As I told you a while back, I’m getting married. Things are barreling along. We’ve hired the caterer. Chicago is a fantastic foodie town, so we had a lot of great caterers to choose from. We settled, though, on our first pick, the Hearty Boys. They won the first season of The Next Food Network Star. They’ve run a couple of Chicago restaurants, of which we were serious fans – in fact, it was the Hearty Boys who introduced me to the bruchtime Ovaltini, which has twelve vitamins and minerals (14 if you count the vodka and crème de cacao). We had our tasting this week. Here’s what we’ve decided on for our lavish cocktail party reception:
Stationed hors d’oeuvres
Antipasto of Polish meats, cheeses, and breads. Unfortunately, the Polish Meat Hut, which was to be the crown jewel of our reception, is no more. Nonetheless, that opened the window to involving our favorite Polish deli. Hearty Boys were brave enough to work with us in putting together a charcuterie of Kurowski delicacies. Brave, I say, because they don’t speak a lick of English at Kurowski’s, and the Hearty Boys don’t speak Polish. In spite of that (and with the help of their conveniently-Ukranian driver), they came up with something so stellar, I could’ve stopped the tasting right here and spent the rest of the time polishing this beautiful thing off.
Passed hors d’oeuvres
Chile Garlic Pork Belly Skewers
slow braised and crisped
Baby BLT
house-smoked bacon, mini butter roll, herb aioli
Buffalo Chicken MC2
panko-crusted mac & cheese, buffalo chicken, buffalo blue cheese sauce
Ahi Poke Cones
soy, sesame oil, rice vinegar, scallions, mini savory cone
Sundried Tomato & Brie Toast
Light Supper Stations
Pizzettes
oblong flatbread, brushed with garlic oil and crisped golden brown
- Imported Pepperoni and Parmesan: with truffle oil and fresh arugula chiffonade
- Margherita: fresh mozzarella, sliced tomatoes, and chiffonade basil
- Asparagus, Prosciutto, and Goat Cheese
Vietnamese street food noodle dish with shredded smoked chicken, scallions, baby carrots, and whiskey broth, served in mini take-out containers with chop sticks. Guests’ choice of toppings: sriracha, soy, sweet chili
Sweets
Double-Pistachio, Chocolate-Raspberry (which we couldn’t help eating before grabbing the camera), White Chocolate-Rosemary
Hearty Boys
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I have been intermittent fasting…now I am REALLY REALLY hungry looking at those delicious treats…a torture, I tell ya..
Whoops!
Wow, it sounds like a UN meeting there with your caterers. 🙂 Also, I loved the Hardy Boys books when I was a kid. Is Frank or Joe your wedding planner? Just kidding! Congrats, my friend! This is a very special time, and I know you guys will have great memories…and great eats!
I’d love to have Frank and Joe as our wedding planners, but I’m afriad the whole thing would turn out to be some huge mystery that wouldn’t get solved until the final hour.
Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding Jeff, and especially on your amazing choice of foods!
Lynne and I got married 4 years ago and I remember our tastings, they were so much fun and it was difficult to choose the cuisine. Naturally as we had relatives flying over from Australia and other parts of the world we had to choose Scottish, that being haggis. Oh, and whisky. Naturally! 🙂
As for the above and my favourites? I’m torn between the Antipasto and the dessert!!
Looking forward to hearing and reading more about your upcoming celebrations!!
Thanks, Neil!
Wow, what a spread you’re going to have! Lucky are the guests who are invited. Congrats on the upcoming nuptials, BTW.
Thanks, John!
Congratulations! This is all so exciting!
Thanks!
It will be an event to remember. Congrats. GREG
Thanks!
What do I have to do to get an invite? Everything sounds fabulous! Congrats and can’t wait to see pics!
Congrats, Jeff! Love the idea of a Polish antipasto platter…
Thanks!
Congratulations, it sounds like a wonderful event, particularly the food you have selected. I just love small food because you can literally taste everything! The macarons look wonderful too, I had made them for our Anniversary party last May and with all the other food going on, they were the biggest hit! I’m looking forward to seeing pics of your big day.
Thanks!
Congrats on the upcoming wedding. She will be lucky if you cook for her. There are so many good things to choose from “world tour” above.
Thanks!
The Hearty Boys will not let you down 😀 Many congratulations <3