The Upgrades

Our "acceptance" percentage? The final tally falls into the 45% range. That means we have a total of around 65 guests attending our 'lil shindig. You'd think I'd be disappointed but, to be honest, I'm excited for the intimate experience it will now be. I've talked a little bit about our food-and-beverage minimum and that, with our lower-than-expected head count, we have to fill out our order to match the price minimum. Otherwise, we'll end up paying a lot for very little, when we could be getting more.

So what are we considering adding? Quite a bit.

1) Our BBQ menu now includes another dish:

Cole Slaw (source)

And, since we last spoke about our menu, it's also been updated with Black Bean Burgers with Chipotle Aioli instead of BBQ chicken legs and a tomato, mozzarella, basil salad as our veggie.

2) On top of the above changes, we'll be upgrading with a fairly plain "Field Green Salad," which includes pickled leeks and Vermont cheddar, to either one of these:

-Bartlett Pear Salad with Bleu Cheese, Candied Pecans, and Banyuls Vinaigrette

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-Heart of Romaine Salad with Blue Cheese Cream and Tomatoes and Lardons

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3) We've added a light beer to our alcohol selection: Amstel Light, so our guests will have the choice of two keg beers (wheat beer and nut brown ale) and a bottled option.

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4) We're not only throwing in a signature cocktail, we're upping the regular house tequila, Cuervo Gold, to Patron Silver. Yippeeeee for margaritas!

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4) Our wines have gone from their cheapest level to their second best! Our choices?

Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region in New Zealand

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McManis Family Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma, California

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5) We'll now be having a champagne toast (originally going to be a toast with whatever our guests had in hand).

We'll be serving Gloria Ferrer N/V

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6) Late-nite snacks. We're thinking sliders (mini-burgers) and onion rings. Since we're eating dinner at 5:30 pm, I figure we might be hungry right around 10 pm.

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Of the above, what is your favorite upgrade? What is your least favorite item? We may have to cut one thing and I'd love to know what's least popular. Is the champagne toast unnecessary? Do we hang onto our original salad to save $5 per person on a more elaborate salad?

What? No Cake?!

That's right. Mr. Cowboy Boot and I are forgoing that tradition. "But what about the pictures with the cake? You won't have those?" My mom asked when I told her. "Eh," I replied, "Neither of us really likes cake all that much." Sure, I've loved the design of wedding cakes and even swooned over a few but their aesthetic beauty doesn't make up for their price tag--at least not at our wedding. But that doesn't mean no one will be eating sweets after dinner. 

In lieu of wedding cake, we're opting for a seasonally-fresh pie bar a la this picture:

Pie Inspiration Board by Ritzy Bee

Since it will be fall at the time of our wedding, pies and crisps will mark the season. Apples, peach, cherry, raspberry, you name it, we'll have it. Um, hopefully. We're still waiting for our venue to get back to us with the catering contract so we can finalize prices and the menu. Until then, we'll be dreaming about all of the various flavors of pie we can offer. To keep you drooling, too, here are some fun inspiration boards that contain pie (all from Snippet & Ink):

Are you finishing off the meal with an untraditional dessert?

The Thing About BBQ Is...

When Mr. CB and I first moved to Santa Fe, two years ago, we road tripped it from New York City through the south. We'd been living in Brooklyn for a year and were craving some wide open space. If the concrete jungle taught us anything, though, it was how to eat and plan your meals carefully. You can't get a table without calling ahead, you can't cook at home without first devising which way you'll walk from the subway to ensure you pass a grocery store, and you can't eat well unless you look at reviews first. 

BBQ Menu Inspiration Board from Snippet & Ink

Thus, on our road trip, I carefully mapped out which restaurants we should stop at along our route out West. In Staunton, Virginia, we took a break at Mrs. Rowe's Restaurant for sweet tea and bread pudding. Later, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, our travels led us to Dreamland BBQ for nothing but ribs, ribs, and, well, ribs. (Okay, we're kind of foodies. Can you tell?). In New Orleans, you can't eat anything but pulled-pork po' boy sandwiches and especially if you're at the New Orlean's Jazz Fest. From there it was off to Salt Lick in Austin, Texas. Then, in a town called Ozona, Texas, we ate chicken fried steak at the Hitchin' Post in the heaviest rain storm ever. You get the idea--the Cowboy Boots started to develop a palette for some delicious, Southern barbecue. 

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Cut to: October 2008. The CBs find their venue and learn that a BBQ menu is available--and are pleasantly surprised since they have to go with their venue as their caterer. (Okay, I'll stop talking in third person now). Most couples who get married at Devil's Thumb Ranch opt for the barbecue buffet for their rehearsal dinner and more upscale plated dishes (like bacon-glazed salmon or a seasonal tasting menu for their wedding). The Ranch has an outdoor, BBQ space complete with picnic tables for rehearsal dinners (or, for wedding budgets on a tighter dime). We considered this option for our wedding, but it wasn't available in October as it's too cold but, lucky for us, October is when they cut their prices in half for low-season, which made the barn affordable for us.

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Last week, between hair and make-up trials, I sat down with our ever-organized wedding guru at the Ranch and sussed out what we think will be out menu. The only downside of this whole process is that we didn't get to have a tasting because they just don't do them. That said, I've eaten about eight meals (at least) at the Ranch and trust that our wedding meal will be equally as delicious. 

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

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Post-Ceremony Cocktail Hour

After the ceremony, we plan to utilize the deck that extends from the barn (where our reception will be) for a cocktail hour overlooking the mountains. Here's we'll have everything from our bar (more below) and a few passed appetizers that will serve as a good introduction to our BBQ.

- Fried White Truffle Macaroni and Cheese

- Spiced Beef & Blue Cheese on a Toasted Point

Dinner

The BBQ dinner will be served buffet style, but we'll still put menus at each person's seat (these are actually provided by the Ranch). The menu we started with was their sample Pig Roast, which we've tweaked a little below.

-Fennel & Coriander Crusted Pork Shoulder

-BBQ Ribs (these are amazing)

-BBQ Chicken Legs (instead of Steamship Round of Pork)

-Baked Beans

-Rosemary Roasted Potatoes (instead of Braised Collard Greens)

-Field Green Salad

-Garlic broccoli or some other veggie (instead of Corn on the Cob)

-Cornbread

Our Bar

While I'd had hopes of serving five local brews in quarter kegs as I so optimistically blogged about here, I found out there are only two beer taps in the room. Thus, we chose Odell Brewing Company's light and refreshing Easy Street Wheat Beer alongside Grand Lake Brewing Company's darker yet smooth Wooly Booger Nut Brown Ale. A signature cocktail? Check. To add a little New Mexican flavor to the meal, we're thinking about the simple margarita with a good tequila and homemade sour mix. Yum. If we decide to serve two, we're considering some concoction of San Pellegreno Limonata or Aranciata (lemon or orange soda) and vodka or maybe bellinis (peach nectar and champagne). We haven't chosen our wines, yet. And, alongside the above items, we'll offer a cash bar for hard liquor or champagne drinks.

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And for dessert? Well, we'll save that for another post. All I can tell you is that Mr. CB and I just aren't into cake (except I love mint chocolate chip ice cream cake with chocolate cake, but that's more of a birthday thing). I'll fill you in soon. Promise.

What inspired your menu? Do you have any suggestions for us in terms of a good veggie to go along with BBQ as well as your opinion on our signature cocktail?