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by **swoon_queen** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 12:39 pm

I'm perusing caterers for our company holiday party, and I'd be interested in opinions about Madison caterers. Although I'm definitely a "foodie," others on the planning committee are not, so our parameters are pretty basic. Buffet style dinner for about 75 people; budget's pretty ample-- quality is my main concern.

Fresco was already dismissed as their catering menu, on the surface, leans too much towards tapas and small bites. (from my experience, they'd be the top pick) I'd also be interested in Underground, but I don't think they are available. From looking at "best of" lists and asking our rented venue, I'm seeing Sweet Sophie's, Queen Anne's, Gaylord, and Blue Plate.... Sweet Sophie's seems the most creative in that bunch.

Any feedback, ideas, or experiences would be great to hear!

by **kiwiwannabe** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 1:22 pm

Sweet Sophie's, the restaurant, is closed, so you may want to be sure the catering wing is still open. Queen Ann's and Gaylord are pretty middle-of-the-road.

Blue Plate has many options if you want something out of the ordinary. If you want something incredible, though, I would go with Chez Vous. They threw us the best buffet dinner that I have ever attended, and the place was spotless when they left.

by **swoon_queen** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 2:19 pm

Yes, I wondered about that with regard to Sweet Sophie's-- I called and seems their catering business is still functional.

Thanks for the great tip on Chez Vous! They have no web presence, so I never would have known otherwise.

I've sampled Blue Plate and found it fairly "meh." Definitely would rather go with a more upscale/innovative option. I spoke with the woman at Chez Vous and she is checking availability....

by **kiwiwannabe** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 2:21 pm

Vicki is a joy to work with, but she is not web savvy. Word of mouth brings her enough business to keep her going, so I'm glad to bring more clients her way.

Hope you have a great event! The food is the most critical aspect, I think.

by **HeyZeus** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 10:10 pm

I believe the Marigold Kitchen caters events, despite only serving breakfast/lunch in the restaurant.

by **ilikebeans** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 11:50 pm

This is weird, but I played for a party recently catered by Madison Golf and Development Group. Sounds horribly corporate, but the food was plentiful, varied, and awesome. No actual golfing, however.

I suspect the cost will be somewhat prohibitive, but might be worth checking out.

by **Average Joe** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 7:19 am

HeyZeus wrote:I believe the Marigold Kitchen caters events, despite only serving breakfast/lunch in the restaurant.

I had lunch at Marigold yesterday and they have a couple of posters up in the restaurant advertising their catering services.

by **swoon_queen** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 10:08 am

Great suggestions! I had checked out Marigold's catering menu.... it seemed geared towards daytime/lunch style events.

And the Madison Golf and Development Group?! Who'd've thunk it. Their sample menus sound perfect-- I do wonder if they'll be prohibitively expensive, but maybe it will be worth it for something particularly extraordinary.

Way to go, TDPF.

by **kittenwithawhip** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 2:39 pm

I have had very good luck with Manna Cafe, they are affordable, easy to work with, very polite and patient staff and very high quality food.
http://www.mannacafecatering.com/menus/index.htm

by **my6cents** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 2:50 pm

Try Bunky's. They do catering very well.

by **Goober McTuber** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:39 pm

my6cents wrote:Try Bunky's. They do catering very well.

What nights do you work there?

by **Thusnelda** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 4:02 pm

Marigold's catering is fantastic. I used them for a rehearsal dinner shortly after they opened, and I was thinking they'd just do some variation on sandwiches or something. Not even close. Everyone raved.

I've also heard great things about Chez Vous, though again they're probably on the high end of things.

Finally, I know that Manna is not only great in the restaurant but are well known (previously) as Collins House Catering, so they should be a great possibility as well.

by **chocolate_kitty** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:39 pm

Market Street Diner in Sun Prairie does fantastic off-site catering. I used them recently to cater an event and the food was great, the setup and staff were professional. I found them to be very reasonably priced too! They seem to specialize in comfort type food.

In the past I have used blue plate catering, queen anne's and exceptional catering and had mixed results but they all left something to be desired.