experiment #70 - Cobaya Olla with Chef Scott Linquist

After a month's hiatus, we're back. Experiment #70 brought us to Olla, Chef Scott Linquist's restaurant on the west end of Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, a Mexican restaurant that's both traditional and contemporary in its ways. We brought fifty guinea pigs to take over the place, and Chef Linquist brought fifteen dishes that highlighted the varied flavors of Mexican cuisine.

You can see all the pictures in this Cobaya Olla with Scott Linquist flickr set, and stay tuned for recaps coming soon. Here's his menu from last night:

A Mexican Romance with Cobaya

A menu journey through the multifaceted culinary landscape of Mexico

Bocadillos

Snacks - served with cocktails and mezcal

Guacamole

warm chips with four salsas: pasilla Oaxaca and roasted pineapple, charred tomatillo habañero, salsa fresca, and salsa verde

Chicharron

freshly fried pork skins, salsa borracha, roasted garlic aioli, cotija, cilantro

Chapulines

Oaxacan toasted grasshoppers, golden raisins, marcona almonds, Mexican chocolate dust

Verdure

jicama, cucumber, pineapple, watermelon radish, tajin

Welcome Cocktail

Oaxacan Burro - Alipus "San Juan" single village mezcal, ginger epazote shrub, ginger beer, lime

Mezcal Tasting

Espadin Agave - Alipus "San Juan," "Santa Ana Del Rio," "San Luis" compliments of XXI Wine and Spirits

Picpoul, Bonny Doon Beeswax Vineyard, Arroyo Seco, California 2015

La Mar

Kumamoto

oysters on the half shell, sea urchin, tomatillo cucumber serrano mignonette, lemon olive oil

Ahumado

house smoked salmon and 3 eggs – Siberian Osetra caviar, smoked trout roe, chicken eggs – Mexican crema, poblano salsita, bolillo bread

Navajas

razor clams, cured chorizo, toasted garlic, chile morita, roasted tomatillo, shrimp head aioli

Chardonnay, Gerard Tremblay, Chablis, France 2015

Pato y Patas

Pato

fresh nixtamal sope, duck three ways – cured and seared breast, carnitas leg, foie mousse – mole coloradito, pasilla Oaxaca and kumquat marmelada

Patas

menudo, rich broth made from 3 different patas (feet), tripe, hominy, guajillo chile, Mexican oregano, sunny side egg

Brut Rose, Antoine Muller Methode Traditionelle, Alsace, France NV

Cochinita, Carnitas y Cachete

Cochinita Pibil

pork shoulder slow roasted in banana leaf with achiote and habañero pickled onions

Carnitas

Michoacan style confit of pork leg and shank, salsa verde, pickled jalapeños and vegetables

Cachete

slow cooked Niman Ranch pork cheek, pork belly, charro beans, roasted tomato salsita, chipotle

Garnacha/Cariñena, Buil & Giné, Giné Giné, Priorat, Spain 2014

Oaxaca

Barbacoa

slow roasted Colorado lamb shoulder, recado de pasilla, roasted jalapeño mint salsita, salsa borracha, roasted cauliflower with pumpkin seeds and poblano crema

Chichilo

slow roasted long bone angus short ribs, Oaxacn mole chichilo, piloncillo roasted butternut squash, crispy Brussels sprouts

Malbec, Fabre Montmayou, Gran Reserva, Mendoza, Argentina 2012

Dulce de Leche

Cajeta Flan

goats milk dulce de leche custard, muddled raspberries, smoked Maldon sea salt, whipped cream

Weber Blue Agave, ArteNom, Seleccion de 1146 Añejo, Highlands, Jalisco, Mexico

A big thank you to Chef Linquist for putting together a great dinner, to all of his team at Olla for helping to make it happen, to XXI Wine and Spirits for the delicious and educational mezcal samplings, and as always most of all, to the guinea pigs whose interest and support makes these events possible.

experiment #70 - 4.19.17

Greetings Guinea Pigs – it's time for another experiment!

Quick Details:
Date: 4.19.17 (Wednesday)
Price: $95 (inclusive of tax and tip)
Start time: 7pm-ish

We will be doing a drawing for seats from all requests received over the first 48 hours. Please get your requests in quickly, and if you get a spot, please book it quickly.

To request spots, please send an email to reserve@cobaya.miami and let us know how many you're requesting.

You will be advised by Tuesday 4/11 if your request has been confirmed. You'll then need to book your seats by noon on Thursday 4/13, or we will need to release the seats to the wait list to ensure all spots are filled. Note the tight schedule: please make your request quickly, and if you get a spot, please book quickly.

We have limited seating available, and while we try to accommodate everyone who is interested, that is usually not possible - most events fill up fast. Due to space limitations, we will limit people to 2 spots per request, though if you're interested in more let us know and your request will be added to the waitlist.

When your seat request has been confirmed, please book it using the PayPal link which will be set up on this page. Please do not book unless and until you've received a confirmation. When you do receive the confirmation, please book your seats through PayPal promptly. There will be a short window of time to book before seats need to be released back to the waitlist to make sure they're filled.

There will be an optional beverage pairing for $35; a la carte beverages will also be available. We're still checking on BYOB (please confirm in advance).

Confirmed and paid-up attendees will receive an e-mail the day before the event, confirming the location and other details.

A brief, but important, refresher course on the whole Cobaya thing: there is no "menu". There are no choices. You'll be eating what the chef chooses to make for the night. If you have food related allergies, strict dietary requirements, religious restrictions; are salt sensitive, vegetarian, pescatarian, or vegan; don't like your meat cooked medium rare, or are pregnant: this meal is probably not for you. Do not expect white-glove service. Don't ask for your sauce on the side. Just come and enjoy.

Plus some legalese: please note that if you're requesting a spot, you understand that any food or beverages you consume are at your own risk, that you voluntarily assume any and all risks, known and unknown, and voluntarily release the organizers of the event from any claims, including personal injury and wrongful death, resulting in any manner from your participation in this event, whether caused by negligence or otherwise. Hopefully it won't come to that.

Please note, we're in process of consolidating our mailing lists, if you get multiple notices of the same event: (1) we're sorry; (2) there's no need to respond more than once.

Look forward to seeing you there. As always, thank you for your support.

FOR CONFIRMED SEAT REQUESTS ONLY:

experiment #70 - choose # and pairing

1 seat (no pairing) $98.00 USD 1 seat (with pairing) $134.00 USD 2 seats (no pairing) $196.00 USD 2 seats (with pairing) $268.00 USD