GDC Week 7: Chi Quan & Derek

Does that picture (above) tell you all you need to know about last week's Gourmet Club?

If not, let me help you envision it. You walk into their foyer, and you can immediately see that Chi Quan & Derek's house is decked out in orange and white lanterns. To your left, is a display of party favors - a framed photo of each couple attending that night's dinner, along with a box of personalized M&Ms.
Walk further in, and you'll find a perfectly set table with orange rose petals strewn across. Even the kid's table is set to the nines - with a special touch of DumDum lollipops to keep them occupied and hyper! In the background, you can see a continuous slideshow of (embarrassing) pictures taken over the last 6 weeks of Gourmet Club.
A full bar of two-buck chucks, every girl's favorite muscato, and Hennessy for after dinner announcements :: hint hint ::

And they didn't just go all-out in decorations!

Their appetizers (an ambrosial salad paired with a scrumptious scallop & crab cake) was cooked to perfection (it better be - they said they practiced making it 10 times)!

Their main dish, while simple (consisting of pasta with clams in a white wine sauce), was a nice change (since no one else had made pasta) and very tasty! +6 points since I LOVE clams!

I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin or pudding, but it was hard to resist the presentation for dinner.
The dinner was extremely well organized, the service was lightening fast, the decorations were unbeatable, and the food was delicious.

Chi Quan did a great job with the subtle details (I can't get over the M&Ms) and Derek's cooking was tantamount to the decor and presentation. And to top it all off, they made an announcement that they're getting married next year! Woohoo!!! CONGRATULATIONS are in order!!! Talk about a special reason for a special dinner! Turns out they had the perfect excuse to experiment with their wedding theme and colors!


So guess which couple is hosting GDC after them?! Yep. Yours truly. After this dinner, Michael and I were debating on if we should just order pizza and call it good ;) Why put so much energy into it if we've got little chance to win?! Especially if you're looking at the couple that never entertains and never cooks for more than 2 :) It's gonna' be a challenge! But we've decided to give it our best shot... hey, isn't that why they save the best for last!?! ;)