My original plan was to write one post, neatly bundling up our food experience from both the wedding and the honeymoon. I know now, that just isn’t possible. Our wedding was, in the 
words of our friends, more like a food tour during which two people happened to get married (note: this is actually EXACTLY what we wanted). Our honeymoon was a non-stop decadent meal (this is also exactly what we wanted). That being said, a singular post just won’t do. Instead, I’ve decided on a three post series. One post for the wedding, one for France and one for Croatia. Let’s start at the beginning … our wedding day.
My opinion is obviously very biased but honestly, the whole day felt like such a dream. I keep thinking about it and reliving it moment by moment, unable to wipe the smile off my face. I won’t get into all the details, this is a food blog after all, but I’ve included a few photos because … I wanted to.
Okay, okay, back to the food stuff. To be totally honest, I didn’t actually eat much. Most brides and grooms don’t. But I ate some and Matt ate some different things and the rest of our information comes from our family and our guests.
Cocktail Hour:
We had three stations, multiple passed hors devours and a wood fired pizza truck. Our AMAZING wedding coordinator and close family friend, Lynn Cassels, brought Matt and I a couple of pizzas while we finished up our photos. We promptly inhaled both – me being extremely careful to keep buffalo chicken, cheese, and sauce off my dress. I was impressed. That really says a lot because I am a pizza snob and will not give credit where credit is NOT due. Victoria’s Wood Fired Pizza did not disappoint in any way, shape or form. In fact, this treat made a welcomed surprise at the end of the night when my gorgeous maid of honor presented me with another pizza as we boarded the bus back to the hotel. Delicious. Now I want pizza …
The passed snacks included things like sesame crusted rare tuna with fried wantons and a ginger soy glaze, chicken satay with peanut butter and coconut marinade, margarita shrimp shooter with ancho chili crust and a marharita shot (I’m actually SUPER bummed I didn’t get one of these), mini chicken and waffles (a friend favorite), caramelized day boat scallops with a rainbow tomato pico de gallo shooter and Tuscan BLT sandwiches with baby arugula, smoked bacon, tomatoes and a basil aioli on a pretzel bun.
I’m still not done with the cocktail hour. We had three stations, remember?
- Hudson Valley Harvest Farm to Table with grilled and roasted seasonal items
- Crock & Griddle: Grilled to order truffle manchego and Vermont cheddar mini griddle sandwiches with roasted tomato bisque
- Pulled Chicken Taco Bar: This one had my name written all over it. Pizza and tacos make me a happy girl.
The cocktail hour ran from 6-7 and of course we had a full bar and two specialty cocktails to wash down the food. Once everybody was seated inside and we did all the fun wedding-y stuff, food began again at 7:45.
From 7:45 to 11 PM, the amazing crew with Inn Credible Catering kept everybody eating all night – when they took a break from the dance floor. We couldn’t have a wedding without some M&D goodies though so in addition to the cake (which I’ll get to later), we had asiago cheese sticks waiting on each table for a little snacking right off the bat. Later on, servers would pass out the very same corn tamale fritters from the M&D dinner menu.
Reception: 5 stations and 7 passed hors devours
The stations were set up throughout the entire evening and guests could come and go as they pleased.
- Oktoberfest: Sauerbraten with apple fennel braised red cabbage, bratwurst grilled to order with caramelized onions, soft rolls and mustards
- Pasta Station: Choice of wild boar bolognese or vodka sauce. Matt hit up the pasta table right away and tried both sauces. I stole a couple bites from his plate and we both agree that both were delicious.
- Salad Bar: Because whether you want to admit it or not, you’ve gotta eat some veggies.
- Seafood Bar: Oysters, clams, shrimp, baked clams, grilled octopus and stuffed braised squid with crabmeat. I know I admit that I didn’t get to try much, but the baked clams were TO DIE FOR! So so so good.
- Slider Bar: This one came out around 10 PM with mini Angus beef burgers, bacon, mini chip bags, pickles and condiments as well as mini hot dogs, NY red onions and mustard. All of this was served fro ma Manhattan street cart and made even better by the presence of homemade taquitos “to-go” with fresh salsa and crema made with love, by a couple of very dear family friends.
You might think the stations would have been enough. We didn’t. So we had some passed hors devours as well.
- Corn tamale fritters – I already mentioned these but they’re one of my favorite things from M&D so I felt that they warranted an additional shout out.
- Mascato braised short ribs with smoked gouda grits. My friend Alyssa has not yet stopped talking about these and I totally trust her judgement so I know these were amazing.
- Baja fish tacos with roasted corn and black bean salsa
- Soba noodle boxes with snow peas, red pepper and baby corn in a chilled Thai peanut glaze
- Baby lamb chops with a rosemary olive oil marinade
- Candied pork belly grilled cheese with whiskey BBQ sauce and picked red onions.
Me & my gorgeous maid of honor that I keep talking about. Remember how my gorgeous maid of honor brought me pizza on the way out? Well she also hand fed me one of these sandwiches on the dance floor and I’ve never loved somebody more.
- Portobello mushroom fries with cucumber wasabi aioli
I know it’s a lot of food. But … it wouldn’t be a wedding, or any day really, without dessert. Am I right? Of course I am.
Dessert:
McKinney and Doyle wedding cake made with so much love by my wonderful father. We went with banana chocolate chip cake with cream cheese filling. He decorated it so perfectly. We wanted a slightly naked look and he topped it off with some sunflowers to match our bouquets and decor. As always, he knocked it out of the park. Again, I’m biased but … whatever it’s true.
We also had some passed sweets because you’re talking to the biggest sweet tooth in the world. Servers passed out mini parfaits, petite cannolis with hot chocolate fondue, fried Oreos and Churros. I feel like one of those cartoons with the heart shaped eyes bulging out of her head.
I could talk forever about our wedding. The food, the fun, the dream that it truly was. But after spelling out the menu here, my stomach is growling and my mouth is watering so I absolutely must go find a snack. Do you think Victoria’s Wood Fired Pizza delivers to Florida?
Rebecca McKinney
I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.
So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!
Eat well & travel often,
Becky McKinney
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