Creative Loafing’s Best Of The Bay

It seemed a little bit chaotic and the event space seemed too small for a party of this size with the amount of people there but overall, it was a great time!
There were 2 floors of vendors who were generous with samples. Most of them brought enough for everyone. I think only one or two places were running out of things before they started announcing the awards.
I wish the drink samples had been spaced between the food samples instead of all grouped together. I tried some new things I loved and discovered some new places I want to visit.
There was very little seating, the event was standing room only and you will do a lot of walking the room for samples, so you may want to think twice before wearing those 9 inch heels.
The event was at the Mahaffey theater. It is in a beautiful location with water views, located right next to the Dali Museum. Parking is easy in the parking garage, but you do have to pay for parking.

I’m kind of conflicted about this event. Was it fun? Somewhat. Was there great food? Yes. Was it worth the price? Probably. It was worth my discounted price from a deal site. Regular price? Probably not. Overall, it was a good event, but there were some flaws.
First of all, there were a ton of people. The event was sold out and it appeared to be oversold. It was hard to move around. This was accentuated by the fact that they decided to announce the awards in the middle of the venue. This meant that lots of people were standing in the middle of the floor making it difficult to get from one end to the other. My Unilocal buddies who are used to crowds mentioned how claustrophobic they felt. We also could not hear the announcer from most areas of the venue and have no idea who won what.
I fought my way through the crowd and grabbed some food first. I loved the risotto from the Black Pearl and the gyro from Acropolis. I was pretty full after these two items, but I picked up a few other things before making my way to the other end of the venue and eventually upstairs. I wish that they had a map of vendors so we knew where to go. I missed one of the one’s that I was most anticipating. I then found friends and hung out for awhile. I was thirsty and not drinking for numerous reasons. There was a lack of non-​alcoholic beverages for free. So, I waited in the bar line to buy a water. The lines were not short. I arrived at the bar only to be told that they were sold out of water. How do you sell out of water that quickly? Plus, I just waited in line for nothing. Sigh.
Then there was the surprise $ 10 parking fee when I arrived. I had no cash on me and was lucky to have a guardian Angel that night (Thank You if you happen to read this!). Otherwise, I would have been forced to head back home (or drive around for an ATM at least) since the parking across the street was completely full.
After the announcing was done and about an hour before the event ended, I was going to grab a little more food. Unfortunately, most of the vendors were already packed up. I ended up with a second plate of risotto and called it a night.
It was an interesting event, but I am up in the air on whether or not I would return. It will probably depend on how great of a deal I can get on tickets next year.

Best of the Bay was a great event!
I got the opportunity to attend for the first time this year. I was shocked at the amount of food vendors there, all freely handing out their delectable items. I got to sample quite a few things and they were all good. I especially loved the risotto from The Black Pearl!
The awards went by smoothly and it was fun seeing people so happy to have won awards. There were a lot of different areas to mingle and chill in, but I was happy to have gotten there early to snag a table.
The big reason why it wasn’t a 5 star event for me: the bar lines were RIDICULOUS. I have no problem with waiting in line to purchase a drink, but the drink service moved very slow and it became more trouble than it was worth to try to get a beverage. That said, I would still come back in future years because I had a great time at Best of the Bay!

We had an awesome time celebrating the Creative Loafing readers’ and writers’ favorite local businesses and people in Tampa Bay at Creative Loafing’s 25^th Best of the Bay 2015 Award Party. The Mahaffey theater, located in Downtown St Pete on the water, served as a beautiful venue offering beautiful views of the marina and a generous large 2 story space to enjoy the awards. Even with the large crowd, the venue never was too cramped or over-​capacity. I was blown away by 25 delicious food & drink stations! My favorite dishes were the Grouper Ceviche and Calamari Arugula Salad at Sea Sea Riders and the Grilled Snapper with Alligator and tomato jam at Marchano’s Bar & Grill. Other vendors included: Gyros at Acropolis, brownies with orange liquor and whisky glaze at Anise Global Gastrobar, Cider and Mead Brewskies at Cigar City Brewery, Pumpkin Ale, slow ride, and fat tire at New Belgium Brewing, Mushroom Risotto with Pesto at The Black Pearl, Wings at The Living Room on Main, Ham and Plantains at Pipo’s Café, Lemon meringue cookies at The Bake /​Noi, Raw Oysters at Sea Salt, Sono Café, Pasta salad at Cena, AntiPasta salad at Casa Tina, Tampa Bay’s Best Margarita– the Banana Foster Margarita at Salty’s Gulfport, Beef tacos at Tijuana Flats, Jamaican Beef Empanadas at Island Flavors and Tings, Coffee at Black Crow Coffee, Alfredo Tortellini at Moscato’s Bella Cucina! Premier Photo Booths of Tampa had awesome props including a horsehead mask for funny memorable photo booth pictures. Of course Unilocal Tampa Bay was in the house with a booth!
Winners: Best Indoor Snorkeling– Guy Harvey Outpost, Sign of Intelligent Life in S Tampa– Cass Contemporary Gallery, Sh***iest Neighbor Ever– St Petersburg (for Dumping 15mil gallons of untreated sewage into Gulfport’s Clam Bayou), Waterfront View– Hotel Zamora Rooftop, Art– St Pete Museum of Fine Arts, Free Museum– USF Contemporary Art Museum, Beach Bar– Caddy’s on the Beach (Runners Up: Frenchy’s, Undertow), New Restaurant– Ulele, DT Tampa Restaurant– Anise Global Gastrobar, DTSP Restaurant– BellaBrava, Beach Restaurant– Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill, Tacos– Taco Bus, Hotel Restaurant– Armani’s (Runners Up: Birch & Vine, Hollander), Hotel Bar– Canopy, Seafood– Salt Rock Grill (Runners Up: Frenchy’s, 400 Beach Seafood & Tap House), Waterfront Dining– Frenchy’s (Runners Up: Salt Rock Grill, Bahama Breeze), Steak– Berns, Italian– BellaBrava, Mexican– Miguels, Middle Eastern– Byblos, Thai– Lemon Grass Thai Kitchen, Sushi– Soho Sushi (Runners Up: Hook’s, Samurai Blue), Brewery– 3 Daughters Brewery, Wine Bar– Cru Cellars, Happy Hour– Cassis Brasserie (Runners Up: BellaBrava, Bernini)
Cons: We couldn’t hear the announcer too well in most parts of the 2^nd floor so we missed many of the winners that were announced. There were speakers in the ceiling all over 2^nd floor but they were not broadcasting the announcer. Drink lines were a little long. More bars next year would be helpful. The $ 10 Parking fee was unexpected. However, I was able to easily find parking right across the street without any problems. For all the VIP’s in attendance, its surprising they did not offer valet parking.
For the $ 25 admission fee, you are definitely getting your money’s worth in food and drinks alone, let alone the entertainment! Plus it’s a great way to learn about new restaurants and arts in Tampa Bay! Make sure to get your tickets early because they sell out quick! Will definitely be back next year!