South Beach Wine & Food Pre-Sale; Saison's Gras Dinner

SOUTH BEACH— The 2014 South Beach Wine & Food Festival doesn't hit the sands of Miami Beach until next February, but MasterCard holders will get exclusive access to a ticket pre-sale starting today (October 7). The card-holder pre-sale runs through October 20, with tickets available to the general public starting Monday, October 21. More information and tickets here. [EaterWire]

SAN FRANCISCO— As previously reported, chef Joshua Skenes' SF hotspot Saison is hosting a week's worth of guest chef dinners this week, and ISSF has a sneak peek at the menu to be served up tomorrow by legendary chef Laurent Gras. Among the dishes: hirame and sea urchin with chilled bouillabaisse and "bread sauce," and a fire-roasted Monterey abalone, served with a "barigoule of its liver [and] artichoke." [ISSF]

FOOD TV— Chef Richard Blais will host a new show for HLN (formerly "Headline News") premiering this December. Cook Your Ass Off, produced by the same folks that unleashed Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off onto the world, will "pit talented chef contestants against one another in a three-round competition" that tackles the specific dietary needs of one individual. Cook Your Ass Off debuts on December 1. [Deadline]

South Beach Wine & Food Festival. [Photo: Facebook]