Happy (Chinese) New Year!

Last evening, we had the good fortune to be invited to the fabulous Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington, D.C. for their annual Chinese New Year celebration. Let me first say that the Mandarin is one of our very favorite hotels. We absolutely adore working with the catering team over there. The Director of Catering, Michael Deltette, is uber-deluxe, and Eric and Bobby are so much fun. They all make our job a breeze.

Brides, if you are looking for a fabulous hotel for your wedding, be sure to check out The Mandarin. Aside from amazing service and gorgeous decor, the hotel also has garden space for cocktails and a bridge leading over to the water. So you can park your yacht and walk right over to your wedding!

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Mandarin Spa. I consider myself to be a spa aficionado and have tried just about every spa in the city. None compare to The Mandarin. Sara can back me up here because we are both serious Mandarin Spa addicts. I could spend all day just relaxing in the amethyst steam room and the soaking pool but, on top of that, every masseuse I have had has been really great. The spa would be reason enough for me to get married at The Mandarin. It is that amazing.

But back to the party. Celebrating the Year of the Ox, the event was held in the private Tai Pan lounge on the 8th floor. We were greeted with pomegranate martinis and a series of delicious passed hors d'oeuvres. There were stations set up throughout the space serving sushi, Peking duck and small plates of caviar atop apple risotto. As a vegetarian, I was pleased that there were plenty of options for me (I occasionally lapse for seafood). The Peking duck looked amazing and I almost went off the wagon for a taste. Luckily, I was distracted by the divine desserts. I love a good cupcake and these were wonderful!

A magnificent paper cutter from Cast of Thousands impressed everyone with lightning-fast silhouettes and a spectacular dragon dancer topped of the evening. Check out a couple of photos courtesy of the amazing Regeti's. Love them! And a big thank you to the Mandarin for a fabulous evening!