Upper West Tempts Tastebuds At Tequila Pairing Dinner

The Coconut Poached Pescado Blanco with chipotle carrot puree, lime-tomato jam, and toasted cumin bread crumbs. — **Course 1:** The tequila-pairing dinner began with the Coconut Poached Pescado Blanco with chipotle carrot puree, lime-tomato jam, and toasted cumin bread crumbs.

Upper West Restaurant in Santa Monica held a special five-course dinner with Herradura Tequila pairings earlier this month on Thursday, Feb. 6.

The Herradura Tequila distillery is located in Amatitán, Jalisco, Mexico. It was formally founded in 1870 by Félix López and the business remained in the family for over 125 years. Today it is owned by US beverage maker Brown-Forman, but the tequila is still made in the same place and facilities under a Mexican subsidiary.

Upper West Executive Chef Nick Shipp spoke about each dish while servers delivered the plates to the tables in the front room of the restaurant.

Herradura Tequila representatives then spoke about the corresponding tequila, its flavor profile, how it was created, and why it paired well with Shipp’s dish.

Here is a look at each of the courses:

The Pozole De Chivo: Braised leg of goat and chorizo-sweet corn flan in a Hoja Santa-Tomato broth. — **Course 2:** The braised leg of goat with chorizo-sweet corn flan in a Hoja Santa-Tomato broth.

Course 1: A coconut milk and pineapple juice poached Pescado Blanco (pictured above) served on top of a chipotle carrot purée. The fish was topped with a lime-tomato jam and toasted cumin breadcrumbs were served on the side. Herradura Silver was served as the tequila pairing.

Course 2: A braised leg of goat with chorizo-sweet corn flan in Hoja Santa-tomato broth. Herradura Repasado was served as the tequila pairing.

**Course 3:** The Memelita (Oaxacan Pizza) served with a side of crunchy grasshoppers.

Course 3: Memelita (Oaxacan Pizza) was served with queso quesillo, black bean-huitlacoche spread, roasted tomato, and parsley oil. For those feeling a little adventurous, there were tiny grasshoppers served on the side that were crunchy and salty. Herradura Anejo was served as the tequila pairing.

**Course 4:** Char-grilled quail with jalapeno citrus marinade, yellow curry mole, sauce guajillo, and cilantro-raisin pistou.

Course 4: Char-grilled quail with jalapeño and citrus marinade was served over a yellow curry mole with sauce guajillo and cilantro-raisin pistou. A Herradura Cognac Cask Finish Repasado was served as the tequila pairing.

Course 5: For dessert, a coconut pudding was served inside an oaxacan chocolate shell. Inside was mango and cinnamon. Herradura Port Cask Finish Repasado was served.

Coconut pudding inside a Oaxacan Chocolate shell with cinnamon and mango. — **Course 5:** Coconut pudding inside a oaxacan chocolate shell with cinnamon and mango.

As a surprise to end the event, diners were treated to a tasting of Herradura Tequila Seleccion Suprema that’s aged for 49 months. It generally retails for $55 per a shot (the same cost as the entire Upper West five-course pairing event).

Upper West hosts a special pairing event once a month. The dinners change between beer pairings, wine pairings, and liquor pairings. Space is limited and reservations quickly fill up once the events are announced several weeks in advance. Visit the website or follow the restaurant on Facebook or Twitter for updates. The restaurant is located at 3321 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica.

For reservations or more information, call 310.586.1111 or visit www.theupperwest.com.