self-serv wedding food suggestions?

[meels]

I just got this message from a friend of mine. He must have been desperate -- he posted it to a list of graduate students. Perhaps chowhounds have some suggestions??

Dearest colleagues,
>
> The wedding catering business is an absolute [redacted] horror.
>
> So my fiancee and I have decided to try thinking outside the box -- we've
> got friends who have friends who will work for cheap as servers if we
> supply the food. Now all we need to do is get a good local restaurant on
> board who will make food for 100 people, charge us a reasonable sum, and
> let us handle the heating, plating and serving.
>
> So, please forgive the unscholarly email, but do you have any favorite
> restaurants in the East Bay, SF, or Marin that are tasty,
> vegetarian-friendly, not too expensive, and (ideally) not cutthroat enough
> to try to bleed a young couple out of the little money we have? If so,...

Please respond to this post!!!

[The Librarian]

At our wedding (a long time ago when we were grad students), we had it at my father's house in Berkeley. The food was a buffet of breads, cheeses, and fruit as well as the zucchini and artichoke tortas from Genoa Deli in Oakland. The cake was from Virginia Bakery, if I remember correctly. No servers, but we did hire a student bartender. There was lots of wine, beer, and champagne, and everyone got enough to eat and had a wonderful time (including us). I've never understood why people think they have to spend a ton of money for an elaborate meal. The point of a wedding is to celebrate the marriage, right?

[milklady]

What about Picante? They do great catering.

[weem]

I once went to a potluck wedding where people were asked to bring food in lieu of gifts. Everybody seemed fine with it. And as has been suggested above, it was not held at a restaurant, but at a local park (a facility in Stern Grove).

[ceekskat]

You could inquire with an Indian or Middle Eastern restaurant. I've been to quite a few Indian buffet dinners at people's homes where there were no servers. Where is the reception going to be held? I'm sure the hounds can narrow down some places given a location.

[Candice]

I went to a wedding that had food from a local Middle Eastern restaurant and it was great. It was mostly veggie: spreads, tabouli, salads, dolmas, etc. I think there were some kabobs or something too though. The couple said it ended up being way cheaper.

[PeterL]

Don't think restaurants. They have overhead and must make money. The insurance will likely not allow them to have non-professionals working. Try renting a public space (state or local parks for example). Buy food from a restaurant or something like Costco and serve it picnic style.

[steven4490]

I have to agree with PeterL. Many restaurants will not "cater" a meal unless their own employees are the servers. I think it may be a health department issue. If the food is not served or heated properly and someone gets sick . . . well, you know where this is going! I think your best bet is to check out the vegetarian choices and appetizers at Costco or some other warehouse store, prepare it yourself and have the friends of your friends serve it. I went to a wedding a few years ago that did exactly that, but vegetarian meals were not an issue, so I'm not sure what the selection or variety is at Costco. They must have veggie quiches and veggie lasagna. Good luck.

[david kaplan]

Ozone Thai on Polk brought Thai food for 80 people to my house, set it up in chafing dishes, and overall did a really nice job. It's not the best Thai food on earth but was solid, and the process all went smoothly. Everyone was well-fed for $10/person.

Delessio bakery makes wedding-worthy cakes that are very reasonably priced.

If your friend is thinking about "heating, plating, and serving," she/he is not so far outside the box. Who says a wedding needs a meal? Have the ceremony at 1 pm and then serve desserts in the afternoon. Again, cakes, cupcakes, and cookies from Delessio would do the trick, and if you want savory food, too, put out high-quality charcuterie and cheese, and roast a pile of brussels sprouts. That could be low-maintenance, inexpensive, and elegant. Lucca Ravioli in the Mission is a good source for less expensive meats and cheese.

[ML8000]

Besides cuisine, what does not too expensive mean?

Why not just find a restaurant that serves a buffet, or will serve a buffet.

[wolfe]

Could you narrow it down to a cuisine or cuisines. We had many parties at work with large deliveries of Chinese food and there are posts on this board of successful Mexican feasts.

[meels]

Hi - friend says his wife-to-be, her entire family, and his mother are all vegetarian. So really, the only requirement is vegetarian. They went so far as to think "elegant vegetarian."

In a spare moment of brilliance I just recommended going by and getting 50 lbs of ravioli from Phoenix Pastifico... (well, you'd probably want to order ahead...) ;)