Tampa Bay Restaurant Week
Tampa Bay Restaurant Week: Steak & Chardonnay Challenge at Élevage SoHo Kitchen & Bar
June 15, 2022 at 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
As a precursor to Tampa Bay Restaurant Week, Prescription Vineyards will be hosting a Happy Hour event with Chef Adam Hyatt at the Élevage SoHo Kitchen & Bar in the Epicurean Hotel. We’ll be paring steak bites with our Prescription Vineyards 2019 Clarksburg Chardonnay. As part of our tasting, we’ll also be performing a foodie parlor trick with slices of apple, lemon, and a sprinkle of sea salt to demonstrate how food and wine react with the flavors of sweet, umami, salt, and acid, and how to balance your recipes to make wine taste beautiful with virtually any dish.
Our ultimate goal is to demonstrate that our Clarksburg Chardonnay pairs beautifully with steak. The wine’s higher acidity (more than most California Chardonnays) cuts through the fat of steak while its lush mouthfeel matches the rich texture of the meat.
From a historical perspective, talk to northern Italians, they’ve been drinking white wine with steak for centuries. The tradition: finish your steak with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of sea salt. Just like a sip of Prescription Chardonnay, the acidity of the lemon nicely contrasts the fat in steak and helps break down the collagen, giving the meat a balanced flavor profile and a succulent bite. The sprinkle of sea salt intensifies aromas, balances other flavors, makes the meat taste juicier, and increases tenderness while making your wine taste softer and more luscious.
Lloyd Cellars & Prescription Launch ‘Back to Fine Dining’ Parallel Promotions in June
Lloyd Cellars Partners with Former Food Network Executive Rob Bleifer for Instagram Influencer Awareness Campaign, Recipe Blog Series
Prescription Vineyards Sponsors Tampa Bay Restaurant Week June 17 – 27, Launching New Wine & Music Showcase Event ‘Friday-Eve Live’ on Opening Night at Epicurean
(June 2nd, 2021, Napa Valley, CA) – Lloyd Cellars and Prescription Vineyards are returning to in-market work after fourteen months of sheltering in place. Lloyd Cellars, founded in 2008 by Rob and Bonnie Lloyd, felt that an important mission when getting back to market work is to bring awareness and support to restaurants as the nation begins to reopen.
“In our small way, we want to inspire people to get back to fine dining,” said winemaker Rob Lloyd. “If all the small, medium, and large wineries made this a priority, the wine industry could have a positive impact on a segment of our business that was the hardest hit.”
Lloyd Cellars has partnered with former Food Network Executive Chef Robert Bleifer to create delicious content for its June’ Back to Fine Dining’ Instagram Influencer campaign with Social Media agency, ApexDrop. In his 24-years at Food Network, Chef Bleifer was responsible for everything from managing the kitchen of 18 food stylists and recipe developers to coordinating with production teams, chefs and hosts, guest chefs, and much more. He was also an on-air presence, judging numerous Food Network Challenges, catering the three Food Network Wedding specials, and many other ‘cameo’ appearances. He’s now in the development stage of several new projects, including a book. Chef Bleifer can be followed on Instagram: @chef_robear.
In 2015, Rob and Bonnie founded their second label, Prescription Vineyards. Primarily focused on retail, Prescription Vineyards is presenting the opportunity for restaurants to feature its Clarksburg Chardonnay and Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon on wine-by-the-glass menus. “We saw Tampa Bay Restaurant Week as a way present our wine-by-the-glass program in a high-profile way,” said Director of Sales, Greg Moore, “while also supporting and bringing awareness to restaurants and getting people back to the table. We’re excited to be the first exclusive wine sponsor in the 15-years that Creative Loafing Tampa has produced the event.”
As part of the in-market efforts, Prescription Vineyards is also launching a new consumer event, ‘Friday-Eve Live.’ Playing off the pop-culture phenomenon of people jump-starting their weekend by calling Thursday nights’ Friday Eve’, the event is part wine tasting, part musical showcase. ‘Friday-Eve Live’ will launch on the opening night of Tampa Bay Restaurant Week on Thursday, June 17th, in partnership with Creative Loafing Tampa and iHeartRadio/Central Florida, and hosted by Epicurean and Élevage SoHo Kitchen & Bar in Tampa, Florida. Tickets are $25 advance, $35 at door if available.
“iHeartMedia is excited to be a part of and attend ‘Friday-Eve Live’ on June 17 at Epicurean,” said April Easterly, Promotions Director at Rumba 106.5 and US 103.5. “As the kick-off to Tampa Bay
Restaurant Week, our very own Tampa Talents can’t wait to experience the great food and sips from the Bay. Katie Sommers on middays with 93.3 FLZ, and Ian Beckles, who is on evenings as Co-Host of Beckles and Recher on 95.3 WDAE, will be attending.”
Musical guest Carl Wockner was named the first and only Australian artist to win Top Honors at the International Acoustic Music Award’s 2015 (USA). He also scored in the top of the AAA category for the release of his album Crayon Days with producer Michael Flanders in Nashville, Tennessee. He was recently awarded “Musician of the Year 20/21” by Western Australia Prestige Awards. “Bonnie and I love music,” said Rob Lloyd, “and helping artists get back to work just feels right.”
A portion of Tampa Bay Restaurant Week proceeds benefit Feeding Tampa Bay!
