The Best Part of Wedding Planning

Food!

Last week my mom and I went to meet with a potential caterer for the wedding, Innovative Gourmet, and were rather surprised to find out that we would not only be discussing food, we would also be tasting!

One of the first things I said to Nathan when we got engaged was “OOH!! Now we get to taste cake!” So needless to say, I was excited! Unfortunately I arrived sans camera, so my camera phone had to do.

First Course
Chilled soup / Turkey, bacon, cheddar panini on pumpernickel bread

Both delicious and such a great combo!

Barr & Table Innovative Gourmet Caterer Baltimore Maryland MD Chilled Soup Turkey Bacon Cheddar Panini

Second Course
Grilled and roasted veggies / Vegetable flatbread / Duck bites with crunchy pecans / Smoked brisket on french baguette

In my opinion, you can never go wrong with grilled and roasted veggies. I ate those up! The duck was fantastic with the sweet crunch from the pecans and I loved the smoke flavor in the brisket.

Barr & Table Innovative Gourmet Caterer Baltimore Maryland MD Grilled Roasted Asparagus Red Pepper Zucchini Tomato Cauliflower Flatbread Duck Pecans Smoked Brisket Carrots

Third Course
Polenta bar with shredded chicken, roasted peppers, sauteed spinach, smoked gouda, and bleu cheese.

This is such a fun idea; rather than doing the typical pasta bar, you substitute creamy polenta and put out a bunch of toppings. A make-your-own so everyone gets what they want. And each piece was equally tasty.

Barr & Table Innovative Gourmet Caterer Baltimore Maryland MD Polenta Shredded Chicken Roasted Bell Pepper Sauteed Spinach Smoked Gouda Bleu Blue Cheese

Fourth Course
Chop salad / Heirloom tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad over asparagus with frisee and balsamic reduction

I’m not a huge chop salad fan, but the heirloom tomato and mozzarella salad is right up my alley. I love the layered, deconstructed visual appeal of the dish, and the flavors were fantastic!

Barr & Table Innovative Gourmet Caterer Baltimore Maryland MD Chop Salad Heirloom Tomato Buffalo Mozzarella Asparagus Frisee Balsamic Reduction

Fifth Course
Brown butter rockfish over roasted corn, carrots, green beans, & red pepper / Pistachio crusted lamb over roasted vegetables and tzatziki

The rockfish was flaky and delicious, but the lamb stole the show. It was cooked perfectly; so tender and flavorful, and the pistachio crust gave it a beautiful crunch. We took a few leftovers home, but the lamb was not one of them.

Sorry Nathan. (Not really……)

Barr & Table Innovative Gourmet Caterer Baltimore Maryland MD Brown Butter Rockfish Corn Carrots Red Pepper Green Beans Pistachio Crusted Lamb Tzatziki

Sixth Course
A beautiful assortment of petit fours

What can I say? I’m a sucker for sweets! Chocolate. Chocolate. And more chocolate. And a few other bites of desserts, but my favorites were all of the chocolates!

Barr & Table Innovative Gourmet Caterer Baltimore Maryland MD Desserts Petit Fours Chocolate Dark Chocolate Milk Chocolate White Chocolate

This has definitely been the most fun I’ve had during the wedding planning thus far and it makes me so excited for more tastings!

As for the caterer choice? Decisions still to come…

Speak Up!

If you’re married or engaged, what was your favorite part of planning? And if you’re not married or engaged, what are you most looking forward to while planning?

Don’t forget! Today is the last day to enter my giveaway for a chance to win a case of CalNaturale Svelte! Don’t miss it.. entries accepted until 11:59pm EST! Four lucky winners will be chosen Friday morning!

2 thoughts on “The Best Part of Wedding Planning

  1. Hi there! I’m Jade, new TIU member in MD. Starting following some blogs of local TIU members and just started reading yours! Everything looks mighty tasty. The polenta bar is genius! At a work event they had a mashed potato bar with regular and sweet, cheese, veggies, and other toppings and it was amazing. Keep up the blogs, people just starting on TIU and a healthier path really look for inspiration 🙂

  2. I really love your site.. Great colors & theme. Did you
    make this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m planning to create my very own blog and would love to find out where you got this from or just what the theme is called. Cheers!

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