Wedding Planning: Tour de Crabcake

LOML and I have met with two caterers thus far. The first lady was quite nice, but there was nothing to sample. Hmm....

Last night we visited with a company up in Calverton, MD. (It's near Bal'm're, hon. More about that in another post.) The meeting was held at a reception hall and there were several couples seated at various tables chatting with sales people about linens and dishes and flatware and glasses and lots of other things. Since LOML and I have already booked Kentlands Mansion for the event, we got to skip all that other business and get right down to some eats.

The appetizers were all good--especially the little spanakopita--but there was something missing... oh, wow! They didn't put any crabcakes on the plate! Rather than stomp out in a huff, I asked if they perhaps had any available. They did, and they were fine, if not quite as good as the ones we ate at Legal in Baltimore. ("Bal'm're" ... it sounded to me like that fellow Ballmer who runs Microsoft these days.)

The salad was okay, but LOML managed to find some rather burnt almonds among the toasted almonds. "Away with them!" we decided. "No problem" said our consultant.

We were served two entree plates. Mine had beef tenderloin and salmon. LOML, being a vegetarian, had spinach ravioli. She eats seafood, too, so I gave her some salmon while I snarfed a few ravioli. Nice balance of spinach and cheese. The steak was a bit on the done side for my taste, but the gravy was nice. Likewise for the salmon: a bit too done for me, but the sauce was quite good.

We didn't taste cake because we've already picked Custom Cake Design of Gaithersburg to do that. A nice spice cake, which ought to go nice for our October wedding.

We did try out the chocolate fountain on the way out. Clever thingy, that looks a little like a terra cotta sculpture until you get close and realize that there is chocolate flowing over it... no, wait, it is all chocolate! LOML and I agreed: a nice touch, but messy. I fear she may have nightmares about someone--I can't go all the way and assume it is yrs trly--spilling all manner of red wine, axle grease, catsup, mustard and cranberry juice all over her dress. Can't have that! So, no, we won't do the chocolate fountain.

Tonight we meet with another caterer in Rockville. LOML seems to really like these people, and they definitely seem on top of things from a customer service perspective. The proof will be in the tasting, though.

Especially those crabcakes.