BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – TASTE BUDS were refreshed and challenged last evening (Oct. 22) by three Puerto Rican chefs who prepared eight delectable dishes at an event held at Spice Mill as part of the 6th Annual Latin Festival.
The event was fittingly dubbed ‘Interpretation of Mexican Cuisine by Three Puerto Rican Chefs’.
At the onset of the event, members of the Mariachi Band UTPA, dressed in traditional Mexican garb, entered the compound playing traditional Mexican music, a feature which brought smiles to the faces of the guests and drew rounds of applause.
The eight-dish dinner, prepared by Chefs Hector Rosa, Xavier Pacheco and Amanda Rosa, was new to some and filled with intrigue.
The first of the dishes was a Guacamole Mousse in a Gordita, which is fried bread with avocado mousse. It was light, fluffy and had very subtle flavours. But as the dinner advanced, the flavours of the dishes became bolder.
One of the dishes which is a favourite, according to individuals with whom SKNVibes spoke, was the Acapulco Lobster with Mofongo, which is lobster tail with tomato sauce and mashed fried plantains.
“That was perfect! The flavours were more robust, spicy and had more texture than the previous dishes,” an individual commented.
The Mariachi’s timing appeared to be perfect, bursting out in jubilant performance seemingly between the service of each meal. Appetites for food, companionship and music were more than satisfied at the event.
Because it was invented in Tijuana, Mexico, one of the dishes of the evening was the Caesar Salad with Mahi-mahi Crouton. This dish received a two thumbs up and, in the words of some of the guests, it was “flavourful”, “perfectly-prepared” and “excellent”.
The Tuna Tostada, which is a corn tortilla with pan-seared tuna, was also one of the crowd’s favourite.
“Tuna, if not prepared properly, can be very coarse and unforgiving to the pallet. But the way the chefs prepared this dish, it was simply succulent. And the way it was married with the other flavours is ingenious,” one of the guests commented.
The Carne Asada, which means ‘grilled beef’ in English, presented an exercise in flavour building. The prepared ribeye was served with hard and soft taco shells as well as an assortment of vegetables, a spicy sauce and lime. The guests were to layer the flavours as they pleased and after creating their masterpiece, enjoy devouring each savory morsel.
Other dishes featured during the event were: Ceviche Taquito, which is fried wanton taco with citrus marinated Mahi-mahi, Cochinitapibil and Pastel, which is Yucatan style port with roots vegetable pastel. And the final dish, Dessert, was sweet potato puree with chili-chocolate mousse and chili powder.
After dessert was served and while the Mariachi Band was playing its final numbers, the Chefs were introduced to the welcoming guests who were obviously delighted by the meal.
The party-like atmosphere at Spice Mill went late into the night and continued into the early-morning hours at Mojitos Cuban Bar at Port Zante.
The Latin Festival culminates on Sunday with a Latin Fiesta at Port Zante.
