On Wednesday night, Negra Modelo beer and food lovers gathered at Trinity Groves to mingle and enjoy some flavors of Mexico while celebuchef Rick Bayless (cookbook author, winner of Top Chef Masters as well as several James Beard Foundation awards) dropped some serious guacamole and slow-cooked meat knowledge on us all. A unique event to be sure, all in attendance were encouraged to share the experience in real-time on social media using the hashtag #ThePerfectComplement. As the number of uses of the hashtag grew in number, we were all awarded prizes as a group. And we all got to watch it go down on live tickers projected on two screens at the event.

All the food at the event was either made with or paired with Negra Modelo, naturally. The shrimp appetizers and pork chips pictured above and below, for example, were served before the buffet opened, while guests mingled with glasses of the Mexican beer, which features flavors of slow roasted caramel malts.

Once the buffet opened, guests could enjoy a delicious meal of honey chipotle beer-braised chicken, marinated arrachera steak with grilled corn and avocado relish, oven-roasted cactus with fingerling potatoes and cipollini onions and carrot and jicama slaw all rolled up into house-made tortillas. Dessert didn’t disappoint. Those caramel notes from the Negra Modelo I mentioned above were echoed in the chocolate praline pecan bites.

As dinner wound down, Chef Bayless took the stage presenting some interesting perspectives on the traditional guacamole “recipe.” Hint: you don’t need a recipe to make guacamole.

Notes from class:
— Rinse onion post chopping to reduce bite.
— Cilantro is not required. Why not try another herb?
— Substitute sun-dried tomatoes in the winter when fresh aren’t as good.
— Break the rules!

As you can see, Chef Bayless added bacon to the guacamole he served to this Texas crowd. Another note might be to know your audience.

Not a bad view…

Overall, the evening was a fabulous opportunity to mix business with pleasure for me personally. I got to invite a few friends to join me at an event I knew they’d enjoy, and I got to hang out with them while I “worked” doing what I love to do. Huge thanks to the folks at Negra Modelo for hosting an event that allowed me to do that.

Disclaimer: This post was #SPONSORED by Negra Modelo. All opinions on the ask foodbitch blog are my own, but for this specific event I was compensated for my attendance as well as for the associated social media posts and this here blog post. As a reminder, look for the hashtag #sponsored so you’ll know when something has been sponsored. Please drink responsibly. 21 and up only, kids.