text: On Friday December th PhoenixBitescom had the honor of cohosting an event with The Westin Kierland Resort Spa Our media guests were treated to a muddling class ceviche instruction and tasting as well as a delightful dinner and dessertnndeseo is located on the lobby level of the resort offering an enticing menu created by James Beard award winning Chef Douglas Rodriguez regarded as the inventor of Nuevo Latino CuisinennUpon arrival we were escorted to the Muddle Bar The room is warm and dark offering up a relaxing atmosphere largely due to the rich warm woodnnWe were presented with the Grande MojitonnOur instructor and mixologist Monique Dias was so enthusiastic and full of information regarding all facets of muddling It was not only an enjoyable experience but an interesting history lesson of sorts Tasty toonnWe were able to sample the Grande as well as the Berry Grande Mojitos While both were delicious and I rather enjoyed the introduction of fruit I am partial to the original versionnnAfter our Muddling Course was complete we were lead to the rail The Rail overlooks the open kitchen I have to say if given a choice of dining at a table in the main room or at The Rail I would always choose the rail I could not imagine all the things you would be able to see on a busy night not to mention the tips one could pick up just by being in the presence of these amazing chefs Chef Rodriguez treated us to an indepth lesson in all things ceviche I was amazed at the amount of information that he knew and shared with us I will not spill it all since I really want you to check out deseo and The Rail and have your experience not be tainted by minennOur first indulgence was the Rainbow Ceviche a beautifully presented dish featuring tuna salmon and hamachi dressed with white soy citrus sesame seeds and pickled jalapeno In short it was amazing and my handsdown favorite of the three ceviches of the night It was so fresh and light and the slight punch of the pickled jalapenos was unexpected yet welcomednnNext up we had the Lobster Escabeche which was a delicate ceviche served with avocado chives sweet aji and garlic chips This is not what you think of when you hear ceviche It was delicate yet rich Beautifully presented and a treat to my mouthnnWe completed the trio with the Ceviche Mixto Clasico full of lobster shrimp scallops calamari octopus crab red onion and an accompaniment of sweet potato What a decadent way to round out the tastingnnPrior to being served our entrees Chef Rodriguez spread some holiday cheer by treating all of our guests to a personalized autographed copy of his most recent book The Great Ceviche Book revised This book will provide you a bounty of information and instruction as well as hints and tips to create an array of ceviches This was such a wonderful treat to our guests and we were blown away by his generositynnAfter we calmed down from the excitement is was time for our entrees We were served a split plate of tender beef tenderloin and merluza sea bass and fideo The contrast of flavors and textures of these two dishes was complex and only lent to the entire experience of the eveningnnOverall this event having been our first to cohost will be close to impossible to beat The staff was incredible Everyone was so helpful and friendly The atmosphere was lively but not in a crazy Scottsdale Saturday night kind of way The food was impeccable and all the attention to detail and care in explanation made it a night worth repeating