Birthday Festivities at Andina

Alright, so I've been waiting for the official photos on this, but I've decided to wait no longer! Official photos could be forthcoming.

Best birthday event ever held on a Monday night in the George V room downstairs at Andina! We had a remarkable amount of food and beverage! The tasting menu included a little of each of 12 small plates and two desserts.

Here's the menu split into courses:

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Cebiche de Pescado "5 Elementos"
traditional cebiche of fresh fish "cooked" in key lime juice with a marinade of onions, cilantro and peppers

Cebiche de Mango Verde Y Langostinos
traditional cebiche of green mango, passionfruit and prawns

Yuca Rellena
cheese-stuffed yuca with an aji Amarillo and ricotta cheese sauce

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Palta Rellena de Cangrejo y Langostinos
avocado stuffed with crab and shrimp

Causa Solterito
freshly mashed yellow potatoes infused with key lime juice ans pressed into a cake with savory vegetarian toppings

Chicharron de Langostinos
crispy golden prawns studded with quinoa

Pimiento Piquillo Relleno
piquillo peppers stuffed with cotija cheese, quinoa and aged Serrano ham

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Anticucho de Pollo
marinated chicken skewers

Anticucho de Corazon
marinated beef heart skewers

Conchas a la Parilla
grilled scallops dressed in garlic lime butter sauce

Tortilla de Patata Y Aioli de Aji Amarillo
Spanish-style potato frittata with an aji Amarillo aioli

Esparragos Peruanos
fresh asparagus brushed with olive oil and grilled

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Alfajores
classic Peruvian cookie, scented with key lime and filled with manjar blanco

Trufas Perunas
authentic handmade truffles with Peruvian flavors

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So the setup was small plates that were shared. Everyone had the chance to try everything. Based on the buzz in the room, I'd say the cebiche de pescado, yuca rellena, palta rellena, chicharron, piquillo relleno, and the two skewers were the most popular dishes. The only two dishes that didn't rock my world were the prawns (truthfully, I've never had a prawn I love) and the scallops, which I thought were a tad on the salty side.

The desserts were both good, but I love the alfajores. It turns out the manjar blanco is very similar to dulce de leche, and I can't pass on that! If you have a chance to try the anise truffle, go for that too!

The service was excellent and the restaurant provided extra servers for drink orders for the first hour or so of the event. The restaurant was amazingly accommodating for the people with special diets and even provided alternatives to some of the dishes for the lactose-free, gluten-free, and vegetarians in the bunch. The five year-old who was having a picky day even got his own special chicken strips, made with the quinoa coating used for the shrimp, and yuca fries! Apparently they were also excellent.

All told, we consumed many bottles of wine (the Maquis Lien was by far the crowd favorite), even more cocktails, and tons of food.

Thanks to all y'all who saw fit to attend! See you next time!