$200.pp cocktail reception for 40

HIGH PRICED Affair

Aside from great food, great and outstanding service and attention to detail must be assured. Many places serve great food but service is what is lacking. Examples when guest arrive help them on/off with their coats. 1 waiter for every 2 guest, white glove french service only. Napkin change with some courses.Crumb tables. If guest dance or gets up refold napkin at their place setting. These are only a few things that can be done, again bombard with service,because where the other guys food and yours may be equal his form of service may not. I sometimes think more people remember the service more then food.

We have done what we call oyster's and pearl's
Island creek oyster's with cauliflower pearls using molecular gastronomy
But you could use large pearl tapioca and cook it in a cauliflower broth.
I would be careful of getting to clever with what you call things.
also check out J.b. Prince for some cool serving dishes

Spanish is very hot right now

Have you checked out Keller, Jean George's cookbooks?
I'd start there and morph.

One of the big ticket celebrity meals in town had edible gold leaf as decoration......

First thing I thought of pearl wise was a molecular horseradish pearl, hint of lemon.....it'd need work.

Last night I had butter poached shrimp with grapefruit supremes and avacado panna cotta....was incredible!!!

Juliette tomato half with buretta (sp?) sorbet....topped with fleur de sel....again exemplary.

What time of year is the dinner?

Years ago did a gig in N.Y for Frank Purdue. Entree was roast boned rock cornish hen, with a brandied peach and almond stuffing covered with Gold Foil. Took us hours just to peel foil from paper to birds. It was however very impressive. especialy under candlelight in dining room

The less you do to a raw oyster, the better. A squeeze of citrus and some hot sauce is perfection. A mignonette is almost as good. Maybe it's me but a "pearl" seems too girly and too much.

Luxury is expertise, labor, quality, freshness. Consider setting up part of your seafood station with wood crates of oysters and clams on ice; and supply a couple of shuckers and a sushi men. My presentation would be half Grand Central Oyster Bar and half Sushi Bar -- in other words, less formal rather than more. I'd also consider picking up a couple of sides of very good lox or gravlaks from NYC and including that as part of the sashimi presentation -- think of it as rich doctors' comfort food.

Unless the party is black or white tie, white glove is not correct for the servers. French waiter's attire (white shirt, white apron, black tie, black pants) is appropriate.

If possible, I'd suggest smoking the tenderloin.

Truffle is tricky. It's a good idea, but calls a lot of attention to itself. It wants to be, and usually should be the star. I'm not sure how you're planning on serving your croquettes, but if they've got enough truffle to be truffle, they're going to overwhelm anything near them in time or space. You may want them at a station rather than passed.

You don't have enough salt. How do you say salt in money? Oh yes. Caviar. You need caviar. I hate to be old fashioned, but I'd suggest small buckweat blinis with two caviars -- an American paddlefish plus wasabi tobiko -- and sour cream. You might consider latkes rather than blinis.

You lack poultry. A play on Peking duck. You could serve in a timbale if you think two pancackes would be too many. Also peeled, seasoned and barely hard-boiled quail eggs in some sort of nest presentation.

Baked goods: You need a gougere or something like it. Maybe monkey bread.

A few thoughts,
BDL

please share when you figure out the menu....always interesting to read how things work out.

Second that emotion.

BDL

Get a large deposit, buy large bottles of asprin and malox

wow, I'm so sorry that the coolest ever party is becoming a PIA.....

Let's back it up......

As it reads now she has hired you to not only cater the food but coordinate the event. And that's where she is jerking chains.

Did you just give her resource phone numbers (ice guy, DJ, photog, etc)? Either she is going through you or she's coordinating herself.....can't really be both.

Your budget has changed, thus she wants a less lavish party......

Tell her what you can do for $150pp

Keep what's important to them.....stationary seafood.....ice sculpture/ oysters etc.

Dance Floor

If it's booze, well tell them what it'll run for 55 people to have an open premium bar with their choice booze.

Cut back on fussy shtuff......your right, they can pick up cigars, they can pick up gifts.....

I hate giving a bid then having it piecemealed out it really takes the wind out of my sails.

You know what your books look like, if you have time for this gig....if you are making enough profit for the PIA factor.....

Good luck, take a deep breath and sit on it a day.

oops....5 hour party.

so open with the seafood, shut it down after 2.5 hours, then start bringing out dessert shtuff.

Gradually throughout the evening add and subtract food, it'll make it more interesting to the guests and you can orchestrate volume alittle more closely.

If they wanna expand hours on various stations let them know about the additional cost.

Speaking of the liquor..

I started to write several posts, then stopped, because -- while I know you want advice -- I'm not sure it's a good idea to counsel line drawing other than very generally. People find their own places, plus you're on the scene and know the client. But shroomgirl said it first, so I can just jump on the wagon.

Try and get as much of the conversation between the two of you on email and off the phone. Try and get her to write stuff down. Not to create a "record," but it will force her to think about what she wants -- whether it's reasonable or not.

You think you're feeling the pressure? She is too. Twice as badly. That's why stuff's rolling downhill. If mind-changing and talking through problems with a hundred "but on the other hand," for every little thing is going to make you nuts you better fasten your seatbelt. A middle aged JAP with a $20K budget for her husband the eye surgeon's party, married to a successful doctor yet, ain't gonna be easy. She's going to require a lot of stroking, and she figures she's worth it. If you think your position is difficult, just be glad you aren't married to her or her father. Trust me on this.

Call HER and talk your problems out about what to get rid of, how you just wanted to make the party perfect for HER, because she's THE PERFECT CLIENT, and so on. It's best if you can call at an inconvenient time and leave a message that you just have a couple of questions. When you talk, don't imply criticism of her. On the contrary, tell her you understand what she's going through and support her. You just don't know how to handle it and she has such good ideas and taste. This emotional black mail by mixed message is what passes for negotiation, conversation and simple good manners among my people. Even foreplay, under different circumstances. It might seem complicated at first, but trust me, you'll get the hang of it. The best thing would be if you could pass a message through one of her parents.

You've got to be sympathetic about her problems; tell her it's not her fault, her only problem is she's too nice, she cares too much, that sort of thing. But you also have to draw some lines. The more things that change -- even if they change because of something she did, the less happy and more anxious she'll be. You can even talk about it with her and she'll tell you, yes, that's how it always is. She'll also tell you she's "only trying to make everything perfect for" Whaztizname, and might even start crying on that part. Fifty bucks says if she doesn't use those exact words, she'll be (or already has been) darn close.

As her plans expand with her areas of control, while her budget remains static, it's time to start severing stuff -- in threat or in reality. If she wants to hire her own DJ and photographer, she should by all means do so. Whatever she wants to do, she should do. It's one less thing for you to worry about and you'll be happy to take the net charges off the bill and 50% of your commission for those services -- retaining the other 50% as a cancellation and "reprogramming" fee. Obviously this is more along the lines of calling her bluff then anything she's actually going to do. Do it sweetly in an non-challenging way. Just be matter of fact and downright helpful.

The booze is actually pretty simple to handle it (and this is actually practical advice): Two ways to go -- her choice.

One: Take the booze and wine out of the budget and let her write the check to the liquor store.

Two: Tell her that there are other labels as good or better than the ones she's talking about which cost significantly less. For instance, vintage champagnes from Tattinger, Bollinger and Pol Roger are every bit as good as Veuve (means "widow," pronounced kind of like "verve," but spelled with a "u" and not an "r" ) Cliquot, Roederer (Cristal), and Dom Perignon; and that you know an expert who can provide a range of similarly good and similarly lower priced in every category -- and that further, many of these brands will be knew and fun for her guests, and represent a connoisseur's taste, rather than just a deep pocket. You've got to remember that this group receives a lot more expensive booze at Christmas than they can possibly drink in the course of a year. In one sense, a good label is a source of security which says "good enough taste," but it's not the touch of eccentricity which whispers "true knowledge." (Schrammsberg Blanc de Noirs; Boodles Gin; Elijah Craig Bourbon, Monopolowa Vodka (impossibly good, and CHEAP, from Trader Joe's yet), Meukow VSOP (cognac), Dalwhinnie Scotch (just like MacAllan), Clantarfal Irish, and so on.

Also -- considering that there are only 55 guests; that they're mostly Jewish doctors and spouses; that champagne will be handed; don't expect a lot of booze to be drunk. If she goes through a case of hard liquor, it's going to be a shock. This is not what you'd call a hard drinking group. Even though the bottles are as much for display as for drinking the list is going to require some editing.

Veering off on a tangent -- same for that matter with Davidoff. It's a good cigar and very, very expensive. But it's not a great cigar, it's value comes as much from being expensive and exclusive as from being good. There are much better cigars out there for substantially less money. If you want to do a cigar bar, you can provide a box each of strong and mild, which will not only better satisfy a smoker's palate far better than Davidoff, but save 50% to boot. Like Johnny Walker Blue -- Davidoff says "gauche display" more than it says, "good taste."

BDL

Saffron, I am just a home cook, but I would love to know how everything turns out and see pictures if possible. I just know it will work out for you. Your profession has so much drama. It should be a new reality show!!....hehehehe:lol:

It was funnier in Yiddish.

She's working on a budget too, otherwise it would be "cost plus." She said, "Sweetie, we need to add 5 more couples, it's going to cost more."

Then He said, "This is getting ridiculous Honey, we can't afford it as it is. $20 grand is the limit."

So, it rolled down hill and she said to you, "We're adding 15 people, but we're staying with the $20 thousand budget."

I'm not sure what you're saying. Davidoff or nothing? Or you're considering other cigars. I'd recommend Rocky Patel 1990 or 1992 Vintage as mild cigars and El Rey del Mundo as strong -- in similar sizes, whatever you think appropriate. These are both extremely good cigars, both more interesting than Davidoff. Davidoff is sort of the creme brulee of cigars. The El Rey is a real cigar smokers cigar, very well made, very strong but plenty going on, what I smoked when I still smoked. The Patel Vintage is easy, tasty, all sorts of complexities and nuances -- to try is to love. Pretty box too. Actually, just go with the Patels. Take a look. Rocky Patel Vintage 1990 Churchill Tubes Cigars at Famous Smoke Shop About half the price of Davidoff #2s.

YW. You're not moving off the ole veuve are you? Well, why should you? A solid, reliable champagne.

We aren't the world's biggest drinkers, it's true. Neither are doctors, as a class. But it's not just that, I get the impression she wants a fully stocked back bar with a lot of choices. 55 people -- even heavy drinkers -- won't support that. It needs editing.

This is pretty much the kind of thing I used to do when I was still doing this kind of stuff. I wouldn't handle a group over 100 under any circumstances, and over 50 only under protest. My clientele were about 75% more money than they knew what to do with industry people, and about 25% successful professionals. Very similar to your group. I'm familiar with "cost is no object" hitting the budget wall, too.

Generally, you can do a lot of little things, or a few big things. Your ideas for the food are wonderful -- as is your overview of the overall feeling -- perfection with just enough excess to be fun, but not gauche. I get it. I like it.

Best of luck,
BDL

I've read through all the posts, scratched my head a few times, and felt fortunate that I'm retired. This is a very, very peculiar menu, as noted: No pork, no dairy with meat, but including cuts of meat which are not kosher, and multiple seafood items which are not kosher.

As I noted in a prior thread, I have been an excellent shabbus goy (sabbath gentile) for decades, catering many Jewish events when it would be inapprpriate for a Jewish person to do so.

Find out from Mrs. Doctor if there's anyone attending who keeps the kosher dietary laws. You'll need to have separate food for them, prepared in a kosher kitchen and served separately.

Increase the number of vegetarian items. They can be simple, but you'll see they'll be gobbled up. Smaller potato knishes are always a huge hit!
Move the tuna from the butlered hors'doeuvres to the buffet. Prepare whole roasted loins and serve it tenderloin sliced, and be quite certain your staff verbally identifies it as roasted sashimi grade tuna, so no one thinks it's pork loin. Lose the mini wienies!! They cheapen the event. You want wieners? Buy the finest 1/4 pound kosher wieners you can find and the best buns and condiments in your market. You'll "sell" more hot dogs than lobster. Trust me

It's difficult to predict alcohol consumption, but lately I've seen more single malt scotches and small batch vodkas consumed than in years past. Inevitably, someone will ask if there's beer. Have a nice selection of imports.

Were it me, I'd hire the best chef in the neighborhood to direct traffic, taste, and make certain everything is right.

I dunno about the duck. Duck is served best when just done, almost rare. In my 40 years experience, I have never had great success with duck. People are simply not acclimated to eating duck, particularly rare duck. Frankly, I'd use a high quality mock duck in the spring rolls. It'll give you another vegetarian item without a major menu alteration.

Be very careful with guacamole. In a hearbeat, it can discolor, even with a hearty charge of fresh lime juice.

I'll probably keep thinking about this.

Oh, for cigars, Id go with Montecristo White Court Tubes from JR Cigar.

Serious amount of food for 55 guests.

Fryers will be a fryin'

Petit desserts that are remaining from the event......no charge.

BUT for your crowd I'd come up with a whizbang little presentation box with your best little treats. consider it marketing.....

If anyone is interested in "whizbang" presentation boxes, I have always had good luch with Nashville Wraps. I did a lot of looking at other places all over the net and I like them the best. I found that they have a great selection of packaging at good prices and WONDERFUL customer service.

Nashville Wraps is a Gift Packaging and Gourmet Gift Basket Supplies Wholesale Resource

:lol: The Trocadero, site of the Palais de Chaillot, is an area of Paris, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower.

Your client hired a torcedor; an individual who rolls cigars. She'll be handing out, in the cigar vernacular, "fresh rolls." Some of the most memorable cigars I've smoked were custom fresh rolls I bought in New York and San Francisco in the early '70s, when a few tobbaconists could still buy Cuban tobacco through channels in the Canary Islands, which still imported tonnage of Cuban tobacco, then passed it into the U.S. as Canary Island, breña tobacco. I assume your client will be working with CF Dominicana. Good luck.

Gratis premade cookie cones.......just surprise the hostess.
make that part easy on yourself.

crisp ff the only way to go.....hot out of the fryer.

I think is missing in action.