You’ll Feel Sand In Your Shoes…

Our Menus + Music series celebrates musical genres and the food and drink that define them, and this one is no exception!

Join us for our next Menus + Music event…
Café Babaloo, a Cuban-Inspired Kitchen Party
Friday, March 20  |  5 – 10 p.m.

The Latin Rhythms of KC’s Own ‘Cubanisms’
Get your groove going to Salsa, Brazilian & Afro-Cuban beat.

Salsa, Merengue & Rumba Lessons
Why be moody when you can shake your booty?!

Rum Tasting
Because it’s a thing & because esta valoa!

Authentic Cuban/Caribbean Menu
designed by Chef Dana Holland
So authentic you’ll go home with sand in your shoes.

Ven a esta fiesta!

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A ‘Menus & Music’ Kitchen Party!  CAFÉ BABALOO
 featuring the Latin sounds of The Cubanisms
and the food & drink of Cuba

Designed to lead you away from the everyday, these laid back and relaxed Menus & Music Kitchen Parties combine a popular musical genre with the food and drinks that define it. Join us for our second installment as we make the culinary exploration into the sexy, soulful culture of Cuba, complete with live Latin band, colorful pan-Latin inspired dishes, rum tastings, Caribbean craft cocktails, outdoor cigar room and dance lessons. Recipes to take home? Why wouldn’t we? Getting to know your fellow partiers? You bet!

Latin food is one of the sexiest cuisines on the planet. There, we said it. And our own Chef & Instructor Dana Holland (proprietor of the legendary Latin-inspired St. Louis restaurant “Babalu’s (a favorite among the local glitterati and hoi palloi alike) is no slouch when it comes to Latin & Caribbean cuisine, and is eager to show off his mad skills with pan-Latin small plates that will knock you clear off your Cuban burro! He’ll get this sexy, soulful party started with the likes of Shrimp Salpicon y Tostones, Beef Picadillo, Fish Escabeche, Plantain Chips, Aiiaco (a velvety coconut milk soup), Moros y Christianos (black beans & rice), Escalivida, Coffee Orange Flan and more!

No Cuban carnival would be complete without live music, right? So we are thrilled to host the Cubanisms, a local Latin band sensation with a musical fusion style that mixes salsa, Brazilian, jazz and Afro-Cuban rhythms. Voted one of the Best Local Bands in 2019 and 2018, not to mention Best Vocalists (Fedra Cooper and Bruno Bessa) and Best Musician (Michael McClintock). Whew! Now that’s a ‘house party’ band.

The Caribbean bar opens at 5 p.m. with a free rum tasting as well as a cash bar featuring authentic libations, such as the Cuba Libre (Cubato), Dacquiris and craft cocktails.

Once we have fueled the party for a bit, the free dance lessons will begin, and you’ll learn the Salsa and its Caribbean cousins, the Merengue and the Rumba. Plus, falling in the category of “whowouldathunkit? even the Latin hustle, a relic of the Saturday Night Fever days of the 1970’s, will make a comeback tonight. Folks, this Cuban fête is not just for Latinos – people of all ages, ethnicities and experience levels can dance happily together. You’ll then get your chance to try out your new skills as you bust a Latin move to the powerhouse sounds of Cubanisms.

We know this party will be a smokin’ good time, so we have designed an outdoor Cigar Hideaway with Caribbean cigars available (or bring your own!) to round out this Havanian experience.

So, gather your Latin flair… and maybe your twirliest skirt … and step into our tasty Latin carnivale. Come early to secure a table next to the dance floor… because it’s ‘first come first served’ for seating at this party!

$50  ($55 at the door, if not sold out)
Free Rum Tasting and Cash Bar open at 5 p.m.
Dance Lessons begin at 6 p.m.
Caribbean Small Plates begin at 6:30 p.m.
Music & Dancing 7-10 p.m.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

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Watch for more kitchen parties this year in our Menus & Music series…