Telescopes, galaxies, and Day of the Dead

photo by TEP

I received a message from Kara,  a woman I attended high school with,  " I saw this event and thought you might be interested. Perhaps you could write about it in your blog". It was an invitation to a Day of the Dead dinner at Café Azafrán  located in the Space Telescope Science Institute building, the home of the Hubble Space Telescope in Baltimore,  I looked at my calendar. I was already committed that evening The dinner gods prevailed. The previously scheduled event suddenly moved to another date. I was available to attend. I contacted Café Azafrán  and reserved my seat. When I reserved my seat I asked if  it was permissible to take non-flash photos. I was referred to Irena Stein, the owner.  Irena approved my request and encouraged to me arrived early to take pictures of the ofrenda. 


photo by TEP

According to Wikipedia,  Day of the Dead ( Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday observed throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico where the day is a public holiday. Prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th century, the celebration took place at the beginning of summer. It was moved to October 31, November 1 and November 2 to coincide with the Roman Catholic triduum festival of Ahellhallowtide: All Hallows' Eve, Hallowmas, and All Souls' Day Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. Visitors also leave possessions of the deceased at the graves.

photo by TEP

 
I arrived and checked in with a member of the staff. In addition, to dinner a cash bar was available. I opted for a shot of Del Maguey mezcal.

 

 

 

 

 

The menu:

 

QUESADILLAS
corn masa/chihuahua cheese/charred tomatillo salsa

photo by TEP

HUEVOS ENDIABLADOS
free-range dev­iled eggs/guacamole/pork crack­lings

 

photo by TEP

MACHUCOS DE PLATANO CON FRIJOL
sweet plaintain/black beans/chile ancho-piloncillo salsa

photo by TEP

ENSALADA DE REMOLACHA CON AGUACATE
roasted baby beets/avocado/tomatillo/jicama/orange/ pick­led red onions/cilantro/orange vinai­grette

 

 

photo by TEP

SOPA DE CALABAZA
but­ter­nut squash soup/pumpkin seeds/butternut gaufrettes/sage oil

 

photo by TEP

MUKBIL PATO TAMAL
duck confit/mayan spices/salsa yucateca/ red onion escabeche

 

photo by TEP

FLAUTAS DE CAMOTE
crispy corn tortilla/sweet potato/white hominy/ peanut salsa verde

BUDIN DE PAN DE MUERTO CON HELADO DE CAJETA Y CALABAZA EN TACHA
pan de muerto bread pudding/goat milk caramel ice cream/candied pecans/pumpkin/piloncillo

 

photo by TEP

The staff couldn't have been nicer and it was clear that the staff really wanted to the evening to be a success. Everyone was polite, cheerful and attentive. Dishes were cleared away quickly and water replenished frequently.  All the dishes were full of flavor and fresh tasting,  although I wish the tamale was served warm.  My mezcal selection was a good choice to accompany my meal. It would have been helpful to have copies of the menu on the tables so diners  could identify the dish with the menu listing. It also would have been helpful assigned seating. Larger groups that arrived later than the 7pm start scrambled to find seats together or asked fellow diners to move so the group could sit together. Overall, it was an enjoyable evening.

 

Christian Irabién cre­ated the fare for the Day of the Dead com­mem­o­ra­tion.  Irabién is the new exec­u­tive chef of Irena Stein’s Alma Latina Concina, which is sched­uled to open in the win­ter of 2015 in Canton.

 

I look forward to visiting Alma Latina when it opens.

 

Be well,

 

Technicolor girl

 

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