Merely writing about the passion and pride in Chef Eleazar's voice as he spoke about each course, doesn't truly capture what I witnessed there inside of Ki' Mexico last night. From him giving us little insights on which courses were not so "Mexican-y", to stories of his family cooking meals together, to telling us about fennel, his favorite ingredient to cook with, all just made the night feel so personal. There was a little bit of him, his aunts AND his grandma in the dishes that he prepared for us. Here's what we ate: [Keep Reading...]
Sopa Fria de Manzana
Cold apple and avocado soup, lime creme, pickled fennel, herbed oil.
Cold apple and avocado soup, lime creme, pickled fennel, herbed oil.
I may have to retract the statement made in my previous post about not being a big fan of cold soup. The Golden Fork chefs keep serving up some pretty amazing flavor combinations in the form of cold soups and Chef Eleazar kept that trend going last night. I would have never imagined that apple and avocado puree could serve any other purpose than baby food, but this was an elevated marriage of tart and savory flavors that I could SO see myself indulging in again.
Before the appetizer, we served a signature cocktail of the night, the Calaverita Oaxaca. A mixture of raspberries, mescal and some other lovely ingredients that I can't seem to remember, garnished with a sprig of rosemary (one of my absolute favorites). It had a sweet, smoky flavor but was quite seedy. I conquered my #textureproblems and just gulped it down. Minus the seeds, I could have this again.
Ceviche Rosa
West coast shrimp ceviche with a touch of roasted beets, watermelon caviar, cucumbers, heirloom cherry tomatoes.
On this course, Chef Eleazar served up a different not so "Mexican-y" twist on the traditional ceviche. This colorful beauty was both good to my eyes and good to my palate. If nothing more, during this process, I am learning to not speak before I eat. Again, I may need to retract a statement made about not being a big fan of watermelon last week. I was almost turned off just by reading the ingredients alone. To my surprise, the watermelon caviar added such a great burst of flavor mixed with the roasted beet puree that was phenomenal and went so well with the shrimp. I know you're reading and wondering so it'll go ahead and say it, YES I ate the flower too. My motto is, if its on the plate, its edible....I hope!
Chile Pasilla Relleno
Goat cheese, toasted pecans, pasilla pepper, red wine and fig reduction.
Dear goat cheese thou shalt not intimidate me! Especially not in the savory realm. This my friends, was a hit. I'm pretty sure I only saw steams being ushered back to the kitchen as the wait staff promptly collected plates. I'd like to add that they did an awesome job. There was little to no down time between courses, the evening flowed very well. The goat cheese from Haute Goat Creamery was so flavorful and creamy and coupled with the pecans and fig reduction, yes please and thank you. The micro greens added just a hint of freshness to lighten up this savory beast.
Goat cheese, toasted pecans, pasilla pepper, red wine and fig reduction.
Dear goat cheese thou shalt not intimidate me! Especially not in the savory realm. This my friends, was a hit. I'm pretty sure I only saw steams being ushered back to the kitchen as the wait staff promptly collected plates. I'd like to add that they did an awesome job. There was little to no down time between courses, the evening flowed very well. The goat cheese from Haute Goat Creamery was so flavorful and creamy and coupled with the pecans and fig reduction, yes please and thank you. The micro greens added just a hint of freshness to lighten up this savory beast.
Conejo en Mole Verde
Mole verde, braised rabbit, epazote scented farmer's market vegetables.
**Soppage Alert! Soppage Alert! **
This was my first time having rabbit. It was told to me by my tablemates that its basically "chicken plus" and after the first bite, I was sold. It resembles the texture and flavor of chicken almost exactly. It was also my first time having Mole Verde and it was "soppage" worthy. The meat was seasoned well and I tried to get a bit of the mole with every bite of the rabbit. If it weren't for manners I would have loved to use my hands to really dig in but I minded my manners and used my cutlery accordingly but I worked hard to clean the bones!! Embarrassed I am not!!! As an added bonus, the veggies used here were purchased locally at the Shreveport Farmer's Market which made this dish even that much better.
Helado de Camote
Sweet potato ice cream, piloncillo syrup, buñuelos, milk crumbs, candied pecans.
Chef Eleazar called this a twist on a Mexican candy. I need that candy! This dessert did not disappoint!! The sweet potato ice cream was perfect, not too sweet and the milk crumbs were filled with delicious flavor and added a little crunch. I am confident that I used the fried tortilla chip as Chef intended; scooping a bit of ice cream, milk crumbs and pecans onto it and shoveling it into my mouth. Chef, I hope I made you proud!
Viva La Food Prize and see y'all next time!
No comments
Post a Comment