Taqueria Morita

The best part of going to wine classes over and over again is that you start to see the same people over and over again, and eventually you become friends!

My new wine friend, Shannon Behnen, invited me to try the new brick and mortar for Taqueria Morita, right across the parking lot from Vicia, by the same owners in case you hadn't heard.

Instead of wine, I ordered the smallest beer ever! A Modelito! Isn't it cute! (Had a hard time getting the lime in though.)

Modelito

I made the mistake of ordering something hearty, the Quesadilla Gringa, right out of the gate, which was delicious, don't get me wrong, but then I didn't have room for much else.

Quesadilla Gringa

My friends were much smarter and tried several smaller dishes:

Fish, Carne Asada, and Pork Carnitas tacos...

Carne Asada Taco

Fish Tempura Taco

Pork Carnitas Tacos

My favorite small plate was the Tuna Crudo. I probably could have ordered two of these and been set for the night, but really the best thing is to share in order to try all the small plates.

Tuna Crudo

I also "helped" to finish off the guac, hence no picture. 

This is a great addition to the Cortex!

Resources:

Taqueria Morita = https://www.taqueriamorita.com/

STL VegGirl Vines & Veggies

It has been a long time since I have attended a STL VegGirl  event, but a five-course wine paired dinner party is right up my alley. This was also a great excuse to see an old friend, Caryn Dugan, and make a new wine friend, who orchestrated all the wine pairings, Wanda Cole-Nicholson.

I love to see the creativity that comes from Caryn, and I learned about a new vegetable, Celeriac, also known as Celery Root, which was used to make the "steak" main course for the evening. While not attempting to mimic the texture of a steak, and definitely not the same flavors, it was sturdy enough to hold the mushroom sauce on top. 

Celeriac Steak Diane

The coolest looking "new creation" was the appetizer course: vegan caviar made from jellied vinegars and agar. The mixture of vinegar flavors were heated, then dropped into cold oil to create the spheres, looking exactly like roe.

Vegan Caviar over crème fraiche

Then we moved to a salad course, followed by a vegetable and miso infused soup, which had to be one of the best veggie soups I have ever had.

Crisp Mint & Spring Greens Salad

Hearty Spring Vegetable and Bean Soup with a Miso Infusion

We finished the night with a Carrot Cake Cookie topped with Vanilla Frosting.

Carrot Cake Cookie with Vanilla Frosting

Unfortunately, I missed a picture of the wine lineup, probably because I stayed after to help finish off some of the bottles! 

I have included Sommelier Wanda's contact information below as I hope to take more classes from her in the future.

Resources:

STL Veg Girl = http://www.stlveggirl.com/

Center for Plant-Based Living = https://www.cpbl-stl.com/

Wanda Cole-Nicholson = https://www.vinbev.net/