Tuna Toast

Weekend wedding.....



Last weekend, two of our very dear friends were married at The Paramour in a beautiful ceremony surrounded by lots of friends and family. It was an affair that we'd all been waiting for, and everyone put on their best dresses and suits to welcome the couple into their new life together.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and we could see all of Los Angeles from the hilltop where the ceremony and reception were held. There was a Mexican trio playing love songs and the officiant made jokes throughout. The 15-minute ceremony was the sweetest and shortest one in recent memory, which was great since everyone was eager to get the party started!! After lots of hugs and photo taking, everyone converged onto the pool area for cocktail hour and hors d`oeuvres.

Pool area at The Paramour........

First of all, I must say that The Paramour is a beautiful place. Apparently it used to be the residence of silent films star Antonio Moreno- now it's pretty much used for weddings, events and the taping of that awful show, Rock Star. As we stood around the marble pool and toasted the couple's happiness, I couldn't help but be awed by the serenity of the trees, the view of downtown and the gorgeous building. It was lovely, to say the least. The waiters passed trays of ceviche on mini tostada rounds, marinated chicken skewers and mini chorizo and cheese quesadillas- all were delicious. They were so yummy that I completely forgot to take photos.

First course salad.......

We reconvened on the hillside where the tables had now been set up to start the reception. We started with a light salad of mixed baby greens topped with fresh oranges and jicama tossed with a chile dressing. It was sweet, slightly spicy and very refreshing. For the main course, J got the Chile En Nogada plate which came with a piece of grilled, marinated chicken, beans and rice. Chiles En Nogada is a green chile stuffed with a meat mixture, then topped with a white walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds. The red, green and white represent the colors of the Mexican flag and this dish is apparently a favorite on Mexican Independence Day. I had long read about this fascinating dish and was thrilled that I had the chance to try it. I got the chile rellenos plate which came with the same chicken, beans and rice as J's dish did. We split the chiles to have a taste of each, and both were excellent, although my I got a super spicy chile in my chile relleno. The Chile En Nogada was delicious- not as sweet as I had imagined. Each table got a basket of flour and corn tortillas and we all happily noshed away.

Chile relleno plate........

Chile en nogada plate.......

By the time we got to the cake, everyone was pretty...well......let's just say happy! I think I took one bite of my gigantically enormous slice that someone heaved onto my plate, then we kissed everyone goodbye and headed home, satisfied. The party favors were bottles of hot sauce with custom labels which had the couple's name, the wedding date and other funny details. We'll be enjoying those for weeks to come.

Parting gifts........

Congratulations R & L!!! We couldn't be happier for you both, and thanks for being such wonderful friends to us!