Today I received the proposal from our caterer, Well Dunn who are just the most amazing catering company in all of DC. It is almost overwhelming all of the incredible choices we have so I thought I would share a few of the menu options with you. We’ve decided to go with a very loungy, cocktaily vibe for our reception so in lieu of a sit-down dinner, we will be serving a combination of passed small plates along with cocktail buffet stations.

We will need to select 2 of the following…any votes?

A California Tasting Table

Cioppino
A traditional San Franciscan fish stew of scallops, muscles, shrimp, Pacific snapper and grouper simmered in an Italian-inspired tomato and herb broth, served in teacups over Parmesan polenta

Grilled Sausages with Two Mustards
Fresh turkey sausage with sun-dried tomatoes and basil and fresh lemon spiked chicken sausage with tarragon grilled over charcoal and presented in medallions with an imported grainy rough mustard and a rustic spicy brown mustard

Heirloom Tomato Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
Fancy heirloom tomatoes combined with shallots tossed in a crisp herb and champagne vinaigrette

Wild Mushroom Pizza with Polenta Crust
Classic pizza dough crusts prepared with polenta and maize topped with wild mushrooms and shallots sautéed in petit syrah and soy, baked with parmesan and asiago cheeses

A California Cheese Board
Artisanal cheeses displayed with bowls of figs and almonds and baskets of sliced sourdough fiscelle and herb toasted baguette rusks

Laura Chenel’s Herb Marinated Chevre Medallions
Hilmar Cheese Company’s Sharp Cheddar with Apple Jam
Winchester Cheese Company’s Smoked Gouda
Joseph Farm’s Pepper Jack

A Levantine Meze

Grilled Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Two Sauces
Leg of lamb, butterflied and marinated in olive oil seasoned with lemon thyme, rosemary and garlic, char-grilled, sliced and presented with green olive tapenade and a fresh fig jam

Baskets of fresh pita loaves and miniature croissants

Grilled Chicken Kebabs on Lentil Pilaf with Blacken Onions
Morsels of boned chicken breast marinated with white wine, lemon juice and fresh herbs, skewered, char-grilled and presented over a lentil pilaf with chopped tomato, seeded cucumber and blacken onions

White Beans with Rosemary and Cumin
White beans tossed with a crisp sherry vinaigrette scented with toasted cumin seeds, fresh rosemary and garlic

Hummus and Tabbouleh
A traditional chickpea and tahini hummus and fresh tabbouleh presented with baskets of herb toasted pita chips

Olives
Bowls of imported green and black cured olives

Grilled Mediterranean Vegetables with Sun-dried Tomato Aioli
Baby eggplant, fennel, summer squash, zucchini, endive and red onion drizzled the olive oil and grilled over charcoal and presented with a sun-dried tomato aioli

Nouvelle Asian

Hoisin Marinated Steak Skewers with Nectarine Salsa
Ribbons of flank steak marinated in hoisin and soy sauces with scallions, gingerroot and Worcestershire sauce, threaded onto long bamboo skewers, char-grilled and offered with a salsa of nectarines, green pepper, tomato and chilies

Thai Shrimp Dumplings in Green Curry Sauce
Spiced Thai-style shrimp and mushroom dumplings with matchstick vegetables simmered in a classic green curry sauce

Wasabi Salmon Fingers with Kiwi Dipping Sauce
Fingers of pan-seared salmon filets brushed with wasabi, rolled into phyllo pastry sheets, sprinkled with sesame seeds; presented with a semi-pureed kiwi dipping sauce scented with ginger

Korean Rice Bowl with Spicy Chicken and Vegetables
Steamed long grain white rice topped with morsels of sautéed free-range chicken breast and ribbons of zucchini, squash and a tri-color of bell pepper doused with a spicy sauce

Lemongrass and Charred Eggplant “Hummus” with Crostini
Grilled eggplant pureed and scented with lemongrass and tahini offered with baskets of lightly toasted ficselle rusks

Nouvelle American

Seared Beef Tenderloin with Mustard-horseradish Sauce
Whole beef tenderloins rubbed with seasoned olive oil and pan-seared, sliced and presented on a bed of watercress with capers and fresh cracked black and a Dijon mustard sauce spiked with fresh horseradish

Roast Salmon with Cider-Apple Cream Sauce
Cocktail portions of fresh Atlantic salmon braised with leeks, pan roasted in fish stock and local fresh pressed apple cider with Granny Smith apples and shallots

Autumn Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce
Semolina pasta pillow filled with a squash pureed scented with nutmeg, served in a sage infused brown butter sauce

Asparagus and Carrots
Gently poached asparagus and baby carrots with a bit of their green tops left on, served with a Green Goddess dressing

American Cheese Board
A display of fresh American artisanal cheeses to include: Cowgirl’s Creamery MT PAT (a triple cream cow’s milk cheese), Grafton Village cheddar, Maytag Blue and Coach Farms Triple Cream Goat, accented with bowls of walnuts, sun-dried figs and sun-dried peach slices

Baskets of fancy crackers and sliced baguette