2012-2013
Catering: Broadway Gourmet
http://www.broadwaygourmet.com/
Cost: ~$500
Need to buy Napkins, Plates, Tablecloths (~$50)
Fall 2013:
Catering: Russo's
http://www.russoscateringboston.com/
Pros:
- Good food
- Somewhat less expensive
Cons:
- Took "deliver food at 8" to mean 8am, without asking or clarifying
- Didn't give any serving utensils, didn't even ask if we wanted them
Desert: JP Licks
Pros:
- Provided bowls, spoons, napkins, tablecloth (none of which we used because we'd bought our own), ice cream scoops, and ladles.
Cons:
- Would have charged us extra to deliver late at night (we ended up picking up the ice cream)
- No good way to keep ice cream cold (ended up using coolers, which worked but wasn't simple)
- Really expensive: $110 for 4 quarts of ice cream and some toppings that we really could have bought ourselves
- Proposed alternative: Buy ice cream and toppings from verde's during ensemBall. No need to keep it cold, far less expensive, less organization needed.
Budget:
- Food from Russo's: $250
- Tablecloths, plates, utensils, bowls, napkins (from amazon): $60
- Ice cream from JP Licks: $110
- Drinks from a store: $10
Food quantities:
(attendance: 21 people)
- 1/2 pan of chicken parm: all got eaten
- 1/2 pan of eggplant parm: about half eaten
- 1/2 pan of pesto: about 1/4 eaten
- 6 lbs veggies (green beans, veggie medley): about 1/4 eaten
- 2 bread baskets: less than 1 eaten
- 3 lbs potato prosciutto: all got eaten
4 quarts ice cream: less than 1 quart left over
Fall 2014:
Delivery: Thelonius Monkfish + Bertucci's, Ice Cream from Verde's
http://www.theloniousmonkfish.com/, http://www.bertuccis.com/
Pros:
- Good food
- Lot of variety
- Ice cream kept cold until we wanted it
- Food arrived on time
Cons:
- Over-ordered food
- Bertucci's forgot to give us butter
- Had them deliver too early; food got a bit cold
Budget:
- Thelonius Monkfish: $215
- Bertucci's: $90
- Verdes (Ice cream, butter, drinks, cups, bowls): $25
Food quantities:
(attendance: 15 people)
All Eaten:
- Sushi: 6 rolls
- Tofu Pad Thai: 1 order
- Shrimp Tempura: 1 order
- Veggie Potstickers: 1 order
- Cookies & Cream Ice Cream: half gallon
- Bertucci's rolls: 15
- Soda (Ginger Ale, Coke, Hawaiian Punch): 3 1/2-liter bottles
Half-Eaten:
- Sashimi: 1 order - half eaten
- Fried Rice (mango, serenity, chicken teriyaki): 4/3 eaten (chicken teriyaki most popular)
- Vegetable Tempura: 1 order - half-eaten
- Four Cheese Ravioli: 2 orders - 1 eaten
- Spaghetti & Meatballs: 2 orders - 1 eaten
- Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken: 2 orders - 1 eaten
Don't Get Again:
Shrimp Lemongrass Soba: 1 order - 1/3 eaten (Not very good...)
Soup (Beef Noodle, Wonton): 1/3 eaten (Soup is a hassle...)
Tips: Make sure you have the necessary silverware, cups, bowls, etc. before EnsemBALL starts. If you don't, make a list and send a person to buy them all at once (so we don't have to make multiple Verde's trips.)