Fresh Fruit and Display of Cheese, Imported and Domestic.
One of the first things we learned in the food service industry was presentation. As a mentor used to say, "People eat with their eyes, before they eat with their mouth." This is why we take great pride not only in preparing great food but presenting it a way that makes it "indescribably wonderful!"
Note the use of risers and props in our displays.
Another angle of our Fruit and Cheese Display
The Grilled Vegetable Platter with the use of fresh vegetables and a basket as props.
Mandoline Vista Catering was honored to be selected to provide some authentic Mexican appetizers for an art exhibit at the Elgin Public Museum. It's a wonderful exhibit in the EPM located in scenic Lords Park in Elgin, Illinois.
We were able to provide roasted vegetables, salsa verde, salsa rojo, and fresh guacamole. Our header page is a view of our display.
Here is a link regarding the story that ran in the Elgin Courier News. A log-in is required but can be done in minutes via your email or various social media passwords.
It's easy to get additional information on booking a party with us! Just send us an email at mandolinevista@gmail.com or give us a call at 847.767.4459. We can cater your need with just a simple fruit platter or a full plated dinner.
We have posted several pictures over the last few months of some of our menu items anddisplays. Please feel free to comment on any post on this site or call us for more information on menu's or booking a party. We travel well and as the subject line states, we would rather stay to tend to your function. Our goal is to tend to your event so that you can spend more time with your guests.
A different take on Au Gratin potatoes. These are Boursin Cheese Au Gratins
We can make good use of any prop we may see fit!
This picture is from a recent wedding in a home. Love Is All You Need.
Our famous Grilled Shrimp Cocktail.
Rarely will you find Shrimp Cocktail quite like this.
We stay and tend to your function. We know it is important to you. We are not about just dropping off food in tin foil pans. We can do "Drop Off" catering, if you would like, fruit trays, Pinwheels, etc.
To follow up a little on the above photo. We would *rather* stay and tend to your event so that you can spend more time with your guests. We do, however, understand that sometimes all you need are a few things dropped off. We can do that as well. Sometimes it's just setting out a few trays that we have meticulously prepared or we can leave detailed instructions as to how to prepare the food we have prepared for you.
We can make any office luncheon a plentiful bounty!
A recent party at a Law Office in Elgin.
We will bring chaffer dishes, baskets, linens, and any needed supplies
for your function.
We can also be reached by email at: mandolinevista@gmail.com
We specialize in the presentation of our catering productions. An adage we learned long ago was that "people eat with their eyes before they eat with their mouth." While our culinary delights are indescribably wonderful, they are also artfully displayed.
One recent display. Pinwheels artfully layers, Bruschetta, and
Fresh Fruit and Cheese.
If you would like to book a party please do call us at 847.767.4459.
We can also be reached via email at: mandolinevista@gmail.com
Our famous Ground Turkey
Meat Balls. We serve them with Cranberry Orange Glaze
or a Citrus Barbeque Sauce.
With the spring season here and Graduation "season" coming up, please keep Mandoline Vista Catering in mind when looking to book your next function. We can Keep It Simple, or put on the Fancy Pants and prepare a wonderful meal of your choice. See our Facebook Page of photos (linked to the right & "Open to the Public") for more photos. To book a party, ask a question, or go over some menu ideas, please call us at 847.767.4459. Here are some recent pictures.
The use of risers, floral arrangements, baskets and other props make this more than just "brownies"
A nice salad arrangement, choice of dressings
and a buffet of delicious hot food.
Contact us for some menu ideas
847.767.4459
Fresh Carvery of Flank Steak, Grilled Shrimp, Bruschetta, Fruit & Cheese, Grilled Vegetables
The use of greenery, baskets, linen, risers, add so much more to your dining experiecne
than just some foil pans on a table.
We tend to the little things!
Are you looking for an economical way to entertain guests? We can provide the professionally prepared food and displayed in such a way to make most cruise ships envious. We take the time to meticulously prepare your event with the utmost care and in a very professional and cordial manner. Here are a few pictures from one of our most recent events. Thanks for stopping by, thanks for taking a look. Impressed? We thought so.
Tilted basket of bread
Note the use of props in our displays.
Brownies and cheesecake on a mirror as opposed to some tin platter
We can make any table look like a plentiful bounty!
Platter of Grilled Vegetables displayed on a ceramic platter (NOT plastic)
Arrangement of domestic and imported cheese & fresh fruit.
Please see the right margin for information to make preparations for your next event. You can reach us by phone or email. Please visit our Facebook Mandoline Vista Catering Page. that is set for the "Public" for similar pictures. We are insured and have all the necessary Health and Sanitation Licenses.
The holiday season brings Christmas Parties, Madrigal Dinners and all sorts of Festive Activities for the rest of us. Mandoline Vista Catering is no exception. Here are a few recent photos of our catering displays from recent catering events from December 2011. Please see our contact information in the right-hand margin to book your party or event. Also, the link for the Mandoline Vista Facebook Page is set up for the "Public" to view. You don't even have to be our "friend". You can see more photos of our eye appealing displays there if you click on the highlighted link. Thanks for visiting. Stay hungry!
View of Fruit and Cheese. The chaffer has risotto.
Bruschetta (foreground) and Melange of Grilled Vegetables.
Caesar Salad and Carvery Station
Fruit & Cheese, Grilled Vegetables
Crab Cakes. Wonderful.
Another view, the sauce for the Crab Cakes is Mango Coulis
As we explore scenes from an Italian Restaurant in Elgin we find a great place, Villa Verone. Villa Verone is nestled on a small city block on Douglas Ave. A great place for dinner, the occasional live band, or even just to stop for a drink or even a gourmet cup of coffee. After all, we all know that coffee just tastes better in a ceramic cup and a saucer.
Around this time last year, the owner, Pietro Verone began the idea of having an "Elgin Person of the Week" each Thursday night. The EPOW (as it has become known as) is just a great occasion to honor someone or organization in town with a night of friendship, conversation, camaraderie, some appetizers, drinks, and karaoke. It was with great honor that I was chosen for this event on July 21st, 2011. Thanks to Pietro and all the staff at Villa Verone for letting me, on behalf of Rediscover Records, be the guest of honor. Thanks to all of those who attended, thought about attending, or even wished they had intended. I even tried my hand as bus boy and bartender to help out. When I couldn't even make a kiddie cocktail I was kicked out from behind the bar!
I was even coaxed into singing karaoke for the first time in my life. While I may have strummed, fumbled my way through a song or two on my guitar at an open mic, I had never sung karaoke to "canned" music. With a person with very little range, is there something in a person's range who has no range? I looked through the karaoke handbook and found one song by Kris Kristofferson, "Why Me". It was the only Kristofferson song in the entire book of literally thousands of songs! Fortunately, or unfortunately, depends how you look at it, it was one I thought I could sing. While thankfully, there seems to be no evidence, other than a phone photo or two, of video of this strange singing occurrence. Truth be told, it was probably just okay, I probably just sounded like a guy who never sang karaoke and rarely sings in public.
Here is Kris Kristofferson with the original version of "Why Me".
On April 9th 2011 we had the honor of being asked to participate in the launching of "Landscapes of Mexico". "Landscapes of Mexico" is a photo exhibit in the Lords Park Public Museum to showcase Mexico's Biodiversity. The exhibit runs until May 29th, 2011. Please make time to visit the exhibit. The Lords Park Museum is conveniently open on the weekends from 12-4 Saturdays and Sundays.
There were also distinguished guests there including; Ed Schock Mayor of Elgin, Federal Judge Manuel Barbosa, President of LULAC Helen Lopez Strom, Manuel Rodriguez-Arriaga the Consul General of Mexico, and local Historian E.C. "Mike" Alft. Other notable guests included Elgin Chief of Police Jeff Swoboda, Elgin Commnunity College Trustee John Dalton, and Elgin Councilwoman elect, Anna Moeller. In addition, there was a crowd of over 100 people to enjoy the festivites. The Folklorico Ballet was fantastico. A very special thank you goes out to Peggie Stromberg and the staff at Lords Park Museum for having us. Great hosts!
We were flattered to able to supply the Hor d'oeurves for the event. Here are a few of the photos from the event. Most of these feature the idea of different props in our display to reflect the theme of the event. There are various native to Mexico bowls used for the food, Mexican books, coffee cups, a Cafe Tacvba CD, and various Elgin History items from our own collection.
Chips and roasted tomato salsa
Since this was an Elgin event, we often use appropriate props like a menu from the Elgin National Watch Factory "National House" from Thanksgiving 1921
Full view of the display. Grilled Shrimp Cocktail, Fresh Fruit
and Sliced Cheese, Medley of Grilled Vegetables
Black and white view of the display, just for a different look
A nicely skirted table (Thank you Peggie Stomberg and EPM)
with a full view of two of the art pieces,
"Reflections of Mexico"
Once again, the use of props appropriate for the event, Spanish - English books,
Mexican rock band Cafe Tacuba CD's, Elgin History Books
Los Chivas! Viva!
Just another look at the utilization of props in our Catering displays.
We recently had the privilege to cater a dinner at Barrington United Methodist Church. It was a post-concert dinner held at the church. The menu included Grilled Chicken Breast with Basil Tomato Cream Sauce, Red Bliss Potatoes with Roasted Garlic, Fresh Cut Green Beans with Grauffrette cut Carrots, Crisp Fresh Mixed Greens of Salad (with choice of dressings) and Mini Cheesecakes and Browniesfor dessert. The event was a success and we were thrilled to be there.
If you notice the middle chaffer is on a riser.
It's just an inverted break rack to create a
little elevation.
We would also like to thank some of the volunteers at the church in clean up.
On Sunday, March 20th, 2011, we had the privilege of catering an event for Patricia Harkin. Patty was sponsoring a fund raiser & coffee meeting for Anna Moeller, who is running for Elgin City Council. If you are an Elgin-ite and reading this before the April 5th election, please consider voting for Anna Moeller. The Harkin's home is a wonderful "Painted Lady" of a home in the Historic District of Elgin's magnificent "north end" near where the old Sherman Hospital was located. Here are a few pictures of the events menu selections.
Brie Cheese Display
Fresh Display of Bruschetta, table centerpiece.
Display of wonderful domestic and imported cheese
Carvery Station, marinated flank steak, wheat and white rolls, horseradish sauce, Boursin Cheese.
Display talbe at a distance. The Harkin's home is a Grand Painted Lady of a House located in the Historic District of the North End of Elgin
Greetings! We will continue to update this blog, maybe not as much as a music blog as it has been in the past, but more of an amalgam of Mandoline Vista Catering Productions, music as always, sports, and periodic news regarding Elgin, Illinois.
This photo is from a recent event we did. It's a fabulous display of fresh seasonal fruit and sliced gourmet cheese. We take great pride in displays and our food production. We try to remember the idea that people eat with their eyes before they eat with their mouth. Eye appealing as well as taste appealing.
While the Mono vs. Stereo may not have the same cache as Godzilla Vs. Rodan (an analogy so nice, I've used it twice) I've listened to both Beatles box sets enough since their release on September 9th, 2009 that I've come to just a few conclusions about listening to them. The Stereo Box, in my humble opinion, or IMHO, (for those of you keeping score at home) is far superior than the Mono Box set. Granted, both have their redeeming qualities and it is fun to compare and contrast. The Stereo box is like looking at the Sistine_Chapel after the restoration they did in the 1990's, nearly 500 years after Michelangelo first laid on a scaffold. The Stereo box is like digging at the "X" on the treasure map you had as a child! While the Beatles catalog hasn't suffered the same fate as 400 plus years of Papal elections, soot, candle wax, and tourist photography as the Sistine Chapel the entire catalog was long overdue for being remastered. What? You say the original CD's and vinyl feel fine? I thought the same thing. I thought it was a revelation the first time I heard "She's A Woman" in 1988 on a radio station in Ft. Lauderdale. Then I heard McCartney's count off of "I Saw Her Standing There" to kick of "Please Please Me" on the stereo remaster and I was sold. Admit it, hearing the Beatles for the first time on CD in the late 1980's with the records sequenced as the Beatles released them was like rediscovering them. I don't care if I ever hear The Beatles songs cataloged on records named "Second Album" "65", "Meet" or "Something New" ever, ever, again. Once I heard the complete UK version of Rubber Soul I felt like I had been duped, hoodwinked and ripped off by the bastardized US versions tossed down on throats all those years. Butcher shot, indeed. And to think The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson was influenced by the US version of Rubber Soul to create Pet Sounds. What kind of masterpiece would he have created had he heard the British Rubber Soul?
The Beatles on the stereo box just jump to life. They attack the you, they attack your senses. Listen to the guitar break on "Bad Boy". Crisp, clean, and a great example of less is more. The horns on "Magical Mystery Tour" almost blow your hair back like those old Maxell cassette print ads. John Lennon's Martin guitar never sounded better. Paul's harmonies on "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party" are beyond reproach. "Two of Us", "Nowhere Man", "Ask Me Why", are just a couple songs that sound great. Interesting to note, as pointed out in the liner notes, listen to Paul's harmony on the stereo "If I Fell" and the second time he sings, "vain" he can't quite get the note. The best thing is to just listen to them for yourself. You don't have to buy the box set, just pick up one of your favorite Beatles records in the remastered form.
The Mono Box is a little more sweetly packaged than it's stereo counterpart. Each record has it's own little inner "record sleeve" as well as protective outer plastic sleeve. Also, the Mono versions of this collection can only be bought as the box set. You cannot buy the CD's ala carte, so to speak. If you want the Mono versions, you have to buy the box set. Beware of bootlegged box sets that look eerily like the real deal. The versions of the mono set just sound a little, canned, if I can say that without getting struck my lightning. There are differences, different jet noises on "Back In the USSR", a shorter version of "Helter Skelter" (sans Ringo's famous "I've blisters on my fingers!") and no hand claps on the intro of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da". "Help" sounds dramatically different in John's vocal. Paul has a scat style vocal that can be heard at the end of "Sgt Pepper's" reprise. The list goes on, I could cite probably an example or a revelation with each spin of the CD's, but those are just a few.
There are those who will tell you the Mono set is the way The Beatles intended their early music to be heard. It was the way music was released back then. "Stereo" was for a few elite music aficionado's. Kids listened to records and music on tinny one speaker systems. Even Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, as pointed out in the liner notes, was first mixed for a mono release. I can't argue with this premise of listening in the mono format. Some fans will tell you the vocals in the stereo mixes are too far in one channel, or speaker. I can see this, turn the balance on your stereo all the way to the right or left (especially on the early recordings) and you can completely lose the lead vocal, save for except maybe some echo. However, for my hard earned Beatle spendin' dollar, I'll take the stereo releases. Now, go home and crank the stereo version of "Hold Me Tight" and listen to the hand claps. It's like they are in the room with you.
Here's the stereo version of "Bad Boy" from YouTube. Now Junior, behave yourself.
