Need "American Food" Ideas

JaneAustensGhost

I'm getting married in England, in a 15th century coaching inn.  The restaurant is run by an amazing chef who has said he's willing to cook anything we like.  My FI and I both want touches of American and British through-out the wedding so for the cocktail hour we're serving British pub food: mini fish & chips, mini Scotch eggs, mini toad in the hole, etc.  As we were reviewing our dinner options, my FI suggested we serve "American food" since 99% of the guests will be English and the American food will be somewhat exotic.  Awesome, except I can't figure out what "American food" is.   My only idea is steak.

I'm a picky eater - I only eat certain cuts of beef, no poultry, and lots of seafood.   Do you have any ideas for food that seems "American-y" and is suitable for a wedding?  No corn dogs, nachos, or anything like that.   One idea is lamb but I don't eat lamb and that seems very English too.   Help? 

jessicabessica

I have some ideas you could add to cocktail hour: mini sliders, deep dish pizza bites (I have no idea how those would come out!), and mini grilled cheese with tomato soup shooters.  I think it would be really cute to have a mix of "American" and "British" cocktail hour mini foods, and then I would probably pick your menu for dinner based on what you and your FI enjoy eating and what sorts of foods your guests would enjoy.

The restaurant at the inn where we got married was also willing to do anything we wanted.  We had Alaskan salmon and halibut (my H is from Alaska, and both of our families really enjoy fish), and then a bunch of other veggies, pastas, and sides on our buffet.  

thurmanpowell

You want "American food" for dinner?

What type of American food? That could be pizza, meatloaf, masked potatoes, fries, hell, sushi, burritos. American is full of different types of food.

If I were going with a sterotypical american dinner I would do something southern. Mac and Cheese, sweet potatoes, fried chicken, green beans and potato salad. Or maybe midwestern with meat loaf or stuffed peppers, mashed potatoes, and greans beans.

unchatenfrance

You could also do something that involves typically North American condiments, like maple syrup or peanut butter.

Sue-n-Kevin

The items you mentioned in your post that you don't want, that you consider "American", are all pricey, ie beef & lamb. So, I'm operating under the assumption you are talking about really nice dinner entrees.

American food varies by area. I like the Thanksgiving dinner recommendation above, but you said you don't like poultry.

We have 2 coasts, so some type of Cod/white fish, or salmon. Crab cakes are very popular whether you live on the coast or not. I've had crab cakes made with various sauces, served over mixed greens, or with a corn salsa on the side. Lobster is very American, but may be pricey for you to get to the UK.

Ham with a brown sugar coating, and au gratin potatoes

Mac & Cheese can be made more elegant with lobster or crab meat

Mashed potato bars are really popular in the US, with various toppings (cheese, bacon, chives, sour cream)

More casual: Hamburger or hot dog bar with various toppings

For dessert, there is an ice cream sundae bar or floats (ie root beer float, ginger ale float)

Apple pie

reppunzel

I agree that a turkey dinner is about as close as you can get to a "typical" American meal from a nationwide perspective.  Even though you don't like poultry, maybe it could be one of your choices?

Sue-n-Kevin had some good suggestions:  maybe your dinner options could be turkey (with Thanksgiving-y sides), brown sugar ham (with mac and cheese and veg.), and a seafood meal (crab cakes or lobster or salmon with sides).  If you're doing a buffet, you could keep the same idea with either sections to the buffet to reflect the meat and sides or more of a "station" approach (serving from separate places in the room).

JaneAustensGhost

I like all these ideas.  Thank you very much.

lyndausvi

I would do stations:
 
mini-sliders   Have an option of burger, fish and veggie.

mac-n-cheese

mash potatoes

Carved turkey and/or ham  with all the fixin's

Crabcakes

mini-lobster bisque

Mini grilled cheese with tomato soup shooters

I understand being a picky eater, but I do not think that should means you have to reject everything you don't eat.   I do not eat oysters, shrimp, mussels, crab or lobster (I have some-sort of adversion to seeing food in it's orignal form) yet that didn't stop me from having a full blown raw bar.