I’ve been bouncing around town lately for food events, which is always a lot of fun. Here are two I had the opportunity to attend recently, A Taste of THE PLAYERS at TPC Sawgrass, and the Meet the Farmers Dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island:

A Taste of THE PLAYERS 

One of Jacksonville’s premier events, THE PLAYERS Championship golf tournament is held at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra. This year’s event starts next week, May 9, and runs through May 12.  This was my first visit to TPC Sawgrass, and I was awed by how gorgeous the course was.  Organizers have been working to make the event feel more accessible for all attendees, and new food options open to all ticket holders are part of the plan. Gluten-free, vegetarian, and low calorie items such as the BLT with turkey bacon (gluten free), Avocado Power lunch (gluten free), and Chick’n Salad (made with chickpeas) will be available at THE PLAYERS Cafe.  The BLT was the standout of this group (I loved the raspberry mustard with the crisp turkey bacon), but we also enjoyed the grilled steak sandwich and the 2013 “signature item,” Mayport Shrimp & Grits with Fried Green Tomato:
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Here’s a quick touch on things I’ve been doing/eating lately…warm weather means fun food events!

PHiNS Club of Jacksonville Gumbo Festival:

The PHiNS, a group of philanthropic Jimmy Buffett fans, put on their 7th annual Gumbo Festival at the Jacksonville Landing. The event brought together nearly 20 teams–some professional, some just fun-loving friends–to vie for the gumbo cook-off title and raise money for a local nonprofit. Mario and I won tickets via Twitter from the folks at Jax Landing and had a great time sampling gumbo. I am VERY picky about gumbo (it’s hard to live up to my mom’s), so it’s worth noting that my favorite group also won both the People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice awards.

Jax Truckies Food Truck Competition:

Jax Truckies brought together a number of Jacksonville’s food trucks (who knew we even had “a number” of them?) for some friendly competition. Participants (and their Twitter pages, so you can track them) included Monroe’s on the Go, Mother Fletcher, On the Fly Sandwiches & Stuff, Driftwood BBQ, Mike B’s, Brucci’s Mobile Pizzeria, and Comfort Zone Foods. Although the day started out in a deluge, host Bold City Brewery was nice enough to set up tables inside until the weather cleared up. We loved our pulled pork & cheeseburger sliders from Monroe’s BBQ, and whatever the sauce is that On the Fly uses to top their items, it needs to be bottled. The chicken soft taco I tried was excellent, and I hear their ahi tuna was divine.

Sonny’s BBQ Blogger Dinner:

I was recently invited to check out some new menu items at Sonny’s BBQ, including their new dry rub wing & ribs (try saying either of those 3 times fast). I enjoyed both, and their baby back ribs ain’t too shabby either. We tried a number of appetizers too–the fried okra needs serious improvement. Sliminess is not a good quality for okra However, there is just something about those yummy corn nuggets…

And finally…ITALY!! Mario and I took a “we’ve got no kids, let’s do what we want” trip to Rome and Florence (my most favorite city I’ve ever visited). On my last trip to Italy during a semester abroad, my travel buddies and I were pounding 2-a-day gelatos (no change there) and lots of cafe sandwiches for the cheap. I got to eat a little better this time around. So if you need to know where the best gelato is in Rome or Florence, or where Fiorentini stop for wine and crostini on a warm evening, I’m your girl.

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You may remember that I blogged about visiting the very first Urban Picnic at Sweet Auburn Curb Market last year. I was a little underwhelmed by the small number of vendors then, but since having gone back a few times, I can say that the offerings have only gotten better and more varied. I’m excited that the Urban Picnic is getting back into the swing of things!

Now that spring is in the air, the 2011 Atlanta Urban Picnic will return to Sweet Auburn Curb Market. The Urban Picnic is just about a year old, but if you didn’t make any of the 2010 meetings, you may be wondering: What is an urban picnic? It’s a chance for in-towners to meet up during Friday lunch hours (and sometimes early Saturday evenings) and sample the wares of Atlanta’s growing fleet of food trucks and other food vendors.

The Urban Picnics will again take place regularly at Atlanta’s historic Sweet Auburn Curb Market downtown. The Sweet Auburn Curb Market is “an urban farmers’ market that unites rural and urban Georgians through food and activities that celebrate local agriculture, the history of the Sweet Auburn neighborhood and the diversity of the city of Atlanta.”

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Here’s my ~quarterly “I’m being a blogging slacker” excuse: this time, it’s paper-writing, thesis-formulating, and the beginnings of wedding planning. But I managed to take a break from all the busy work to hit up Taste of Atlanta last weekend. I actually was thinking of skipping the Taste this year, but then I won 4 VIP tickets from the lovely folks at Scoutmob, so I really had no excuse! So Mario, 2 friends and I met up on a beautiful Saturday afternoon to eat ourselves silly.

A lot of the vendors at this year’s taste were the same as last year (and were even serving the same menu options), so we were able to try a number of new things while still getting tastes of a few old standbys. One of my favorite plates from this year’s taste were the spare ribs with coleslaw from Jim ‘n Nicks Bar-B-Q, if for nothing else than the huge portion (that’s a clean bone in the back + the untouched one in the front):

Mmmm…tender, smoky, mouthwatering ribs. I want more SOON! A few more pictures after the jump:
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Last weekend my brother decided to cash in on letting me sneak into his dorm for Mardi Gras and crash at my place during his spring break. I was worried we wouldn’t have anything to do around the city because, well, I’m pretty boring, but some food-centric events had us out and about and made for a pretty decent weekend. For lunch Friday, we stopped by the Sweet Auburn Curb Market for “Atlanta’s Urban Picnic” (which I’m just calling “street food fest”). Saturday, the 10th annual (but my first time attending) BaconFest was hosted by theatre/improv group Dad’s Garage in Inman Park.

I was a little disappointed with both festivals. At Street Food Fest, organized to raise awareness on legalizing street food in Atlanta, I felt it was a case of over-promise and under-deliver. Press releases promised a myriad of street foods, including “handmade biscuit sandwiches, Korean BBQ tacos, locally sourced sandwiches and baked goods, fresh smoothies, Caribbean specialties, Greek gyros, vegetarian samosas, locally made hot dogs, wood-fired pizza, and Grindhouse Killer Burgers.” At our arrival, there were 4 food carts with pizza, salads, hot dogs (Good Food), and soup (Souper Jenny), along with a few tables selling sandwiches, meats and cheeses, and a few other knick-knacks. I suppose the foods mentioned may have encompassed both what was available outside the Market and what’s typically available inside, but I was expecting a larger showing. We did, however, taste a “Poodle Dog” (French toast bun and apple/cabbage slaw) from the Good Food cart, and a lovely prosciutto, swiss, rosemary mayo, and artichoke sandwich from Artichoke Bliss.

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