Pebble Beach Food & Wine Fest: Closing Statements

Top Cheffer and ex-Myth Cafe honcho Ryan Scott works the room at the after-party.

Yesterday, we shared the mainstream take on the first annual Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival, and now as promised, we're happy to share the local highlights and sights from the event, as witnessed by Eater LA:

On Ryan Scott: "Ryan Scott, the San Francisco chef from the current season, was kept on a short leash by his publicist at one of the after parties. He couldn't say a peep about the show, but said he's been hanging out in LA and had dinner at fellow cheftestant Antonia Lofaso's Foxtail. And true: He's a hugger, because, you know, he's from California. "

On Thomas Keller: "Thomas Keller cooking demo was a packed house. Queen's "Under Pressure" and Van Halen's "Jump" kicked things off. When he talked, the big TK had more than 200 people completely engrossed. He asked his sous for temps and times while he discussed sous vide, molecular gastronomy, Grant Achatz, critics, and artisanal ingredients, including the woman who supplies the French Laundry and Per Se with butter (Animal Farm from Orwell, VT) and why her divorce is the reason dinner prices went up."

On David Kinch: "Fancy wine auction dinner. [Thomas] Keller (again) joined by Michelin-starred French chefs Gerard Boyer, Philippe Legendre and Alain Passard, and David Kinch from NoCal's Manresa. Best dishes of the night: Kinch and Keller. Kinch's clever 'forest floor hunting for mushrooms' would have been so wrong had it not been so right."

On The Danko, who had the best dish at Sunday's Grand Tasting event: "The Grand Tasting was the largest event of the weekend, with two different groups of chefs on Saturday and Sunday. Lines were long, fewer dishes on Saturday, but Sunday was the jackpot: Craft (sans Colicchio), Gary Danko, Douglas Keane from Cyrus in Healdsburg, Roy Yamaguchi, Joe's Stone Crab. Biggest swoon: Danko's bison with herb spatzel." Take a bow, Mr. Danko.
· Pebble Beach Food & Wine Fest: The Finale [~ELA~]
· Pebble Beach Wrap-Up: Sights and Sounds [~ELA~]
· Pebble Beach F&W Fest: The Wine Room [~ELA~]
· Pebble Beach Food & Wine Fest: Day One [~ELA~]