Food plays a major role in the events surrounding the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, as Washington’s caterers get creative with their menus for various brunches, receptions, dinners, and after-parties. Tastes this year ran from savory to sweet and inventive to classic at events including Atlantic Media's private dinner at the home of C.E.O. David Bradley; the annual Garden Brunch; MSNBC's after-party featuring dinner bites, desserts, and breakfast service; and CNN's Political Hangover Brunch. Caterers served dishes in a variety of ways, from traditional passed hors d'oeuvres and buffets to specialty, art-inspired, and roaming food stations.
Check out some of the most appetizing dishes and creative presentations from the weekend's biggest events.
At The New Yorker's cocktail party, passed hors d'oeuvres from the W Washington D.C. included spicy ginger tuna with avocado, served on trays featuring former covers of the magazine.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris
Susan Gage Caterers prepared a watermelon radish and citrus salad as the first course for the Atlantic Media Welcome Dinner on Friday night at the home of C.E.O. David Bradley. The menu also included seared sea bass with a bell pepper coulis, ginger basmati rice with pistachios, and julienne snow peas.
Photo: Max Taylor
Time and People set up an adult lemonade stand serving specialty versions of favorite springtime cocktails at their joint Friday-night party at the St. Regis hotel. The names of the cocktails had a political theme: the tequila-based "Primary Punch" and a vodka-based drink called the "Delegate."
Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Time and People
Design Cuisine Caterers served a mix of savory and sweet brunch foods at the annual Garden Brunch on Saturday afternoon hosted by Tammy Haddad, Sally and Mark Ein, BizBash's David Adler, and others. Breakfast items included chilaquiles breakfast mugs of tortilla, pulled chicken, refried beans, monterey jack cheese, salsa, and sliced jalapeño.
Photo: D. Channing Muller
Garden Brunch guests could choose from three types of tomato juice and a variety of vodkas and garnishes at a make-your-own Bloody Mary bar, sponsored by the Distilled Spirits Council.
Photo: D. Channing Muller for BizBash
A dessert buffet included treats such as white chocolate rocky road squares (pictured), peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich cookies, packaged brownies from Dog Tag Bakery, and banana tartlets.
Photo: D. Channing Muller for BizBash
Occasions Caterers served comfort foods at CNN's Political Hangover brunch. Mini chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, and sliders lined Pop Art-inspired buffet stations from Design Foundry.
Photo: D. Channing Muller for BizBash
Occasions staffers dressed like hot dog vendors wandered throug the party at Long View Gallery with mini hot dogs and traditional toppings of relish, mustard, and ketchup.
Photo: D. Channing Muller for BizBash
Occasions also catered MSNBC's after-party at the United States Institute of Peace. There were multiple flights of food for the buffets as well as fixed and roaming specialty stations. One of the roaming stations featured traditional and sweet potato french fries with a variety of toppings including chili, cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, truffle oil, onion, and cheese curds.
Photo: Tony Brown/Imigination Photo
There was also a fixed fries station serving guests to better accommodate the demand.
Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination Photo
A chef created caricature pancakes of presidential candidates, as well as President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, at a specialty station. An overhead camera gave guests a view of the action.
Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination Photo
The first wave of savory passed hors d'oeuvres included asparagus and gruyere beignets.
Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination Photo
Occasions also passed espresso-crusted smoked beef carpaccio served on individual forks with a spicy herb salad as part of the early menu.
Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination Photo
Around midnight, Occasions switched the menu from dinner to breakfast foods, serving mini huevos rancheros (pictured), french toast trios, and steak-and-egg burritos with havarti cheese.
Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination Photo
The final wave of the menu began around 1 a.m. with dessert options including a trio of floats: root beer, egg cream, and Boston cooler.
Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination Photo
