For the Sandovals, father-son bonding involves achiote-braised short rib and cheese enchiladas.
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Lauded chef Richard Sandoval and his son, Giancarlo, will team up on Oct. 31 at Raya, the restaurant at the Ritz-Carlton in Dana Point for a Día de los Muertos feast featuring mushroom tetelas (triangular masa pockets), seafood tiradito and the aforementioned achiote-braised short rib.
Billed as the Four Hands Dinner: Día de los Muertos Edition, the event is part of the restaurant’s El Sol Dorado celebration. Its golden-sun theme runs through ingredients like corn, saffron, marigold and pumpkin, all in a nod to the Mexican holiday honoring loved ones who have died.
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Giancarlo is leading the kitchen for this year’s celebration while Richard takes on more of an ambassador role. Both will guide diners through the Oct. 31 meal, bringing two generations of the Sandoval family to the table.
Dinner will begin with Tetela served with sauteed mushrooms, guajillo sauce, queso fresco, hoja santa and radish. Next comes a tiradito of salmon and sea bass with saffron aguachile, mango relish and salsa macha, crispy sweet potato and marigold.
Corn gets its own course, as it should: a yellow sweet corn soup with vanilla, charred esquites, crème fraîche and cilantro.
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Short rib arrives with a charred poblano cheese enchilada, plantain puree and roasted zucchini blossom sauce. Dessert will be a piloncillo pumpkin crème brûlée with coconut ice cream and pepita brittle. Pumpkin, mercifully, has uses here beyond a latte.
The Oct. 31 five-course dinner costs $210 per person; beverage pairing costs an extra $75.
For those whose All Hallow’s Eve plans already involve costumes and fun-size candy bars, Raya also offers a shorter Golden Sun dinner from now through Nov. 1. The three-course menu costs $126 per person and includes the tiradito, short rib and pumpkin crème brûlée, this time paired with salted caramel ice cream. The price also includes libations like a Sol cocktail made with sparkling wine, pomegranate liqueur, marigold, mango and orange bitters.
Find it: 1 Ritz Carlton Drive, Dana Point, 949-240-2000, ritzcarlton.com/lagunaniguel
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