My wife-to-be first ran across Gianni and his samples of goodies at a wedding fair about a year ago and was staunchly advocating his use. After trying some of the blander caterers available in the East Bay, Gianni was a breath of fresh air. Though the outfit sometimes seemed small, the tapas we tried were delicious and we were comfortable talking with him, all key prerequisites for our caterer for the big day. We also elected to go for an appetizer affair (not for cost savings - there aren't really any - but for a relaxed reception) with supplied beer and wine and Gianni was very confident in being able to swing it. PCE actually came in second to another vendor on my list because of the lack of reviews (no Yelp just a few months ago), but fortunately the lady had us go with these guys.
Gianni was always very communicative and the depth of PCE in bartending and party supply also gave us an extra resource to depend on for a few other random knick-knacks, without too much fuss over price. We had a wonderful second tasting a few months out where we were treated to fifteen different appetizers, including relatively unique Moroccan style beef skewers that showed more panache than the other tastings out there. After that tasting we were very excited about the food and drink, but could they pull it off?
Yes, with flying colors! The staff worked hard, efficiently and invisibly and were very courteous and helpful. The bartender kept the drinks moving, the chef kept up with our bizarre demands (a tray of bacon introduced after the speeches, yum) and Gianni kept it all running smoothly. Oh yeah, we had a signature drink of Hangar One Mandarin, pomegranate juice and spiced syrup that the bartender made all night for our guests, and we also had some Chopin (potato vodka) tucked away for a few key folks with special needs.
Did we mention that PCE is super-affordable while being super cool? When we realized we didn't have the cash for some of the eco-green-seasonal-foofoo outfits, but still didn't want the Sysco-supplied generic carp, and wasn't going to have a potluck, finding Gianni and crew was a pleasant surprise. Bang for the buck folks! read more