It's a good day. I was invited to take the night off work to sip 100 different wines (I did NOT try them all), taste bite-size delicacies from more than two dozen well renowned restaurants (I DID try them all) and have a chance to brush elbows with my celebrity chef crush, Tyler Florence.

 Yep. I would definitely call that a good day.

We felt like rock stars as soon as we got to Flavor! Napa Valley – The Appellation Trail Event. We got our wine glasses and hit the step and repeat for the pre-buzz photo op. It all went downhill from here. Downhill in an overindulgence of mass amounts of deliciousness sort of way.

I got fat at this event and here's 16 reasons why:

(1) Burgundy snails in Semolina Gnocchi from Angele Restaurant. Even though I had already checked this strangeEATS off my bucket list by munching on them while at sea, I couldn't resist giving snails another shot.

(2) Cheddar Biscuits with Country Ham and Pepper Jelly from Farmstead and the deep-fried goodness from Neela's, (3) Vegetable Samosas with Sweet Tomato Chutney.  
 

It felt like a good time to squeeze in a little dessert, so I grabbed St. Helena Olive Oil's delicate (4) Olive Oil Cake. It was small, light and not too sweet. This couldn't possibly take up too much room in my belly.
  

The (5) Shallot & Pancetta crusted wild salmon in a lettuce leaf cup from Hurleys looked low calorie enough to have just one. It was wrapped in lettuce for goodness sakes.

Who could pass up the beauty of this (6) Ahi Tuna Taro Taco from Fish Story or (7) Smoked Chicken Sliders from the famous Gott's Roadside? This may be the only time I ever eat Gott's food considering the never ending line the establishment always has.

Iron chef competitor, Christopher Kostow from Meadowood, was serving up a (8) whipped sweet potato cake with curried marshmallow and raisins. It would be rude not to try one. 

VINelevens (9) Smoked Siroloin was sliced thin enough to barely even count as an ingested food at all and (10) just one itty bitty Yellow Tail Shashimi from La Condesa couldn't hurt. Could it?

At this point, I decided that I am not even going to try to behave anymore. Bring it on. 

(11) Crostini of Ciccioli and Butternut Squash from Oenotri and (12) Carpaccio Beet Salad from Restaurant Cuvee

(13) BBQ Sweet Shrimp from Bardessano and (14) a Trio of Ahi, Shorts Ribs and Scallops from Siena at Meritage.

(15) Buttermilk Panna Cotta from Silverado Resort was the star of the show for me, even though I could barely fit it in. And, of course, there was lots and lots of (16) wine.
  

And just as my belly was protruding like a five month pregnant woman, half from the amount of food I just inhaled and half from the pee baby forming from way too much wine, there he was. My stalkee chef crush, Tyler Florence. Great.

I sucked my stomach in and joined the crowd starting to form around him.

Thankfully, my husband is understanding and waited with me for twenty minutes to snap this photo. Of course, I had to tell Tyler that I was stalking him, but not in a creepy sending-a-million-tweets sort of way. I'm not quite sure he believed me. 
 

 What's your favorite food and/or wine event?

Disclosure: I received complimentary admission to Flavor! Napa Valley – The Appellation Trail, but all the words I write come straight from my, sometimes distorted, mind. Just as it should be.

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