Bride-to-be Blogger Stephanie: Our Menu Tasting!

A glimpse of Stephanie and Pat's menu tasting at the Four Seasons Philadelphia.

A heavenly Nutella shooter, gloriously creamy mushroom risotto, a candied walnut salad bursting with flavor—our menu tasting at the Four Seasons last week easily ascended the ranks to my favorite wedding appointment so far!

I wish I could do a tasting every day! The concept is just so awesome. The happiness a delicious meal can bring me is somewhat ridiculous, but man, do I love to eat.

After being warned the appointment would take at least three hours, Pat and I decided to both take the day off. The three-day weekend, thus, had us in a very good mood, as well as the opportunity to spend another day together (as we’re still pushing through the long-distance and working in separate cities until the wedding).

Before my parents and wedding planner arrived, Pat and I had the chance to take a look around. We went out into courtyard—where we’ll be getting married in just two months!—and it was breathtaking. The last time I was there was during the winter; all the trees were devoid of leaves, and the sky was that unending, bitter winter grey. On Monday, the courtyard was in full bloom, teeming with flowers, and surrounded by the cascading fountains.

When we stepped inside, we joined my parents, wedding planner, and our Four Seasons wedding coordinator, Eric. He escorted us into our own room, with a sign on the door that read our names,. Inside, there were tasting menus at each place setting with “Genuardi-Cunnane Wedding Menu Tasting” printed at the top. Pretty cool.

We took our seats and began. First up: our champagne options. Next: first course. The champagne was an easy one; the first course was more challenging. We were torn between an absolutely delectable artichoke pasta and a rich salad full of all kinds of flavors. We decided we couldn’t make a decision until we took a look at our entrée options. In between was white wine. Not being a white drinker, I happily left that one up to my mom.

Every single entrée choice was exceedingly delicious. We ended up combining two beef dishes and opted for a chicken/shrimp dish for its unique flavors. Both come with mouth-watering starches, so we decided to move the pasta up to cocktail hour and go with the salad as the first course.

Before getting to the best part of the day—dessert—we tasted the red wine selections, which fortunately, also wasn’t too difficult a decision. I’m a pretty big red wine drinker (taking after my major wino father) and can be a tad discriminating. I’m thrilled to have found a red I really like.

And saving the best for last, we tried at least nine desserts. It was absurd, and I loved every single second of it. I’ve always had a major sweet tooth, and while I’m unfortunately kind of picky with food, I like to say I don’t discriminate when it comes to dessert. I’m willing to try just about anything.

First, they brought out three plated desserts to try, which were unbelievably fantastic. Then they brought out six butlered dessert options, which were inconceivably more divine. My favorites: the Nutella shooter—mouthwatering; white and dark chocolate cups filled with chocolate moose and candy pieces that tasted like Kit-Kats; and the beignets.

I think the Four Seasons is quite clever about dessert. I know when I’m at a wedding that I often miss the cake because I’m out on the dance floor. So I think this butlered dessert concept, where waiters circulate easy-to-hold, easy-to-eat miniature desserts around the dance floor, is rather brilliant. And what they’ll do with the cake is make cake pops of sorts—cutting the cake into cubes, putting a stick in them, and placing them on the table for people to grab and go.

We talked about all kinds of logistics amidst the tasting, and not only did I leave the tasting feeling ungodly full but also satisfied because I feel like we accomplished a ton.

And I know everyone says the bride and groom barely get the chance to eat on their wedding night. But I can assure you I will make every effort—especially for dessert!

Did you have a hard time making decisions at your menu tasting?

Like Philadelphia Wedding on Facebook

Follow Philadelphia Wedding on Twitter

Getting married? Start and end your wedding planning journey with Philadelphia Weddings' guide to the best wedding vendors in the city.