Getting one last weekend out east is essential (if you’re into that), and I personally could not think of a better way to bid this otherwise mediocre New York summer adieu than to spend a night at Surf Lodge with Mexico’s queen mothers of food and drink. Chef and restaurateur Gabriela Cámara joined forces with entrepreneuse Bertha González Nieves, co-founder and CEO of Casa Dragones Tequila, to host an epic Montauk dinner party in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, and refreshingly, there were no toxic male culinary creatures in sight. Bless!

The four-course Mexico City-inspired menu kicked off with a spice-forward scallop tostada and clam aguachile to start, followed by a beautiful grilled fish with grilled little gem lettuce and Domingo Rojo beans and a not-too-sweet nectarine tamal for dessert. The dinner was full of nods to Cámara’s acclaimed Contramar, which we all need to go visit once once this pandemic hellscape gets over itself.

Anyway, the drinks were great, obviously. Casa Dragones served its Blanco neat at the beginning of the meal alongside spicy cucumber cilantro margs and classic Palomas, eventually leading into pours of Joven and the brand’s new Barrel Blend (an añejo) to finish things off. May it serve as a moodboard and menu inspo for your next gathering of vaccinated humans only.

[Photos courtesy Casa Dragones]

The Guest List

More