Food Ideas

Ritzy Bee Events used craft paper and chalk to label the passed appetizers for a rehearsal dinner at the Decatur House in Washington so guests wouldn’t be left guessing.

For a donut-themed bridal shower put together by blogger Elsie Larson, a giant chalkboard filled with descriptive doodles served as the backdrop of the food spread.

For a vodka shot bar at a birthday party designed by Kristi Amoroso Special Events, the bottles were displayed in a sculptural arrangement of textured ice spheres.

Send a few favorite photos to Texas-based Manjar (Spanish for “delicacy”) and the bakery can turn them into edible Instagram posts for you, as well as create sugar cookies frosted to look like the popular social media company’s camera icon. There is no minimum order, and clients can send in as many different photos as they’d like. For larger orders, call at least two weeks in advance. Also on Manjar’s hipster-approved cookie menu are sweets shaped and frosted to look like Wayfarer sunglasses, mustaches, Polaroid photos, and vintage cameras.

In Chicago, Tru serves progressive French fare. Chef Anthony Martin selects caviar and roe from around the globe and serves it on a large coral replica. Abalone shells nestled into the coral's branches each hold a different type of caviar and can be removed and passed around the table.

At Restaurant R'Evolution in New Orleans, chefs Rick Tamonto and John Folse have a very different style of caviar service. Their whitefish roe, salmon roe, wasabi tobiko, and black caviar are served with traditional accompaniments on a small glass staircase.

At the Bazaar at SLS Hotel South Beach, chef José Andrés serves his delicate, chicken-béchamel fritters in a glass replica of one of his sneakers.

For a fund-raiser in Boston, the Catered Affair set up a doughnut-on-a-stick bar, where guests could top their own treats with colored sugar, candy, and more.

One server rolled around on a Segway-like contraption that held a keg of beer. He rolled up to guests and poured drinks on the spot.

Another classic Redmoon contraption, the Wine Bike, roved around the event space. A server perched on the bike's high seat poured wine from a bottle by using a crank; guests held out their glasses to collect the stream.

A central highboy table held a glowing punch fountain, which servers ladled into plastic cups.

Wedge salad bites served on forks, by Occasions Caterers in Washington

Menu items included hollowed-out tomatoes filled with chicken curry salad, fresh figs filled with cheese mousse, and jars of country-style pâté.

Guests could choose from a selection of Patrón-based cocktails, which were displayed on a wall.