Here's one more look at the attractions at the New York City Wine & Food Festival this past weekend.
Packing in 120 events over its four-day run, the second annual festival attracted more than the 38,000 attendees. Among the events that took place between Thursday and Sunday, the gatherings hosted by Food Network talent—including Rachael Ray's Burger Bash and Giada Delaurentiis's Meatball Madness—sold out first, followed swiftly by culinary demonstrations and talks held at the TimesCenter. At one point, the organizers, led by festival founder Lee Brian Schrager and the production team from Karlitz & Company, opted to expand Saturday night's dessert party, Sweet, to accommodate the surge in demand. Originally planned for 1,050 guests at La.venue, the event annexed the adjacent Waterfront to make room for an extra 350.
Our full coverage of the New York City Wine & Food Festival is here.
![The festival kicked off on Thursday night with Chelsea Market After Dark, where Event Energizers designed a white lounge for Sandra Lee that included a dance floor and projections of chandeliers.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e16821image3.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Among the chefs cooking at Friday night's Burger Bash was Michael Psilakis (far left) of Gus & Gabriel. His creation for the crowd at the Tobacco Warehouse was a blend of short rib and brisket.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e16821image6.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Spike Mendelsohn used cheerleaders outside his booth at the Burger Bash; the Good Stuff Eatery chef went on to win the competition with his 'Prez Obama' burger.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e16821image7.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Similar to last year's setup, the Burger Bash built a large tent in the front to house the stage, some seating, and sponsors like The New York Times. Bentley Meeker provided the lighting, which included patterned projections and sponsor gobos.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e16821image5.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![To accompany the Southern menu at the Texas roadhouse Hill Country, Paula Deen's Down South Up North event on Saturday also included down-home tunes.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e16821image4.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Inside La.venue and the Waterfront on Saturday night, restaurants such as Del Posto, Daniel, and the Sea Grill set up stations for the dessert-focused event Sweet. Park Avenue Autumn's offering (pictured), was aged goat cheese mousse with caramelized pears and pomegranate foam.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e16821image8.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Also at Sweet, Absolut hosted a lounge decorated with a branded candelabrum, white lounge furniture, and an oversized bottle-shaped prop made from stalks of wheat.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e16821image9.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![In addition to interviews with chefs like Jean-Georges Vongericten (left), Illycaffé's Push Button House provided tastings of its espresso on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e16821image10.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![At Sunday's Meatball Madness event inside La.venue, a judging panel comprised of former New York Times restaurant reviewer Frank Bruni, Vogue food critic Jeffrey Steingarten, and Food & Wine's Gail Simmons declared Andrew Carmellini's lamb meatball slider the winning dish of the night.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e16821image1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![A trio playing Italian tunes entertained the crowd at Meatball Madness.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e16821image2.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)