What do a deconstructed bowl of pho, a Cuban sandwich-quesadilla hybrid, and a cup of orchid vanilla almond frozen yogurt have in common? All three, and many more inventive bites, had attendees queuing up in winding lines to try a bite at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival's Trucks on Midtown's Tracks event hosted by Andrew Zimmern this past Sunday. Click through for a look at everything we nibbled, sipped on, and devoured on that lively, lovely afternoon.
Andrew Zimmern's got a show on the Travel Channel, a food truck, a wife and kids, a new book, nearly a dozen partnerships, and a place on Anthony Bourdain's new book tour. But for a culinary personality juggling so many projects, he's got a surprisingly laid-back attitude about it all. Case in point: at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, hours before competing in a volleyball tournament, appearing living on Sirius Radio, and judging the festival's Burger Bash, he was sunning shirtless by the pool at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel with friend and fellow chef Michael White. Before burgers but after volleyball, we had a chance to catch up with the TV host when he was at a kickoff event for his new partnership with travel company Traterra.
PopSugar: What have you been up to in South Beach thus far?
Andrew Zimmern: Last night I went to the Q; I had my son with me, and kids weren't allowed in, so we played tag on the beach and smelled barbecue. It was just as good. Today I did a volleyball tournament: my team — the old, fat men — won the tournament, which was just unbelievable. I have this event with Traterra. I believe strongly in what they're trying to do: to bring real travel, not tourism, to everyone. I'm judging Burger Bash tonight. We have a system so you don't have to eat all 34 [burgers]. You divide them, and everybody takes [a flight], and you rate your top two or three, and then everybody tastes them again. The aggregate is you're only eating 16 burgers, or something like that. It's a good system: I judged it [in previous years] when you had to eat all 22. It was terrible. Talk about the meat sweats! We'll go to some fun afterparties tonight. Tomorrow, I'm doing my kids event out in Jungle Island, which is wonderful: it's cooking healthy food with kids. I make them laugh, and we have a good time. I get more out of it than my kid, I'm sure. I've got my event on Sunday, Trucks in the City. We've taken over a corner of the [Miami] Design District, and we're putting 24 of the best trucks from town in one place, and we having a great truck meet-up. And my truck is there, AZ Canteen.
Keep reading for more on what's next for Zimmern.
At the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, cooking demonstrations and wine seminars take place all the way from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon, and one might sit down to learn about any cooking topic, from knife skills 101 to a primer on the Northern whites of Italy. This year, I sat in on each of these seminars — led by Andrew Zimmern, Bobby Flay, and Michael Symon, respectively — where I learned at least a few great tips from each star chef, regardless of the discussion at hand.
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Behold: the three best tips I learned from three of this weekend's biggest celebrity chefs.
Considering how excited we were to see Andrew Zimmern at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, it's a good thing his cooking demo took place first thing Friday morning. In the Game On! seminar, the Bizarre Foods host (pictured here at Austin Food & Wine) showed the audience how to cook with game like antelope, elk, and venison, but he also prepared a Japanese yakitori-style duck breast over rice. Even more informative than his duck preparation was his discussion of duck fat, which he declared useful in just about everything. Here are a few things we discovered could be made better with duck fat:
We can't wait to try the farmhouse vinaigrette. What do you do with duck fat?
Ever wonder if Bizarre Foods host Andrew Zimmern gets sick while eating his way through exotic foods from different cultures? Well, we found out when we chatted with him at a recent CASCAL soda tasting event. He also let us know what it's like to eat crazy food combinations from around the world. Want to learn how to eat like a local from Bangkok to Baja? Watch the video now!
Source: Flickr User rachaelvoorhees
Source: Flickr User moneyblognewz
I was watching the Japan episode of Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern the other day, wherein Zimmern samples funazushi, an ancient preparation of sushi that involves packing a fish (eggs intact) with salt, then aging it for up to six years. Even the show's host wasn't a big fan, and he's enjoyed some unconventional meals. Still, he could appreciate the historical value of this Japanese delicacy. Are you adventurous enough to try it?
Source: Flickr User Kida Yasuo
Between attending demos, munching on tacos, and sipping spirits, I managed to experience a bunch more serious eats at the Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival. Think burgers, limoncello, and pizza. I've rounded up my favorite dishes and drinks from the experience, so check them out now!
