I know it might seem stressful (I was freaking out before too), but try to relax and enjoy it! The menu tasting ended up being one of my favorite parts of planning my wedding, and so many things were delicious we had a hard time narrowing it down. But really it was a good problem, because I knew we would get yummy food. My mother, my aunt, hubby, and myself were at the menu tasting. Here are our thoughts.
- Penne alla Vodka (penne pasta with pancetta, sweet onion, tomato basil cream and pecorino romano): This was an absolute favorite. Everyone loved it, and it ended up being the starter for our dinner meal.
- Creamy Parmesan and Champagne Risotto: This was supposed to be an appetizer, but I loved it so much I really wanted it because champagne risotto is one of my favorite foods. My father-in-law makes it for me all the time. So since the rest of my family wanted the penne for the appetizer, we made this the side dish for the main meals.
- Romaine and Radicchio Salad (with green olives, red onions, feta, crisp prosciutto, capers, and a red wine vinaigrette): Everyone liked this, but for some reason my family was set on having caesar salad, so I was overruled.
- Seasonal Lettuce Blend (with charred endive, baby pears braised in turmeric syrup and cardamon spiced candied pecans): I thought this was pretty good, but this was the least favorite dish. Hubby dislikes sweet salads so this was a no-go.
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast (with mushroom cream sauce and sundried tomato alfredo sauce, garlic herb polenta and fresh grilled vegetables): The chicken was GREAT! I'm not a huge fan of chicken (I wanted fish for my dinner) but this was so good I almost changed my pick. With the tomato alfredo sauce on it, it reminded me of the Crusted Chicken Romano from The Cheesecake factory if you have ever had that. Hubby and I don't like mushrooms, so we didn't try that sauce, but my aunt loved it. She was very sad we didn't pick it LoL. Everyone loved the polenta except hubby, because it had goat cheese in it and he doesn't like goat cheese. But if you like that and want something different it was delicious!
- Garlic Crusted Chicken Breast (this had the same sauces and vegetables, but had dauphinoise potatoes): This was okay. Everyone loved the parmesan crusted chicken so much, this kind of paled in comparison. Dauphinoise potatoes are like fancy au gratin potatoes in a shape. They were good, but we liked the risotto and polenta better.
- White Fish with lemon butter, tarragon beurre blanc, and pinot grigio sauce: All I can say about this was they cooked the fish really well, and all the sauces were good, but I liked the lemon butter the best.
So I know that was really long, but if you are considering any of these dishes, I hope I helped you narrow it down! Good luck and have fun!
