Last night, Dos Caminos, located inside the Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Beach Hotel, hosted a free dinner for the media with executive chef Ivy Stark at the helm. Stark is responsible for the menu at all six Dos Caminos locations (four are in New York and the other is in Las Vegas) and spends most of her time in NYC. She is in Fort Lauderdale this week promoting her cookbook, Dos Caminos: Mexican Street Food.
Local media were given gratis tastings of some of Stark's favorite food and drink recipes from the book, and an opportunity to talk to the chef about the recently released tome. Stark will host a reception and book signing from 5 to 7 tonight at the restaurant. Photos of the food and details about the recipes after the jump:
After the meal -- which also included cocktail pairings of a classic margarita, and a hibiscus margarita to temper some of the spicier dishes -- Stark took a minute to chat about her advice for novice chefs attempting to cook authentic Mexican street food for the first time.
"Don't go for the mole first. Start with things like the salads or breakfast dishes," Stark said. "Then move on to the tortillas and mole."
She said the book is written with the intention that the average homecook could prepare the dishes.
"I wanted people to try different things they might not have tried," Stark said.
As a quick tip for Thanksgiving cooking: Stark suggests adding orange zest and fresh or dried jalapeno chilies to cranberry sauce.
Follow Clean Plate Charlie on Facebook and on Twitter: @CleanPlateBPB.
