Taste of Cruzado

I recently had the pleasure of hosting a Foodie Blogger event at Cruzado Restaurant in Midtown, Atlanta. Owner Grace Lee, Chef Patric Bell, and the entire Cruzado team has an impressive dedicated vision for creative Cuban food.

I have enjoyed food, wine, and fun at Cruzado on multiple occasions. You can feel it in the food that creativity and passion is not only accepted but encouraged.

At the event, Taste of Cruzado, Chef Patric prepared a menu of Cuban inspired food that represented the spirit of the restaurant.

The first dish was Guasacaca with Yuca Frita, which is similar to guacamole without the jalapeno and sans chips, sub thick cut yuca (potato root veggie).

Dish number two was Nuyorican-style Chicken Soup. Nuyorican is a hybrid of Puerto Rican and New York style chicken soup. Even though the soup looked simple, the broth was packed with flavor.

 

Shrimp Ceviche was the third taste of the evening, which was also my favorite. The appetizer was balanced with a pleasant sweetness from pineapple with an unexpected kick of spice (not sure from what - but it was yummy).

The fourth dish was Papa Rellena which is a lightly fried ball of potato stuffed with succulent beef and cheese.

Ham and Potato Croquettes was the fifth course followed by Rice Fritters with black bean sauce.

The last dish of the night was Queso Frito with green mayonnaise. This was my second overall fave tasting of the event. I even had seconds. Fried. Cheese. Need I say more?

 

And for desert....(drum roll).... Fried Key Lime Pie. It was quickly flash fried so the pie in the middle was still solid and chilled but the outside was warm and crisp. Yum!

If you love food and passion, and admire a passion for food, then you MUST visit Cruzado.

Click here to check out my friends at Cruzado on CBS Better Mornings.

Salud!