Tapas & Wine
with Nectaris, Verdure, Veganizer

Join us for a memorable evening of tapas and wine! Verdure will be presenting Nicaraguan flavors and Spanish tapas with Pacific Northwest seasonal flair, while Nectaris will be pouring exquisite wines and non-alcoholic libations. 

Presented by Veganizer, our Tapas & Wine collaborative dinner is only available for four evenings. The menu celebrates Chef Adolfo Tigerino's Nicaraguan heritage. This special event is Beverly McKenzie's first popup collab this year. Special thanks to our friends at Mestizo for hosting us.

March 29 / March 30 / April 5 / April 6
Mestizo, 2910 SE Division St, Portland, OR 97202
Your $65 ticket includes a 5-course seasonal tapas menu (VGF) by Verdure. Wine pairings and non-alcoholic drinks curated by Nectaris available a la carte. 

UPDATE: In order to create a better dining experience, we will only be offering one seating at 5pm. We want our guests to enjoy the tapas and beverage pairings without feeling rushed. Guests with 8pm reservations have been contacted.

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Seasonal Tapas by Verdure
Five vegan and gluten-free tapas with chef's notes. Menu subject to change based on availability of seasonal and foraged ingredients.

One: Bocadillos
Rosquillas, fried almond cheese, soft hazelnut cheese with caramelized leeks and rhubarb pinxto

Rosquillas are a common snack in Nicaragua eaten with coffee, tea or alcohol. They’re a cracker made of corn flour in a circular shape (similar to the Italian cracker taralli). Usually paired with fried cheese or other crackers. Corn is one of the main ingredients found in Nicaraguan food. 

Two: Verduras
Fried king oyster mushroom rings and fried sunchokes in a light batter. served with an oca purée and a tamarind romesco sauce. Sautéed fiddlehead ferns served with a rhubarb chimichurri. 

Calamari is common in both Spain and Nicaragua because seafood is easily accessible in both regions. Both Spanish and Nicaraguan cuisines highlight vegetables by roasting or sautéing them and pairing them with a vinaigrette, honey or a sauce. 

We decided to highlight seasonal foraged ingredients for the sautéed vegetables. Fiddlehead ferns are such a treat. Always the first sign that spring is here. They have a nutty flavor and earthy notes like an asparagus. Chimichurri is commonly used in Argentinan cuisine, but made its way to other Latin American countries like Nicaragua where you see it used on top of steaks and skewers. 

Three: Ensaladas
Vigoron: radicchio, carrots and cabbage salad tossed in a vinaigrette with a crispy tofu skin and crispy sunchoke

Potato: crispy potato stuffed with local white beans, leeks, radicchio stem, chervil, ota tofu, and potatoes, topped with crispy potato skin

Raab: charred raab served over mashed potatoes with a radish vinaigrette 

Vigoron is a salad that was created in Granada, Nicaragua. It’s normally boiled yuca, pork rinds and curtido (cabbage and carrots in vinaigrette). I always loved this salad for its bright flavors and simplicity. It cools you down with that intense humidity. I swapped out rinds with tofu skin, and for the boiled yucca I added a mashed potato so it has a similar texture and holds true to the original. Radicchio being local here it adds an extra element to this salad which I love.

This potato salad is a play off a Spanish tapa called patatas aliñadas which is similar to a Russian salad in Nicaragua. So I thought it would be fun to sort of combine both salads in one. As Nicaraguan cuisine is very much influenced by Spanish, Caribbean and indigenous cuisines. Normally, it’s hard boiled eggs, tuna, and potatoes tossed in olive oil, vinegar and parsley. I swapped out the eggs with tofu and the white beans become the tuna. Even though it’s not a complete one to one iteration, I love the added creaminess of the white beans. 

When brainstorming the salad, we talked about the fun juxtaposition of hot and cold ingredients on a plate. This fun trio highlights seasonal vegetables next to two different but complementary salads. Usually, you'll find a side of pickles on the table to add to your salad for extra flavor and texture or simply for snacking. In this case, you can pick your own adventure by adding raab on top to eat alongside the salads.

Four: Proteínas y una Verdura
Celeriac carillada: slow cooked celeriac braised in a rich red wine broth 

Mushroom and tofu chorizo al vino tinto: chorizo made with oyster mushrooms, ota tofu, white beans, and hazelnuts cooked in a red wine sauce 

Tofu and soy curl muronos: a skewer marinated in a ras el hanout (spice blend), then grilled to order. served with pickles 

Cadillada is a popular tapa from Andalusia, normally it’s a slow cooked beef, lamb or pork cheek braised in a rich red wine broth till it’s soft and tender. I swapped out the protein with celeriac since I love the herbaceous notes celeriac has along with its texture when it’s slow cooked. 

Chorizo al vino tinto may sound simple with just red wine and chorizo but these two combined creates an explosion of flavors. I’ve swapped out the chorizo with an in-house made of ota tofu, mushrooms, nuts and beans. 

If you’ve been to any of my pop ups you know I bring some iteration of skewers to them. I always love them. They always leave a lasting impression for me. These muronos are marinated overnight before they’re grilled to order. These were influenced by the moors when they ruled Spain from 8th to 15th century. They didn’t eat pork so they originally were made with lamb. 

Five: Postres 
Basque style cheesecake served with a cookie crumble, flan, and chocolate hazelnut ice cream with chocolate bark.

We had to bring classic desserts for this event. Who doesn’t love a cheesecake with a crusty top? It’s not like NY style cheesecake, but still as satisfying. Flan is a cooked custard with a caramel over it. Both these desserts are popular in both Nicaragua and Spain. And we had to include chocolate in some form since chocolate is such a big part in Nicaraguan culture as they grow a lot of cacao beans.

Tickets
If you purchased your tickets separately, but would like to be seated together, please email [email protected]. Tickets are transferable and non-refundable. Thank you for understanding.

UPDATE: In order to create a better dining experience, we will only be offering one seating at 5pm. This allows guests to fully enjoy the tapas and wine pairings without feeling rushed. Guests with 8pm reservations will be contacted shortly.