Yummy Yummy in my Tummy

Ha it popped in my head and I went with it. Sue me.

Disclaimer: this is a long post about food, I recommend you eat before proceeding. 

When it came time to pick out the options our guests would be chowing down on, Mr. Farmer and I were a little disappointed to find out we wouldn't be able to sample the menu. The Florian Gardens doesn't offer a menu tasting. WHAT?! Yes, I know it's horribly disappointing. 

A sad Barn I was...

Image via Hartwood Roses

Sad Barn, get it?! Oh I am just on a roll today. 

Anyways, since we were unable to have a menu tasting I turned to Collette, our wedding coordinator, and had a slight panic attack. How do we know if it's any good?! Thankfully they have two events annually and at each event they offer a small sampling of their menu. Sadly they don't disclose what foods they are serving until you get there. 

We attended this event in February of this year and used the trip as an excuse to celebrate Valentine's day (I know this is a little out of sequential order). I originally referenced this event when I talked about our cake vendor, Take the Cake. Creating Lasting Memories is a wedding show where all the vendors that The Florian Gardens has worked with before, or have some sort of relationship with, set up a booth for you to check out. We wanted to attend this event to find a few vendors - cake (check), florist (check), ceremony music (check and coming up) and so we could sample some of the food. 

Midwestern weddings (at least the ones I've been to) typically have the same food from venue to venue. Roasted chicken or steak tips. It's typically served with mashed potatoes & gravy, and some vegetable most commonly beans. The food is almost always served family style, it's just the way things around here work. It's always good but we wanted to mix it up a little bit. The Florian Gardens has a pretty awesome menu (ok like totally awesome menu) so we went in wanting to try a few things:

Hors D'oeuvres

COLD

Caprese skewers - cherry tomatoes, mozzarella balls & fresh basil with a balsamic vinegar drizzle

Caesar Salad Parmesan Crisps - roman lettuce inside a crisp shell with Cesar dressing

Herb Filled Vegetables - peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and peas filled with herb cream cheese

Gourmet Deviled Eggs - Mr. Farmer's favorite thing ever

HOT

Petite Crab Cakes - with dill tartar sauce

Baked Brie - topped with brandy, brown sugar, nuts & raisin honey glaze

Swedish meatballs

We knew that we would be having hors d'oeuvres during our cocktail hour. Mama Barn is diabetic and so is grandpa Barn. We also have quite a few people who are hypoglycemic so I knew we would need to have some food available for them during that time. 

Entree

Braised Breast of Chicken - prepared with Riesling Sour Cream Sauce (my favorite wine, I had to)

Chicken Cordon Bleu - breaded and stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese with hollandaise sauce

Chicken Saltimbocca - baked and stuffed with prosciutto and provolone served with a white wine sauce

Pork Loin Vermouth - seared and simmered in a light sauce accented with olives, capers and onions

Pork Prime Rib - slow roasted and served with bistro sauce

Prime Rib - slow roasted and carved to order with horseradish sauce

We decided long ago that we would have a plated dinner option. We went that route for a few options. We have way too many people to coordinate a successful buffet line. By the time the first table was finished eating the last table might not even have started and we wanted to avoid that at ALL costs. Family style really crowds the table and I don't want anything extra cluttering the tables for our guests. Plus I like the idea of everyone staying seated for dinner. I wouldn't want to get up and risk spilling something on myself or trip walking back to my seat. 

personal photo - taste testing, yummy!

We were only able to sample:

Swedish meatballs (pictured - middle plate)

Prime Rib with horseradish sauce (pictured - middle plate)

Caesar Salad Parmesan Crisps - (pictured - middle plate)

Chicken Cordon Bleu (pictured, top plate) 

Pork prime rib - (pictured, bottom left plate)

-loads of other things we didn't consider or had no interest in serving

The pork prime rib was by far one of the most amazing things I have ever put into my mouth. Mr. Farmer agreed that the pork prime rib will be what he wants. The bistro sauce was delish! 

Ultimately we decided on butler passed:

Petite Crab Cakes

Swedish Meatballs

Caesar Parmesan Crisps

Gourmet Deviled Eggs (Mr. Farmer's request)

Garden Mixed Greens tossed with creamy house dressing

Braised Breast of Chicken with Riesling Sour Cream Sauce or Pork Prime Rib with Bistro Sauce

Herb Roasted Baby Red Potatoes

Sweet Kernel Corn (we had to, Mr. Farmer wouldn't be a farmer if it weren't for corn)

Hearth European Rolls

We also have a children's option which consists of: chicken tenders, cheesy potato bites and applesauce

Mr. Farmer and I have also decided that we are going to serve a late night snack at about 10 pm consisting of sandwiches and all the fixings, with an additional cracker and cheese display. We anticipate with all the dancing and partying going on that we are going to get hungry so Mr. Farmer wanted something late at night. 

I have heard a lot of good reviews about how wonderful the food is at the Florian Gardens (our Reverend agreed it's awesome and they give decent serving sizes). I can't wait to eat on my wedding day, because gosh darn it, if it's the last thing I do I will eat on my wedding day! I know it's a little scary not being able to taste everything we have on our menu but we feel confident that it will be good based on all the other tasty morsels we ate during their event. There wasn't a bad thing we ate and that makes us feel better about our choices. 

 What do you think? Did anyone else not have a complete tasting of their wedding food?