Last weekend, Bobby and I attended a beautiful wedding. His co-worker, Bob, officially tied the knot with his new wife Emily, and the two of them looked blissfully happy as they shared their first dance.

We had a fantastic time at the ceremony and the reception that followed, both at Spiaggia, a gorgeous restaurant and private event space on Michigan Avenue. I promised to document the food and was glad to do so after reading over the menu.

We started with an Insalata Italiana, made with mixed Italian greens, sweet onions, ricotta salata and Chianti vinaigrette. I always find that you can’t go wrong with ricotta or goat cheese on a salad, and this certainly held true.

Next up was a Gigli con Sugo di Maiale e Piselli, which translates to a spiral shaped pasta with braised pork in tomato with peas and pecorino romano. This was excellent! Just enough for it to satisfy, without overfilling us for the main course.

While we waited for our entrées, we entertained ourselves with these fun trivia cards from a company called Kwizniac. Every person was given a different card with ten clues and an answer at the bottom. You start at the top, and as you move down the list the clues get progressively more helpful. I thought mine was especially difficult – if you click the picture and make it big without looking at the bottom, you can see for yourself!

We had a choice of fish or chicken as our main dish. I went with the Salmon Al Forno, a wood roasted salmon with Nichols Farm summer squash, tomato, guanciale and fennel seed. It was quite good and I think my favorite part was the summer squash!

Bobby chose the Pollo al Carciofini, a wood roasted chicken in an herb and almond pesto with potatoes and artichokes. I forgot to snap a picture, but this was also delicious – I thought the almond pesto was a clever change up from pine nuts and it tasted awesome.

Then it was time to feast on a tower of cupcakes!

The Torta Matrimoniale, as it was so called, was made up of delicious chocolate and vanilla cupcakes from Flour Cake & Pastry. I chose the chocolate and made sure to snag one with a fun penguin design on top. I heard that the bride loves penguins – so do I. 🙂

Last but certainly not least, there was a selection of house made gelati and sorbet. There were so many flavors to choose from, and they came out on a beautiful platter. Everything from chocolate and vanilla to raspberry and blueberry, which is what I chose.

The food and the company were wonderful. Emily and Bob certainly know how to throw a party! Before we knew it, we were out on the dance floor for the rest of the night, although Bobby and I did take a break to visit the photo booth.

Be warned. This is what happens when my husband finds a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles mask.

I warned you. 😉

Congratulations again to Emily and Bob! Wishing you a long and happy life together.

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Quick note: Blog reader and friend Stephanie Rosenberg runs a fantastic program called Kicking The Spectrum, which aims to teach martial arts inspired moves to kids with autism and special needs, incorporating fitness and wellness into the fundamentals of Japanese Shotokan Karate. My own brother became a black belt in karate when he was younger and the experience was so worthwhile – this is a cause I can certainly get behind!

Kicking The Spectrum is hosting a fundraiser TONIGHT at Mad River Bar in NYC from 5:30-11:30 p.m. to raise funds to jump start a non for profit which will allow families who have hit hard financial times to send their children with special needs to karate classes. If you’re in the New York area and can attend, Stephanie would be grateful! If you’d like more information, feel free to email me at eatingbender@gmail.com so I can connect you with her.

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Hope you have a wonderful Thursday! What are your weekend plans?

Abrazos,