ottawa foodies

posting for a friend who's organizing a surprise party (hubby's) for approx'y 40-50 people. Not wanting to break the bank & also needing to find "something for everyone" (its a diverse crowd, not all are foodies), her first thought was a take-away platter from Farm Boy or similar? She also thought perhaps supplementing that platter with a couple plates of fresh spring rolls from local (west-end'ish) Thai or Viet place? Or perhaps dumplings from Northern Han (my suggestion) ... but maybe they'd get cold 'n sticky?

So, the question, i guess is do the Farm Boy platters pack a good taste / value combination?

And, an important side-q'n: the birthday cake - she'd heard good things about 3 tarts and with the generally fav reviews here, wondering if they'd be a good source for a bday cake(s)?

Any thoughts, suggestions or alternatives most appreciated!

The dumplings sound good and if she can recruit a friend or 2 to help in the kitchen, keeping the food hot shouldn't be too much of a problem. Does she have access to hot/warming platters or can she borrow?

What about asking some of the guests (perhaps the foodies who like to cook) to bring appetizers to help out?

As for birthday cakes - Stubbe's in the market makes fabulous ones and can scale the size of the cakes. We've had larger cakes made for a 50th anniversary party (there were about 3 for a crowd a bit larger).

I find the prepared stuff from Farm Boy a little on the pricy side.

My recommendation would be Costco. Their pricing for this kind of stuff is hard to beat. In their walk in fridge, they have fruit and veggie trays that are cheaper than anywhere I have seen. They have a few heat and eat prepared entrees as well as salads and a variety of finger foods.

They also make huge cakes that are good and reasonably priced.

itchy feet I would echo Pan Bagnat's suggestion of Costco. When I volunteered for the Opera Lyra guild we used to often get their veggie trays for our events and they were always a hit. And, as PB mentioned, they have heat and eat entrées like lasagna, canneloni, etc. as well as salads. They do birthday cakes as well but I am not a dessert eater so I'm not sure how tasty they are.

Some of my co workers have ordered platters from Farm Boy and have been please with the quality.

Our office ordered some meat and cheese trays from La Bottega in the Byward Market for a retirement party a few years ago and we were really pleased with the quality of meats and cheeses they provided us with. I'm sure Nicastro's on Merivale can do something similar. Their prices would be a little higher of course but if it's for a special occasion it might be worth consideration.

I could also recommend Culinary Conspiracy on Rideau Street.

I also had a catered lunch from the Green Door restaurant and I was really impressed with the spanokopita and salads they served.

There is also Thyme and Again.

Some other suggestions were made here: Forum - Emergency - The Disappearing Caterer

Third the Costco rec. They have surprsingly good quality and great prices. Don't ignore their cheese selection either: I found le Cendrillon (la maison Alexis de Portneuf) goat cheese there, 2 for 8 bucks. (about 40% off).

Their frozen apps (eggrolls, pigs in a blanket, potstickers etc.) are a bit 70's kitchy but pretty damn tasty. And dirt cheap.

Their cakes are good in the gicky, grocery store cake way. Super fluffy icing and lots of it. If you want something a bit more high-end/gourmet, I would try a real baker.

BUT Costco frozen eclairs are KILLER. Had them at a party and they dissapeared. You just let them defrost to room temperature.

Hope that helps!

yes, this helps a lot. Never considered Costco (can't say i've even been there, period), so thanks for the tip. Friend definitely wants to avoid cooking or coordinating others, so a trip to C. plus a baker (and maybe Thyme) might just do the trick. Cheers!