There are so many things to report back about from our planning session -- I was thinking it was going to be one post, but I think it needs to be divvied up into at least a couple different ones. It was so much fun, but it was also a little overwhelming, making that many decisions in a 5 hour period! All of it can be changed up until about 30 days before the wedding, but it still felt very "speak now or forever hold your peace." (Ba-doom CHING! I actually wrote that before I realized the double entendre.)
So, these are the dishes we tried this week for our buffet-style event:
The duck was TO DIE FOR. We love duck, and this had gotten really good reviews from past Disney brides, so I wasn't surprised, but oh my god - with the brie and the dressing - it was AMAZING. I'm really excited to eat this again.
So for our salad options, we chose the duck, and then had them put a simple/standard salad on the meny for any of our pickier eaters, with a blood orange vinaigrette or creamy italian dressings.
The tortellini was excellent - Redgie had made the executive decision to grill the shrimp to give it more summery flavor, and it was a great one! The flavors of the dish were really special - not a standard pasta dish. I was 100% sold on this - so it also was selected as an entree option.
The pork shanks were a little sweet for my taste but very tender and still very good. Redgie agreed that he could pull back on the orange a bit. Everyone else really loved it. Llama Dad is very anti-chicken, so he gave it two thumbs up as an alternative to that. It was added to the menu!
The chicken was also very good - even Llama Dad gave this the stamp of approval. The goat cheese in the middle really gave it rich flavor, as well as the cherries. Ultimately, the group voted for the pork over the chicken, but we might try and get this into our rehearsal dinner menu!
Overall, our requested menu is (in case you skimmed to the bottom - which I totally get):
Hors d'Oeuvres:
- Stuffed Piquillo Peppers with Goat Cheese
- Smoked Basil Pesto Marinated Caprese Skewers
- Spicy Tuna Tartare
- Seasonal Asparagus and Greens, Soy-lacquered Duck, Brie, Candied Walnuts, Hazelnut Oil Powder, White Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Mixed Greens with Grape Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Carrots, Croutons, Olives served with Blood Orange Vinaigrette and a Creamy Italian Dressing
- Grilled Zucchini, Eggplant, Mushrooms, and Peppers.
- Three Peppercorn and Whole Grain Mustard Rubbed Beef Strip Loin - Blackberry Demi-Glaze and Horseradish Cream (Carved to Order)
- Tortellini with Shrimp, Rabe, Roasted Tomatoes, and Pesto
- Pork Shanks braised in a Grand Marnier Demi with Dates and Orange Zest
We knew Disney is able to do great food, but we were pretty much blown out of the water - every dish was truly excellent, and we have pretty high standards. So we submitted our request, and are eagerly waiting to hear back from the kitchens to see how they price it out. I know we'll probably have to make a few changes (I expect this is going to blow the budget a bit), but that's okay - I'm prepared! <Not sweating bullets...not sweating bullets...>
We also did our cake tasting and dessert planning...but that's for another day! Anybody else pleasantly surprised at their tasting?