Alex Dorros is a friend, a cook, and a Seattle native, who has both a vision and a passion to bring the flavors of South America & the Caribbean to life. His pop up restaurant “Mesa Viva” in collaboration with Sugar Hill certainly caught our attention, and we were more than ecstatic to buy a few tickets. Mesa Viva was a night dedicated to celebrating culture, music, the community, and to spotlight & recognize flavors that they believed are hardly shown in Seattle. With produce from local farms and growers, Alex and his longtime friend & chef Mark Raynor envisioned a delicious menu full of dishes that were inspired from family recipes, their travels, and from their life experiences. Most items on the menu were vegetarian friendly, and customizable to each customer for desired spice levels. We were extremely excited and curious to try the braised jackfruit in Cuban adobo, as we’d heard about a few instances where chefs experimented with jackfruit in a style that meat is typically prepared. In the end, we happily ordered both the meat & vegetarian option.
Below is a slideshow of our dining experience, as well as our thoughts & descriptions about the two plates that were prepared. Just make sure to hover over each photo for a description of each dish. Scroll further down to read additional notes, and our interview with the curator himself.
The Peruvian chicken was juicy and succulent and you could tell it was cooked to perfection. Full of great flavor and spice, this was absolutely one of the main stars of the meal. It was also a plus that you could choose if you wanted dark or light meat. The braised jackfruit was a pleasant surprise. If you haven’t had a chance to try jackfruit, you need to this. You will absolutely be surprised at the meat-like texture this fruit has and how easy it can take on flavors. To be honest when looking at it, we easily thought it was shredded dark chicken meat. The fried plantains were good, with a crispy outside and a perfectly starchy element to the vibrant meal. One of our personal favorites from the meal were the Mayocoba beans. Super flavorful beans and complimented the chicken/jackfruit and the fresh salad. A final side and key element to the rest of the meal was the microgreen/pepper/carrot medley salad. It was nice, and had a fresh zip of flavor that was necessary to break up all the spices. Last, but not least, was the flan with a blackberry reduction. We were in love with the blackberry and plum reduction, it was just perfectly sweet enough and you could definitely taste the two different fruit elements. At first we were trying to figure out what fruit was used because we couldn’t pinpoint just one flavor. Because, who doesn’t love dessert? The official menu is listed below.
EL MENÚ:
Roasted Peruvian chicken with aji amarillo sauce OR braised jackfruit in Cuban adobo
Fried plantains with a Colombian green aji sauce
Peruvian mayocoba beans with queso fresco topping
Pickled pepper and carrot medley, & microgreen salad
Flan topped with a blackberry reduction
Congrats to Alex & Mark for successfully hosting an amazing homecoming pop up. We were honored to be able to attend a night full of amazing music, and drool-worthy (and even better tasting) food. It is truly a gift to have folks around us who are like minded & also food loving, that bring together and provide a space where the feeling of community & warmth can thrive. We are excited to see what you both have in store for the future. We felt & appreciate your culinary creation, all centered around your love for food, life, family & sharing.
1. Tell us about yourself, Alex! As a Seattle native who recently moved back from living abroad, I’m getting reconnected to the city. This’ll always be home. But now I’m less focused on being a nomad, and more about creating representation of my culture, and helping others do the same here. We’re living in pretty turbulent times. Gatherings around food, art and conversation are key ingredients in creating a city that’s inclusive and honestly just more fun. 2. What shaped your love of food and community? In my family, the kitchen has always been where we end up together. It’s an invention lab, a place to shake off the stress of the day, and where we can celebrate who we are. The sizzle of arepas (Colombian corn pancakes) on the griddle early in the morning as my Abuela muttered the recipe out loud in Spanish. The sounds of Lucho Bermúdez records echoing through the house with family friends dancing the night away. Harvesting herbs that we grew from the garden for our meals. These are the kinds of memories and flavors that inform who I am and what I’m looking to share. I’ve always loved to cook. Hosting dinners and functions for people I care about and to meet new folks has always been one of my favorite things to do. From working in prep at the dining hall in college, to serving and doing expo work at restaurants around town, to hosting pop ups in Colombia, I’ve been lucky to gain exposure to many sides of the industry. At the end of the day, the energy of people I’ve met through those experiences inspire to me to keep pursuing this path. 3. How did Mesa Viva come to? For almost all of last year I was in Colombia, where my mom emigrated from. I ended up living in a big colonial house in central Bogotá with friends from all over the world. At least a couple times a week, I’d get lost in the colorful Paloquemao market as I explored and shopped. I thought it would be a cool idea to combine local ingredients and flavors with international dishes that I missed from Seattle. We made everything from chile relleno to vermicelli, and the pop ups slowly grew from week to week. I came back to Seattle hungry to create pop up experiences in town. It’s always been surprising how little visibility South American and Caribbean culture and cuisine have here. I know lots of people who have focused on changing that, but to me there’s still plenty of room for more. So when friends at Sugar Hill heard me talk about wanting to throw a pop up, and suggested the idea of hosting one at their venue with Peruvian chicken, I jumped at the opportunity. Through Mesa Viva, my goal was to create an immersive experience for guests that would almost make them feel like they were transported to South America and the Caribbean. Recipes came from home, and some from traveling, with Colombian, Peruvian, and Cuban food on the map. We highlighted peppers throughout the dishes, and used local and organic ingredients from farms. DJ J-Na$ty (from Cumbiaton and Westside Connect), kept the crowd moving, and she does such an amazing job curating and feeding off the energy of people around her. This was totally a family affair, so my family and friends helped with decorations, serving, and hosting. Mark Raynor was the vet chef who helped me turn the vision into a reality in the kitchen. Cooking for twenty people is one thing, cooking for over sixty is a whole other beast! It was so incredible to see a gathering of people from all walks of life share a positive moment. I’m definitely taking my lessons learned from Mesa Viva and applying them to the next event. 4. What’s your favorite thing to make? Ceviche for sure! With all of the fresh seafood we have in the PNW, it never leaves me unsatisfied. Nasturtium flowers are a fun garnish I've been playing with. I also really appreciate simple dishes like steak cooked just how I like it with a homegrown chimichurri. 5. What’s your favorite restaurant in Seattle? Asadero Sinaloa is a classic and bomb spot for Mexican food with high quality meat, personal salsa trays, and even bone marrow. Outside of Seattle city limits, it’s totally worth the drive up to Tweets Café in Edison for brunch at Charle’s and David’s place for their constantly changing menu. 6. What are you doing next? Continuing to build my community is the biggest thing. Besides through cooking for people, I’m know that there’s more I can do to support and connect with people who are grassroots organizers, creatives, entrepreneurs and just badass people in general. Food related goals are to start staging at restaurants around town, learning more about cooking over fire, foraging, hunting, and maybe even introducing new crops to the PNW. 7. What chefs inspire you? Maricel Presilla for her encyclopedia-like knowledge of Latin food and history. Cristina Martinez for sticking to her roots with her tacos in Philly, and for her bravery in sharing her story of being undocumented and struggling with working in the U.S., which helped create equity for others in the industry. 8. What’s an ultimate culinary goal for you? Bringing Latinx chefs from across the country and even internationally to Seattle is something that I’ve always dreamed of. It could be through pop ups, fairs, fundraisers, creative collaborations and we’ll see what else. Way down the road I hope to help create a kitchen that’s built around mentorship, beyond just in the kitchen.
Thank you so much for reading & engaging in our content. Thank you to Alex Dorros & Sugar Hill for being such gracious hosts & for bringing us all together.
If you are interested in Alex’s contact info, please send us an email via our contact page.
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