On The Lamb

Have you heard of On The Lamb?

A chef, a baker and a sommelier.

Young, hip and fun.

Let’s get something straight- these ladies know how to throw a party!

After first catching wind of On The Lamb, I quickly signed up to receive information about their events. A few weeks later, I received a mysterious email: a “postcard” from Santiago de Cuba. It talked about sun and sand. It talked about rum and pork. But that was all. An alluring love note beckoning me further, it enticed me to RSVP to my first On The Lamb event.

The address was revealed the night before the party. The setting was a home in the hills of Echo Park. Classic Cuban tunes playing in the background, lights strung across the porch and coconuts all around, it was an intimate gathering of strangers.

This was On The Lamb.

As we entered our destination we were greeted with a honey negressarita - black lime honey simple syrup with fresh orange and lemon juice and rum of course. It was a light and refreshing way to start of the night.

Soon after came bowls of creamed plaintain soup topped with black bean and citrus zest salsa and El Salvadorian chorizo. The subtly sweet plantains were suffused with a rich coconut milk broth, zesty citrus, salty black beans and crunchy spiced chorizo. The flavor combination was invigorating. I happily polished off the entire bowl.

Next up we enjoyed the Sally Kick: guava juice, rhubarb bitters, Turkish chili pepper syrup and rum. The drink was sweet and spicy all at once. The guava added a delicate sweetness while the rhubarb added complexity and depth.

These delicious cocktails were paired with what will forever be known as the best media noche sandwich I have ever had. The media noche was comprised of layers of thinly sliced ham, slow roasted mojo pork, provolone cheese and butter pickles on a perfectly toasted roll. The flavors of this mojo pork were unrivaled. Combined with a mojo sour orange guava aioli, I was bursting from my shirt having snuck back for seconds. The flavors in the sandwich were striking; the nuances became more pronounced with each bite.

Our final drink of the night was the Tres Leche Cubano: cinnamon infused rum, coffee syrup, three milk fat wash and coconut cream. It was dessert in a cup. A thick creamy top layer gave way to rum, sweet rum. I was almost fooled by the sweetness, but this drink packed a punch at the end. There was just enough bite to balance a beautiful malt coffee flavor.

The coup de grace was Many Leches Cake: almond cake soaked in evaporated milk, coconut milk, half and half, sweetened condensed milk and rum. All those leches made for one mind blowingly good cake. Sweet but not cloyingly sweet. Rich but not swimming in richness. It was a thing of sheer beauty. The milk glistened on top of the cake creating an almost gossamer casing.

Everything we enjoyed was handmade and hand crafted by these three amazing ladies. Their talent and creativity made for one delectable evening. I will be dreaming about rum and mojo pork until I receive another mysterious email to whisk me away to what is sure to be another brilliant evening.

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