1. Choose a time and place for your bar mitzvah meal.
Before you choose the bar mitzvah menu, you need to know which meal you\'re serving, so first, decide on the time of your party. Is it going to be a bar mitzvah breakfast (9:00-11:00 a.m.), brunch (11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.), lunch (12:30-3:30 p.m.), or dinner (6:00-9:30 p.m.).
2. Decide how many bar mitzvah guests you're having.
The number of guests will play a part not only in the amount of money you can spend, but it\'s also important in deciding what to serve. You have to think about how long it will take to prepare, cook, plate and serve -- one of the biggest problems with party food is the amount of time it takes between food preparation and service. That creamy seafood in puff pastry looks great in the kitchen, but by the time it gets to table 23, the cream may have soaked through the pastry, creating a goopy mess. When servicing over 100 bar mitzvah guests make sure you choose foods that can sit in the kitchen for a few minutes before turning into a pumpkin.
3. Keeping your bar mitzvah menu interesting
When choosing your bar mitzvah menu, whether it is brunch, hors d'oveures, or a six-course meal, you need to make sure you mix it up a bit by varying the flavor, texture, appearance, temperature, and color to keep all of the senses stimulated. Ask your caterer to help you mix and match these elements. Your caterer can also make suggestions based on his experience in the industry. Go to www.modernmitzvah.com to find a good local bar mitzvah caterer.) Your bar mitzvah caterer will know how to keep your bar mitzvah guests' tastes in mind and make sure everyone can find something good to eat. Remember this is a bar mitzvah, and you'll be mixing adults and kids. Grandpa Ari's tastes will be different than Josh's 13-year-old friend Bobby.
4. Go to see your bar mitzvah caterer for a free tasting.
You should definitely meet your bar mitzvah caterer, see the bar mitzvah hall (if they're the same company), and taste the food before for choose a bar mitzvah caterer. Don't make your decision based solely on how the food tastes. Ask yourself if you like the presentation. Is the dish pleasing to the eye, is it creative is it colorful. Do all of the foods on the plate complement each other? Also, you should bring a "foodie" friend to your bar mitzvah food tasting.
5. Keep It In Season
Great cooks plan their bar mitzvah menus around the foods that are in season. They choose the fete by whatever is freshest that month, so time of year and the corresponding temperatures plays a major role in choosing what to cook for your bar mitzvah guests. Your favorite summer tomato salad, for example, just won't be as juicy in January, so preparing some pasta in marinara sauce is a better choice for tomato lovers. Ask your caterer and family foodies for their opinions, and see if you can incorporate some of their ideas into your bar mitzvah menu.
6. Drink & Be Merry
Do not leave out the booze, because it plays a part in your overall menu, as well as the price of your overall caterer costs. Time of day and type of reception, as well as budget, and your tastes are all factors in deciding on your drink specialty. Your full six-course meal should feature wine, and your bar mitzvah brunch could include bloody Marys and mimosas. But don't forget to also offer non-alcoholic beverages. You don't need Uncle Shimon getting hammered and requesting to sing "Staying Alive" by the Bee-Gees .
7. Fit the food to your bar mitzvah style.
You'd never wear black tie to a beach volleyball game, right? Well the same goes for food. The level of formality of the menu should fit perfectly with the formality of the bar mitzvah itself. If you've decided to go with a laid back cocktail party, make sure the food you're serving fits that occasion.
