I’ve been attending some fun events in DC recently. The first one was a while back at Masa 14 to kick off the new fall menu and introduce their new executive chef Adam Goldman. Masa 14 is a Richard Sandoval restaurant, and the menu features Latin-Asian small plates created by chef Richard Sandoval and Kaz Okochi.
And what a delicious menu it is. We had a sampling of goodies including roasted beet salad, wok stir-fried mussels, salmon tartar, and a spicy cream of corn soup.
And my absolute favorite of the whole night, cornmeal crusted oysters with lemon togarashi aioli, green papaya slaw, and pickled fresno chilis served on a scallop shell.
And we washed it all down with 2 fall inspired drinks.
The first was Autumn on 14th, a mix of Bourbon, balsamic syrup, brown sugar, ginger beer, and fresh basil.
And the second, which I was a huge fan of, the Masa Smoked Cider: mescal, cinnamon-infused whiskey, mulled apple cider, and fresh lemon.
I’ve always really enjoyed Masa 14 as a place to go for good food, good drinks, and a great atmosphere with friends. It’s fun for happy hours or meeting up with people after work for dinner. And my favorite part of the restaurant is the gorgeous rooftop. The new menu was something to get excited about. I was also really excited when I found out they have a fantastic pre-fixe brunch for only $35 that includes unlimited brunch cocktails and unlimited brunch small plates.
It was a definitely a fun night of eating and drinking on the Masa 14 rooftop.
Last week I also attended a small party at Oyamel to kick off their Day of the Dead Celebration.
Day of the Dead is an ancient Mexican tradition of celebrating the dead and enticing souls to linger with food, drink, and festivities. From Oct 22-Nov 2 Oyamel is featuring some exciting new drink and food items that are inspired by the pre-Hispanic foods set out as offerings on traditional Day of Dead altars. The night was filled with an abundance of cocktails including an Oazacan Chocolate-Pumpkin Margarita, The Zombie Apocalypse, The Marigold, and my favorite, the Sacrifice which was house infused turkey el jimador Reposado, orange curaçao, lime juice and mole bitters.
And the most interesting for me of the night and also quite tasty was a drink with pureed grasshoppers.
The food items being showcased were definitely unique and a little different than what I’m used to. But it was fun to try these new flavors and try things out of my comfort zone. There was everything from finely chopped raw Broken Arrow Ranch venison heart with sweet onion, pickled cactus, serrano chile, cilantro and pasilla de Oaxaca chile oil to house made crispy masa cakes with braised turkey legs marinated in achiote with a Mayan sauce of toasted pumpkin seeds, tomatoes and habanero.
I really enjoyed the 2 tacos that were featured: The first was Taco de Camote y Pozole: local sweet potatoes and hominy sautéed in butter, shallots and achiote with a peanut mole and crispy sweet potato rings and Taco de Mollejas de Pollo: crispy chicken gizzards with a chicken liver pate, green olives, red onion, jalopeno and orange. Really different items, but all presented very well.
Both of these events were so much fun, and a great way to try some of the new items being offered. If you’re in DC-be sure to check out Oyamel’s Day of the Dead celebration going on now until November 2nd. It will excite your palate as much as it did mine!
