Dining Details Blog

Memorial Day weekend, a gorgeous afternoon on the golf course at La Costa. A million hors’d'hoerves to satisfy 52 hungry guests…

The menu;
Passed Hors’D’Hoerves
Mash Potato Martinis with Lamb Chop, Braised Cherry Merlot Sauce
Mini Burgers- some with cheddar cheese, all with Chipotle Thousand Island Style Sauce
Coconut Shrimp with Honey Dijon Cilantro Vinaigrette
Crispy Spring Rolls
Smoked Chicken Quesadillas with Avocado Crema
Duck Wontons with Lemongrass and Thai Purple Basil

Dinner Station
Penne with Italian Sausage and Portabello Mushrooms in Red Sauce
Mixed Greens Salad with Strawberries, Spiced Pistachios, Fog Lights Cheese, Champagne Vinaigrette

Dessert
Bananas Fosters in Mini Waffle Bowls
Lemon tarts
Cupcakes, provided by CAKE

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When Kate Capshaw of Resolusean Events told us of Steve and Cristel, we knew they were going to be OUR client… it was a perfect fit. It just took one taste for them to know too that they could not live without Dining Details at their wedding!
Set at the brand new venue, Villa de Flores in Rancho Santa Fe, their wedding was truly a fairytale wedding. It was what brides dream about their entire lives!

Have to give a HUGE shot out to the incredible Farm Table set up and linens, dressed by the ever talented eye of Concepts Event Design and Organic Elements , with an incredible table- scape of moss and pink floral accents, including peonies and hydrangas. The cake, by “cake” was out of this world, and of course, Suzanne Hansen of “shewanders.com” captured the love that emanated throughout the party.

The Menu was this:
Dungeness Crab and Goat Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers with Roasted Yellow Tomato Puree
Sliced Seared Filet on Toasts with Gorgonzola Demi Glaze and Horseradish Cream, Micro Greens
Truffled Wild Mushroom and Goat Cheese Stuffed Tartlettes with Morels and Thyme
Salad
Bread and Cie Breads and Rolls; Herb, Truffle, or European Butter
Crab Cake over Grilled Romaine, Avocado, Sauteed Spring Onions, Grilled Red Pepper Vinaigrette
Intermezzo
Kaffir Lime Champagne Grapefruit Peach Sorbet on Chinese Spoons
Entrees
Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken over Wild Mushroom Risotto with Yellow Tomato Confit and Blood Orange Vinaigrette, Sauteed Haricot Verts
Filet Mignon with Caramelized Sweet Onions and Red Wine Reduction, Potatoes Au Gratin with Gruyere, and Grilled Asparagus
Dessert
Wedding Cake, Provided by Cake
Tequila Service
Tableside Coffee Service

One guest said, ” I am the concierge at Manchester Grand Hyatt. I have seen and tasted it all. THIS!!! WEll….. THIS! This is OUTSTANDING!!!” I asked if I could put that in writing. He said “Put it in writing? I will do an INFOMERCIAL for your food!” Wow!

Kate Capshaw wrote, ” my mouth is watering right now thinking about your delicious food. Everyone LOVED everything you served! You guys are a wonderful service team that provides an exemplary product! Yum!!!”
and
“All of the comments that I received and overheard are so well deserved by you. I am happy to have worked with clients that were so smart to sign you! It made my day a joy and a delight to be in such great company! Thanks for the good times!!!”

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Dining Details held a “meet and greet” for our favorite vendors and coordinators on May 20th, to say “thanks” for past and future referrals. We are so blessed to have such wonderful people to work with in the industry! We continue to focus on our private clients, but move also into the weddings and corporate events as demand requires of us. We are happy to be of service!
Many thanks to Michelle, with La Jolla “CUPS” (soon to open on Girard- make sure to check out their cool lounge!) for teaming up with us to provide our guests with a gorgeous venue and awesome sunset for the party!

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Chef Julie of Dining Details and Heather Fleming of Conscious Nutrition teamed up to provide the managers of the zoo a healthy cooking demo and nutrition talk.
The menu included:
Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Pecans on Pita CHips
Edamame Hummus on Cucumber Chips with Apple Radish Salsa
Roasted Vegetable Soup with Parsley Pumpkin Seed Pesto

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A birthday dinner in La Jolla…
Here’s what Mary had to say-
“Julie, We loved the dinner you did for us last Saturday night—we and our guests are still talking about how wonderful it was. You’ve got amazing creativity and terrific execution which combined for an extraordinary meal. It was all perfect.
Thanks for the great “chefing”! We hope to have a return engagement when we are back in town.”

THe Menu:
Seared Scallop over Sushi Rice Cakes with Orange Miso Sauce and Micro Wasabi
Chicken Empanadas with Chorizo, Raisins, and Olives
Mixed baby greens with Arugula, Blueberries, Blackberries, Shaved Fennel, Pecan Crusted Goat Cheese, Orange Champagne Vin
Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Cherry Merlot Sauce, Roasted Celery Root and Fennel, Chino Farms Fresh Vegetables of the Day
Chocolate Lava Cakes with Hazelnut Gelato, Chinos Strawberries and Rose Geranium

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Chef Julie took a family to the best mother’s day breakfast joint in town… in the comfort of their own home on Mother’s Day morning. With a full spread that included the following menu, the couple thought they had died and gone to heaven!
An Array of Pastries, Croissants, Danishes, and Challah
A Belgian Waffle Bar with Coconut, Pecans, Whipped Cream, and Bananas Fosters
Pancakes made to order with chocolate chips or coconut
Omelette Bar with over 15 add-ins
Tropical Fruit Platter
Bacon, Sausage, and Smoked Salmon
Coffee and Mimosas
Walking downstairs in her pajamas, Jennifer had had no idea for what she was in store. It was a mother’s day to top all others!

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13 Southern California Members of a Ladies International Trusteeship were invited to dine at the Chapter’s new President’s beautiful home in La Jolla Shores on Wednesday evening, May 13th. We helped our client put together a nice seasonal menu to present to the group during their first official meeting and introduction.

The ladies enjoyed wine and hors d’oeuvres prepared by Chef PJ, on the upper patio area of the yard. The Seared Duck appetizer was definitely a hit and a great way to start off the evening.

A 3 course plated Dinner followed on the lower patio presented and served by Fontaine and Chef PJ. The night ended with a beautifully plated dessert of Almond Cake and coffee and tea service.

The women were very impressed by  PJ’s “culinary skill, flavors, and beautiful presentation” with each course! Definitely another Chef PJ dinner party success!

The Menu
Cocktail Hour Hors D’oeuvre
Sliced Peppercorn Seared Duck Breast with Blueberry Sauce over Potato Cakes

Dinner
Salad
Shredded Filo Wrapped Goat Cheese over Baby Arugula with Candied Pine Nuts, Asian Pear, and Champagne Vinaigrette

Entrée
Pan Seared Halibut in Saffron Broth with Artichoke Hearts and Lobster Ravioli

Dessert
Almond Cake with Drunken Roasted Pineapple and Vanilla Cream

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We are honored to have had the opportunity to participate in Mama’s Kitchen’s biggest event of the year, “Mama’s Day,” which was held at the Hyatt La Jolla this past Friday, May 8. This is the event that local San Diego foodies wait for!

We had the pleasure of kicking off the event as the main Chefs in the VIP area. Nestled in the private cabana area poolside, we served up tasty appetizers as guests arrived early to mix, mingle, and meet with some of the local celebrity guests. Amongst the names were Vic Salazar, Sam the Cooking Guy, and local celebrity chefs. According to our VIP guests, if our food was any indication of what they were about to try during the event, they were definitely in for a treat!

Here’s what we cooked up:

And then, you saw it here first! Our team hung up our coats and put on our Friday best to enjoy and savor the food prepared by other talented chefs of San Diego! This annual event showcased over 65 local restaurants, catering companies, hotels, and wineries from all parts of the town. We sampled and tasted to our hearts desire and had a blast!

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Bloomingdales Registry Department hosted a pre-wedding wedding party for brides-to-be to come learn about products from product reps. One vendor from each category was selected to showcase at the event, and Dining Details was lucky to be selected as the caterer for the event.

The menu was:
Wild Mushroom Risotto with Seared Filet, Port Peppercorn Demi, and Crispy Fried Leeks on Chinese Spoons
Asparagus Soup with Meyer Lemon Truffle Oil, Dungeness Crab, and Purple Basil Flowers
Ahi Tartare in Avocado Tomato Ponzu on Wonton Crisps with Edamame Hummus and Tobiko Caviar
Roasted Pear, Sour Cherry, Gorgonzola, Walnut Tartlettes with Prosciutto and Fresh Thyme

Everyone seemed to really enjoy the tastes… and at some points in the evening, we could not get the food out fast enough! We were 5 deep at the kitchen counter… passing through the store was impossible. Some shoppers who serendipitously ended up at the event parked themselves at the belly up tables to enjoy dinner!
Here are some photos from the event;

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