En Place Catering crafts menus and experiences guests will not forget, according to catering director Jacob Marek.
Around the third Tuesday of each month from September to April, foodies can attend the En Place Specialty Dining events in Sioux Falls. At each dinner, the menu and beverage pairings are customized and based on cuisines that aren’t readily available to try in the city.
“We play around with flavors and our travel experiences to go into the kitchen and make something that looks good and tastes good,” said Marek. “It’s a unique dining experience for people to look forward to, and it’s kicked off with a Harvest Dinner.”
For those who are interested in attending the entire season, there’s the option to purchase a season pass to all seven events.
“We’re doing that for the first time this year,” said Marek. “There’s seven dinners. Basically you’ll pay for six and get the seventh for free.”
“We try to sprinkle some sparkle in every event.”
Jacob Marek
Guests can either attend all the dinners themselves or gift a dinner or two to a friend.
Chef and co-owner Jordan Taylor added, “You get between three and four courses and a beverage pairing with each course.”
One of the most popular Specialty Dining experiences in the last season was a ramen-based menu.
“We do take feedback from our guests,” said Marek. “We did a ramen dinner last April, and it was to-date the biggest hit. We sold out in a day or a day and a half or two days.”
This season, they’ll be hosting a ramen dinner once again. This time around, it’ll take place in December.
Upcoming Specialty Dining
Bread & Circus Sandwich Kitchen
7 p.m. // $100 per person
Multi-course Meal + Beverage Pairings
October 18: Alsace-Moselle
November 15: Iberia-Basque
December 13: Ramen
February 14: Anti-Valentines
March 21: Georgia (Republic of)
April 18: B&C Test Kitchen
September’s Harvest Dinner treated guests to a four-course meal on the patio of Bread & Circus Sandwich Kitchen.
“Specialty Dining gives an opportunity to show that we are multifaceted,” said Taylor. “It’s about giving people things that they can’t access easily.”
Each dinner has a different theme and cuisine.
“The Harvest Dinner is a farm-to-fork celebration of all things local produce,” said Marek.
The appetizer course was Butternut and Ricotta Gnudi with late summer pepper agrodolce and fingerling chips.
“It’s a cheese-based dumpling with a leek soubise,” said Taylor.
The following course was soup. The Creamy Watermelon Soup is made with coconut milk, fennel, cinnamon, anise, and chili powder.
For the main course, guests were served an Herb-Crusted Strip with bleu cheese brussel sprout colcannon and apple balsamic glaze.
“Everything in there is 100% from a local farmer,” said Taylor.
“Every season features different cuisines. Last season, we did everything from a Tuscan dinner to ramen, Argentinian, and Spanish.”
Jacob Marek
The meal was topped off with dessert. The Rustic Tomato Jam Galette was made with tomato jam and mascarpone cheese on an almond pastry.
“October is going to be from a region on the border of France and Germany,” said Marek.
October’s Specialty Dining will be a four-course meal with wine pairings inspired by the Alsace Region.
At some events, guests may leave with a memento of the experience. In the past, guests have gone home with tiki mugs from a Hawaiian feast or even a handmade ramen bowl with chopsticks from the ramen dinner.
“It’s those little elements that are a little surprising that make it memorable for people,” said Marek.
