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Marcey Brownstein Catering & Events
Neighborhood: Chelsea
555 West 23rd Street
Suite S3D
(between 10th Ave & 11th Ave)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 807-0568
555 West 23rd Street
Suite S3D
(between 10th Ave & 11th Ave)
New York, NY 10011
(212) 807-0568
3 reviews for Marcey Brownstein Catering & Events
The first thing I'll say is that the food was excellent. No complaints there. They were the recommended caterer of our wedding venue, Ramscale, and since it's an unusual space (with no kitchen), we really wanted to go with someone who was familiar with the space and could pull it off successfully. They were more expensive than we had initially budgeted, but they made a compelling case when we went for the tasting.
My husband and I are both vegan, and though we were not having an exclusively vegan wedding (parents' wishes, not ours), we needed a variety of exciting vegan foods. Leslie Russell assured us this would not be a problem, told us that they could re-create items from our favorite restaurants in the city, told us they'd try out our own recipes to come up with a truly unique menu. In the end, they did none of this. They couldn't make an appetizer we love at Gobo, they wouldn't go to Candle 79 to try our favorite entree. We just had to pick and choose from their pre-existing menus, and just gave us the sense that we'd been oversold.
Only after we'd signed the contract did I feel condescended to. I was told that having both seitan and tofu was redundant (which, to a non-vegan, would be like saying beef and fish are redundant). Then two weeks shy of the wedding, Leslie, who we'd worked with for months, handed us off to Sue Pirello. Sue was pushy and obnoxious, and just didn't seem to "get" what we were trying to do.
In the end, I think everything came together, but the whole experience was very nerve-racking for me and my mother and my husband. My biggest complaint was that, moments before walking down the aisle, Sue told my father and I to switch sides. I was too giddy to question, but it made no sense and threw off the whole beginning of our ceremony. She also queued one of my bridesmaids to start walking without any music. So, wedding planners they are not. Though they told me repeatedly that in a space as small as Ramscale and with only 82 guests, I did not need a wedding planner. (After all, they had done this before; I hadn't.)
Lastly, during the reception, an issue came up with the orchestra, who were eating the passed hors d'oeuvre though their contract stated drinks only. Sue grabbed me away from my guests and told me to deal with it or else she'd have to charge me for more guests. This seemed shocking and totally unprofessional to me. She knew which vendors were on the list and which weren't, and I strongly feel she should have handled the situation more professionally, and delicately asked them to leave.
In a nutshell, they had great food, but for how expensive they were, the service should've been much, much better. I would not recommend Marcey Brownstein catering.
I was married last month at 632 on Hudson and my caterer was Marcey Brownstein Catering. We were thrilled with the experience. We just got back from our honeymoon and came back to tons of emails from our friends and family telling us that our wedding was the best wedding they have ever attended. I have my caterer to thank for the accolades. The food was divine....I dream about the tuna tartare and short ribs and the service was so gracious and kind. Leslie was my planner and she went above and beyond in helping me fine tune every detail before and during the event. She even delivered my shoes to my hotel on Sunday (I left them at the venue, too much Champagne)!
I have worked with Marcey Brownstein three times-- once for a benefit cocktail party of 40, again for a party of about 60 celebrating a pre-marriage with family and friends and lastly I called Marcey when I needed emergency help for a work event at the last minute. In each of these instances, I have found her and her staff to be incredibly helpful, generous with their time-- just really easy to get along with. They are just pros from top to bottom and actually fun to work with. But moving onto the food... There's a reason I've used them several times and will continue to recommend them. Marcey has an intuitive, inventive approach to using fresh ingredients and everything tastes delicious. I especially love the By Earth and By Land section of the hors d'oeuvres because i think unless it's a hot summer day and the party is outside, people want a hot, savory, delicious thing as opposed to a cold thing, but that's just me... The pissaladiere, cumin coconut chicken skewers, seared sirloin and creamed spinach in yorkshire pudding. stewed pork empanada, sweet pea risotto, etc... all great. There are also so many good options for vegetarians that don't at all feel like vegeterian options, they are just delicious. As with any caterer, it's always better to know what you don't like and get that clear from the beginning so there are no surprises. Marcey and her kitchen are really good at tweaking ingredients if something isn't really clicking, in fact Marcey seems to enjoy the give and take of substituting particular vegetables for other vegetables when they are in season. She is all about what's fresh and delicious and not exactly what's on the menu which is what i love, but maybe she only does that for me because i've been pretty loyal so don't quote me! In any event, (ha!) if you're having a party she is someone who really knows what she's doing (things run smoothly, no stress--end of story) is reasonably priced and my friends, family and professional contacts always comment on how amazing the food was. What else do you want in a caterer?
