Many months ago, various people recommended that I contact La Bonne Maison to cater Steph's Bat Mitzvah. I knew nothing about caterers, so I called. I spoke to Linda Marino, who waited patiently as I whined about how I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing for this party. She asked questions and listened carefully to my answers. I fretted that I wasn't the type to throw The Party of the Century, and she said, "Karen, just from talking to you today, I can tell that those who know and love you are not going to expect The Party of the Century. It sounds to me as though they will expect you to (1) make sure your daughter has a blast and (2) serve absolutely amazing food, because those are the two things you care about the most. We can do that." Hired!
Linda is amazing. She led me by the hand (quite literally: she frequently took my hand and squeezed it to let me know that everything would be great) through every decision. She is of course an expert on food and wine (did I mention that she did a chapter in the new edition of The Joy of Cooking?), but she also knows all about things like flowers and balloons and room flow and scheduling and much more.
So, to begin, here's what we chose for the kids:
Their "bar" offered all manner of soft drinks plus "Spritinis," which are martini glasses whose rims have been dipped in coarse sugar, then filled with Sprite tinted with aqua food coloring. Oh, and a maraschino cherry. This was perhaps Steph's favorite thing of all. I hope there's a photo somewhere of them, because they were so cool. (We even tried to mimic them here at home last night for our mini Super Bowl party.)
While the kids were dancing and partying, waiters offered them hors d'oeuvres platters of mozzarella sticks, mini hot dogs and french fries, and mini pizzas. (Yes, plenty of adults partook thereof as well.)
For their buffet dinner, they were offered pasta with meatballs and red sauce, pasta with Alfredo sauce, sliced marinated flank steak, Caesar salad, and rolls. From what I'm told, everything was a big hit.
For dessert, they had make-your-own brownie sundaes. Linda had those big old-fashioned sundae glasses that the kids filled with brownies, choice of ice cream, and then every possible mix-in you can imagine: chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, whipped cream, M&Ms, rainbow sprinkles, gummy bears, etc. etc. Oh, and hot cocoa to drink. Not bad to be a kid, huh?
But before you long to be a kid again, wait till you hear about the grownup menu. For months Andy has been saying, "I hate when I'm at a party and they run out of hors d'oeuvres. I don't want us to run out of hors d'oeuvres." Suffice it to say that at least 6 different people came up to me and said, "I have never seen so many hors d'oeuvres in my life!" And every one of them was better than the last.
So, with our cocktails, here's what hors d'oeuvres were passed around to us while the kids danced:
- Petite Filet Mignon with Herb Butter
- Smoked Salmon Canapes
- Asian Tasting Plate: Peking Ravioli, Scallion Pancakes, and Vegetable Tempura with Soy Ginger Sauce
- Wild Mushroom Purses
- Gougères
- Leek and Goat Cheese Tartlets with Fresh Thyme
- “Salty” Tuna Brochette with Wasabi Creme
Wow. Every bite was exceptional.
Then we sat down for our meal, served with red and white wine. For the first course, I couldn't decide between soup and salad, because I love both. Linda said, "Why not do a little of each?" She got salad plates with a little bowl inset on them, so we had Winter Squash Soup along with Mixed Green Salad Garnished with Dried Berries, Goat Cheese, and Spiced Pecans. It was so good, and just what I wanted: something warm and creamy and something cold and tart. Then came the main course, consisting of Pistachio-Coated Chicken Breast with Red Wine, Cranberry, and Orange Sauce, served with Five-Grain Pilaf and Julienne of Assorted Colorful Vegetables. (Oh, and the "chef's garnish" of a Mini Pear and Gorgonzola Star.) It was out of this world. I can't count how many people told me it was the best thing they'd ever eaten at a party. We were all regretting having stuffed our faces on the hors d'oeuvres. (I should mention that we had a handful of vegetarian guests, and they each got a spinach-stuffed portobello mushroom entrée, which I'm told was also delicious.)
Sometime later, with coffee and tea, a platter of glazed S-shaped sugar cookies and dark chocolate truffle pops was placed on each table. Some people though this was the dessert, mais non! The real dessert was truly the pièce de résistance. Linda and I had talked about the chocolate/non-chocolate thing. Some want one, some want the other. Should we offer a choice? Should we serve alternating plates around the table and make people share? I said, "I can never make up my mind." So, you can probably guess this by now, but Linda said, "Then you shouldn't have to." She came up with these amazing dishes, and I'm kicking myself that I don't have a photo. They were long rectangles with 4 small square dishes lined up inside. In the first compartment was a small scoop of the most decadent chocolate bread pudding. In the second a scoop of caramel ice cream. In the third a scoop of homemade apple crisp. And in the fourth a dollop of whipped cream dusted with cocoa powder. OH. MY. GOD. I absolutely died and went to heaven, and so did everyone else, from what I could gather at the tables around me.
What else did Linda do? She provided a basket for the socks I bought for the girls to put on when they tired of dancing in their new heels (yes, de rigueur now). She put Steph's sign-in board on an easel and tied Sharpies to it with colorful ribbons. She walked a shy cousin to the Spritini bar. She ordered a bottle of Absolut Ruby Red Grapefruit so she could present me with my favorite drink when I walked into the party. She thought of things I never would have imagined.
And, on top of everything else, her staff is amazing! Guests went out of their way to comment on how pleasant and professional all the waiters were. Linda told me that she has almost no staff turnover, and it's very clear that these are all people who are doing what they want to do.
So, to recap: If you are throwing a party in the Boston area and you care about food, you would be nuts not to call Linda at La Bonne Maison.
Holy moly. I thought this wasn't going to be a fancy party! I'm on cloud nine just reading the menu!
Posted by: Elena | February 08, 2010 at 08:11 PM
Karen, this is incredible! And it really DOES sound like it was the "Party of the Century." What a remarkable woman. I got tears in my eyes when I read about her presenting you with your favorite drink when you arrived! Such a huge variety of foods with hors d'oeuvres AND the meals to suit the kids AND adults! And yes, my mouth it totally watering.
I'll bet it's been hard for Steph to come back down to earth after all that!
Posted by: Tonya | February 08, 2010 at 08:14 PM
I guess what I meant about "Party of the Century" was having it at a fancy hotel, having a band, having 200 people, having tons of flowers, having a light show (yes, people do that!), etc. This was a modest party by local standards, except for the food -- which I was willing to totally splurge on! SO worth it. :-)
Posted by: Karen | February 08, 2010 at 09:15 PM
This sounds absolutely amazing!!! What a wonderful menu!
Posted by: Kerri | February 09, 2010 at 09:41 AM
I'm salivating just reading your menu. What a fun, lovely night you all had!
Posted by: amy | February 09, 2010 at 03:27 PM
Where was the party? Sounds fabulous! Mazel tov. The glow lasts a while - enjoy!!
Posted by: Alissa | February 09, 2010 at 07:09 PM
It sounds utterly amazing, very gourmet. I wish I'd been invited! :)
Posted by: Margaret | February 09, 2010 at 09:56 PM