With the economy having only a moderate effect on Oscar events, caterers around town are busily preparing menus for still-glittering parties this Sunday. Among the biggest, most food-filled bashes are the sit-down dinners at the Governors Ball in the grand ballroom at Hollywood & Highland, and the Elton John AIDS Foundation bash at the Pacific Design Center.
For the Governors Ball, Wolfgang Puck will offer tray-passed hors d'oeuvres, including mini Kobe burgers with aged cheddar remoulade, spicy tuna tartare in sesame miso cones, and wasabi-pea-crusted crab cakes with mango and Thai basil. A sushi and seafood station will offer rolls including tuna, vegetable, California, and unagi, as well as nigiri including shrimp, hamachi, and salmon. Dinner will begin with Asian vegetable salad, and proceed with smoked salmon Oscar, Vietnamese vegetable spring rolls, and pumpkin coconut soup. Entrées include slow-braised Asian spiced short rib, or spring vegetable risotto for vegetarians. A chocolate bento box rounds out dessert. Puck's menu features sustainable seafood, natural beef, and organic produce—appropriate to Hollywood's pet cause, the environment.
Crumble Catering will cater the Elton John viewing party for the fifth consecutive year. Chef Wayne Elias's five-course Italian-inspired menu for about 720 guests will begin with seasonal salad with Gorgonzola, pomegranate reduction, and tarragon vinaigrette; and Angela Carnaroli risotto flavored with dry marsala wine. Sautéed beef fillet and pan-roasted sea bass with spinach leaves and pumpkin sauce will follow. Parmigiano Reggiano, aged for 24 months, will be served with pear compote and Entu jelly before dessert, which will be warm puffed chocolate tartlet with raspberries, bitter orange, and Grand Marnier sauce.
Elias drew inspiration for this year’s dishes after hearing about John’s annual trip to Venice. For the menu, he will use ingredients and items found only in in Italy.
![For the after-party, Event Eleven built three 30-foot pagodas and hung 300 lanterns from the ceiling. They also brought in a 20-foot-tall bonsai tree and a variety of 30-foot red maples, along with other greenery and foliage. '[It all] helped create the organic atmosphere and helped transport guests into a gardenlike room,' said Schubert.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2024/02/Shogun.41_f.65dba8f23433b.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
