I seriously cannot stop sharing images from this amazing night. Our tenth anniversary party was absolutely an excuse for us to celebrate our marriage with the people that we’d gained over the last ten years—the people who are our support group now (and always). It was also an excuse to eat ridiculously good food and drink some delicious beverages. Andina Restaurant in Portland, Oregon provided the perfect venue and menu for our little shindig.

(Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way.)

We chose Andina restaurant in Portland, Oregon as our venue for four very good reasons:

1. We loved the food there and had one of our most memorable post-marriage date nights eating a delicious meal there.
2. They had a GORGEOUS space that fit our party’s numbers.
3. Andina’s team of people that helped me secure the space, view it, try foods, and plan my party were so very helpful. I am a tad anal with events (spreadsheets are your friend!) and they were nothing but gracious hosts.
4. It was affordable. I mean, it wasn’t inexpensive… but, I wanted a GREAT meal. A great meal was certainly had. Don’t believe me… let me show you:

(Amazing photos by Mary Boyden of Mary Boyden Photography)

Party Menu at Andina Restaurant in Portland, Oregon

There were several different choices and price points to create the party menu that we wanted. We chose to do a four course meal along with Tres Salsas Con Pan (breads with salsas/dipping sauces). My favorite part was being able to let my guests actually peruse the menu and select items that they wanted. I have done every style of dinner party there is from family style to buffet to plated… but, getting to have choices really made me feel like I was able to treat my guests. For our menu guests were able to choose from three selections of each of the courses. We chose those three selections prior to the day, but the guests got to choose their own items in the moment. I created the pictured menus because I wanted the menus to match the rest of the paper goods. The restaurant will make menus for you based on your selections if you aren’t as particular as I am. ::wink::

First course:

I accidentally got the first and second courses mixed up in creating my menu. So, if you are looking at the image below then look at the second course items for what we actually selected as our first course. (BTW… this is a little lesson in letting go. I could have been  upset that all that work ended up with a mistake in it, but in the end not one person cared and the menus still looked good.)

Here were the choices directly from the menu of Andina.

Cebiches Y Tiradito:

1. cebiche de pescado “5 elementos” traditional cebiche of fresh fish “cooked” in lime juice,with a marinade of onions, cilantro and peppers
2. cebiche de mango verde y langostinos cebiche of green mango and poached prawns in a passionfruit leche de tigre
3. tiradito de betarraga roasted red and golden beets, served with an ají verde al batán, pickled vegetables and sesame oil

Second course:

I think this was my favorite course of all of them. I had the prawns and they were flavorful, crunchy, sweet and spicy. SO GOOD. Also, isn’t the Causa Morada (resh lime-flavored purple potatoes pressed into a cake) dish gorgeous?

Piqueos:

1. ensalada verde peruana greens with hearts of palm, cotija cheese and asparagus in a passionfruit vinaigrette
2. chicharrones de langostinos crispy golden prawns studded with quinoa, served with salsa agridulce
3. causa morada fresh lime-flavored purple potatoes pressed into a cake with a shredded chicken breast and ají amarillo filling

Third course:

This was the main course and it was really difficult to narrow down our favorite dishes to just three, but I feel like we got some crowd pleasers.

Platos de Fondo:

1. lomo saltado – wok-fried Cascade Natural beef tenders with onions, tomatoes, oyster sauce, garlic and ají amarillo, served with Yukon Gold papas fritas and garlic rice (vegetarian version available with wild mushrooms)
2. escabeche de pollito con duo de camotes – Pisco-brined Draper Valley chicken, pan-roasted to order, served with escabeche-style pickled onions and sweet potato as both crispy quinoa croquetas and huacatay gratin, with Botija olives and quail eggs
3. quinotto “chisaya mama”- quinoa “risotto” with Grana Padano cheese, golden beets, local mushrooms and market fresh vegetables, laced with truffle oil

Fourth course:

I barely had room for dessert at this point… however, I made sure I made a little room so I could enjoy the grand finale. I have had the pleasure of tasting each of these desserts and they are truly wonderful. On my anniversary I chose the cannolis stuffed with passionfruit mousse.

Postres:

1. chocolate andino -two layers of decadence: a quinoa flour brownie and rich chocolate ganache, finished with a blackberry gastrique and avocado creme anglaise
2. alfajores -the classic Peruvian cookie, scented with key lime and filled with manjar blanco
3. canutos de quinua y maracuyá – crispy quinoa studded cannolis stuffed with passionfruit mousse

I’ve had a lot of great meals in my life. This one is currently sitting at the top of the list.

What is the best meal you’ve ever had? Tell me about it in the comments!