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The main course for 2009 was individual Beef Wellingtons. Here WB Dean works to trim the beef.
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WM Ted is our resident expert at knife sharpening.
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A traditional Beef Wellington conatins liver pâté, but we decided to make a mushroom pâté instead.
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Not that RW Mike is OCD or anything...
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| BUSTED! |
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The only dish that we have served every year is RW Mike's provolone, pesto, roasted red pepper, and cream cheese mold, which RW John has dubbed "Italian Flag Dip".
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There is a LOT of prep work that goes into this meal!
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| RW John, RW Mike, and WB Ted really pride themselves on cooking a gourmet-quality meal, and such things take a lot of time and work. |
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Sometimes the result can be spectacular!
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As if it wasn't good enough, a rich demi glace added to the whole thing.
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Time for a break! WM Ted, Bro. Bob, and RW John finally got to relax once the clean-up crew arrived!
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Of course the Serving Stewards were still working!
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The first course: Italian Flag Dip, savory dill crêpes topped with crème fraîche and salmon, and asparagus chutney.
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And topped with a sprig of rosemary!
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Second course: Lobster bisque with fresh lobster chunks.
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| Third course: baby spinach greens with toasted walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese in a balsamic vinaigrette. |
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Fourth course: lemon sorbet.
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Fifth course - DINNER! Individual Beef Wellingtons, potato florets with horseradish, and steamed broccoli.
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And finally, chocolate cake with raspberry sauce for dessert.
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| As this is a formal meal, we use formal place settings with real wine glasses, real damask tablecloths, and real linen napkins. No paper or plastic here! |
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| We do this in February as a Valentine's Day-themed meal, so red is the dominant color, but we do have some blue table runners to spice things up a bit. |
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| Instead of just giving away wine glasses, we instead give each lady a bottle of wine to take home with her. |
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| For those unfamiliar with a Ladies at Table, it is similar to a Table Lodge. It consists of 7 toasts (wine), with a six-course meal in between the toasts. Unlike a Table Lodge, however, the diner's glasses are not drained at each toast, and the Serving Stewards are directed to refill the glasses whenever a guest requests it. |
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Our Serving Stewards also step it up a notch, wearing waiter's aprons and shirts and ties.
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Ladies at Table is also a more formal affair than the costumes worn to our Halloween Table Lodge.
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| This year we had a whole table of guests from other Lodges in the 9th District. |
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| We not only had guests from other Lodges in the district, we also had guests from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and even some non-Masonic guests! |
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| Lady Cam Salo (right) is really the one responsible for this event. When she complained that she wasn't able to attend our Halloween Table Lodge, that was when some of the Brothers decided that a Ladies at Table would be a good idea. |
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Is this a fundraiser for the Lodge? No - we actually lose money on it. However, seeing the smiles on our ladies' faces makes it all worth it, and it encourgaes THEM to let US come out and play for the rest of the year.
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After having their officers attend this event, other Lodges in the district are even considering Ladies at Table dinners of their own!
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What a great first event for a new member to be able to attend!
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Nobody should have gone home hungry or thirsty.
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But hopefully EVERYBODY went home happy!
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And that's something we can ALL toast to!
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