It's Taboo, but...

I debated whether or not to write this post...is it okay to review a wedding? Not the wedding of course, but the food at the wedding? Or is this overstepping some invisible line that we all draw when discussing what is usually a very personal, emotional day for two people that thought enough of you to invite you into this intimate setting? Are we being hypocritical if we don't?

I've come out on the side of writing the post. If I'm willing to be unbiased about the food I cook in my own home and the dishes of friends and loved ones, why not talk about the public venue hosting such a celebration? So here goes...

Over this past weekend the Alvarez and Riordan families gathered with friends to witness and celebrate the wedding of Scott & Mary Lou at the gorgeous Intercontinental Willard Hotel in Washington, DC. A few words about the hotel first as it goes to the overall ambiance of the event. The hotel is located on Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street - within easy walking distance to the White House, the Washington Monument, the National Mall and so many other famous buildings of our capital. The hotel itself is understated grandeur with gold and black and hues of brown and orange that give a sense of warmth and comfort. The use of marble and stone, breathtaking fresh flower arrangements and many little seating areas peppered throughout the lobby are in line with other famous Grand Hotels. The guest rooms were quite large, especially for inner city, with comfortable beds and drippy shower faucets. Some of the rooms came with fabulous views of historic landmarks.

After the wedding ceremony in the most beautifully appointed Crystal Room (with gold and white tones and huge crystal chandeliers), we moved up to a glass enclosed atrium for cocktails and appetizers. The original plan I was told was to have this portion of the evening outside on the patio around the fountain...but between the on again, off again rain and humidity this was a good alternative. With very high ceilings and substantial length, the atrium fit the crowd of guests nicely. There were two bars serving wines & champagnes selected by the groom as well as the full bevy of cocktails. I drank as much Alfred Gratien Rose as I could as it was acidic and bright and went well with everything. All of that's well and good - what I really want to talk about are the appetizers. I am especially critical of functions for large groups...so few hotels and venues can pull off a well executed event with good food and service. The Willard did an exceptional job! I thought this cocktail hour was one of the best I've ever attended. Being one of the first to arrive into the atrium, it was so nice to have the bar already open and ready and a lovely shrimp display assembled. The shrimp were jumbo sized and had been marinated in something with a little kick - Old Bay and cayenne perhaps? They paired perfectly with a subtly spiced cocktail sauce and fresh squeezed lemon.

Without any time lapse, the served appetizers started appearing in droves from the kitchens. I tried as many as I could (thanks in equal parts to being impressed by the food and being VERY hungry) as they came out. There was a superb crab salad in a little phyllo cup with a noticeable hint of cilantro that was fantastic (alas, this is the one I loved the most and only got one of to try); foie gras mousse with brandied cherry on country bread; excellent yellow fin tuna on wonton; homemade mini pizzas; baby Angus sliders with caramelized onion, oven dried tomato and pickle and I think a miniature empanadas with salsa verde. But by far one of the best appetizers of the evening was the perfectly cooked (medium rare), nicely sized, baby lamb chops with rosemary...oh, happiness. I think I ate six of these, maybe more.

The cocktail hour lasted much closer to two and allowed for lots of mingling and chatting with friends and family. I had just positioned myself in front of the door to the kitchen in hopes of finding more crab cocktail when the chimes sounded to go to dinner. The wedding reception and dinner was being hosted in the aptly named, Willard Room. A gorgeous but intimate ballroom with warm brown tones and huge green marble columns - this was one of the nicest venues I've seen for a wedding or event.

And now my disclaimer if you'll allow...this is where weddings start the downward spiral of shame. I've yet to think I've experienced good wedding dinner food...decent in some cases with a dish here or there that's inspiring...but a full wedding reception dinner that's good start to finish?!? Doesn't exist. There's something impossibly hard about serving 100 - 250 people at the same time with any level of culinary flair and the entrees are almost always overcooked, bland and sometimes downright yukky.

But not this time! I didn't think it possible...but the food at the reception dinner was pretty damn good. The first course was a mixed green salad of arugula, roasted pear, candied walnuts and blue cheese served with a mild walnut vinaigrette. This was a nice salad...I enjoyed mine - ate all of it. The next course was the table favorite - pan seared Maryland crab cake with pepper aioli. Lovely!! And for dinner you had a choice of steak, fish or pasta. There were eight and a half people at our table (Alan & I, Paul & Sarah with Amelia, Lisa & Guy and Sarah's parents, Jack & Sharon). I took an inventory - no pasta at our table but an even split of steak and fish dishes. Alan ordered the steak that turned out to be fillet mignon with medley of vegetables and potato au gratin. The fillet was pretty large, about 2 and a half inches thick and absolutely PERFECTLY COOKED. I mean, it was red in the middle but warm to the touch with fabulous flavor and easy to cut. I don't know if everyone's came out as well as his did but damn, what a nice steak!! I had the wild striped bass with a honey and lime sauce (and also served with vegetables and potato au gratin) that was surprisingly good. Not incredible - it didn't outshine the fillet - but really nice and cooked to the point of flaky but still moist and flavorful. We finished our dishes which is downright shocking. I really liked the potatoes as well. In fairness I do want to mention that we heard from a few people that the pasta dish was disappointing. It was a tagliatelle with roasted olives, herbs and puttanesca sauce. I didn't get any specifics of what they liked or didn't like about it, just an overall consensus that it was eh.

And finally, the cake and dessert courses. The cake was vanilla with blueberry mousse and a fondant or ganache icing (I don't actually know the difference). It was served with a chocolate covered strawberry. I thought the cake was ok...I'd even say, "not bad". But I hate cake, seriously - really don't like cake (or pies for that matter). The strawberry was fresh and yummy and all of this was accompanied by a very colorful, very fun ice cream bar. There were four flavors of ice cream (chocolate, vanilla, caramel and one more I didn't catch), a chocolate sauce fountain and a ton of toppings like sprinkles, chocolate chips, M&Ms, marshmallows, nuts, coconut, heath bar, bananas, cherries and so on...I loved my ice cream sundae!!

All in all - kudos to the Willard and to Scott & Mary Lou for selecting and executing a rather exceptional wedding - food event!