When my wife and I started planning for our June 15th, 2013 wedding at Aeree Loft - Room 1520, we started by calling a very long list of caterers. We were paying for the wedding ourselves and knew that with 175 guests, we were going to have to look for an inexpensive option. We also knew that we needed a very professional caterer that would provide quality food and service. We didn't want to go with the cheapest option and risk getting bad service on our big day. So after meeting with about 7 different caterers we finally met with Chris, owner of D'Absolute. Right from the start we got a really good vibe from him. He wasn't trying to rush us into making a decision and he really wanted to meet our needs instead of just selling his service. We explained our financial situation to him and he promised he'd try to work with us. After receiving 4 different quotes from our top finalists, we were on the fence. All of them were slightly above our max budget but we knew all 4 were very good options. After calling the first 3 and asking them about possibly lowering their quote and getting firm NO's, we called Chris and asked what he could do. He asked us what our max number was and made the necessary changes to meet our number!! We were super excited!! We booked right away and from there our experience with D'Absolute only got better! Highlights: - Great advice and suggestions from Chris regarding wedding day coordinating. He took the lead and got all of our other vendors on the same page. - We made a few changes to the menu leading up to the wedding and Chris was always good about accomodating us. - D'Absolute took care of setting up all dinning tables and chairs the day before the actual wedding. His options for table cloths, chairs, and silverware/glassware are endless! Everything looked very nice and of great quality. - He was very accomodating with our schedule. We had several meetings on weekends and off hours. He was always willing to meet when we were available. He was always very responsive to our calls and emails. He even sent his brother all the way to Evanston to meet me! - Wedding day reception - D'Absolute was just amazing on our big day. Their servers and bartenders were great! All had friendly faces the entire time. Food was served on schedule and there were no hiccups whatsoever. Chris' brother was the coordinator during our reception and he was just as great! He made sure our bridal suite had food for my wife and I at all times. He made sure everyone had food and drinks at their tables. I can go on and on but bottom line is that our reception was perfect! and we really owe a lot of credit to the D'Absolute staff! - Food - AMAZING! everything that we selected tasted just as good as it did at our tasting when we first met Chris. No complaints whatsoever from any of our 175 guests! If you need a quality caterer that will not only provide great food but also great service and price, do yourself a favor and go with D'Absolute! Chris and his team made the entire process as easy and convenient for us as possible! A million thanks to Chris and his D'Absolute team for making our wedding unforgettable! Edgar read more

As part of our wedding planning, we worked with Chris at D'absolute Catering to develop a tasting menu. My fiancé and mother attended with me and we had a terrific experience. Chris was very easy to work with, knowledgeable, and went above and beyond to make the tasting enjoyable. Not to mention the food was spectacular. I would highly recommend Chris and team. read more

D'Absolute catered our wedding in July 2013, per the recommendation of a close friend. They did a fantastic job with the food and we got numerous compliments in the days after our wedding. The price was comparable to most of the other caterers we considered, but the quality of the food was by far the highest. Chris did an excellent job suggesting a menu that would be a good fit for the season and our guests. He also helped us coordinate our alcohol menu and gave us very helpful suggestions. The bar and wait staff during the wedding were friendly and prompt. Chris was quick to respond to phone calls and emails and made us feel comfortable every step of the way. I am whole heartedly giving them five stars. We felt confident that they gave us impeccable service and amazing food at a competitive price. read more

We were very happy with our choice of D'Absolute Catering for our wedding reception. Providing a good dinner experience for our guests was particularly important to us, and we chose D'Absolute simply because their food tasted the best and we trusted them to provide professional service. In particular, we wanted to reflect the groom's Macedonian roots, and D'Absolute was able to provide a number of simple yet satisfying Balkan dishes. Their versions were just like we had flown to see extended family. Additionally, their service was excellent (staff was professionally dressed, friendly, and worked quickly). We only heard positive remarks from our guests -- one guest commented it was the best food he had since arriving in Chicago. From the logistical perspective, Mena and Chris were prompt and professional. They worked with us to change the menu such that we could arrive at a price point we were comfortable with. We opted not to serve champagne, as it didn't really matter to us and the glassware would have been extra. We also rented our linens separately due to cost at the recommendation of our coordinator, but D'Absolute's prices were not significantly higher. Even though we weren't the only wedding that D'Absolute catered that night, it certainly felt like we were. read more

Our experience with D'Absolute Catering for our wedding was nothing short of perfect. Prices were extremely reasonable compared to other Chicago caterers, without falling short at all on the quality. The food was amazing, and we received tons of compliments on the food. The food was inventive, well-prepared, and well-presented. What sets D'Absolute apart from the rest is their involvement in our planning process. Mena at D'Absolute helped us with determining how to stage our cocktail hour, where guests should enter/exit, event timing, everything down to the smallest detail. They even helped us out with handling the table and chair rental with another vendor. We did not have a day of coordinator, and Mena made us feel so much more comfortable that the day would go smoothly. We even had some special requests for bar service and dessert that were handled very well. Their communication throughout the entire process was excellent. They responded in a timely manner and are great people to work with. We can't recommend D'Absolute enough for any wedding, or any event for that matter. read more

D'Absolute catered my daughter's wedding, and we were very pleased with the results. We got so many compliments on the food, especially the hors d'oeuvres, which were unique and delicious. But almost more importantly, they very quickly and efficiently set up the entire wedding site and reception, following all my directions, which were sometimes complicated. They literally transformed both sites amazingly quickly and everything looked wonderful. The bar was very well run, the staff was friendly and efficient, serving our group of just under 150 guests with ease. They allowed me to relax and enjoy the event, and I am very grateful for that fact. Additionally, I thought their prices were very reasonable for the amount and quality of food served. I would not hesitate to use D'Absolute for another event. read more

D'Absolute catered my wedding a month ago, held at the Glessner House Museum. My husband and I planned our wedding in 7 months! While we obtained 4 quotes from caterers, D'Absolute was the only tasting we did - because the food was great, the price was unbeatable, and we felt very confident that working with Chris,the owner, would make this daunting task of planning a wedding for 150 people easier. We were right. Chris was amazing to work with every step of the way. We knew what we wanted but deferred to Chris for his expert opinion. He steered us in the right direction on a few things, met with us numerous times at our venue to go over the "game plan" and delivered what we wanted - updated classic food - that would be filling yet classy, accessible to our 100+ out of town guests but also appealing to our foodie friends from Chicago. He gave us the option of purchasing our own bar (liquor, beer and wine) from Binny's, which we did, because it surely saved us thousands. So many of our guests complimented us on the food, the presentation, the service, etc. I should also mention that he referred us to Deborah at Art of Imagination, for a little extra lighting for nighttime in the courtyard. She transformed the venue, it was magical. Hands down, I would recommend Chris and D Absolute Catering over many of the big names in Chicago. We can't believe our luck we found him. read more

D'absolute catered our wedding at Newberry Library on November 1, 2014. After months of planning (mostly by my wife), the wedding was a success. One of the main reasons the wedding was so successful was because of Chris and his team. Throughout the whole process, Chris was responsive and helpful. Cocktail hour was perfect, starting out with our signature drinks (Moscow Mules and Key Lime Martinis) and arrangment of Hors d'oeuvres. My guests raved about the food. We had a chicken, salmon, and vegeterian option. I had the chance (about 1 minute) to eat and I can attest that the food was excellent. I was nervous about the food because there is not on-site kitchen, but the food was displayed nicely and was hot. Chris helped coordinate our dessert table and made sure we were good throughout the night. I am glad that we selected D'absolute. I would highly recommend D'absolute and Chris to anybody who wants excellent food and service at a great price. read more

Chris is absolutely amazing. We hired him as a suggestion from the Stan Mansion for our 11/11/11 wedding at the Stan Mansion. I read the reviews on Yelp about him & was a little skeptical but decided to give him a shot. I am SO glad I did bc I have nothing but great things to say about him. He gave us a great deal. The food was absolutely amazing, tasted as good at the tasting as it did at the wedding. I got so many compliments on the food. Usually wedding food is just blah but this was far from it. He even designed our cake with basically no direction from me & it was gorgeous. My husband & I didn't have many ideas and Chris is such an expert that he was able to work with little direction. On the flipside if you do have a direction he can go with it and make exactly what you want! His servers & bartenders were fabulous. I didn't have to worry about one thing the day of my wedding bc Chris handled everything. He was there from beginning to the very end of the night, well past when I left. My husband & I are still raving about what an amazing job he did. You always hear brides saying something goes wrong at your wedding but not ONE thing went wrong bc of him. He is so professional and on top of his game that I would recommend him to anyone. You will not be disappointed. Should we ever need a caterer again for anything we will be contacting Chris. I can't thank him enough for the amazing job he did. He allowed me to relax & just enjoy my day rather than worrying. Thanks so much Chris!!!!!! read more

My first and only regret with this review is that we did not write it earlier! Chris Constantine from D'Absolute Catering was the caterer for our wedding day in December. We worked very closely with Chris and his wife Natalie. They are an amazing team! We sat down with approximately 8 different caterers and D'Absolute was without a doubt, our first choice. Not only because they were reasonably priced but we felt as though they were the easiest to work with and understood the business. The other caterers we spoke with continually tried to change the view of the wedding we wanted. D'Absolute took our vision and ran wild- adding in what they thought would work for our December time frame. Leading up to the big day proved to be hassle free and actually quite relaxing. D'Absolute took care of EVERYTHING for us (linens, food, liquor, bar, waitstaff, timing, and more!) They made everything seamless and easy. The food from D'Absolute was amazing! They have a very extensive menu to choose from. Chris knew what worked for the season and what would work best for the type of group we were entertaining. We did not want a formal sit down dinner, but instead wanted a party atmosphere. With that said I was adamantly against a "buffet style" wedding. D'Absolute conquered our day with perfection! I still have guests speaking about how great the set up and flow was, how wonderful everything looked and most importantly how EXCELLENT the food was. We went with a few different items that were tailored for the season- passed appetizers: spaghetti squash mini cakes, ahi tuna tacos, cheese and red grape lollipops; dinner stations: grilled beef tenderloin skewers (amazing!), ravioli, fresh vegetables, grilled flatbread, French style Coq Au Vin (amazing!) red smashed potatoes and seasonal salad. Late night they brought out mini gourmet grill cheese and pulled pork sliders! The food was absolutely to die for! I've had a number of people who have inquired about the caterer and raved about their food! Our guests were very happy and left feeling very satisfied. Chris was very honest and up front with us on what he thought would work and not work. Chris and Natalie also went to great lengths to help us with our sweet table and set up for the sweet table as we brought in mini cupcakes, small individual cakes, etc. I had concerns that the wait staff wouldn't clear the tables and plates as quickly as I heard others discuss however, this was never a problem. Their waitstaff was efficient, professional and I barely noticed them! Just when you think the wedding is over.... they collected the few sweets that were left over, the left over liquor, and packaged up the top of our cake for us-allowing us to pick this up from them at our convenience. I cannot compliment this amazing team enough! If you are looking for personal attention, amazing service, excellent food and a professional team of caterers- Chris and Natalie Constantine from D'Absolute Catering are hands down, the best! read more

D'Absolute catered my Dec. 13th wedding and I am incredibly happy with the results. When we were looking for caterers, D'Absolute was definitely at the top of our budget. But the tasting we did with Chris was awesome. The food was delicious and the presentation was great. The whole experience of the tasting is what convinced us to spend more than we originally thought we would. I'm so thankful we did! Chris and Natalie were reliable and professional throughout our entire planning process. Chris provided great advice on service and helped us finalize our alcohol order. The day of went really smoothly. My only complaint was that we decided to provide wine service at the table per Chris's suggestion. I'm glad we did, but we had to ask the servers three times to please serve the wine once the dinner started. They were really slow about getting around to the tables so a lot of our guests had nothing to drink when dinner started. But everyone loved the food so much, I'm not sure they noticed! The quality of the food was great and there was a ton of it. I felt totally comfortable with D'Absolute handling all the day of preparation. I especially loved that they brought up drinks and appetizers to a private room for the bridal party when we arrived at the venue. It was nice to have a moment to refuel and relax before continuing the festivities. Overall, D'Absolute was well worth the money and I'm glad we went with them for our wedding. read more

My husband and I hired Chris to cater our wedding in June of this year. He was the only caterer we sampled....but there was no need to look further! We went in for a tasting and loved the taste and presentation! I'm a vegetarian and my husband is not and Chris was wonderful with all of the choices he gave us for our wedding menu. Like most people now, we were on a strict budget. We told Chris how many people we were inviting and the food budget we had. He got back to us with a proposal that came under our budget! Like I said, our wedding was just a few weeks ago and we are getting calls from MANY of our guests saying how absolutely delicious the food was! The appetizers were a HUGE hit! Especially the Seared Scallops Wrapped in Bacon. For the meal was equally amazing with Sautéed Chicken Breast, Chef Carved Crusted Beef Tenderloin, Fresh Grilled Vegetable Display, etc... I could go on! It was wonderful! Another thing I really liked about Chris's proposal was that it included the cake! Chris suggested I find a design I like and email him a picture. His baker did a wonderful job with the look of the cake and the taste. I got a slice of every flavor on my wedding day :) And to knock it out of the park his baker made a special cake for my husband's grandmother who turned 86 years old on our wedding day. I would recommend D'Absolute to any bride & groom looking for a truly affordable & delicious wedding meal! read more