Best Bites from South Beach Wine & Food Fest

By: Cooking Channel Staff
Lamb Stew With Lavash

Sometimes life is hard, but last weekend wasn't one of those times: Cooking Channel staff ate their way through a sea of local Miami restaurant stalls and sipped on world-class wine during this year's Wine and Food Festival Grand Tasting -- all on the white sands of South Beach, Miami.

Now that we're back to colder weather and cubicles, we're dreaming up ways to continue the "South Beach Diet" at home. Now you can, too!

See what we liked, what we didn't like, and how to cook up South Beach-inspired fare in your own kitchen.

This cool cucumber twist on a margarita is worth cracking at home. The sweet-spicy chili rim on the glass will delight and amaze your friends.

Spicy Cucumber Martini

Move over, empanadas! These savory beef pastelillos -- Dominican-style, picadillo-stuffed fried bites -- from Alain Ducasse and his mix on the Beach in Vieques were inspired. Is he really French? Pass a cold malta, please.

Beef Pastelillos

Friends warned us about the lines for this one, but it was worth it to get our hands on The Burger & Beer Joint's BBQ Bacon Burger.  Get an up close and personal view of this sweet slider and more:

See all the highlights (and lowlights) from SoBe in our Grand Tasting Gallery!

More SoBe Wine & Food Fest Coverage:

Next Up

South Beach Wine & Food Fest 2012 -- Burger Kings, Bubbly & BBQ

Get the scoop on the 2012 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival with all the stars from Bobby Flay to Rachael Ray, Guy Fieri to Michael Symon, Iron Chef Morimoto and more...

Your Ticket to The South Beach Food & Wine Festival

If you can't make it to Miami to partake in the festivities, you can still experience a Bobby Flay South Beach brunch with Bobby Flay's recipes for Spanish Tortilla with Homemade Chorizo; Yucca Hash Browns; and a Mojito Champagne Cocktail.

Best Bites: Atlantic City Food and Wine Festival

Check out a round-up of the best food served at the Atlantic City's Food and Wine Festival, including eats from Chef Robert Irvine and Ben Sargent.

Catch Cooking Channel Favorites at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Find out which Cooking Channel hosts will be at South Beach Wine & Food Festival 2016 and buy tickets.

Emeril Hits South Beach

Emeril Lagasse heads to Miami to discover classic spots that have served up quality food for decades, including Joe's Stone Crab, Casa Larios and more.

Best Foods to Bring to the Beach

Rather than wasting money and calories on the less-than-stellar boardwalk fare, why not pack a cooler of goodies to keep you refreshed all day long?

Cooking Channel Stars Spotted at NYC Wine & Food Fest

Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos, Bobby Flay, Alton Brown, Ben Sargent and Kelsey Nixon were all out at the 2011 New York City Wine and Food Festival last weekend.

On TV

So Much Pretty Food Here