Notes from Chicago: Wedding Food

A couple weekends ago, we attended a lavish wedding at The Four Seasons in Chicago. At a place like The Four Seasons, it's incumbent upon the party-giver to go all out and make the most of the location, and so the decorations, entertainment, and all the little details were first class, but the food took center stage (okay, the bride and groom did, but this is a food blog, okay?).

First of all, we love it when people theme the party food. In this case, everything was Chicago or Italian themed, even down to the hotel gift-baskets. When we arrived, an overflowing bag filled with Chicago treats, such as Mazel Toffee, Affy Tapples, and Wrigley's gum awaited us. AC was particularly freaking out over the caramel apples, as he told me before we left the airport that "I must have an Affy Tapple before we leave." Thank you, TA, for helping to fulfill a dream.

After a lovely nondenominational ceremony, guests filed into the foyer set up for cocktails and appetizers. But let's be honest here, these were not appetizers, these were Italian mini-meals. Three types of fresh handmade pastas (lobster ravioli, butternut squash ravioli, ricotta-stuffed gnocchi) were being served to salivating guests, many of whom returned for repeat visits (I'm looking in your direction RC, CC, etc.). Another station offered thin-crust pizza, the best of which was the carmelized onion and goat cheese pizza.

Unrelated to anything Italian was the unusual addition of a pretzel bar where the staff were slinging warm salted and unsalted pretzels with a choice of four different types of mustard. AC is a serious mustard enthusiast, so I was pleased to see him rushing over with a plate garnished with a dollop of all four.

Even after all of this consumption, it took every ounce of restraint I could muster to not continue sending AC back for more of everything. But we were sure that the dinner would be just as outstanding. Luckily, more surprises. Dinner featured an enormous chicken breast dredged in an herbed bread-crumb mixture, accompanied by sauteed seasonal vegetables and dauphinoise potatoes. It was a meal fit for two people (which is perfectly fine, because we each usually eat for two...each), and that's to say nothing of the ample bread display. The flatbread, pretzel bread, and mini-baguettes were delicious, and we made quick work of the flower-shaped pat of butter.

Most weddings feature a cake—this one was a two-in-one. Each slice featured moist chocolate layer cake on the top and banana layer cake on the bottom. Also placed on each table was a tiered tray of homemade Italian cookies, our favorite of which was the pignoli cookie—the perfect companion to the extra-strong cappuccino we ordered from the espresso bar.

At the end of the night, we were certain we had consumed our weight in food and beverage. And for that, we thank the As.

—AK