Bite the beaches

Gulfstream Park

This week Bite the Beaches decided to do something a little different and headed over to Gulfstream Park for their Taste at the Track Bourbon & BBQ event in the Flamingo Room.

I have to say when I first saw the event advertised it sounded pretty good. The VIP ticket was $85 and ran from 12-4pm. Now $85 may sound like a lot for a tasting but when I looked at what was included I really didn’t think the price was bad.

The food menu was pretty extensive. Sweet corn fritters, Baltimore BBQ pit beef sliders, hot dog burnt end sliders, smoked chicken wings, New Orleans BBQ shrimp, brisket chili, carved steamship round, Asian BBQ ribs, pulled pork, Nashville hot chicken, baked beans, coleslaw, pimento mac and cheese and collard greens. They also had bourbon pecan pie, bread pudding, peach cobbler and apple crumble for dessert.

Then of course there was the bourbon, which is half the reason you’re there. There were several bourbon and whiskey companies represented including Woodford Reserve, Angel’s Envy, Bulleit, WhistlePig, Russell’s Reserve, Jack Daniel’s and others.

So honestly, $85 for four hours of tasting food and different bourbons didn’t seem unreasonable to me at all.

Sounds great doesn’t it?

Well this is where I have to pull back a little and call foul.

First let’s get there. If you didn’t want to park and walk what seemed like a mile to get to the Flamingo Room, valet was $25. So now our $85 afternoon has become $110 and we haven’t eaten or drank anything yet.

I don’t have a problem paying for valet, I use it all the time, but $25 seemed a little steep considering you’re already paying $85 to attend the event.

Now let’s get to the food.

First I want to be fair about something. This was advertised as a tasting and that’s exactly what it was. I expected small plates and small portions so I have absolutely no complaint about that. You don’t go to a tasting expecting somebody to hand you a full rack of ribs and a plate piled with sides.

What I didn’t expect was for so much of the food to be cold and honestly pretty tasteless.

That was the disappointment for me. If you’re going to give me a small bite that’s perfectly fine, but make that bite good. Especially when we’re talking about BBQ. BBQ should have flavor. Ribs, pulled pork, brisket chili, Nashville hot chicken, all of those things should make you want another bite.

Unfortunately most of what I tried didn’t.

The bourbon side of the event was actually much better and I thought they did a nice job with this. There were several vendors set up around the room and each was offering a small sample drink featuring whatever bourbon or whiskey they were promoting. That’s exactly what I would expect at a tasting and it gave you an opportunity to try some different brands and drinks without ordering a full cocktail.

So I’ll give them credit here. I enjoyed this part of the event.

But let’s say you didn’t want bourbon or you just wanted something different. They did have a cash bar.

And by cash, I would suggest bringing plenty of it.

I happen to love espresso martinis so I ordered one.

$27.

I actually had to think about that for a minute. Twenty-seven dollars for one espresso martini. Needless to say I only had one.

This is where I started having a hard time understanding the pricing. I paid $85 for the ticket, another $25 to valet the car and now $27 for one cocktail. That’s $137 and we’re talking about an afternoon where most of the food I sampled was cold and well below what I expected.

I don’t mind spending money for good food and a good experience. Anyone who reads Bite the Beaches probably knows that by now. If something is expensive and it’s great, I’ll tell you it’s worth it. But if you’re charging premium prices then I think you have to deliver a premium experience and for me the food just didn’t.

The strange part is I still think the basic idea behind Taste at the Track is a good one. The menu they advertised sounded great and I liked the way the bourbon vendors were set up. With better food coming out of the kitchen this could have been a completely different review.

So would I go back to another one?

Maybe. I wouldn’t write them off based on one event because I liked the concept and I enjoyed the bourbon tasting. But the kitchen would have to step it up quite a bit before I could say this was worth what I spent.

The bourbon showed up. The BBQ needed a little more time getting ready for the race.

And if you do decide to attend the next Taste at the Track, enjoy the bourbon samples, wear comfortable shoes if you don’t want to spend $25 on valet and if you’re thinking about ordering something from the cash bar, you might want to check your credit limit first.

Until next time,

Bite the Beaches