast of the Sea festival 2014

It was super-fun to enjoy time at the 2014 Feast of the Sea festival in downtown West Palm Beach this weekend! The first-ever event was well-attended, with more than 10,000 people turning out to enjoy the delicious offerings of dozens of vendors. Some rainfall didn't stop the fun, either!

Tharrr be seafood!

We liked the different "continents" in the tents with corresponding themes of food. We ate our way through Asia with Asian Teriyaki Tuna, and also the Caribbean with Pan-Seared Mahi with coconut rice <-- rice was YUM.

I also was happy to bump into my zookeeper friend Melissa, who was very insistent that we partake of the lobster roll. She said that it was the best one she had ever eaten in her life! But we had to leave before we got a chance to try that legendary lobster roll.  ;)

Nathan, Tai, Melissa and me

Lots of local vendors touted their wares

Hip Hop Kids performing

Caribbean yumminess

The downtown waterfront is always so nice!

ONLI Beverages are made in West Palm Beach,

and they are DELICIOUS flavored sparkling water!

I love the hibiscus flavor

I hope we can make it out to next year's festival... meantime, check out Feast of the Sea's Twitter feed to see all the fun shenanigans with the hashtag #FOTS14!  :) 

Chef Challenge #4 for Feast of the Sea festival

Last Sunday, my husband Nathan and I had a fun visit for the Maestro Del Mar Chef's Challenge #4 for the Feast of the Sea festival, which is a FREE admission seafood festival coming to West Palm Beach on September 13, 2014. It will be on Flagler Avenue and Clematis Street, and the festival will showcase Palm Beach County's best restaurants and their regionally-inspired seafood dishes. No dish will be more than $6, which is great!

Mahi poke with avocado puree, served with sri racha aioli and mango duck sauce, 

garnished with a crispy won ton from 3800 Ocean

Chefs Challenge info from the website:

To gear up for Feast of the Sea, we are hosting a series of Chefs Challenges throughout Palm Beach County. Five challenges are slated to take course over the next couple of months with 20 executive chefs from restaurants located throughout South Florida. Each chef will battle their opponent for the title of 2014 Feast of the Sea’s MAESTRO DEL MAR and be awarded over $2000 in cash and prizes!

So basically I went to the Gardens Mall Williams Sonoma not quite knowing what to expect... but with a full appetite. That was a good thing, because when the doors opened and the food and wine started flowing-- look out!

Bistro Ten Zero One served ahi tuna with coconut ceviche

Top Chef season two's Carlos Fernandez emceed the event

I met a couple of people who didn't eat seafood, so this event really was not a great decision for them, LOL! But for this seafood lover right here, it was culinary HEAVEN.

Aah Loi's fried cheesecake sticks with dipping sauce

 

Red snapper ceviche from Ian's Tropical Grill -- loved the unexpected fun of the POPCORN.

Nathan enjoyed it!

Umm, my bad that I didn't take a good picture of the red curry with jasmine rice served by Talay Thai because I ate it too quickly -- but I DID get a photo of these interesting juju (jujube?) fruits served by the restaurant. I'm not a huge fan of them, but they were definitely unique!

Banana and raspberry truffles

Chef Ambassador Roy Villacrusis from Aah Loi Thai & Sushi in Jupiter chatted with the tasting judges (how can I get that gig next time?)

It was definitely a fun event, and I am sure the Feast of the Sea festival will be even yummier! For more information about the upcoming event, email info@feastofthesea.com.