Meat lovers rejoice: Top Chef winner Paul Qui coming to S.A. for Meatopia

Chef Paul Qui poses with his medal for Best Chef: Southeast, during the James Beard Foundation Awards, Monday, May 7, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow) Chef Paul Qui poses with his medal for Best Chef: Southeast, during the James Beard Foundation Awards, Monday, May 7, 2012, in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow) Photo: Jason DeCrow, Associated Press Photo: Jason DeCrow, Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Meat lovers rejoice: Top Chef winner Paul Qui coming to S.A. for Meatopia 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Top Chef winner Paul Qui of Austin and Houston's Chris Shepherd of Underbelly are two of the big-name chefs coming to San Antonio for the Meatopia food festival Nov. 2-3 at the Pearl Brewery.

Details of the outdoor event were announced during a press conference Monday at the Pearl.

“I've done events in New York, London, San Francisco, and other places, but I've always dreamed of coming to Texas, the world's capital of beef and barbecue and live-fire cooking,” food writer and event founder Josh Ozersky said in a statement. “I think this might end up being the greatest event in Meatopia's ten-year history.”

The carnivore's paradise weekend will feature a total of 32 chefs working their craft for two days of events.

Saturday evening will bring The Beefsteak, named after a Gilded Age-era style of dining excess. Tim Byres from Smoke in Dallas, Mike Toscano from Perla in New York and Tim Rattray of San Antonio's The Granary will collaborate to grill prime beef from Flannery Beef. Diners can gorge on all the steak they can eat, and plenty of Mexican and international beers.

Sunday afternoon is the main Meatopia, where chefs do their thing with beef, pork, veal, chicken, duck, quail, bison and whatever else seems tasty.

San Antonio chefs scheduled to participate include: Bruce Auden of Biga on the Banks; Jesse Perez of Arcade Midtown Kitchen; Andrew Weissman of Il Sogno, The Sandbar, Minnie's Tavern and The Luxury; Johnny Hernandez of La Gloria and The Fruteria-Botanero; Geronimo Lopez of Nao; Jeff White of Boiler House; Steven McHugh of the soon-to open Cured; Chad Carey of The Monterey; Jeff Balfour of Citrus; Jennifer Dobbertin of Hot Mess Catering; Nelson Millán of the San Antonio Country Club; Jordan Mackey of Las Ramblas; and Jeff Foresman of Zocca.

More Information

Meatopia San Antonio

Meatopia will also have a VIP area that features even more exclusive goodies, including wild-shot dove from Dai Due of Austin, duck from The Granary's chef Rattray and Texas charcuterie selection from Austin's Salt and Time.

Individual tickets for the Beefsteak are $100 per person; Meatopia general admission costs $75, Meatopia VIP is $125, and a combination Beefsteak and Meatopia VIP is $195.

For the full chef lineup, more information or to buy tickets, go to: www.atpearl.com/meatopia