Dining in Dallas.com

At a wedding reception the food and atmosphere are obviously very important aspects and are usually what make a great (or terrible) lasting impression for guests. But at the same time, the quality of service is just as critical, and in my opinion is probably the most difficult to get right. The food and decorations can be prepared beforehand (i.e., before the hordes of hungry guests arrive). But to achieve the kind of service expected at such an event — the type that is unobtrusive yet somehow omnipresent — requires not only preparedness but a certain degree of endurance and stamina. Let me explain. Imagine carrying a small plate of food with maybe 15 small one-bite servings, and walking into a throng of 350 ravenous Chinese folks crowded in a narrow hallway impatiently waiting to be seated for dinner. Imagine doing that not once or twice, but multiple times throughout the evening. I felt kind of sorry for the servers charged with this harrowing task. The people working behind the bar serving 50 drinks a minute certainly didn’t have an easy task either.

All in all though, I must say the wait staff did a commendable job. They managed to keep all the guests happy, and despite the rather long wait in the reception hall, the overall mood of the crowd actually seemed to improve as time passed. Some of the more “crafty” guests started learning where the servers would come out from and they would lie in ambush to get to the food first. But the servers caught on and started entering from different locations so that other guests could be served. Empty glasses and used napkins were removed quickly and without much interference, and the area was kept clean at all times. Overall, I was actually quite surprised by their efficiency.

While their efficiency is certainly to be praised, some of the servers seemed a bit lost though when it came to explaining the food (I don’t think they were too familiar with the menu). Not a big deal though. The food was good and it was served quickly, so everyone was happy. Maybe the next time they are hosting a crowd of Chinese people they can teach them a couple of games — like how to bob for apples with chopsticks. That should keep the crowd entertained for awhile.

I got a chance to taste test the lamb before the wedding reception, and it was just as good at the reception as it was at the tasting. The lamb meat was tender and it didn’t taste gamey at all. The red “sauce” on top was sweet mint tomato chutney, and I’m a big fan of sweet/salty combinations, so the pairing of the lamb and chutney was good. Served on the side were mashed bean and eggplant which tasted like a less starchy version of mashed potatoes, grilled quarter of a pita used to scoop up the mashed concoction, a rather bland corn tamale. The one thing I didn’t like about this dish was that the lamb portion was too small! At the tasting I got two pieces, and it was like an appetizer to me. Also missing were the fried plantain chips that I really liked from the tasting but didn’t make it to the final version.

The seafood and the vegetables were a nice surprise because they weren’t offered at the tasting. The seafood plate had a small sampling of shrimp, scallops, crab claws, and mussels. These were probably boiled in lightly salted water, then chilled before serving. Aside from the seafood cocktail sauce, no other flavoring was added to mask the delicate flavors of these tiny morsels. Drizzled on with a bit of lemon and lime juice, the seafood tasted refreshing after the rich lamb meat.

The vegetables came in their own plate, too. I think we were the only table to have all the food brought to us. Other tables had to stand in line for their vegetables and turkey. The vegetables were probably quickly steamed, then sauteed and served as is with a very faint hint of salt. I thought they were perfect because the broccoli, cauliflower, and the asparagus still had a crunchiness to them. The mushrooms and the tomato bursted with flavor. There was also a turkey dish that I didn’t take a picture of. Actually it was more like a turkey sandwich, and I nearly laughed when I saw it. It seemed so out of place after the previous three dishes. The turkey was dry, the bread was dry, so I didn’t particularly like the dish.

In keeping with the theme of small portions, the fruits were served in a martini glass. There was just enough to taste. If I remembered correctly, my glass had strawberry, blackberry, kiwi, star fruit, watermelon, and jicama. This fruit martini was somewhat exotic, and it looked colorful, but because this assortment of fruits do not all peak in flavor at the same time, it fails in the taste category.

Last but not certainly not least, who can forget the dessert portion of the wedding? Interestingly, the assortment of asian goodies were actually homemade and provided by close friends & family of the bride. Rather than going out to a local bakery to purchase these goodies, the bride & groom saved a lot of money by requesting homemade desserts as “wedding favors” instead of the customary gifts or money from these mommy chefs. Moving onto our dessert selection of the evening, first, there were the red bean (correction*) puffs - a crispy breading on the outside filled with red bean paste on the inside. Then we had the sweet biscuits and a special soft almond cookies treat made by one of the bride’s very own small group girls. The biscuits tasted similar to a very well-reknown Chinese delicacy, “Tai-Yang-Bing.” Perhaps both desserts share some of the same ingredients or have a similar “filling” inside but in any case, they were delectable. Finally, we had homemade spice cake. And needless to say, it was a big treat for everyone there. The outcome of the dessert portion that evening came to show that sometimes even the simplest foods, when they’re homemade, can be comparable if not better than catered or store-bought goodies.

Tags: wedding, dma