A “semi surprise party”: when your friends see their birthday cards being signed at the bar; it then becomes pretty obvious something is going on.

Originally it was a planned party to use our $150 Casa Picasso certificate from the San Pedro Lighted Boat Parade. Due to the timing of our three friends (Kendall, Heather and Jackie) having birthdays the day after we planned our get together, we decided why not turn it into a small surprise party.

Also due to timing (two of our friends were not feeling well) the party got postponed so we ended up doing it on tasting Thursday as well which worked out perfectly. Jackie (one of the owners) knew that this weeks 5 course meal would be one Kendall would love – she was right. Out of the 9 of us he was the one who instantly made that his pick. The rest of us ordered a bunch of delicious dishes from the appetizer and main menu.

To use up our $150 certificate, party organizer Sandie and Jackie had quietly decided to do a big dessert selection – after all it was a birthday party. Suddenly multiples of four yummy sweet treats lit up our table – great way to end a perfect night.

Casa Picasso First Tasting Thursday Menu of 2017

In case you are wondering what a Picasso tasting menu looks like, every Thursday they do a new one and it is optional to do it with a wine paring.

• Grill Cheese and Tomato Soup – Campbell’s has nothing on Chef Val’s homemade creamy tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich wedge made with Asiago and smoked Gouda cheese.
• Blue Cheese and Bacon Mac N Cheese – Creamy and satisfying elbow macaroni made with white cheddar, Parmesan and blue cheese and topped with their own bacon jam.
• Tempura Vegetables – Tempura battered mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini, squash and onion rings, fried and served with a sweet onion and garlic dipping sauce.
• Irish Guinness Stew – A savory and hearty stew made with cubed beef tenderloin slow braised in Guinness and red wine with potatoes, carrots and onions and bay.
• Hot Fudge Brownie Sunday – Kakaw chocolate brownies topped with the house made vanilla bean ice cream, hot bourbon chocolate sauce and topped with whipped cream and a cherry.

Aside from the Picasso descriptions I included of what we ate, you can find out what other delectable foods they offer by clicking through to the Casa Picasso Restaurant Menu.

If you are looking for the “best steak” while on Ambergris this is the place to find one. Click through to read more reviews and make sure to Add Casa Picasso to your Ambergris Caye restaurants to do list – you will be glad you did. Our friend Kevin Smith (Heather’s husband) can verify that it is his standard order. Filet Mignon Grilled beef tenderloin served with a garlic potato galette, an herb aioli & sautéed callaloo.

Here are pics of a small portion of all the yumminess that came to our table last night. 

Charred Caesar salad with grilled romaine lettuce topped with a classic house-made Caesar dressing, Parmesan cheese & a sunny side up egg, with toasted croutons.

Sticky Shrimp – Lightly battered & fried tempura shrimp, tossed in a habanero, mango jam with toasted cashews & green onions.

Savin Rock Lobster Sliders – Fresh local lobster poached in butter, served on sweet, toasted buttery rolls.

Molten Chocolate Cake A rich chocolate dessert served with house made vanilla ice cream & an espresso sauce.

Left – Beignets – NEW Traditional New Orleans style Beignets with a creamy banana custard filling topped with a drizzle of bourbon chocolate sauce & powdered sugar. Right – Lemons & Blueberries, a lemon meringue custard, topped with a blueberry compote & whipped cream, served with a ginger bread cookie.