Food Catering

The 2014 CBGB Music & Film Festival, which takes place October 8 to 12, will showcase a lineup of artists, including Jane’s Addiction, Devo, Macy Gray, and We Are Scientists, along with music-focused films, such as the East coast premiere of Like Sunday, Like Rain, starring Leighton Meester, Debra Messing, and Billie Joe Armstrong. The five-day festival will be held at venues across Manhattan and Brooklyn, including Times Square, Center548, Bowery Electric, City Winery, Pianos, and Knitting Factory. Each event is individually priced, starting at $10.

Voilà Chocolat founder Peter Moustakerski has recruited Christophe Toury as master chocolatier (formerly of Jacques Torres Chocolates) and Dennis Teets as head of chocolate technology (formerly a chocolate scientist for Hershey’s) to create an artisanal, interactive chocolate-making experience. Opening in early November on Manhattan's Upper West Side, the shop will allow guests to make high-end chocolates, like gourmet truffles, chocolate bars, and more, in 30- to 60-minute sessions. Pricing for classes ranges from $39 to $79, with special advanced classes and projects ranging from $100 to $150.

Since denim is a big trend for fall events, Taylor Creative has expanded its Lounge Modular and Mercer collections to include washed dark denim options. The rental company has also added new tufted items—the Griffin cube, $95, and bench, $175—in a micro-striped denim. Prices for the Lounge Modular Denim and Mercer Denim pieces range in price from $115 to $225; all items are available in New York for events throughout the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions.

In honor of Oktoberfest, Belgian Beer Café NoMad will offer a Bavarian-inspired dish: Boudin Blanc and Boudin Noir sausages steamed in Brunehaut Bio Amber from October 1 to 31. The new menu item comes accompanied by roasted apple stoemp—a tradition in Belgium where leftovers are mixed into mashed potatoes—and hard cider mustard.

Chef Michael Psilakis will open two different restaurants, both housed in the same space in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in November. The first is a yet-to-be named drinking hall, offering local beers, do-it-yourself cocktails, and Greek street food. The space will also be home to the fourth location of Psilakis’s popular MP Taverna—his modern interpretation of a traditional Greek tavern, which offers meze plates, lamb burgers, and more.

Maman, a bakery and café opening in SoHo on October 6, will serve family-inspired recipes from the South of France and North America. Designer Elisa Marshall, one of the bakery's partners, plans to bring a homey, vintage aesthetic to the space.

Guests of Bar 21 at the 21 Club can raise their beer steins to celebrate Oktoberfest now through October 31. The festivities feature German and American Oktoberfest drafts, such as Warsteiner Oktoberfest from Warstein and Hofbräu Oktoberfest from Munich, as well as local Blue Point Oktoberfest from Long Island. Plus, executive chef Sylvain Delpique serves a new German-inspired lunch menu and bar bites, including homemade pretzels and pork schnitzel with lemon-thyme fingerling potatoes and haricot verts.

Jason Bauer of Crumbs Bake Shop and entrepreneur Elisabeth de Kergorlay recently opened Babeth’s Feast on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The premium frozen food store offers 360 products, including breakfast items, hors d’oeuvres, appetizers, soups, side dishes, and main courses, allowing party planners to stock up on menu items ahead of time. The selection ranges from traditional French dishes, such as mini Provencal quiches, aubergines gratin, and coq au vin, to American favorites, including franks in a blanket, lobster mac 'n' cheese, and three-berry crumble. Dishes feed two to six people, with appetizers priced at $3.50 per serving and main courses, $7 per serving. Citywide and national home delivery is also available.

Puff ‘n Stuff Catering has several new items on its menu that are easy for guests to eat while standing. The company’s new leek cheesecake, topped with arugula pesto, caramelized onions, and sweet grape tomato, is served in a pesto cracker spoon. There’s also a cold buckwheat crepe stuffed with Brie, red wine-poached fig, and Asian pear slaw, and a mini skewered lobster corn dog with creamy remoulade sauce served in a shot glass.

A warm-weather take on the food-and-drink pairings trend: one-bite paella skewers served with red and white sangria, by KG Fare Catering & Events in New York.

Harissa shrimp with mango dip paired with a shooter of mango lasse from East Meets West Catering in Boston

Thai-style local skirt steak tacos with cilantro, onion, sour cream, and sriracha paired with Phoebe’s Fall Pilsner brewed by Eat & Smile in Washington

Hors d'oeuvres from Daniel et Daniel Event Creation & Catering included a roasted tomato tartare in a mini wonton cone with Parmesan crème fraîche and micro basil.

All the hors d'oeuvres from Mary Giuliani were bite-size, including the lobster club (pictured) and desserts such as the miniature white chocolate s'mores.

Hors d'oeuvres from L-Eat Catering included tuna tartare in a wonton cone with tomato, avocado, sambel mayo, and red tobik.

From Serena Bass for Special Attention Caterers in New York, the updated take on sliders contains grilled sirloin meatball skewered with romaine hearts, tomato, cheddar cheese, bacon crisp, brioche crouton, and chipotle mayo.

Brown butter plum cake with almond praline and caramel, by 10tation Event Catering in Toronto

Ontario quail legs filled with Berkshire sausage and wrapped with Niagara prosciutto, by 10tation Event Catering in Toronto

Turkey lollipops stuffed with homemade stuffing and dried cranberries, drizzled with cranberry reduction, by Riviera Caterers in New York

Chestnut-encrusted filet mignon topped with pumpkin mousse displayed on an indoor barbecue with dry ice, by Riviera Caterers in New York

Eggnog shots with mini gingerbread cookies, by Schaffer’s Genuine Foods in Los Angeles

Turkey rillettes with cranberry Grand Marnier gelée on sage brown butter croutons, by Schaffer’s Genuine Foods in Los Angeles

Gold-dusted risotto served in butternut squash cups, by Boutique Bites Catering and Events in Chicago

Mini turkey sandwiches with cranberry jam, by Boutique Bites Catering and Events in Chicago

Crimson agave-scented beet soup sippers with sage gremolata, by Tables of Content in Boston

Cucumber cups filled with red quinoa salad and golden beet chutney, by Tables of Content in Boston

As part of its involvement with Art Basel Hong Kong, the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong's executive chef Uwe Opocensky created a series of dishes inspired by iconic works of art. That included the Lily Pond—Alaskan king crab, scallop, dashi, and frozen grapefruit—designed as an ode to French impressionist Claude Monet's "Water Lilies."

The cocktail at the Art Institute of Chicago's Magritte-inspired gala was dubbed the "Magritte-Ahh," a concoction made with tequila, agave, and lime-kaffir salt, and topped with cotton candy.

Chef Greg Grossman's menu for the Sanctuary Hotel's 2011 "Pop Art Pop Up" included beef, lamb, salmon, and bass plated atop different colored sauces—in imitation of Andy Warhol's monoprint style.

Watermelon cups filled with kalamata olives, feta, and basil, by Word of Mouth Catering in Austin, Texas