by Steven Doyle photos by Natalie Holl
Sunday was a bit dreary and drizzly but it didn’t stop about 100 revelers from joining chef Kent Rathbun at his “Party Room” at The Heights at Park Lane just behind his penthouse for a fun afternoon of cocktails and passed bites with many of his brand’s chefs and bartenders.
The event was sponsored by Ambhar Tequila and the showdown was to prove who could come up with the tastiest original cocktail made from the spirits. It was good to catch up with some old friends at the event but the true star of the show was of course the cocktails.
Everyone who attended was given a special glass bead that would be used to vote for their favorite drink, and as we made our way though the various stations sipping tequila laden cocktails it became ever more obvious that this would prove to be a difficult task.
The bites that were sandwiched between slurps of what was mostly natural fruit drinks that were incredible, as expected. Our favorites included lobster-mango quesadillas and chimichurri laced skirt steak skewers. Other highlights included do-it-yourself pulled pork tacos that were reminiscent of the chefs offering at the taste of NFL event during the Super Bowl.
Restaurants represented included Abacus, Jasper’s (both Woodlands and Plano), Rathbun’s Blue Plate, Zea WoodFire Grill and Shinsei.
Kyle Paris of Jasper’s Plano
The best concoction for the afternoon as voted by the crowd was the Ambhar New Fashion, a tequila take on the Old Fashion invented and prepared by Kyle Paris of Jasper’s Plano. For the victory Kyle walked away with a IPad II and bragging rights for the year.
