A High Profile Wedding...

It is quite common, and I have grown accustomed to seeing high profile folk who grace the halls and dining rooms of the Rainier Club. Business CEO's, government dignitaries, Presidents of countries (not to mention our own), sheiks, sports and music celebs and of course...chefs! It is a place that not many can boast such a claim. And what makes it unique and interesting is that it is done with such professionalism and class in that everyone is left alone and taken care of...made to feel as if they were in their own homes without the paparazzi and general public asking for a damn autograph. It is a place that many of Seattle's "who's who" are in the know and in the dining room at any given time. It gives me pleasure to be able to cook there. There are a lot of very prominent community movers and shakers( perhaps some that may back my restaurant some day) that constantly throw very swank events. This last weekend was no exception. It was a special wedding for a couple's ( Ken & Kathy Hatch) daughter. It was sit-down for about 210 guests. A 5-course menu with passed hors d' oeuvres, both before dinner and afterwards. After having a bad experience elsewhere, there was admittedly by the clients, a bit of skepticism about being able to carry out their meal in a timely and orderly fashion. That was all I needed to hear. Bring it the f$&@ on! We started passing hors~ french brie "tarts" sitting on a base of prosciutto, pecans and herbs, and topped with thin wedges of red grapes... "dauphines"...little fritters of potato, mushrooms and cipolline onions...a few others were intermittently interjected. The served menu started with a chilled version of one of our amuse~ a Marinated Shrimp Salad with Mango, Avocado, Caviar Creme Fraiche and Micro Greens, all tucked inside an egg shell with a hint of Agro Dolce Dressing. The next course was a Sweet Corn Soup with Baby Chanterelle Chips, House Cured Bacon, Micro Basil, Basil Foam, Chives and just some simple goodness to go with it. What followed was a fish course of Alaskan King Salmon with Horseradish Potato Mousseline, Roasted Beets, Apples, Salmon Candy-Marcona Almond "Crumble" and a Cider Poultry Jus with micro Tatsoi. Rich. By choice of the guest...a quaint pairing of Pepper Crusted Strip Loin of Beef followed, flanked by creamy Celery Root Puree, laced with Walnut Oil, Caramelized Garlic, Artichoke Chips, a Chanterelle-Goat Cheese "Chausson", or turnover if you must, and a very heady Wild Blackberry Gastric-Black Peppercorn Essence. As we headed into dessert territory, yet steering a course for someone else's wedding cake, we played our part with a transitionary course of Old Chatham Camembert "Brulee", 2003 vintage Truffled Apricot Conserves, Rhubarb Coulis, Meyer Lemon-Rhubarb Vinaigrette, Micro Arugula and Dukkah Spices. We bruleed the creamy, buttery cheese with a mixture of turbinado and muscovado sugars. We hit the mark for sure. People were ecstatic. The parents of the bride very satisfied. The bride and groom in heaven. We pulled this off in just 150 minutes for over 1000 plates with nothing being rushed or hurried for the sake of it all. We just simply kicked ass. It is events like this that challenge us to step up and make the business successful. It takes care of the little things (those wonderful Chef's Garden Micro Greens!) that sometimes are not always a viable entity in this business due to costs and budgets. Here is a glimpse of what took place...