memoirs of a palate

ITALIAN WEDDING





I don’t even know where to begin. I guess I’ll back up and explain the setting first. James and Diana are engaged to be married, so a little party was being thrown in their honor up in Connecticut at her parents’ house. We’d never been to that neighboring state to the north and certainly never indulged in the legendary delicacies of Diana’s mother, so we were pretty psyched on multiple levels.

So food was VERY serious from the moment we set foot in the house. Two buffet tables were loaded with everything from giant sandwiches (turkey, brie, green apple and honey mustard) to the most amazing shrimp cocktail, hummus, tabouli, and antipasto plates with meats, cheeses and peppers. It was insanity. This would constitute an outstanding meal at nearly any other home on the planet, but for us on this day … it was just the beginning.

For those of us who hadn’t tapped out after round one, a royal dinner spread was unveiled a bit later on. Stuffed chicken, baked ziti, beef fillets, meatballs, tacos, mixed greens salads, garlic knots and about 10 other things adorned a couple banquet tables that just glowed with amazing food. It was a thing of beauty.

And if you thought it was over, you’re very wrong. Dessert literally took the cake. From carrot cakes and flan with fresh berries to strawberry shortcake, biscotti and assorted cookies, dessert just kept coming.

A massive thank you to James, Diana and their families. One of the best Sunday afternoons we’ve had in quite some time. Sorry the pictures were terrible ... I didn't do this thing justice at all.