lizz and isaac's wedding

i met lizz and isaac about a week or two into the dinette's opening: they were looking for fuel for their veggie oil benz and i was looking to dispose of my frying oil. lizz is the owner of the eco-clothing line, popomomo, and isaac is a sculptor. and somewhere between their regular visits to the dinette for dinner (where they would always order spicy fries) and their weekly visits to pick up the restaurant's used oil, we became friends.

then they came in one day and announced that they were getting married and that they'd like the dinette to cater an outdoor luncheon in elysian park. and they added one more request: the menu was to be kosher-style. why is it that i love a culinary challenge?

in planning their wedding luncheon, i meditated on a menu that would reflect their personalities (fanciful, generous, and with an eye for aesthetics) as well as echo both jewish and vietnamese food traditions. And it came to me: dill and turmeric. and then the whole thing came together at once: a menu built around a rice noodle bar featuring turmeric-glazed local snapper topped at the final moment with fresh dill; eggplant wrapped in wild pepper leaves; and roasted cauliflower and assorted mushrooms; flanked with all the vietnamese accoutrements of fresh herbs, lettuces, pickles, and sauces.

lizz and isaac, newly married

hors d'oeuvres:
rice cakes with scallion tofu
shitake mushroom tartines



main course:
rice noodle bar featuring:

turmeric-glazed wild-caught pacific snapper
eggplant wrapped in wild pepper leaves
roasted cauliflower and assorted mushrooms


a very la setting: montecillo de leo politi park inside of elysian park, dyed vintage tablecloths adorning the concrete picnic tables.