A few weeks ago Saltblock Catering and I wrapped up our third pop-up dinner. In my humble opinion these dinners get better each time. Our mission of bringing the community together to enjoy each other's company and share an incredible meal is more apparent and guests are attending with that goal. South Tampa's newest event venue, Forty-TwoTen graciously hosted us and it was the perfect setting for this dinner.
We started the night with our cocktail hour in the outdoor area of Forty-Two Ten which was absolutely perfect. We had plenty of room for a live musician, a bar and giant Jenga. It was a lot of fun! Our signature drink was the Hemingway Daiquiri a super refreshing rum based grapefruit cocktail. The passed appetizers were spicy tuna poke, conch fritters, sliders and fries. They were of course passed in perfectly styled display, in true Saltblock style.
The first course was a square watermelon salad then followed by my favorite, Polynesian marinated swordfish that was to die for. The third course was pork loin with a bourbon-soy glaze straight from the grill. Dessert was absolutely amazing! It was a blackberry cobbler served with liquid nitrogen vanilla ice cream.
My design for this dinner was inspired Chef Rocco's summer menu and the fresh and modern design of Forty-Two Ten. I went with an old Florida summer vibe. I want a fresh neutral palette like the venue so I stuck with a linen table cloth (actually handmade from my wedding) and topped the tables with wicker chargers from Set Rentals. I accented the table with gold candlesticks and romantic candle light and gold flatware also from Set to make things a little more modern. I foraged all of the tropical greenery from my yard and I love that simple element made such a big impact in the over all design. I wanted a small pop of color so I chose a flamingo pink napkin to really make things interesting and fun. The venue didn't require a lot of decor because its simplistic design was just enough and that's one thing I really love about the space.
This particular dinner was great for me because several of my friends attended. Having friends who support your passions is something that means the world to me. We would love to have you at our upcoming dinners. Keep an eye out for the next ones. You can see the recap for the first dinner here and the second dinner here.
Photography: Migrant Collective Weddings Catering/Partner: Saltblock Catering Design, Styling, Florals: Amber Veatch Designs Location: Forty-Two Ten, South Tampa Production assitance: The Dashing Ginger Wicker Chargers, Gold Flatware, Candlesticks: Set Chairs, dishes, linens: Rent All City Accent pillows: MMD