Tasting the Menu

Oh, poor neglected wedding blog…

While there have been wedding things happening, I have not been very good at updating about them. We’re still on the hunt for a DJ and an officiant. I am desperately seeking shoes. And we still need to make a decision about which of our engagement photos to use for our ‘Save the Date’ cards.

But we did check one thing off our list. Last night we took the train up to Beacon for a tasting at our venue. We’re still 11 months away, but I wanted to make sure we got to taste everything in season. One of the things we liked about our location was that they use local, in season fruits and vegetables. Combine that with a Culinary Institute chef and owner.. Well, needless to say, I wasn’t worried about the food!

The tasting actually took place while a wedding was going on, so we were able to taste the food as they were made in bulk. There were plenty of appetizer options. I think the most appealing thing for me was that there were a bunch of options that I don’t think I’d seen at other weddings. Obviously, there were deviled eggs and bruschetta. But we also had a chicken empanada that was delicious, some cheese puffs, an aioli tart thing. One of my big things for the appetizers is that I want to make sure that anything that’s not kosher is obviously not kosher. So, nothing will have pork or shrimp mixed in, unless it obviously looks like a shrimp or prosciutto. I just want to make it as easy as possible for my Jewish family and friends, so they don’t have to worry and ask about everything they eat.

The pasta appetizer that we had was probably the most delicious thing the whole night. It was a wild mushroom tortellini like pasta in a cream sauce that was to die for. And we all liked the salad as well. Rather than a plain old salad with greens and dressing, this had craisins and walnuts, which added a different dimension to the course.

We were able to try four different options for the main course, which seemed like a lot to me! The beef dish was very tender and cooked to a nice pink center, which was exciting, because usually, at weddings, caterers err on the side of over-cooked. The chicken was good, though I wished the sauce was a little bit more seasoned. I didn’t try the pork, but we won’t be serving pork as a main dish anyway. And Paul liked the bass. I’m not a huge fish fan, so I didn’t really care either way.

We definitely have decisions to make in the next few months to nail down our menu, but it was great to get an opportunity to see and taste everything ahead of time.