Pop Up - Elevated Southern Cuisine w/ Season 6 Masterchef Runner Up, Derrick Fox
Since I'm mad at Disney with their lack of special event announcements for Food & Wine Festival...I figure I will post a fun dinner I went to!
On June 8th, I had the pleasure of going to a wine dinner by myself at Venue Naples. This is an event space that hosts a wine dinner or special event of their own about once or twice a month. It is owned by one of the major catering companies in the area as the main chef doesn’t run a restaurant anymore as he enjoys switching things up more. My husband had decided not to join me so he could stay home with the dogs & because he had to work at 6AM the next day. Luckily, I have no problem doing these things on my own! I arrived about 20 minutes early for the event and left my purse on my chair before heading over to the reception area where I was alone and awkward for a bit before people in smaller groups were talkative. There were three chefs involved in the dinner - the Venue Owner (Brian Rolland), Masterchef Season 6 Runner Up (Derrick Fox) who grew up in Fort Myers, FL, and David Robbins, a local chef.
Table Setting
Mint Julep
The opening reception included a mint julep. This one was really sweet but refreshing overall.
Braised Pork Belly w/ Strawberry Relish
The Elvis - Caramelized Banana, Bacon, Peanut Butter on Brioche
There were three passed appetizers, but I only got photos of two. The one I missed a photo of was a watermelon with a spicy cured meat wrapped around it. I really liked how the spice and watermelon worked well together! The other two were nice options as well. The strawberry relish was something different to have on top of braised pork belly. It was so good, I had to have two! The Elvis was a nice nod to the King and you could tell the peanut butter was homemade. It was rather rich so the size of the bite was just enough!
Deviled Duck Egg w/ Foie Gras
I’m glad I had people near me that love eggs as I really do hate deviled eggs and knew I wouldn’t enjoy this. The gentlemen two seats over was more than happy to take this from me and enjoy it! Using Foie Gras and Duck eggs did fit the theme of elevated southern!
Oysters Three Ways - Cold Smoked, Baked w/ Boursin Cheese and Fried
I’ve gotten a lot better about enjoying oysters. I don’t actively seek them out with ordering them at a restaurant but I will eat one if it is given to me at a dining event that I feel I can trust - such a wine dinners. These were presented to three separate ways. I ate them in the order I thought I would like them least to best and I would say I did alright with that. I started with the raw oyster topped with buttermilk creme fraiche and trout roe. The cold smoke gave it a nice flavor profile as well but there is something about swallowing a raw oyster that I just need to get better at. When I first saw the 2nd oyster, I made a mistake of thinking it was an Oyster Rockefeller. I was so wrong (I ate it before the venue owner/chef explained the dish as he was taking forever to talk about the cold smoke and the use of a smoking gun and trying to get it onto an airplane) It was a baked oyster with boursin cheese and breadcrumb so a play on a rockefeller but so much better! I could have eaten a dozen of those things! The fried oyster was served with bacon, a blue cheese olive (left behind) and a bloody mary shot (given to the guy 2 seats down since I don’t like bloody marys - I think he was happy he was near me!) The cornmeal breading was well seasoned and I was really happy with this oyster as well but the 2nd one was totally my favorite.
Fruit Salad - Fiddleheads, Cheese Leaf, Peach, Tomato Leather, Creme Fraiche
The next dish was a very seasonal and locally sourced salad. The fiddlehead and cauliflower were pickled in the spring and had a nice flavor to them. The new thing on this dish was something called the cheese leaf. The chefs didn’t explain more about it than that so I wouldn’t be able to find it again most likely. It tasted like blue cheese when eaten alone but when you had it with some of the peach or creme fraiche, it had a very luxurious taste profile that is hard to describe. The other interesting element of the dish was the dehydrated tomato pulp. It tasted exactly like a fruit roll up but you knew it was better for you as it didn’t have tons of fake things in it. The couple next to me was trying to convince them to sell it at the local farmer’s markets.
Shrimp & Grits - Large Tiger Shrimp w/ Sweet Corn Polenta Cake
I had seen this dish prior to it being served on Derrick’s Instagram page. Despite knowing what we were going to be served, it was still a shock as it was much larger than I expected! I really enjoyed the polenta cake with the shrimp and the pork fat sauce. If it was socially acceptable, I would have licked all the sauce off the plate!
Watermelon Granita
We were given a palate cleanser before we were to be given the next two entree courses. Inside the granita there was basil, sea salt and some liquor that I can’t remember now. Super refreshing! Melted really quickly so along with those around me, we just picked up the dish and drank it towards the end! Not the classiest of moves..
KFC - Korean Fried Chicken on top of Beignet
Our next course was their play on chicken & waffles which as a very classic dish that has become super popular over the past few years. The chicken was a boneless thigh with the skin on. It had been marinated with buttermilk with typical korean spices and then fried and served with a traditional New Orleans Beignet and topped with a Jim Beam/Maple Syrup Reduction. It was a rich dish and I left most of the beignet behind but I need more of that chicken in my life. It had just enough spice for me and was perfectly crispy. I will say some of those around me didn’t enjoy it as much but they didn’t like the Gochujang that was used on the chicken which can be a polarizing flavor for some.
Sloppy Joe - Braised Short Rib on top of Brioche with Fried Pickles & Poached Egg
I had to laugh when I was served my dish and they apologized for the egg having fallen off. I was perfectly ok with that as I would have pushed it off anyway! This take on a sloppy joe was way better than any other one I’ve had. The dish was super rich as the short rib was sous vide for 24 hours and then fried and the brioche underneath was crispy but full of butter notes and melted perfectly in your mouth as you ate each bite. The guy that had taken the devilled egg & vodka shot asked me for my egg as he wanted more of the egg on top of his portion of the beef and I was happy to oblige. This time I did take everything up with my fork to ensure the plate was clean!
Flambe the Cherries!
At the end of the entree courses, they set up a flambe station in front of us all. Derrick Fox came out to tell us more stories and put on a flambe show for cherries in Jim Beam. These cherries were to be used for topping of the creme brulee. He thanked us all and then sang happy birthday to his grandmother which was super sweet.
Cobbler topped with Vanilla Custard & Frozen Raspberries & Almond Creme Brulee
I really was too full to truly appreciate this dessert. I skipped the cobbler as I knew it was going to be more rich than I thought I could handle at this point. I enjoyed the almond creme brulee as that was light enough to not put me over the food coma edge, unlike one of those near me who had reached that point.
My one complaint about the event was the the wine pours were stingy (like less than half a glass) I had debated prior to the event on if I wanted to drive myself there or take an Uber/Lyft. I’m glad I decided to drive myself as despite having one cocktail and 6 pours of wine, I had zero buzz or impairment. The small pours for the wine and the large amount of food given allowed that to happen. The wine pairings were an extra $40 but I think next time, I’ll just bring my own bottle so I can have real pours (some others that had done these events hear before had done that)
This trip report will be heavily dining reviewed as well but since my trips are on opposite sides of the festival - its hard to keep it to one report there and meet the 3 month rule! 
I’m hoping fr California grill brunch too!
Really excited to hear about Victoria and Alberts. We've yet to go, though I'm dying to.
