The Ritz-Carlton, Naples hosted the 2011 Naples Winter Wine Festival with elegance and élan. It fed hundreds of attendees, tapas-style, with generous treats from its eight fine restaurants. The attendees then entered the big top tent and raised an even $12 million dollars at auction, brightening the future for thousands of local children.

 
 

The exterior of the Ritz-Carlton, Naples

Ritz-Carlton Executive Chef Derin Moore presided over the different feasts with an attentive army of chefs, servers and volunteers. It’s a challenge keeping fried items fresh and other items from wilting in the bright sun, but his teams achieved both feats with aplomb.  =H2O+ Café, located in the Ritz-Carlton Spa, served a wonderfully refreshing “CLT”, cucumber, lobster and tomato sandwich. Meanwhile, vegetarians enjoyed the tabbouleh and beet salad with alfalfa sprouts, tzatziki and artichokes, and a roasted eggplant, feta and olive wrap.
 
 

 The chefs of the Ritz-Carlton, Naples
 

I flipped over The Terrace’s Italian cuisine’s slow cooked veal cheek with goat cheese ravioli, preserved lemon and sun-dried tomato. The veal is cooked low and slow, building layers of taste buried in its sauce.

The goat cheese ravioli is a welcome pairing. Just as popular was the familiar smoked salmon, crème fraiche and caviar served with a twist on rich lemon brioche.

 
 

The Terrace's veal cheeks and goat cheese ravioli
 

The Grill, known for its private club ambiance consisting of rich wood paneling and superb service, stayed the course with regally roasted dry-aged beef. The horseradish soufflé potato was a very good counterpart (I’ll definitely try to make a similar version at home) and raised “steak and potatoes” to a new level.  

The Grill’s Burgundy escargot and sweetbread, sautéed with garlic butter and topped with a puff pastry lattice, was my favorite for its unique flavor and presentation.

The Terrace's escargot and sweetbreads
 

Bites, one of my favorite restaurants in Naples, had six offerings. The barbecue pork belly with apple horseradish was the star. The layers of taste in the pork had more than a few attendees returning for seconds! The lentil salad had delicious spicing and was served in a clever corn husk boat.

 
 

Bites' lentil salad
 

Gumbo Limbo featured playful beachside cuisines. The tropical lobster quesadilla and papaya relish was “the bomb”, according to one guest, while others favored the gazpacho shooters with cucumber and mango. Moore stood tall by Lemonia’s authentic Indian tandoor oven as guests savored the unique spicing of the Moroccan lamb kebab.

 
 

Lemonia's lamb kebab
 

The Sushi Bar had a line of repeat customers for its California rolls, surf and turf (beef and tuna), spiced seaweed and spicy tuna. Especially notable was the innovative tofu tempura, delicately fried with chili-lime dipping sauce and spicy mustard.

Global, newly opened at the golf resort, featured small-plate bar food from around the world. Guests chose from German mini bratwurst, Indian samosas, Italian mini calzones, Spanish seafood escabeche and Japanese udon noodles. 

 

The event’s eye candy was supplied by Master Pastry Chef Sebastien Thieffine, his able crew and his pastry creations.

 

Master Pastry Chef Sebastien Thieffine, second from left
 

From chocolate Paris Brest (named for the famous race) to a hazelnut raspberry salted caramel shot, and pumpkin spice crème brulee to cherry compote with bittersweet chocolate tart, there was a cornucopia of delicious delights. The desserts were exquisitely crafted for visual appeal, but it was the layers of taste that made a few guests linger, even after the auction began.

The desserts of the Naples Winter Wine Festival
 

The macaroons were beautifully made, the equal of any in Paris. Guests sampled one, but tried three or four different kinds when they realized that each color had a different flavor. As beautiful as the breads and cheeses were, guests dashed for these sweets. Still others liked the Key lime test tube and the layered goodness of the chocolate eggs.

 Inside the auction tent, festival trustees Elliot and Retta Singer made sure all was well before the auction released a tremble of wild energy.

Elliott and Retta Singer, trustees of the Naples Winter Wine Festival