SOBE Thrillist’s BBQ & The Blues, Hosted by Tyler Florence & John DeLucie

What a treat it was to watch Tyler Florence do his thing at the SOBE Wine & Food Festival!

By Helayne Rosenblum, Mr. Food Senior Writer

Even though I’m a native New Yorker, and the Big Apple is a magical city, now that I’ve spent so much of my life in South Florida, I have to say that we have our very own magical places, and one certainly is the section of Miami known worldwide as South Beach (or “SOBE,” to those “in the know”), now a popular center of fashion, night-life, tourism, and great food. Every February, the Food Network sponsors it huge South Beach Wine & Food Festival here.

There are so many star-studded parties during the Festival and, each year, I’ve had a great time attending a few of them. (Although some parties are private, most are open to the public – so if you’re going to be in South Florida next February, you should buy your tickets for favorite food events early, ’cause they sell out fast!) 

This year, I got to mix and mingle with barbecue aficionados at the historic art deco Raleigh Hotel on world-famous Collins Avenue, where Food Network star Tyler Florence was the main draw, along with several other talented chefs, for the highly anticipated Thrillist’s BBQ & The Blues event. It was really exciting to watch Tyler Florence cooking right in front of us! You don’t get to do that often! So what was this evening like?

Well, talk about magic! Right under the stars, in the sand, with live blues music playing, the aromas of beef on the grill were everywhere as folks lined up for a taste of a variety of styles of barbecue dishes that were awesome.

The brisket literally melted in our mouths. It was so tender, no knives were needed. The flavors ranged from Texas-style, Creole, and Asian to down-home southern. Tyler served a tri-tip steak with buttermilk toast and butter pickles along with black-eyed peas and chickweed! Really novel. There was even a Banana Dream Pudding shot. I couldn’t believe I dropped my first one in the sand, as I tried balancing 3 dishes on one plate. (I don’t recommend that!) Yes, I got another one, because I was determined not to miss out on that!

After eating my way through that entire barbecue smorgasbord, I did have another late-night party to attend with more amazing food…and I’ll tell you about that one next! Meanwhile, if you ever have a chance to head to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, do it, because it really is an experience you won’t forget! I know I won’t.