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For a recent event at the Perot Museum of Science and Nature in Dallas, Wolfgang Puck Catering employed a "chef shadowbox." Meant to provide a strong visual behind a more standard food station, a chef in a shadowbox prepared appetizers as guests looked on.
In Chicago, Blue Plate Catering brings candy apple stations to holiday parties. Treats include apples dipped in caramel and assorted toppings and sliced up into snack-size portions.
In Chicago, catering firm Limelight has an innovative format for serving fruit skewers. The fruits are inserted into a custom wall with thematic wallpaper design (which varies for different events). Guests approach the wall and pull of a skewer and can dip the fruit in sauces that are arrayed on a nearby table.
Instead of serving French fries at a stationary table, Limelight has used a wheelbarrow to deliver Belgian frites at events. The fries are served in cones, and assorted sauces are displayed on the side.
Limelight's "Smash It" station offers assorted homemade chocolate bark in flavors such as dark chocolate with dried cherries. Mallets next to the sweets let guests "smash" off a snack-size piece of the bark.
Roar Events produced a summertime event at Estancia La Jolla Hotel and Spa in Southern California. The dinner had a modern Mexican theme and featured an interactive margarita station. Guests chose the type and flavor of their tequila, as well as one of many specialty salts.
Nothing says fall like apple pie, and the Park Hyatt Washington has a new activity centered on the autumn treat. During interactive culinary classes held in the newly renovated event and meeting space, chefs lead guests through the process of making a fruity, spicy pie and share details about the dish’s history. The classes typically last around 30 minutes and can accommodate groups of any size.
In Chicago, City Running Tours offers themed jaunts through the Windy City. Professional guides lead groups of as many as 100 guests through sites that pertain to Chicago’s history. The tours typically take 90 minutes and can be tailored to meet guests’ fitness levels. Organizers can arrange for branded event shirts. The company also runs tours in cities across America, including Austin and Denver.
Neutral-tone macarons were strewn on a plate of colorful flowers at a Tribute Dinner honoring Danny Meyer and Chuck Wagner held at Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
Guests could pluck honeydew push pops, which also contained caviar and crème fraîche, from a melon.
Homestyle signage identified the Georgia peach and cherry pies served at the Southern Kitchen Brunch.
Rainbow-hued cake pops, served upright and upside down, were among the desserts at a Wine Spectator Wine Seminar held at the James Royal Palm hotel.
Alongside the title dish at Ceviche & Pisco were coconut halves displaying the individual ingredients. The arrangement added a color-blocking element to the presentation. My Ceviche created the dishes served at the event at the Gale South Beach rooftop.
Thanks to its purported detoxification properties, activated charcoal has become a dark-horse ingredient contender in the beverage industry. Because it tastes neutral, the potent powder has been added to lemonade, green juices, protein shakes, and, ironically, cocktails. For example, Pouring Ribbons in New York’s East Village serves up The Heart of Darkness ($15) with tequila, lime, mezcal, raspberry, and activated charcoal.
In November, Proposition 64 passed in California, which legalized recreational marijuana for adults. To celebrate, True North Tavern in San Diego’s North Park neighborhood created the Prop 64 ($19) with Amarillo hop bitters, egg whites, lime simple syrup, Chareau aloe liqueur, and Nolets gin, all topped with non-psychoactive drops of cannabis oil. The oil is a cannabinoid extract from hemp stalk and is supposed to induces elation, hunger, thirst, and physical relaxation.
For a "healthy" start to the new year, many restaurants and bars are now serving a host of low-ABV cocktails, which typically means the drinks have an alcoholic strength by volume (ABV) of between 0.5 and 1.2 percent. Faro in Brooklyn offers the Negroni Sbagliato, which contains Contratto bitters and Italian red vermouth, topped with sparkling wine. Apparently the drink was invented accidentally by a bartender who had used red sparkling wine instead of gin in a traditional Negroni (“sbagliato” is Italian for “mistaken”).
Inspired by Jell-O shots, Spoonable Spirits are alcoholic puddings and jellies served in mini mason jars. Each containing 5 percent alcohol by volume, the boozy desserts come in flavors such as Naughty Nutel-Latte (a chocolate latte-flavored pudding shot topped with Nutella and chocolate chips), Raspberry Rose Gin & Tonic (a gin-and-tonic jelly shot muddled with rosewater-infused raspberries), Spiked Cake Shake (a milkshake-flavored pudding shot with sprinkles), and more. Original flavors cost $25 per set of five jars for orders of 1 to 10 sets, $22 for 11 to 20 sets, and $20 for 21 or more sets; customized Spiked Cake Shake Pudding costs $30 per set of five jars for orders of 1 to 10 sets, $27.50 for 11 to 20 sets, and $25 for 21 or more sets. Delivery fees apply to orders inside and outside of Manhattan, and nationwide delivery is available. Plus, a catered display with a Spoonable Spirits server, signage, table setting, and toppings bar is available for $40 per hour; each additional server is $25 per hour.
These cocktails are inspired by old-school Capri Sun drink pouches—but an adults-only version. Found at Thursday Kitchen, a casual New York restaurant serving Korean eats with French and Spanish influences, the whimsical concoctions ($9) come in four flavors (lemon, strawberry, lychee, and cucumber) and are mixed with soju, a vodka-like rice liquor.
