We attended Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival 2023 on Saturday, June 10, 2023, and scoped out the program before entering to maximize our time. As the festival was held from noon until 4:00 pm, we wanted to experience as much as we could. Over the course of the festival, we visited (and tasted) many offerings in the Grand Tasting Village, the Connoisseurs Tent, attended an informative and interesting Wine Seminar with wine expert Kevin Zraly, and attended 2 of the 4 chef demos. We bring you some of the delicious highlights that we experienced during the festival.
A Sampling of the Connoisseurs Tent Food Tastings
Chef Ruben Parra & Debra C. Argen
Chef Ruben Parra from Saltaire Oyster Bar and Kitchen located in Port Chester, New York offered Crispy Sushi Rice with Spicy Tuna, Pink Pineapple Marmalade from Costa Rica, and Eel Sauce that was very tasty and paired well with the high-end wines.
Pineapple Cucumber Gazpacho
Chef/Owner Salvatore Cucullo, Jr. of The 808 Bistro located in Scarsdale, New York tempted our palates with his Lobster Rolls on Brioche Rolls and his Pineapple Cucumber Gazpacho made with pineapple juice, lemon juice, salt, pepper, jalapenos, cucumber, red onion, and red pepper. Garnished with a slice of cucumber and a sprinkling of cayenne, this cool and refreshing gazpacho will be on our try to "make this at home" list.
Eastchester Fish Gourmet – Raw Oysters
Eastchester Fish Gourmet located in Scarsdale, New York was busy shucking oysters all afternoon and provided all the traditional raw oyster accompaniments that garnished lots of interest by attendees.
Chef Owner Scott Fratangelo of L’inizio located in Ardsley, New York offered attendees Burnt Eggplant & Smoked Ricotta Crostini with Raspberry Mostarda.
Wine Seminar and Sampling of the Wine and Spirits Tastings in the Connoisseurs Tent
Kevin Zraly
Wine expert, author, and educator Kevin Zraly provided Connoisseur Tent ticketholders with the opportunity to attend two different wine seminars. We attended the first session, and although we have attended other seminars given by Kevin and have two copies of his highly acclaimed wine book, Kevin Zraly Windows on the World Complete Wine Course, we always learn something new each time. Read more about his seminar in Luxury Experience’s Wine Cellar section.
Catena Zapata Argentino Malbec 2020
After tasting the Catena Zapata Argentino Malbec 2020 from Mendoza, Argentina in Kevin Zraly’s wine seminar, we visited the Catena Wines stand to try this wine again. Rated 98, and with a retail price of $100/bottle, this is a wine that dreams are made of, and would be a great wine to cellar for a few years.
We also tried the Catena Alta Chardonnay, ($32/bottle), which paired very well with the Crispy Sushi Rice with Spicy Tuna, Pink Pineapple Marmalade from Costa Rica, and Eel Sauce from Saltaire.
Trimbach Riesling Frederic Emile 2014
We also made our way to the Independence Wines stand to have another taste of the Trimbach Riesling Frederic Emile 2014 ($100/bottle) which we had enjoyed in Kevin’s wine seminar and wanted another taste of this delectable wine.
From Gladiator Wines, we sampled the CorteDeiVenti Brunello di Montalcino 2017, 14.5% alcohol, ($70/bottle), which was another delicious high-end wine.
Oenophiles could experience very high-end wines including Caymus Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Special Selection 2018 ($230/bottle), Quilt Cabernet Reserve ($100/bottle), presented by Copper Cane Wines & Provisions; Silver Oak Napa Cabernet ($146/bottle); Delas Hermitage Tourette Rouge 2019 ($100/bottle), and Louis Roederer Brut Vintage 2015 ($95/bottle) presented by Maisons Marques & Domaines, and so many more.
A sampling of the high-end spirits available for tasting included Dalmore 15 Year ($126/bottle), Dalmore 18 Year ($330/bottle), and Dalmore King Alexander ($325/bottle) presented by E.J. Gallo Winery; Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon ($63/bottle), and Sagamore Rye Barrel Select $60/bottle) presented by Stew Leonard’s Wines & Spirits of Yonkers, to name but a few.
Speaking with the Stew Leonard’s rep it was interesting to learn that select Stew Leonard’s stores have their own special barrels, so when we tasted the Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon and the Sagamore Rye Barrel Select from their Yonkers, New York store, they would be different than bottles of Maker’s Mark or Sagamore Rye available at other Stew Leonard’s locations or other liquor stores.
A Sampling of the Grand Tasting Village Food Tastings
Dolphin Restaurant – Salmon Nachos
Dolphin Restaurant Bar Lounge located in Yonkers, New York offered attendees Salmon Nachos made with sushi grade salmon, sushi glaze, slaw, radish, avocado, wakame, eel sauce, sesame seed, and wonton chips. These were especially delicious with diverse textures and flavors.
Jimmy Rugova and Debra C. Argen
Dolphin Restaurant Bar Lounge’s sister restaurant, TaqueRio Taco Bar also located in Yonkers, New York brought a delectable taste of Mexico to Kensico Dam Plaza with their presentation of Cactus Salad made with nopales (cactus pads), avocado, red onion, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno, lemon, and queso fresco.
Chef Adan Munoz
Chef/Owner Michalakis "Mike" Sarris of Meraki Taverna located in Armonk, New York and Chef Adan Munoz of Pappous + YiaYia’s Kouzina, Greek Cuisine located in New Rochelle, New York tempted attendees’ palates with generous offerings of Falafel, Hummus, Spanakopita, Tzatziki, Baklava, and more.
Barilla
Barilla, one of the event Sponsors, offered a delicious taste of Italy with their Pesto Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil, also Pesto Pizza.
Baker Seth Greenberg
Baker Seth Greenberg owner of Seth Greenberg’s Just Desserts located in Larchmont, New York enthralled attendees as he dazzled cake enthusiasts who had the opportunity to watch his progress from taking an undecorated cake to a finished masterpiece.
Baker Seth Greenberg – Finished Cake
Chef Demos
Chef David Burke and Debra C. Argen
In addition to the wine and food tastings, foodies had the opportunity to attend four chef demos by top New York chefs throughout the day in the Chefs Demo Tent given by Chef Owner Scott Fratangelo of L’inizio located in Ardsley, New York, Chef Owner David Burke of Red Horse by David Burke located in White Plains, New York (and many others), Chef Owner Peter X. Kelly of X20 Xaviars on the Hudson located in Yonkers, New York; and Chef Owner Rafael Palomino of Sonora, located in Port Chester, New York (and others).
Chef Peter X. Kelly
We attended the demo given by Chef Owner Peter X. Kelly of X2O Xaviars on the Hudson who prepared Shrimp Sauté with Pernod, Tarragon & Green Peppercorns, with Persian Rice with Apricots & Pistachios and provided attendees with the recipe, and also graciously provided permission to reprint the recipe in Luxury Experience’s Chefs’ Recipe section.
Chef Rafael Palomino
We also attended the demo given by Chef Owner Rafael Palomino of Sonora restaurant who prepared Palomino Paella, which he made with rice, lobster, clams, mussels, and chorizo. Chef Rafael Palomino also graciously provided permission to reprint the recipe in Luxury Experience’s Chefs’ Recipe section.
Cheers!
See you at the Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival
From start to finish, Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival was a day of celebrating delicious food, excellent wine and spirits, a wine seminar, tasty chef demos, and enjoying the beauty of Kensico Dam Plaza.
Until next time, cheers and Bon Appetit!
For more information on the next Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival or their upcoming events, please visit their website or social media: Westchester Wine & Food Festival, Facebook – Westchester Wine & Food, Instagram – WestchesteMagEvents.
Read more about our experiences at the Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival 2023 in the following sections:Wine Cellar section: Wine Seminar with Kevin Zraly, Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival 2023.
Chefs’ Recipes section:
Chef Demo with Chef Rafael Palomino of Sonora restaurant, Port Chester, NY, USA
Chef Demo with Chef Peter X Kelly, X2O Xaviars on the Hudson, Yonkers, NY, USA.
Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Festival 2023Kensico Dam Plaza
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