Hors d'oeuvres, Salads, and Entrées, OH MY!

After a long day of wedding related errands me, my mom, and FMIL met my father at the reception site for the much anticipated, at least on my part, taste testing!!

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We met with the wonderful Director of Operations and the Director of Catering at the Jepson and sat down to taste a multitude of options of the reception. We already knew that we wanted a cocktail hour with hors d'oeuvres (because we need to take pictures), a served dinner (because we have 170 guests) , an open bar with all the accoutrements (well, because we enjoy a cold beverage), but we needed to keep it under $70/person (because we have a budget). We ended up going with the Deluxe Package the Jepson offered which included three different stationary hors d'oeuvres: a fruit, cheese, and cracker display; a roasted veggie display with a variety of dipping sauces; and a hot artichoke dip with an assortment of breads, a dual entree, and variety of sides.

First we started with the salads...

Left: A Radicchio Salad with Julienned Vegetables and a Creamy Tomato Dressing all served in a Boston Bibb bowl

Right: Baby Lettuces with Fresh Herbs, a Champagne Vinagrette, served in Parmesan Crisp bowl.

As you can see I loved the parmesan bowl salad, it was light and crispy and the dressing provided just the right amount of kick without being overly taste specific.

Next were the entrees and sides...

Left: Breast of Chicken Stuffed with Jumbo Shrimp and Spinach topped with a White Wine and Butter Reduction, Julienned Vegetables, and Jasmine Rice Pilaf.

Right: Another sample of the Parmesan Bowl Salad

Center: Lump Crab Cake with Roasted Red Pepper Mayonnaise, Medley of Zuchinni and Peppers, Herb Roasted Turned Potatoes (they're hidden under the filet), and Sauteed Filet of Beed with Bourdelaise Sauce.

Center: Filet of Sea Bass topped with a White Wine and Butter Reduction, Mashed Garlic Infused Potatoes, and Asparagus Bundle.

We decided to go with the Sea Bass and the Filet of Beef for the dual entrees, the Garlic Infused Mashed Potatoes, and the Julienned Veggies for our dinner. MMmmm, good. The decisions were difficult because everyone else felt we should go with the Sea Bass while I was leaning more towards the chicken #1 because I felt it was a more universal appealing dish and #2 I love red fish not white fish, and the Sea Bass just wasn't doing it for me. We eventually went with the Sea Bass, which my mother (who hates all things not steak LOVED) and I am comfortable with that decision (although I get Salmon on my plate... haha VICTORY!). All in all I think we picked the dishes that we enjoyed but will tasty to the masses. The Jepson team was also extremely accomodating in developing an alternate menu for our vegetarian guests and additional dishes for my sister who has Celiac Disease. Yum, yum, yum...