Madison Gets Fired Up With Fuegos

Carnivorous and vegan delights were both on the menu for Fired Up With Fuegos on Wednesday, September 27th, 2017. Twenty-five Madison Elites were treated to a six-course beer and tequila pairing in the beautiful front dining room of Fuegos – Steak • Tapas • Vegan.

The night started with attendees getting to know each other and having a chance to meet Chef Oscar Villarreal and beer guide Joe Shipley. Everyone got to take in the beautiful surroundings including Fuegos’s signature logo – a steer head constructed from vegetables.

The first course fried calamari or vegetable ribbons in a tomato sauce paired with Pacifico. Joe taught the group that beer is often paired with fried foods to help cut through the oil. Next up was Cabrito tequila and a bed of coconut rice topped with chicken or vegetables and a pineapple-chipotle sauce. The pineapple and coconut played beautifully and balanced the sweetness of the delicious pineapple and jalapeño cocktail.

Centinela tequila accompanied course three; alligator chorizo or fried yucca on pepita bread with mustard sauce. The flavors got a bit darker with the fourth course and the deeply caramelized onion sauce that accompanied the beef or quinoa meatballs. Negra Modelo was the beer for the course and we learned that the malty process was developed in Vienna but is now only made in Mexico.

The final savory course was a meaty portabella mushroom with chimichurri and blue or vegan cheese. Casadores anejo tequila was the deep and smoky flavor. The meal concluded with an incredible vegan coconut cake with berries and mango and an herbal Vida Dulce Limon tequila with sliced strawberries.

Throughout the meal Chef Oscar quizzed the crew with trivia questions surrounding what they were eating; discerning palates were rewarded with vouchers for free drinks, tapas, desserts, and entrees if they could answer the chef’s questions correctly. The person at the end of the night with the most vouchers was rewarded with dinner for two at Fuegos’s upcoming Day of the Dead dinner on November 1st – a six-course dinner for two, plus dancing afterward. Congrats to Yelper Bobb S. for winning the dinner!

Whether you’re a meat eater, a vegan, or somewhere in between, Fuegos has mastered the spectrum. All diners will be able to find something lovingly crafted and thought out for any preference. See what Elites thought about the event here, view photos, and nominate yourself to join the fun on the Elite Squad page!

Thanks to our event partners:

Fuegos – It’s the varied diets of the Villarreal extended family that drives the large menu at Fuegos. Jordan is a vegetarian who tries to eat vegan as much as possible, but Oscar is a “conscious carnivore” who can’t live without his meat. Given those differing tastes, Fuegos’s concept is to provide one location for conscious carnivores & vegan/vegetarians alike to experience a unique Latin-inspired menu.