I love Seattle. Not enough to live there, but certainly enough to spend a few days there.
This weekend, I will be doing just that. Granted, most of my time will be spent in the sessions of the International Food Bloggers Conference, but there will also be time for me to go out on my own. Where am I going to go in beautiful “Jet City”?
First and foremost, I plan on stopping at Charles Smith Wines‘ Jet City location. The wines that are produced by Charles Smith are exceptional in all aspects when it comes to quality and price. In fact, one has been featured in this post. I’ve been to their Walla Walla location, but they recently added another location, making them the largest urban winery on the west coast. I am excited to see their new space!
After my visit at Charles Smith, I will be settling into my hotel to prepare for a wine pairing dinner at FareStart. I am excited to see how the wines pair with the dinner, as I personally selected the wines. The wines? Tsk. Tsk. I’m not saying them yet. I will share them with you at a later date.
The next day is bound to be a fun one. I will be having breakfast at Loulay with a bunch of fellow bloggers before going on the excursion to Miele with Sarah of Gazing In and Heather from United States of Motherhood. After returning, it will be time for the Taste of Seattle Grand Opening Reception. I’m eagerly anticipating this because it has some restaurants that I’ve wanted to try, but never had a chance to eat at! Here are the ones I’m most looking forward to:
- Salumi – you know…Mario Batali‘s father’s acclaimed Italian Salumeria.
- Sky City Restaurant – I’ve been to the top of the Space Needle, but have never had a meal there.
- Maryhill Winery – one of my favorite views in the Columbia Gorge is at their tasting room. I know…they’re not a restaurant, but I figure that since this is a wine blog, I might as well give them a shout!
On Saturday, well…I have to be brutally honest. There’s nothing that catches my eye in the morning after the opening keynote, so I may take a stroll/drive through downtown Seattle until the food swap that happens during lunchtime.
However, the afternoon does have one session that I’m *really* looking forward to. Which session is that? The session on the sparkling wines of Franciacorta. Yep. I’m doing the bubbles session.
Saturday night brings *another* wine reception, and the Culinary Fair and Expo. However, this is not like a Saturday night at the Wine Bloggers Conference. No one peruses the hallways for propped open room doors and the cacophony of voices in pursuit of impromptu parties. Darn it. That may have to change in the future.
Sunday morning, there is a session on cooking with cannabis. Now, while I don’t partake, I did support the legalization of marijuana here in Washington. I am actually quite interested in this session.
All in all, I’m looking forward to this years IFBC.
Disclaimer: In exchange for a discounted rate, I am required to write a prescribed number of posts in relation to the International Food Bloggers Conference.
