Twenty-nine years is a very long time. In restaurant years, it’s like 150. There’s a reason why Trio’s has been open for 150 restaurant years … actually many reasons.

But it begins and ends with owner Capi Peck. She’s a ball of energy and enthusiasm that bounces around a party room with a sincerity that’s hard to find these days. This town loves Capi and her talents were on full display at our Oaxacan Dinner last Thursday evening.

During the planning stages several weeks ago, we agreed to include 25 guests, 35 at the very most. We ended up with 52. Here’s a paraphrase of how one exchange went down:

Potential Guest: “I’d like 2 tickets to the Oaxacan Dinner.”

Me: “That’s great, but you don’t even know the date.”

Potential Guest: “I don’t care. It’s Capi, please reserve me 2 tickets.”

So here we were, 52 foodies—a mix of close friends, acquaintances, and Capi loyalists—sitting in the banquet room adjacent to Trio’s, ready to partake in dishes Capi conjured up from her summer vacation to Mexico.

We ate dishes like Ceviche de Atun (ahi tuna with jicama, coconut milk, and serrano chile), Quesadillas con Flor de Calabaza (squash blossoms, huitlachoche, Poblano chile, and Oaxaca cheese), and Tamales de Pollo con Mole Negro de Oaxaca. There were even two desserts, including a Capirotada (bread pudding with pine nuts, raisins, queso penela, and cinnamon whipped cream) and a Tarta de Chocolate Mexicano with Ancho chile pecans. I can honestly say everything tasted great.

There were so many other aspects to the evening that deserve mention, like the flawless, attentive service, along with Capi’s colorful descriptions of each dish while projected pictures from her trip popped on the wall, as well as a bar that cranked out perfectly paired wine and cocktails. Hell, we even had a guac and chips station.

But, to me, the warmth (and I’m not talking temperature) in that room was what made the evening so memorable … and no moment was more indicative of this than when Capi brought out her staff to receive some well-deserved recognition.

It was a perfect ending to a perfect evening. Thank you to Capi and the entire Trio’s staff!