We were told at work we had a $100.00 a plate dinner coming up tonight late last week but still had no other details other than that the entire staff for tonight needed to go through yet another background check by the Secret Service...well this afternoon I get to work and we finally have some details and a TON of Secret Service agents, local and state police officers and every piece of corporate brass there is running around. The menu was nothing special, Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon au Poivre, Scampi-ed Shrimp, Scallops and Lobster with an Aurore Sauce, roasted baby red potatoes with a thyme and rosemary compound butter and a blend of zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms tossed in olive oil and our house seasoning blend. Appys included crab cakes, our Basil stuffed, bacon wrapped tempura dipped shrimp, our "Pork Wild Wings" with all three sauces, our bacon spinach artichoke dip with flat bread and our Bruschetta. The salads were a a quartered Romaine heart on a bed of spring mix with Julienne yellow and red bell peppers, julienne Hearts of Palm and Roma tomatoes and choice of dressing. The dessert was our flourless chocolate cake on a raspberry coulis with a cocoa whipped cream and garnished with a fresh raspberry and sprig of mint...NOT a complicated or difficult menu!
They paid $15.00/person for appys, $100.00/person for salad and dinner and $7.50/person for dessert plus wine service and bar orders on the same bill PLUS a $1,600.00 flat rate for their room for the event with all sorts of communications and presentation equipment...of course each person in attendance (nearly 150) paid nearly $450.00 a piece by invitation only to dine with the guest of honour VICE-PRESIDENT CHENEY!!!
Got to shake his hand and we (my Executive Sous Chef and myself) were photographed for the hotel's collection of VIP brag wall pictures. Told him it was an honour to be cooking for yet another VP and he was quite amused! He told me I needed to step up and cook for the big guy himself someday...
(I had included the first name of our Vice-President but the [Email]C@H[/Email] censors censored his NAME!)
They paid $15.00/person for appys, $100.00/person for salad and dinner and $7.50/person for dessert plus wine service and bar orders on the same bill PLUS a $1,600.00 flat rate for their room for the event with all sorts of communications and presentation equipment...of course each person in attendance (nearly 150) paid nearly $450.00 a piece by invitation only to dine with the guest of honour VICE-PRESIDENT CHENEY!!!
Got to shake his hand and we (my Executive Sous Chef and myself) were photographed for the hotel's collection of VIP brag wall pictures. Told him it was an honour to be cooking for yet another VP and he was quite amused! He told me I needed to step up and cook for the big guy himself someday...
(I had included the first name of our Vice-President but the [Email]C@H[/Email] censors censored his NAME!)
"Ponder well on this point: the pleasant hours of our life are all connected, by a more or less tangible link, with some memory of the table."-Charles Pierre Monselet, French author(1825-1888)