The Taste 2013: Cocktail Confidential

A cool wind made for a comfortable night out at Cocktail Confidential, the final event of The Taste. No matter what your poison, someone was serving it with a smile and a garnish.

Plates ran the gamut from so-called “stoner food” like Fred 62’s deep-fried “Mac Daddy” mac and cheese balls to haute cuisine. There was also a lot of super spicy food. Mexikosher filled a roll with chorizo, dipped the whole thing in a spicy sauce, then fried it in oil. It was like a searing, meaty, french toast. Jitlada’s plate was almost too hot to handle, but only almost. Spicy BBQ pork noodles and ground meat with rice was impossible to stop eating, even as your lips melted.

Once again, ceviche ruled the night. Coni Seafood served a tostadito with a mixed seafood ceviche including shrimp, octopus and sea snail. Pace presented one of the best dishes of the night, a Chilean seabass with greens. After so much adventurous food, it was really nice to have the familiar comfort food of Aventino – meatballs with golden raisins and polenta.

My favorite cocktail was Flor de Cana Rum’s Macua, featuring white rum with guava, orange and lemon juice. Citadelle Gin made a nice Gin and Tonic. I wasn’t planning on mixing my liquors, but we ended up at the Don Julio bar again for 17-year old Plato. Cake Mamas got into the night’s vibe with cupcakes flavored with Guinness, Baileys, Strawberry Vodka and Passion Fruit Vodka.

As we made our way through the crowd, a very drunk girl ran past us, screaming to someone unseen, “They have cupcaaaaaaakes!!!” That was the defining moment of Cocktail Confidential.