Hi! I'm Taryn, a writer, designer and soon-to-be-bride from Atlanta, Georgia. Sit a spell with me and catch up as I plan the wedding of my beer-loving, confetti-throwing dreams to the wonderful Mr. Williford.Winner, Winner! Chicken (and Waffles) Dinner!
I am determined to be one of those brides who actually eats on her wedding day. Nothing—not rain, sleet, snow or the pressure to say hello to every aunt and cousin—will stop me from eating dinner that night. I’m insanely excited about our menu.
Our caterer is actually a food truck, Ibiza Bites. Their thing is “SoLa” cuisine, inspired by combining traditional Southern and Latin flavors to create food fusion magic. It’s not your traditional food truck grub, so I hope our guests are as eager and excited to chow down as I am.
Ibiza Bites truck, shot by Rafter Men Photography
Ibiza Bites Lobster Mac & Cheese, shot by Rafter Men Photography
Ibiza Bites Chicken & Waffles, shot by Rafter Men Photography
The main reason I’m so stoked? Two words and a conjunction: Chicken and waffles. I am more than a little bit obsessed with the salty-sweet combination of this much-hyped Southern dish (although its deep South roots are highly contested). I love it so much I even created Chicken and Waffles cupcakes. Real talk. Yes, you eat it with real fried chicken covered in syrup, and yes, it’s delicious.
My photo, via Formal Fringe
So without further ado, and to keep you drooling, here’s our menu. Everyone at our wedding will get their choice from three entrees…
- Pecan-encrusted Fried Chicken and a fluffy Belgian Waffle with rich Maple Syrup, Grilled Peaches and house-made Honey Dijon Mustard. (I suppose it’s a little cannibalistic, now that I’m Miss Hen, but whatever.)
- Sweet Guava-glazed BBQ Baby Back Ribs with Crispy Yucca Fries & Chipotle Aioli and Deep-fried Corn on the Cob
- Roasted Corn, Leeks & Lobster in a White Wine Sauce over creamy Southern-style Mac & Cheese with crisp Panko Parsley topping
…plus one of two appetizers/sides.
- Crispy Fried Green Tomatoes stuffed with Thomasville, Ga., Goat Cheese & spiked with Chipotle Aioli
- Savory Mango Coconut Rice with Crisp Plantain Ribbons
- OR Waffle-cut fries with Meyer Lemon Aioli & Shaved Parmesan
You’ll immediately notice there’s a problem. We’ve narrowed down our truck’s side dish options to three, but can pick only two for the final menu. I’m torn!
Our original two side dish picks were the fried green tomatoes and the waffle fries. I’ve had both and they are killer. But after choosing our entrees to go along with them—with the fried chicken and fried corn on the cob—it seemed like maybe too much fried food, if there is such a thing. I mean, the only option that isn’t somehow fried on that menu would be the Lobster Mac & Cheese.
So then we decided to switch our side dish choices to the fried green tomatoes and Mango Coconut Rice options. The rice is pretty good, but it seems out of place with the rest of the menu. It would be the only dish that was purely Latin without a tinge of Southern influence. Plus, I realize that even though we’re switching out our 5th item with rice over something else fried, it’s still not exactly healthy or refreshing. I kind of feel like we need a vegetable—you know, one that’s not deep fried.
Which brings me to our third option: We brought up our concerns to Ibiza Bites and they are open to figuring out a veggie-centric dish for our second side (along with the fried green tomatoes; those are staying). We don’t yet know what it would be, or if it will add any extra cost to our catering budget, but this way maybe we can get something we’re really happy with.
So the options for a final appetizer/side are… (along with a little commentary from me)
- Lemon Parmesan Waffle Fries. They are crazyinsane delicious, and it will probably be OK to ask our guests to cheat on their diets for one day.
- Mango Coconut Rice. Because we should have more options that aren’t fried.
- Ambiguous veggie dish behind mystery door number three. I’m confident Ibiza can come up with something good, I just don’t know how much it will cost.
What do you think? Would you be happy to attend a brewery wedding with a ton of guilty pleasure foods? Or do you want more/different options? Anybody else having this much trouble building a balanced menu?
