sundays dinner was spectacular! from the altar to honor the dia de los muertos, to the gorgeous music by diva kai! this was definitely one for the record!

the evening started with fantastic chinese pork quesadillas with oaxacan cheese. the welcome drink was tito's vodka infused with mexican vanilla and clove with a bit of star anise served atop ice and dashed with klug farms apple cider and cava for some effervescence! it was like drinking fall in a glass! er, with vodka....

the dinner started with a surprise course from brian, who was inclined to share his oferenda with the table. it was in memory of his grandpa who would always serve hush puppies during the elections, and since his grandpa was the person he was paying tribute to at the dia de los muertos altar, it was fitting. (see pics in photo section)

the dinner then swiftly moved to the course which i personally love! the mexican calabasa and pumpkin soup with chinese 5 spiced bacon! it was addictive! we gathered 20 small pumpkins, had our great friend / server xochilt carve them out, and then used them as serving bowls. i heard it was a very martha-stewrty thing to do, but it looked amazing! as soon as we set the pumpkin down in front of each guest you could hear the gasp and then see the flash! ** note: i want to see the pics, so people that were at the dinner, send me your telephone pictures so i can use them here! ** almost everyone was taking photos of that dish!

then to the main, the pork belly dish to end all pork belly dishes! we served the pork belly with root veggies that were tossed in a goji berry mole and then served rainbow swiss chard DAZZLED with raisins. yes, i said dazzled, and it was a funny at the dinner! it was my inner-front- of -the -house descriptive words / tourettes! 

lastly, we enjoyed the pan de muerto banana bread pudding with sesame seed ice cream! this was the perfect ending to tie in our theme of day of the dead, our concept of mexican meets chinese food, and to pay tribute to the season of fall! way to go team yo soy! many, many thanks to xochitl and doug for the assistance in this month's dinner!  muchas gracias!

and before everyone headed their own separate ways, diva kai sang some amazing tunes for all to enjoy! she was absolutely stunning, and i loved the stories she prefaced each song with!

it was also a treat because our regular yo soy diner/ friend jorge was celebrating a birthday in which he was serenaded "las mañanitas" by mi prima debbie! it was fan-freakin-tastic!

on another great note, thanks time out chicago! the article that features 'underground dinners' summed us up pretty well! we are quite good , friends that you have yet to meet, you will leave with a hug, and yes, even an undercover cop can come to dinner (especially if he is cute!)....

see article here!