Catering

Dining insight: There is life - and sustenance - outside of our beloved restaurants. While a meal on the town is hard to trump, sometimes the reply to the question 'Where to Eat?' doesn't involve a trattoria or bistro.

A birthday bash for 50...

A gala to-do...

A reception for top clients...

A wedding in the slanting sunlight...

A grand catch-up meal with friends from abroad...

These times exist for catering.

Part of the pleasure of dining out involves not making decisions. Catering is somewhat the opposite. It's possibilities and nourishment in one. Simple selections like choice of appetizer, whether to play a fugue or some funk, and how quickly one wants to sup are determined, in whole or in part, by the host. Because of this fact, choosing who will cater your event is a more intensely personal decision than choosing a restaurant. It expresses one's needs in a certain place, for a certain reason and at a certain time.

More is more when it comes to catering options. The caterers listed in our pages are run by seasoned pros ‹ party planners who can tap celebrity chefs to man a grill in your backyard, husband and wife teams who can turn out haute cuisine with Grandma intimacy, culinary teams at equal ease cooking for family reunions and princely receptions. All the hallmarks of the current food scene are there. Market sensibility. Drop-dead presentation. Global pantries. European technique. All that's left to do is for you to choose your own answer - and then dinner can be served.