charreada!

I hope everyone had a great weekend full of celebrating and football.  I thought I would post a fun and lively party this morning to give everyone a jolt of energy.  It’s not all cocktail parties and wedding receptions over here at A Fare Extraordinaire.  In fact, my favorite parties are the ones in which guests can show up in jeans and fit right in.  This event in particular was a Sunday afternoon charreada.  (Side note: I’m from North Louisiana, so I had to learn what a charreada was when I booked this party.  The short answer is that a charreada is a Mexican rodeo.)  Guests began to pour in around 1pm, and thankfully the weather was gorgeous!  Upon arrival they were greeted by waiters wearing stick-on mustaches and offered a margarita.  After hitting the buffet and taking a few Don Julio shots, they meandered around the property while sipping on Mexican juices and munching on palletas.  A few trips to the petting zoo later, a mariachi (flown in from Mexico) put on a live concert loud enough to deafen anyone within 50 yards!  From that point on it was a free for all.  Tequila shot, menudo, mariachi, REPEAT!  This went on until about 3am.  Talk about a fun Sunday!

This was the entrance to the party.  The bright colors really set the tone of the day!

The brightly decorated bar was right next to the rodeo arena.  We stocked it with eight beer varieties, premium liquor (including three kinds of tequila) and freshly made margaritas.

These bistro tables provided the best seats of the day!  From here guests could view the charreada, dancers and entrance and access the taco stand, buffet and bar easily.

Despite the relentless Houston heat, these dancers twirled and smiled for hours. 

People munched on colorful chips and a variety of salsas all day.

My favorite hors d’eouvres were the mini chicken and beef sopes.  There was really never a lull during the day for a chefs were able to take a break.  The eating continued from 1pm until after midnight!

A Fare Extraordinaire had never served menudo at an event until this party!  I love trying new foods and it was my first opportunity to try this traditional Mexican staple.  It was warm, savory and full of flavor.  No wonder it is often eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Mexico!

I firmly believe that paletas make everything better.  Mexican theme or not, these self serve paleta carts are the perfect party treat for a party on for a hot, sunny day.

In between tequila shots and ice cold bottles of Modelo, guests sipped on sweet Mexican juices.  We went through several dozen gallons of horchata, tamarindo, jamaica and limon juices.

I was so impressed by this brother and sister duo!  I couldn’t decide what I envied more - her gorgeous skirt or her horseback riding skills.

This charro got the crowd excited.  Seeing the different participants decked out in traditional charreada attire was a very fun experience!  Overall it was a great event, even for the caterer!

Special thanks to Belle of the Ball Events and Events in Bloom for helping AFE to make event this a huge success!