WetInPortland
Contributor
Summary – A truly unique meal for small parties in a private home. It’s expensive, so not an “every night” option. Paired beverages are included with each course. It is a very special treat.
I chose this dinner to celebrate my wife’s birthday. There are nine courses plus an intermezzo. For our evening experience there were ourselves and one other party of two. I suspect they would limit the total number of guests to a maximum of 8-10 people, just based on the space available.
The setting is in the chef’s and hosts' private home, about three blocks north of Sam’s Club. You’re seated overlooking the pool, and they present a video of 10 of the states of Mexico on a large projection screen on the opposite side of the pool, taking up the entire wall. The video is professional – this is no Super 8 home movie. I suspect it is a long format effort commissioned by the Mexico department of tourism. The visuals are wonderful, and in some cases, stunning.
Each of the 10 states covered has about 15 minutes of the video, so the total evening runs about three hours. Courses are small plates featuring something of the cuisine of each state. Each course is paired with a Mexican wine, liquor, or liqueur that’s been selected by a master sommelier. Each course is prepared and presented in sequence with the video. Each is delightful and very finely crafted.
Our chef, Alejandro, and his wife, Lorena, were our hosts. Our waiter, also named Alejandro, was assisted by Jesus. Chef Alejandro and Lorena were assisted by Michelle in the kitchen. For our evening then there were four guests and five staff! Chef Alejandro and Jesus speak little or no English, but our waiter, Lorena, and Michelle all speak wonderful English and were available to translate when needed.
I especially liked the moles. I expected mole from Oaxaca, and it was wonderful, but I was surprised to learn that Puebla also has their own styles of mole, which were just as delicious. I won’t spoil the fun of the evening by listing all the dishes, but each one was excellent!
After dinner, Chef Alejandro and Lorena came out to chat with us and answer questions about the dishes, Mexico, Cozumel, the food, the beverages, and pretty much indulged us with anything we wanted to ask about. (I found out that Chef Alejandro is a retired mechanical engineer, but his passion has always been food.)
Total price for the package is $160 USD per person, which is certainly expensive by Mexican standards, but we’ve spent more on special dinners in the USA. More information and reservations are available at www.10experiencestour.com.
I chose this dinner to celebrate my wife’s birthday. There are nine courses plus an intermezzo. For our evening experience there were ourselves and one other party of two. I suspect they would limit the total number of guests to a maximum of 8-10 people, just based on the space available.
The setting is in the chef’s and hosts' private home, about three blocks north of Sam’s Club. You’re seated overlooking the pool, and they present a video of 10 of the states of Mexico on a large projection screen on the opposite side of the pool, taking up the entire wall. The video is professional – this is no Super 8 home movie. I suspect it is a long format effort commissioned by the Mexico department of tourism. The visuals are wonderful, and in some cases, stunning.
Each of the 10 states covered has about 15 minutes of the video, so the total evening runs about three hours. Courses are small plates featuring something of the cuisine of each state. Each course is paired with a Mexican wine, liquor, or liqueur that’s been selected by a master sommelier. Each course is prepared and presented in sequence with the video. Each is delightful and very finely crafted.
Our chef, Alejandro, and his wife, Lorena, were our hosts. Our waiter, also named Alejandro, was assisted by Jesus. Chef Alejandro and Lorena were assisted by Michelle in the kitchen. For our evening then there were four guests and five staff! Chef Alejandro and Jesus speak little or no English, but our waiter, Lorena, and Michelle all speak wonderful English and were available to translate when needed.
I especially liked the moles. I expected mole from Oaxaca, and it was wonderful, but I was surprised to learn that Puebla also has their own styles of mole, which were just as delicious. I won’t spoil the fun of the evening by listing all the dishes, but each one was excellent!
After dinner, Chef Alejandro and Lorena came out to chat with us and answer questions about the dishes, Mexico, Cozumel, the food, the beverages, and pretty much indulged us with anything we wanted to ask about. (I found out that Chef Alejandro is a retired mechanical engineer, but his passion has always been food.)
Total price for the package is $160 USD per person, which is certainly expensive by Mexican standards, but we’ve spent more on special dinners in the USA. More information and reservations are available at www.10experiencestour.com.
