Best of the Best at Fontainebleau didn't disappoint SoBe Wine & Food Fest attendees

Tony Maws

 

By Maddy Marr2/25/2012

Feasting was the order of the day as attendees of Wine Spectator magazine's Best of the Best at the Fontainebleau Friday night ate to theirs stomach's content with the help of little disposable plates (so easy to munch) and forks.

Among the local "best of the best": Angelo Elia, of Casa D'Angelo in Fort Lauderdale, with her  braised short ribs with a Tuscan tomato red sauce. She had said it was one of her most popular at the restaurant. Paula De Silva, of 1500 at the Eden Roc, also did a braised short rib with potato foam, parsley salad and pickled onions. Tart and sweet, served with a smile.

The first dish you try is usually your favorite (not statistically speaking or anything here), but Chef Tony Maws, of Cambridge, Mass. restaurant Craigie on Main, did comfort food that had people coming back for more: It was housemade rye flour squiggly pasta with a heavenly, perfectly seasoned mix of pork heart sausage and Florida rock shrimp ragout. The three or four bites went surprisingly well with either white or red wine. The former Martha's Vineyard waiter has really come a long way.

Another interesting offering came from Charles Phan of San Francisco's Slanted Door. A lemongrass beef roll that was the perfect palate cleanser.

Whoo needed dessert after a sampling of smoked trout atop a blini (Russian pancake) and a dollop of chived mashed potatoes,

That was thanks to Bill Telepan and his namesake eatery in New York. It was a nod to the New Jersey native's Hungarian heritage. Can we get the recipe please?

The evening started at 7:30 p.m. By 9 the event was in full swing with lines about five people deep but the chefs were prepared and the food wasn't running out any time soon.