This little pot of gold and green sat at the end of a line as long as a rainbow at Sunday's tasting. Probably had something to do with the delicious escargot hiding in these shells decorated with edible flowers and microgreens and the immaculate presentation—and something to do with the fact that the dude serving them was Tyler Florence.That speaks to one of the strengths of PBF&W: The stars themselves enthusiastically serve, as opposed to similar events where they are often allowed to have their minions run the booth. That makes for some of the best moments for many foodies, and the a lot of the chefs are clearly energized by the interaction.
Fortunately lines were relatively rare despite the second sell-out crowd in as many days (TF's, above, was the longest), which speaks to how well the tastings are laid out and the wisdom of adding five chefs and their teams to each tasting for 2010.
The next longest line? For Maine lobster flatbread pizza by Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier of Arrows Restaurant in Maine, named number 14 of the country's top 50 by Gourmet in 2006.
That they use sustainably farmed crustacean (check out the Maine Lobster Council here) is nice. Added bonus: Gaier graduated from Carmel High.