"Glasses with name tags
And a table of treats,
Chatter and laughter
And art with bolly beats,
Colors and charisma
The room had it all,
Some ate, some drank
But each had a ball,
Merengue to Desi tunes
Trips over many a feet,
Spice and sweetness
Where twirls and taste meet,
Friday had come for real
And we welcomed this weekend,
With 29, Soul salsa and
Fifteen hungry friends..."
When a logo takes to canvas, the art of the evening is bound to leave you spellbound.
From the food to the feet, every aspect of the Twirl-to-Tapas evening was upbeat, fragrant and a great distraction to the thunderstorm outside. While Andrea rocked NYC, we had our own little storm brewing indoors.
A 4-course Indian Tapas menu (3 savory, 1 sweet), delectable wine pairings, a Merengue dance class to Bollywood tunes, colorful art pieces on display and a sold out event welcomed fifteen guests to the start of a (hopefully) dryer weekend! The evening smelt of spices and sang of freedom. With the busy work week behind us, everyone enjoyed meeting new company, the 29. buffet of spicy & sweet Indian Tapas and of course, wine to wash it all down.
The dance instructor for the night, the beautiful Arati Jadhav from Soul Salsa NYC chapter, mesmerized the crowd with her Merengue demo - she made it look much easier than it was! The fusion of bollywood and latin was meant to be and as the crowd scurried to get their footwork right, I managed to take these moments of rhythmic chaos. Priceless.
The artwork on display, courtesy Mandar & Arati Jadhav, brought talent to every corner of the otherwise bare dance studio. With color on the walls and art in our eyes, each piece complemented the creativity of the food. From sketches, wire art to splashes of vibrant hues, the walls truly came alive at every twirl.
And as with every 29. event, there was the buffet table. My personal art for the evening.
The menu for the night boasted simple Indian flavors with a balance of spice and sweet. With candles and candies, the table was dressed to impress.
The menu for the night boasted simple Indian flavors with a balance of spice and sweet. With candles and candies, the table was dressed to impress.
The menu consisted of:
Savory
1. Masala Chicken Shepherds Pie - an adaptation of this recent post, served with curry flavored mashed potaoes.
2. Malai (Cream) Corn Cracker Chaat- recipe here
3. Spicy Chickpea Bunny Chow - mini versions of this, dressed with a yogurt sriracha sauce, greens and spicy indian bhujia for a crunch.
Sweet
Assorted Indian Truffles
1. Almond Kalakand - used the recipe given here, added some chopped almonds and rolled into balls. The truffles were dressed with a dash of chocolate ganache.
2. Cardamom Semolina Halwa: recipe here
As these little pieces of edible creatives pulled the crowd, the dance floor turned into a wine & dine ground. But despite my efforts to lure here with foody aromas, Arati turned out to be a relentless coach. She even made my aunt and cousins dance! And she never did stop.
Slowly the shy guests became dance converts and smiled to full stomachs, and even she gave in to some 29. culinary indulgence. The wine kept pouring, the food began to mysteriously disappear, but some people just couldn't stop twirling....
A big thank you to all those who came, and to Arati & Mandar for a great show! Look forward to seeing more of you in the upcoming 29. events.