Cinco de Mayo is upon us, and if you’re looking for a way to join the celebration, here are a few great options, whether you plan on taking it to the streets or stringing up the party lights at home.
The Silverspoon
Every Wednesday, Wayne’s Silverspoon takes guests on a “World Tour” via an internationally inspired four-course meal with cuisines from four places around the world. On Cinco de Mayo, the tour will focus entirely on Mexico, as Chef Ron Silverberg offers four courses from four separate ports of call all around the country, giving guests a taste of different regional cuisine. Along with these pretty pictures, we’ve also got the menu:
First Course: Yucatan Region
Chilled haas avocado soup, rock shrimp, mango ceviche, corn crisps
Second Course: Veracruz Region
Pescado veracruz, wild Alaskan halibut stew, aromatic chili tomato sauce, house-pickled jalapeños
Third Course: Oaxaca Region
Chicken mole, drunken black beans, “tres hermanas” succotash
Fourth Course: Puebla Region
Flan, organic strawberry coulis
Visit silverspoonwayne.com.
Verdad Restaurant & Tequila Bar
Bryn Mawr’s Verdad is celebrating with discounted plates of its specialty Kobe beef, pork and fish tacos, along with margaritas for just $5 each all night long. Celebrate at the bar or al fresco on the outdoor patio. Visit verdadrestaurant.com.
Distrito
The party starts at 11:30 a.m. at Philadelphia’s Distrito, with margaritas, cocktails and beer, plus Jose Garces’ too-good-to-be-street-food selections, while a special chef’s tasting menu will be offered for dinner upstairs. Here’s the lowdown:
In the Cantina: $5 margaritas, $5 Cruzan Rum drinks, $3.50 Coronas and $2 Tecate cans. PLUS: Esquites (sweet corn with queso fresco and chipotle mayo), Alambres de Pollo (adobo-marinated chicken skewers), and Tacos de Lengua (tongue tacos); $3-$8.
Upstairs: Chef de Cuisine Tim Spinner will spin out a $40 Cinco de Mayo Tasting Menu with all kinds of delectable Distrito fare: Hiramasa Ceviche (clean seas yellowtail with habanero-orange sauce, sangrita and mint); fish tacos with chipotle remoulade, avocado, red cabbage and lime; and Mole Amarillo (rich rabbit mole).
After 9 p.m.: DJs Adub and C Sharp will provide music for revelers until closing.
Visit distritorestaurant.com.
Do It Yourself
At-home revelers can take advantage of local purveyors like …
Whole Foods in Wynnewood is a one-stop shop for all the fixins you need for a festive meal of halibut tacos and creamy corn-and-tomato slaw. Plus, they’ve got worthy versions of guacamole and salsa for sale, and a slew of healthy chips for dipping.
At Borders or Starbucks, you can usually find some aptly themed music that will fit in with the Mexi-Fiesta theme.
Of course, the experts—Rob Peters and Bob Everitt—over at Ardmore Wine & Spirits will have plenty to say on what type of tequila to serve.
If time allows, you can take a leisurely trip through Chester County and stock up on authentic provisions from Maria De Jesus Mexican Grocery (610-436-7456) in West Chester, plus El-Sombrero Grocery Store (610-268-3553) and El Nayarit Mexican Food Store (610-444-3412) in Kennett Square. And if you really want to impress guests, you can pack a cooler full of ice and stop at La Michoacana Ice Cream (610-444-2996) in Kennett for some cucumber-chile, corn or other crazy-flavored homemade flavor.
But all you really need to get started is a basic party package of Mexican beer, a few pitchers of seasonally inspired margaritas, and a hearty spread of Mexican eats like enchiladas, sweet and savory empanadas, tamales, chorizo (just put on the grill, throw on warm tortilla and top with a piquant salsa verde), tacos, guacamole, chips and salsa, rice with pinto and black beans for sides, grilled papaya and mango and pineapple, plus a grand finale of “Pastel de Tres Leches” or “Tres Leches Cake” (a flour-egg-sugar-oil-vanilla-based cake soaked in three types of milk). Click here for Emeril Lagasse’s version of the latter.
Don’t forget to amp up you iPod with some mariachi music, and deck your patio, garage, basement or whatever party space you’ve got with bright lights, colorful streamers and sombreros, a cactus or two, a few arrangements of zinnias or sunflowers or Gerber daisies, and a piñata filled with candy. Follow this footprint, and you’ll earn the right to wave a Mexican flag in your kitchen—and you’ll successfully secure your status as the go-to destination for Cinco de Mayo.
