On entering the dining room you encounter an impressive assortment of cinnamon Danish pastries, chocolate-covered strawberries on a layer of crushed chocolate cookies, and cookies and brownies and blondies woven into a tower. Wedges of smoked cheddar form a fan around cubes of Swiss and Muenster cheese and slices of goat cheese crusted with black sesame seeds. The smoked salmon presentation is beautiful. Slices are formed into individual rolls, topped with thin slices of lemon, and garnished with capers, finely-diced red onion, and a colorful sprinkling of fresh dill weed. An elegant serving tray is fashioned from green-lipped mussels.
Diced tomatoes marinated in balsamic vinegar add wonderful color and flavor.
On both my visits, I noticed that Sea Venture wisely avoids ice-sculpture centerpieces. One of my catering disasters occurred when I created a kangaroo ice sculpture for an Australian bank. In the heat of the evening, the baby kangaroo melted in its pouch. It looked like a wombat. Simplest is the sashimi, unadorned slices of salmon, tuna, yellowtail, squid, sea urchin, or many another delicacy simply arranged to show off the beautifully glistening fish, and modestly garnished with wasabi and a rosette of pickled ginger.