Raise your hand if you’ve planned Christmas dinner. What about fi guring out what to feed the relatives when they arrive? Hors d’oeuvres for the annual cocktail party at your place?
No, no and no? Breathe. We fully support your domestic side, but there’s no shame in letting someone else do the cooking when you’re in a bind. We’ve done the homework for you, talked to experts, and found four companies — each of which offer a full catering menu — that can make the holidays actually enjoyable, whether you prefer to pick up a couple of lowkey snack platters or hire caterers for an event.
FEAST CATERING
Owned by former Mizuna owner/creator Sylvia Wilson, Feast offers mostly local, mostly organic catering at various levels of fancy. At the high end, they’ll serve your guests a cocktail menu including buffalo mozzarella “lollipops” and smoked wild salmon cucumber cups for $22 per person. A more casual menu of meat and cheese platters, rustic bread and cookies goes for $12.50 per person. She’ll book an event with 24hour notice if she’s available; we suggest giving her a week. Platters are also available for pick-up or delivery. Hint: the Feast Website includes sample menus for cocktail parties and dinners, but you’re welcome to compile your own list of dishes. Traditional holiday dishes aren’t on the menu, but they will be happy to prepare them for you.
Feast Catering is at 807 E. Ninth Ave. Visit www.feastcateringco.com. Call 879-9568.
MADELEINE’S CAFE & PATISSERIE
One utterly inconvenient morning, you will realize your home is swarming with hungry parents, siblings and your siblings’ offspring. But you won’t be worried, because you will have risen early that day to pick up your order from Madeleine’s downtown: caramelized onion and gruyere quiche, a dozen mini pastries and a bowl of fruit salad. Just add mimosas. Madeline’s offers selections from their restaurant menu for catering events as well.
Madeleine’s Café & Patisserie is at 707 W. Main. Visit www. madeleines-spokane.com to view menus. Call 624-2253.
NEW LEAF CAFE
A workforce training program for low-income women, New Leaf offers take-out catering with a week’s advanced notice. For a laid-back crowd, a few deli platters will go a long way — trays to serve 15-18 guests range from $18-$30; trays for 20-25 guests are $24-$40. Breads, including traditional Challa braids, are under $10 for the two- to four-loaf minimum order. They’ll also prepare boxed lunches or a tray of wraps for the aforementioned starving-relative contingent at a similarly affordable price. New Leaf’s staff is being trained in the art of professional tastiness by chef Vira Melendez-Red man. Your patronage helps fund the program.
New Leaf Café catering pickup is at St. John’s Episcopal Church at 127 E. 12 th Ave. Visit www.help4women.org to view a menu. Call 496-0396.
LINDAMAN’S GOURMET BISTRO
Try as you may, there’s no escaping that moment when the whole family has been corralled to the dinner table and awaits a hearty meal. Grocery store delis will pre-make a traditional dinner for you (call soon — they need a few weeks’ notice). As an alternative, Lindaman’s will bake you a casserole — in your own dish if you bring it by. Lasagna for 8-10 will run you $63; serve 20-24 for $125. Other entrees, like salmon cakes and chicken pot pie, are priced by the pound. Supplement the entrée with salads priced at $7-$9.50 per pound. Cakes and tortes baked in-house are $30- $48 each.
Lindaman’s Gourmet Bistro is at 1235 S. Grand Blvd. Visit www.lindamans.com. Call 838-3000.
