Sheva brachot--3course or 4 course?

BEH, we should have about 20-24 people for a sit down sheva brachot dinner. I'm debating with myself whether I should do 4 course (appetiser/soup/main+sides/dessert) or if 3 course (soup/main+sides/dessert) would suffice, esp if I make both beef and chicken and assortment of side dishes.

It's getting really cold, and I feel guests would appreciate something warm, hence soup. But on the other hand, I'm a bit concerned about avoiding spilling/taking longer time to serve, especially as we'll have 2-3 long narrow tables with people seated along.

Would making it 4 course with both appetiser and soup take too long? (Everyone needs to be back at work the following day, so I don't want to make it too late) If you were to cutback 1 course, would you keep appetiser or soup?

I would probably serve appetiser mezze-style, different salatim on the table where people can serve themselves. Since it will be on a bank holiday, I would have hard time finding a waitress to help me serve.
It will be on nice disposable plates/cutlery.

Platinum Member Joined: Apr 12 2010 Posts: 5799

Im thinking 3 courses because people get full up especially after soup so the less courses, more chances they will eat more.

Also if this is not the first sheva brachos for the couple, they might be fed up too with HUGE 4 course meals.
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if you do 4 courses don't serve tons of food at the first one so people are already full up. Just have ready plated salad and whatever on the table, which people can start eating as they come in.

I like 4 courses, but only if you don't prepare too much food.
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Moderator Joined: Jun 05 2011 Posts: 3378

The only problem I've had with soup being the first course, is that you don't have anything on the plate when people walk in the door. (unless you count the challah?)

I buy those disposable parfait cups, and mix up a fruit drink to be on the plates at the beginning. It's not really a course, but it means that something is on their plate when the guests arrive. It's a mixture of Ginger Ale, orange juice, pinapple juice, and cherry powder. I can dig up the exact proportions, if you want.
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Active Poster Joined: Feb 07 2011 Posts: 68

What I've seen with 4 course meals is that once people get to main course they can't even eat because the appetizer (especially if its a choice of salatim with crackers/ challah) and soup filled them up.
I'd skip the appetizer and just serve the soup, main and dessert.
If you do a creamy, heavier soup then you don't need to fill the bowl all the way and then it usually doesn't spill. Also, people can pass the plates down to the end of the table as I have seen at many simchas.
To make it easier, you heat the soup until it's piping hot, put it into bowls and it should stay hot for a good 10-15 minutes. You have all plates set out with soup in them and all you do is pass them to the first person on the table and they pass it down. Done it before and it worked out beautifully!
Good luck and mazel tov!

Silver Member Joined: Jan 09 2008 Posts: 724

I'm doing a sheva brachos in a few weeks, its Friday night but we debated this and decided that four courses is nice. On our sheva brachos it was only over shabbos we had so many courses.

Perhaps a happy medium would be snacks/nibbles/crudite/sushi or small things rather than a real appetizer.

I was at a 4 course meal the other night but everything was plated so it was perfect quantities. no extra salads on the table.

Gold Member Joined: Nov 17 2010 Posts: 1018

What about a fruit cup as a first course? It can be dished up in advance so you have something pretty on the plates when people come in, and is not as filling as an assortment of dips. Then, you can serve soup or go straight to the main course. This means no fruit platter for dessert, but that's okay.

OK. Please feel free to critisize my menu.

First course is sushi, by specific request from the couple. (which will be plated).
Butternut squash soup.
For main, I'm doing chicken (in creamy curry sauce) and brisket. Will serve chicken first so there's enough brisket to go around. Rice, potato, green salad as sides. I may do one more vegetable sides (no kugels), probably green beans or broccoli. Mercifully only a handful of non-meat eaters who all eat fish.

For dessert, I decided on meringue nests with lemon curd and fruits. Will serve small squares of brownies and chocolate assortments separately. Scrapped apple crumble as I need oven space to keep the main and the sides hot.

For those serving soup between the appetiser and the mains, how do you manage serving guests seated on long tables? I'm afriad of soup in disposable bowls spilt on guests.

Sounds great Mrs Bissli!

Soup shouldn't be a problem in disposables. Just carry the bowls already filled, on trays.

Sounds excellent. Why do u need so many side dishes? Just ask each person, what they prefer: chicken, brisket or fish, then put on plate a starch and a veggie and perhaps a slice of pie. Then serve dessert. Can I be invited??? yummmm