Haley Alyssa J.
Yelp
I attended a wedding reception at the Chase Center this past weekend and it was fabulous. The venue is enormous; there were two weddings taking place at the same time and we never crossed paths. There is a huge parking lot and the Center conveniently connects to the Westin Hotel, which was a no-brainer for guests who over indulged at the festivities. There was a separate ballroom for cocktail hour and the actual reception, and it was more than enough space for 180 guests. The main ballroom is beautiful with a large dance floor, bar, and plenty of room for round tables, a DJ stand, dessert bar, etc. The staff had service down to a science. Hors d'oeuvres during cocktail hour were continuously replenished, dinner entrees were served one entire table at a time so that no one guest would be left without food, and I never had to wait more than a few minutes at the bar for a drink despite the constant line of guests.
What really surprised me about the Chase Center was their catering. You don't hear this often, but the food was AMAZING. The cocktail hour had passed dishes such as bacon wrapped scallops, crab cakes, and pork belly, all of which were extremely popular. The bride and groom also selected the Pan Asian station, which should be at every wedding. It featured chicken skewers, dumplings, tempura shrimp, various sushi rolls, and dipping sauces. I couldn't help myself, it was all so good that I hardly saved room for dinner. My entree was steak "medallions" which were really more like two entire 3 or 4 ounce fillets. They were perfectly cooked delicious. There were also vegetables and mashed potatoes in gravy, and despite being way too full from earlier everyone around me cleared their plates.
My only complaints are minor. Those who paid for the wedding were disappointed that they could not box all the leftover food. We understood it's not a restaurant, but if food is completely paid for and prepared and served in-house it shouldn't go in the trash. Also, the staff promptly locked off the bridal suite adjacent to the ballroom after the event ended, leaving bouquets, clothing, and other items belonging to the bridal party stuck inside until the following Monday.