Chiwas Chino Dinner at Bitter and Twisted Cocktail Lounge
On July 31st, Bitter and Twisted hosted a pop-up dinner featuring an ambitious East meets Mexican menu and the minute I saw the menu Chef Bob Tam was working on, I booked my reservation. A collaboration with Armando Hernandez and his wife Nadia Holguin of Valley favorite Tacos Chiwas, Bitter and Twisted presented a fantastic dinner creatively melding Chef Bob Tam's Asian roots with Tacos Chiwas' Mexican specialties.
Bitter and Twisted was closed for this private event and everyone was as excited as I was. It was no surprise that this event sold out early.
Of course, since Bitter and Twisted has also garnered numerous awards for their cocktails, the specials for the evening didn't disappoint. Our table favorite seemed to be the creamy Passion Fruit Bartida, and I also especially loved the smoky Oaxacan the Line.
What a wonderful one-of-kind array of creatively fused dishes! Tacos Chiwas showcased their specialities and family recipes such as sopa de chacales and pipian rojo, and Chef Bob incorporated his signature creative, labor-intensive components such as chicharrones de tripa and tripe fond for the menudo dumplings. And did I mention this fabulous feast of 13 courses only $58.88 a person?
Greeted with snacks: Shrimp crackers with green chile guacamole and Valentina hot sauce
Bitter and Twisted is located at 1 W Jefferson St, Phoenix, AZ 85003 and is closed on Sunday and Monday.
Tacos Chiwas is located at 1923 E McDowell Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85006 and closed on Mondays.