No not really an actual “Palace” but it was quite swanky. Open bar, free food, great music and conversation. All in all, Karen and Randy’s wedding was a lovely event. The ceremony was lovely and classic (even with it being held in a church, thank goodness is was an old, architecturally beautiful one) and the reception at The Brown Palace Hotel was grand.

You will all be happy to know that I bit my tongue–proverbially that is–and held my opinions about the food until AFTER everyone had eaten, so as not to ruin anyone’s meal (or to make fellow patrons angry at me). Turns out it led to an interesting discussion on the matter of mashed potatoes.  It seems there really are people in this world that LIKE lumpy potatoes, and I had some of them sitting at my table. I, however, am not one of those people. I believe a good mashed potato is creamy, silky, smooth, and buttery.  All lumps removed. The main point being that if there are lumps, it means the maker was in a hurry and mashed them too quickly, long before the potatoes finished cooking all the way.  It just reinforces why I never went into the catering/hotels/banquet/cruise line of work. Mass producing “gourmet food” is not on my list of things to do before I die (kind of an oxymoron). When you take all that into consideration, it really wasn’t all that bad. My filet was cooked perfectly (and boy am I ever picky about my steak!), the roll was phenomenal. The apps during cocktail hour were quite delicious, my favorite being a smoked, cold duck breast on a dried apricot, with a sort of berried goat cheese.  Even the cake was alright.

None of this really matters though, because a wedding isn’t about the food (unless it’s mine, if I ever tie the knot) it’s about two people who love each other standing up in front of their friends and family committing to a life together. I’m happy for them and wish them nothing but the best, of course I expect a full report from her on the food in Fiji……..they have to eat at some point!