Why Can't Tastings Happen Everyday?!

We had our tasting with our caterer today and um...it was awesome. I'm almost regretting getting it done so early, but it was either get it done now-ish or wait until November or December, which is crazy time for me as a teacher. With the wedding in February, I'm trying to get as much done earlier rather than later, so today's tasting worked out just fine.

We drove out to Watsonville where our caterer's kitchen is located. We also invited Joel's mom and sister because I can't make a decision for the life of me and Joel wanted their opinions as well. It was so fun and we all walked away wishing we could do tastings all the time.

We started off by tasting some of the passed appetizers.

Beggar's Purse with Fontina and Pine Nuts

Polenta Triangle with Caramelized Onions, Walnut and Bleu

At the bridal expo, we met up with this caterer (recommended by our venue) and they had samples of these delicious chicken with cheese skewer things that were so delicious. We were sold on having them as one of our three passed appetizers. When we tasted the beggar's purse and polenta triangle, we enjoyed both of them but thought they were pretty similar in taste profile, but the beggar's purse was easier to eat and a little bit more delicious. We wanted a lighter, less cheesy appetizer to be passed and our coordinator suggested the ceviche shooter. I wasn't convinced, but she brought out a couple for us to try and we were sold. 

Ceviche Shooter with a mini fork! How could we not?

The shooter has tilapia and shrimp and it is so light and cute-looking, too! Plus, as Joel's sister pointed out, we are getting married at the beach, so some seafood would be appropriate. 

Then we moved on to our vegetarian entree, butternut squash ravioli in a sage butter sauce. 

Yessssss...pasta...

Perfectly sweet, savory, tender and light. I think anyone looking for a veggie entree will be very happy. Did I mention we're also having grilled veggies and garlic mashed potatoes? Yes, I think we'll be all set for vegetarian guests! Next up, meats:

Tri Tip

 Tri Tip Sauces: Mushroom Port, BBQ, Peppercorn, and Au Jus

Salmon with Orange Glaze

The tri tip was delicious! Perfectly cooked and seasoned. We're serving it with the peppercorn sauce and horseradish. The salmon got mixed reviews: Joel's mom and sister liked it, especially the sauce, while Joel and I weren't sold on it. To us, it tasted a little fishy (yes, we know it's fish). We wanted a fish entree because of Joel's Kosher grandma, so we're trying to figure out what to do. Keep the salmon, and add a different sauce? Switch to halibut or sea bass? We'll see. The nice thing about our caterer is we can make changes to the menu up to two weeks before the wedding (maybe that's industry standard but... I don't know!)

So here's the final menu as it stands right now:

Appetizers:

• Stationary Cheese and Fruit Display
• Chicken with Fontina and Lemon Beurre Blanc Sauce on a Skewer
• Beggar's Purse
• Ceviche Shooter

Salad:

• Plated Caesar

Buffet:

• Grilled Tri Tip with Peppercorn Sauce
• Salmon with Orange Glaze
• Butternut Squash Ravioli in Sage Butter Sauce
• Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Mixed Grilled Veggies

There's still a few things to decide. What type of plates to use (smaller stylish square or less attractive larger round), bread on the buffet or at the table (a $0.50 difference per person), linen colors, chair covers or Chivari (yeah, I might go there). 

But overall we are all pretty pleased as punch with our food choices. I know it may seem like a pretty standard 'wedding buffet', but to be honest, we like that. I don't think our guests want us to splash $100 on each plate of food (and we couldn't afford it if we wanted to!). We just want some tasty, simple food that will fill every one up, make them feel like they had a nice dinner, and not hold them back from hitting the dance floor. Hopefully our menu will help us achieve our goal!

Did you have a tasting for your wedding food? How did it go?!