I seriously cannot stop sharing images from this amazing night. Our tenth anniversary party was absolutely an excuse for us to celebrate our marriage with the people that we’d gained over the last ten years—the people who are our support group now (and always). It was also an excuse to eat ridiculously good food and drink some delicious beverages. Andina Restaurant in Portland, Oregon provided the perfect venue and menu for our little shindig.

(Please note that this post is not sponsored in any way.)

Andina's Party Menu for special occasions from A Well Crafted Party

We chose Andina restaurant in Portland, Oregon as our venue for four very good reasons:

  1. We loved the food there and had one of our most memorable post-marriage date nights eating a delicious meal there.
  2. They had a GORGEOUS space that fit our party’s numbers.
  3. Andina’s team of people that helped me secure the space, view it, try foods, and plan my party were so very helpful. I am a tad anal with events (spreadsheets are your friend!) and they were nothing but gracious hosts.
  4. It was affordable. I mean, it wasn’t inexpensive… but, I wanted a GREAT meal. A great meal was certainly had. Don’t believe me… let me show you:

(Amazing photos by Mary Boyden of Mary Boyden Photography)

 

Andina's Party Menu for special occasions from A Well Crafted Party

Andina's Party Menu for special occasions from A Well Crafted Party

 

Party Menu at Andina Restaurant in Portland, Oregon

There were several different choices and price points to create the party menu that we wanted. We chose to do a four course meal along with Tres Salsas Con Pan (breads with salsas/dipping sauces). My favorite part was being able to let my guests actually peruse the menu and select items that they wanted. I have done every style of dinner party there is from family style to buffet to plated… but, getting to have choices really made me feel like I was able to treat my guests. For our menu guests were able to choose from three selections of each of the courses. We chose those three selections prior to the day, but the guests got to choose their own items in the moment. I created the pictured menus because I wanted the menus to match the rest of the paper goods. The restaurant will make menus for you based on your selections if you aren’t as particular as I am. ::wink::

Andina's Party Menu for special occasions from A Well Crafted Party

Andina's Party Menu for special occasions from A Well Crafted Party

 

First course:

I accidentally got the first and second courses mixed up in creating my menu. So, if you are looking at the image below then look at the second course items for what we actually selected as our first course. (BTW… this is a little lesson in letting go. I could have been  upset that all that work ended up with a mistake in it, but in the end not one person cared and the menus still looked good.)

Here were the choices directly from the menu of Andina.

Cebiches Y Tiradito:

  1. cebiche de pescado “5 elementos” traditional cebiche of fresh fish “cooked” in lime juice,with a marinade of onions, cilantro and peppers
  2. cebiche de mango verde y langostinos cebiche of green mango and poached prawns in a passionfruit leche de tigre
  3. tiradito de betarraga roasted red and golden beets, served with an ají verde al batán, pickled vegetables and sesame oil

 

Andina's Party Menu for special occasions from A Well Crafted Party

Andina's Party Menu for special occasions from A Well Crafted Party

Andina's Party Menu for special occasions from A Well Crafted Party

Second course:

I think this was my favorite course of all of them. I had the prawns and they were flavorful, crunchy, sweet and spicy. SO GOOD. Also, isn’t the Causa Morada (resh lime-flavored purple potatoes pressed into a cake) dish gorgeous?

Piqueos:

  1. ensalada verde peruana greens with hearts of palm, cotija cheese and asparagus in a passionfruit vinaigrette
  2. chicharrones de langostinos crispy golden prawns studded with quinoa, served with salsa agridulce
  3. causa morada fresh lime-flavored purple potatoes pressed into a cake with a shredded chicken breast and ají amarillo filling

Andina's Party Menu for special occasions from A Well Crafted Party

Andina's Party Menu for special occasions from A Well Crafted Party

Andina's Party Menu for special occasions from A Well Crafted Party

Third course:

This was the main course and it was really difficult to narrow down our favorite dishes to just three, but I feel like we got some crowd pleasers.

Platos de Fondo:

  1. lomo saltado – wok-fried Cascade Natural beef tenders with onions, tomatoes, oyster sauce, garlic and ají amarillo, served with Yukon Gold papas fritas and garlic rice (vegetarian version available with wild mushrooms)
  2. escabeche de pollito con duo de camotes – Pisco-brined Draper Valley chicken, pan-roasted to order, served with escabeche-style pickled onions and sweet potato as both crispy quinoa croquetas and huacatay gratin, with Botija olives and quail eggs
  3. quinotto “chisaya mama”- quinoa “risotto” with Grana Padano cheese, golden beets, local mushrooms and market fresh vegetables, laced with truffle oil

 

The best desserts at Andina in Portland, Oregon - A Well Crafted Party

Fourth course:

I barely had room for dessert at this point… however, I made sure I made a little room so I could enjoy the grand finale. I have had the pleasure of tasting each of these desserts and they are truly wonderful. On my anniversary I chose the cannolis stuffed with passionfruit mousse.

Postres:

  1. chocolate andino -two layers of decadence: a quinoa flour brownie and rich chocolate ganache, finished with a blackberry gastrique and avocado creme anglaise
  2. alfajores -the classic Peruvian cookie, scented with key lime and filled with manjar blanco
  3. canutos de quinua y maracuyá – crispy quinoa studded cannolis stuffed with passionfruit mousse

 

Andina's Party Menu for special occasions from A Well Crafted Party

 

I’ve had a lot of great meals in my life. This one is currently sitting at the top of the list.

 

What is the best meal you’ve ever had? Tell me about it in the comments!

Author

Jenni is a blogger and marketing professional in Portland, Oregon. A Well Crafted Party is a blog about all the little things to celebrate in life. Follow Jenni or A Well Crafted Party with BlogLovin, RSS feed, Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

8 Comments

  1. What a GORGEOUS anniversary party!! Stunning photos. Love how vibrant and colorful and FUN you made everything! The food at Andina is always fantastic, and I love the menu you offered. To answer your question, the most memorable meal I’ve ever had in my life was langostinos flambéd tableside in Portugal. Those were amazing!! But this meal also looks equally incredible!
    Marlynn @ UrbanBlissLife recently posted…Wine Bliss: Argyle Winery’s ‘The Art of Sparkling’ CollectionMy Profile

  2. What an amazing looking dinner party – all the colors seem to underscore all the bright cheer that was happening in the atmosphere with you and the guests! I never thought of celebrating an anniversary with a party with others – it’s still a while until my 10 year but I’m putting it on my list! I love the Tres Salsas Con Pan at Andina, and agree that Andina is a consistent wonderful restaurant putting out great food through the years and happy to see you got to share it with your dear friends and family!
    Pech recently posted…Portland Musubi and Onigiri and more!My Profile

  3. Such a great choice. I agree with the comments above. The food is wonderful and presentation is stunning. I haven’t been in years- this reminded me I should go back! The pictures look like it was such a wonderful evening.

  4. I’ve been to Andina only once, and it was superb, of course. I’m trying to think of a favorite meal I had, and it’s hard to choose. But I remember a series of meals I ate at an outdoor hawker stand in Singapore. The food was always good, and the beer always cold, but it was the experience—eating outside with loved ones, trying new things, the freedom of having nowhere to be—that I will never forget.
    Catherine recently posted…Chew on this: The 10 best teething products and tipsMy Profile

  5. You’re killing me with your Andina party recaps. I LOVE that place, and I’m still regretting not doing a 10-yr anniversary party with my husband last year. Ironically my husband is actually there, at Andina, RIGHT NOW, as I type this, on a work dinner, without me 🙁
    In other news, my most memorable dinner ever was at Chef Mavro Restaurant in Honolulu, Hawaii. Most eye opening and amazing dinner ever. If you’re ever in Honolulu GO THERE. That meal honestly changed my life (and incidentally turned me from a vegetarian back into a meat eater!).

  6. Pingback: Portland Dining Month + Giveaway – A Well Crafted Party

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