One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.
Seth prepared the New Year’s Dinner Party for Tom, one of my best friends in Puerto Vallarta. It was also the inauguration of Tom´s brand new apartment in one of the most beautiful new apartment buildings in Puerto Vallarta. Seth knew when I recommended him that he had to do a great job. It wasn’t only a New Year’s dinner party but opening of Tom´s fisrt Home
in Puerto Vallarta to his guests! Seth did a wonderful job! His food is excellent and the service and attention very personable and professional. I will be happy to recomend Seth again! Anyone who wants to offer to clients, friends and/or family an unforgattable meal, Seth is the Chef to call! Un Festin de Bavette!
Alejandro Baez, Owner and Director, Sol y Luna Art Gallery
(Note: The meal began with New Potatoes stuffed with Sour Cream & Caviar and Cucumbers topped with Smoked Salmon Mousse and Fresh Dill. The dinner began with Grilled Brie Stuffed & Bacon wrapped Giant Prawns followed by Baby Spinach Salad with a Warm Bacon Vinaigrette and finally the entree included Filet Mignon with Bearnaise, Potato-Leek Mushroom Galettes with Homemade Apple Sauce, Poached Asparagus & Garlic Sauteed Spinach. The dessert was the classic bittersweet Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Whipped Cream. Wine was chosen by Seth for the evening.)
“We recently celebrated a dear friend’s birthday with a surprise dinner for him at Casa de Angel, one of Vallarta’s lesser-known gastronomic delights. This lovely old Vallartan home, owned by Robin Spencer, is now available for hire for private dinner parties hosted by Robin herself, and with resident chef Seth Cloutman serving up his culinary delights, this is a perfect location for that special dinner after cocktails watching one of PV’s fabulous sunsets from the terrace of Robin’s home. The meal and accompanying wines were superb, and Robin is an excellent – and fun – hostess. All our guests that evening had a wonderful time, and I would strongly recommend both the venue, and Seth’s culinary skills to you.
Roger Mallett – PV resident.
Food by Seth and Casa del Angel: a match made in heaven…
Chef Seth and assistant Magdalena prepare the appetizer.
A few years ago, my boss at the Lyric Opera in Chicago, Paul Molinelli, sat down with me after a trip I’d made to Vallarta. He said I should start thinking about my “top 5″. He felt that once a person reaches a certain age (40 I guess he meant), he should start deciding which are the top 5 moments of his life. I told him that a recent vacation to Vallarta with my parents (that was 2003) was certainly a top 5. Now, in 2009, we’ve hit the charts again.
Since my parents are here celebrating my Dad’s retirement (he turned 65 on Jan. 23rd) and their 44th anniversary today Jan. 26th, I decided to take them to Robin Spencer’s home for dinner last Friday night. I’ve written about Robin before on my blog but since then, she has really taken her ideas to a whole new level. Now, with the help of popular Chef Seth Cloutman and his assistant Magdalena, the experience is almost too good to be true.
Once we agreed to have our dinner there, Seth and Robin sent me an email asking about any preferences we had for a menu. I told him not to go too exotic on my parents as they are from Oklahoma and not used to exotic fine dining outside of the occasional trip to Outback Steak House in Norman. You can imagine my amazement when, shortly after taking in the view from Casa del Angel’s fantastic terrace overlooking the bay, my Mom popped a sampling of cavier into her mouth. Then she tried a filet mignon tidbit and didn’t even ask how it was cooked or send it back for more grilling. Then she ate smoked trout on white asparagus and I knew we had made the right decision on where to have such a special dinner. My Dad and I enjoyed the passed hors d’oeuvres too but it was watching my Mom being so culinarily adventurous that really made me happy. We all enjoyed wine and a beer as we watched the sunset from the upper level master suite terrace during a tour from Robin. Her home, built by Cachi Perez, is a work of art. Classic Vallarta, but oh so gently elegant. I love it and so do my parents.
As we sat down to dinner at the grand stone table (its so big it was delivered first and the walls built around it) in the open-style living room just off the main terrace, candles flickered and colorful sconces bounced light off the pool. The slightly humid Vallarta evening was being cooled by bay breezes that wrapped around us so comfortably it felt like we were home. We wished this were our home anyway, where lovely Magdalena, brought out a white fish brochette wrapped in lettuce. (I’ll post the official menu below so you know exactly what we had but for this I’m just going to tell you what we had in my own words.)
We were then served a spinach salad with a warm vineggrete that was absolutely perfect and a big hit with my Dad (he loves spinach). We talked about life and Vallarta and Oklahoma and Robin shared more of her stories from her days in Colorado when she had a very successful catering company. Joe, her partner, shared stories about being a fireman and county commissioner. We tried to get Seth and Magdalena to join us at the table but they never stopped preparing the next course. As is customary at Robin’s, everyone heads back to the terrace to take a break before the main course. We watched the fireworks from the malecon from high above the city. A beautiful sight.
Our main course brought us back to the table a few minutes later. A delicate, stuffed chicken breast was sliced and set atop a delicious spinach sauce. Alongside, a potatoe pancake. This is food my parents know but prepared in ways they might not have been used to. But, they loved it. We spent a good solid hour talking and enjoying the final course before returning to the terrace. Chef Seth soon followed us with dessert dishes filled with a fluffy chocolate mouse in a creamy whipped concoction that was a perfect finale.
We shared a cab down the hill to Olas Altas with Margaret, a good friend of Seth’s who we invited to join us all for dinner. She had kept us all in stitches with her funny stories about living in Vallarta. If you know Margaret, you’ve surely laughed at one of her stories too. She tells them well.
Climbing up the top 5 list, this was a night that might hit the top 3 in retrospect. Tonight, I’m taking them to El Polamar de Las Gonzales for their anniversary. I tried to get them to go alone but they insisted I join them. I will, gladly.
White Asparagus with Smoked Trout and Parsley Cream Sauce
Filet Mignon on Toast Points with Black Olive Tapenade
Sevruga Caviar and Salmon Roe with Sour Cream in New Potato Cups
Bacalao Brochettes & Duck Liver Pate in Lettuce Pockets with a Shrimp Tomato Reduction and Red Onion Chutney
Baby Spinach Salad with a warm Bacon Red Wine Vinaigrette & Hard Boiled Egg
Chicken Roulades stuffed with Goat Cheese, Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pine Nuts and Spinach over a Spinach Cream Sauce
Sweet and White Potato Pancakes with Sour Cream and Apple Sauce and Caramelized Baby Onions with Brandy
Bittersweet Chocolate mousse floated in Whipped Cream
Tracy Parks, Local Food and Restaurant Writer
many more references are available upon request