Come see what a delicious Dinner with LA VICTORIA® Brand celebrating their 100 anniversary tastes like! Music, art and of course flavorful Mexican food is on the menu!
Dinner with LA VICTORIA® Brand
When you put flavorful Mexican food, colorful art, and live music together, you know there’s a party in the works! Thursday morning was cloudy, but the evening was gorgeous for an outdoor gathering at Pioneer Courthouse Square, in the heart of Downtown Portland – also known as the City’s “living room”! The location was the perfect backdrop to celebrate and enjoy Dinner with LA VICTORIA® Brand in honor of their 100 year anniversary.
The evening started with friendly greeters handing out drink tickets and pointing the way to the bar. Once there, I ordered a glass of wine while listening to the band play in the background.
With wine in hand, I went to check out the dinner set up and who was playing the live music. The dark wood tables were festively set family-style with long rustic benches, white table runners and beautiful floral centerpieces with a few colorful chile peppers strewn about. Really quite stunning!
After admiring the tables, it was the band I wanted to see and hear up close. Music from Portland-based Latin Funk group Sabroso, definitely brought an upbeat vibe to the party. They’re outstanding at entertaining a crowd, horns and all!
Next it was on to the art show displayed for the evening. So rich and vibrant in color, it too added to the night’s ambiance.
The Food and Conversation
As guests started arriving so did the scrumptious appetizers from the kitchen. Chef Noé Garnica, owner of Verde Cocina, a group of four Portland-area cafes renowned for their unique fusion of the Northwest and authentic Mexican cooking, created delicious appetizers on a stick – my favorite! Sweet Potato Skewer Bites with LA VICTORIA® Green Taco Sauce and Bacon Bites. As I watched Chef Garnica cook, his smile told me how genuine he is and how much he enjoyed interacting with guests.
A theme that ran through many of the recipes served during the Dinner with LA VICTORIA® Brand was sweet potatoes. The tender, orange sweet potatoes showed up in the appetizer, main courses and even dessert! Definitely an A+ for Chef Garnica’s creativity. All the Mexican food was fresh and delicious!
The first course was Shrimp Ceviche with tortilla chips, which went down way too easily. I quickly realized I need to pace myself to make sure I had room for what was to come!
Next, the friendly servers brought, Gaspacho. I treated it like a salsa and slathered it on every thing I could – it was that good! Yes, it was great with tortilla chips too! The next dishes to come out of the kitchen were Alimento, a roasted chicken seasoned with chili ancho, Gringas con Mole, fresh local veggies grilled to perfection and wrapped in a handmade corn tortilla topped with Mole and finally Carnitas Stuffed Chile Relleno.
My favorite dish of the night? A tough choice, but I’d have to say the Chile Relleno. This masterpiece includes a roasted poblano pepper filled with Oregon-grown quinoa, fresh sautéed veggies and apples and topped with carnitas, queso fresco and of course LA VICTORIA® Salsa Cilantro. Wow! Can’t wait to recreate this in my own kitchen!
Family style dinner settings are especially great for casual dining – my favorite! It gives you the perfect opportunity to meet new faces and opens you up to amazing conversations. I was fortunate enough to sit next to three funny, bearded gentlemen who made the night both fun and entertaining – like we were old friends. They couldn’t believe I was an influencer for a living and were very gracious as I snapped shots of the food throughout dinner.
The food and wine kept coming and and the night was topped off with a Dessert Tamale, made of sweet corn, coconut milk and sugar cane, and finally Flan, which featured a coconut cream base, sweet potato and an amazing caramel sauce. What could be better to end a flavorful multi-course menu of Mexican cuisine celebrating 100 years of LA VICTORIA® Brand salsas and hot sauce!
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