I had the most amazing experience this weekend thanks Mandy from The Self Trained Chef who organized a tasting and behind the scenes look at Pacci Risotrante at Hotel Palomar.  Twenty-one Bloggers and myself had the pleasure of meeting Chef Keira Moritz  and seeing her in action.


Our day started with a meet and greet in the lounge and bar area.  This place is nothing less than sophisticated,  the decor is quite impeccable with an old world charm.  We mixed, mingled, chatted with the chef and snapped photos for our respective blogs.

We ascended spiral upstairs to the AltoRex Rooftop Lounge and onward to the kitchen where Chef Keira would be preparing a trio of dishes.


Twenty-two eager faces payed close attention as Chef Keira performed her magic while answering questions, giving tips and telling the story of her culinary journey.

After the demonstrations we had the immense pleasure of tasting the dishes.   We dined on  Grilled Ceasar Salad, Gnocchi with walnut, gorganzola and sage and Brown Butter Pear Crespelle.  Each dish was incredible.


 

 

Foodies must take a photo before eating

I cleaned my plate and headed back to the outdoor lounge where there was a  lit  fire pit waiting for us.  We were going to make s’mores!!

At least that’s what was planned, what wasn’t planned was the strong winds that made it impossible to keep the fire high enough to toast our marshmallows.

In true chef style they broke out the blow torch and toasted our marshmallows.  These were incredible!!

I dined on s’mores accompanied by hot chocolate with a touch of baileys, just what I needed to battle the chill of winter.  Slowly, we all trickled home one by one with our a parting gift–fresh bolognese.

A good time was had by one and all.  I enjoyed meeting my fellow Bloggers while experiencing something new.  I have never been to Pacci before but will definitely be returning.   I think a date night is in order.