Cocktail Party Menu: Hot Buffet Station Trends
As you read in our recent post, wedding cocktail party catering begins with the selections of fine cuisine at stations, and now it’s time to look at the top trends in hot buffet stations:
Carving Station: Wedding menu trends offer twists on the usual wedding fare, and today’s carving stations go beyond the usual prime rib and glazed ham. Now, you’ll find mouthwatering selections such as tequila lime marinated flank steak, roasted leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary, pork tenderloin with mushroom duxelle, New York Style pastrami or corned beef, roast turkey breast with cranberry orange compote, peppercorn crusted sushi grade ahi tuna, orange and rosemary scented whole roasted suckling pig, boneless rib eye of bison, and more. Our wedding chefs perfect the art of adding a gourmet element to the carving station, making this a top reception catering trend once more, even for budget wedding couples who are pleased to find they don’t have to cut out the carving station if they don’t wish to.
Pasta Station: Again, wedding cocktail party menu trends have given the pasta station a makeover. While you could go with plain pomodoro sauce or vodka sauce on your penne, here are some of the top trends in cocktail party buffet menus for your pasta station: gemelli pasta with broccoli rabe, wild mushroom and shaved parmesan risotto, Louisiana crawfish risotto, spinach agnolotti with artichoke and marscapone cheese and garlic cream, campanelle with saffron cauliflower, crab meat and roasted yellow tomatoes and seafood nage.
Buffet Stations: In silver chafing dishes, lemon chicken (a staple of 1990s wedding menus) now has some formidable competition in the form of paella with seafood, chicken, chorizo sausage, peppers and peas, seared sea scallops with mustard brandy sauce or sweet vermouth, eggplant stuffed with ricotta and plum tomato sauce, hot Italian sausage and white bean cassoulet, Alsatian escargot, pad Thai rice noodles with spicy beef strips, and more. For a twist on traditional cocktail party station penne with vodka sauce, a new top catering trend is choosing a unique type of pasta, such as orechhiette in classic pink vodka sauce. Giving wedding guests a new twist on a wedding menu classic keeps the fine dining in your wedding reception’s cocktail party.
Asian: In addition to cold buffet stations, our New Jersey wedding venue couples like to add to their sushi station a hot buffet station with an Asian flair, such as hand-made moo shoo duck rolls with cucumber and plum sauce, chicken teriyaki dumplings, spinach and vegetable dumplings, and beef and vegetable stir fry.
Fajitas: Made to order, these easy bites offer seasoned chicken or beef, with guacamole and cheddar cheese. Guests often request vegetarian menu options, requesting vegetables, cheese and salsa in their own custom creations.
Mashed Potatoes: The mashed potato bar is not out as a wedding trend; it remains as a traditional choice that guests enjoy, and it’s also gotten a makeover in the form of a mashed sweet potato bar with cinnamon, mini marshmallows and brown sugar. While it may seem like this choice is only for fall weddings, we see our wedding couples requesting it for spring weddings and summer weddings as well.
We welcome you to visit our Knowles family of fine dining and wedding venue websites to browse the hot stations offered in each of our gourmet wedding menus.
