December 21, 2000 - Edited From
The City Paper, Maxine Keyser
Jon Weinrott, the owner of Peachtree & Ward Catering, was excited by the idea of working with Linda and Tom Knox. Linda and Tom are, respectively, president and chairman of the board of directors at Crusader Bank, and Tom is also chairman of the Fidelity Insurance Group and Bailli of the local chapter of the Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs, among other things. Their French Regency apartment overlooking Rittenhouse Square forms an opulent backdrop for any party.
Normally, Weinrott prefers at least two months' notice for a party, but to fit our schedule, he made an exception. He also likes to ask the reason for having the party - were there any parties they had attended that served as inspirations? Was there to be a theme? How would they like to dress? He feels that invitations are the single most important detail in creating a successful party. They set the mood, and reflect the party giver, not the caterer.
When he walked into the Knox apartment, he immediately envisioned
a winter night, a blazing fire and guests grouped in their living
room, looking at the lights twinkling in the square below. He saw
the stunning mosaic tiled foyer and Linda's silver champagne server,
and dreamed there was a magnum of Thierry Triolet, Grand Reserve Champagne,
chilling there, its biscuity flavors and soft fruit blending well
with a peach puree for Bellinis.
The dream became a reality. His staff arrived a few hours early on the appointed evening and set the large round table in the foyer with a one-pound tin of Beluga caviar, with traditional accompaniments like toast points and chopped eggs, and a raw bar of clams and oyster on the half shell and jumbo shrimp. Serving the champagne from magnums gave this presentation an even more luxurious feel, and is worth considering when you have 10 or more guests.
Additional hors d'oeuvres were butlered during the cocktail hour, and Weinrott used unusual containers to showcase them - crisp coronets of savory smoked salmon tartare came out as little ice cream cones; jumbo lump crab meat "cigars", wrapped in phyllo and scented with lemon grass, appeared in an antique cigar box; warm rounds of polenta mixed with gorgonzola and white truffle oil dotted a frosted glass platter.
Evantine Design, in the Rittenhouse Hotel, complemented the Knoxes' color scheme with unusual red/violet/green hydrangeas, deep burgundy Barcarolle Roses, blue anemones, pepperberries and varied greens in casual bouquets, and in an exquisite centerpiece in the dining room. They even floated gardenias in one of Linda's beautiful bowls.
The Knoxes used all their own linens, heirloom silver and fabulous Lalique glassware. (Peachtree will provide linens in various designs if the host so chooses.) When Weinrott saw Linda's Majolica vases, he heaped breadsticks and assorted rolls in them and set them on the table beneath the Baccarat chandelier.
After the admittedly sumptuous hors d'oeuvres, the guests were warmed and comfortable and ready for a down-to-earth dinner. There was osso buco, in a burnished brown artichoke sauce instead of the usual tomato=based sauce with gremolata. This was a more sophisticated interpretation of the classic, and the pairings of duchess potatoes and roasted baby vegetables continued the feeling, although I still would have preferred a polenta or a saffron rice in place of the more formal piped potatoes. A 1999 Dolcetto D'Alba from Aldo Vajra, fleshy and slightly herbal, harmonized "exuberantly" (in the words of Luca Mazzotti of Moore Brothers, who was our wine guru along with Gregory Moore) with the osso buco.
Incidentally, here Weinrott ran into a little problem when it was revealed that two of the guests were vegetarians. His crew quickly whipped up some pasta and vegetables for the appreciative couple, but he cautioned that one should always make note of these considerations to the caterer ahead of time.
A light salad course of arugula with toasted pine nuts and Pecorino Romano in a balsamic vinaigrette triumphed unexpectedly with a Brunori Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico, 1999, a nutty and aromatic white wine. For dessert, Weinrott tapped into the current rage for nursery desserts by serving 10 different kinds of puddings, including bread puddings such as chocolate (a sure winner), rum-raisin (delicious), pumpkin (oh yes!) and delectable peach. There were rice puddings as well, with coconut, saffron or fragrant lavender. My only complaint was that the individual servings were too large, and one tended to eat the whole thing! From La Spinetta, a Moscato d'Asti "Bricco Quaglia" 1999 provided a frothy, festive finish to the meal.
In the living room, coffee (La Colombe) and an assortment of teas were offered. We were feeling very mellow, while the staff quietly cleaned and straightened the other rooms. I looked in the kitchen before I left, and it was, as I had expected, spotless. Linda was already planning her next party with Peachtree.
Jon Weinrott and his wife Lori have had every kind of affair imaginable, and for the holidays are offering a geographical tour de force with menus that include "voyages" to Aspen, Rome, The Orient Express and the coast of Maine. They do not come cheaply - after a free initial consult, a dinner such as the one we described would run $125 per person (without Beluga caviar), and $250 per staff person. For a dinner of 12 like this one, three servers would be recommended. Wine can be provided by the host, but for this evening Jon consulted with Gregory Moore at Moore Brothers, who matched the wines to the projected menu.
Evantine Designs, who did the flowers for all three parties, usually charges about $300 for a centerpiece, and $75 for smaller arrangements. They purchase directly from the Holland flower markets and have the flowers shipped directly to them. This guarantees a much fresher product, more variety and out-of-season flowers at reasonable prices. Owner Brian Kappra feels that the key to creating a memorable table "is to add a bit of the unexpected, try different things each time you entertain, and reflect the tone and mood of the event.
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