firefly620
Wedding: 09/12/2009
Reviews:
9
|
I can not say enough good things about Basikneads! From the day I sent over the proposal request to the day I got home from our honeymoon and received an email wishing us much happiness in life, I have loved every minute of working with them. Our point of contact was Lena and not only did she do her best to keep us within our budget, but she also so patiently accomodated all of my menu changes and questions. I never felt like I was being a burden and it was so refreshing to have a vendor that I felt 100% confident in. The chef Cornel prepared a great tasting for us and easily made the few changes we requested and the food at the actual reception was even better. He was able to take our vision of Spanish Tapas and turn it into a hearty latin inspired buffet with a tapa feel. Loved it! Everything went smoothly the day of the wedding and I know that the staff who worked behind the scenes did a great job. And they suprised us with a nice gift of pastries for breakfast the next day. As you can tell, I highly recommend them.
|
Reviewed On:
09/24/2009
Services Used:
Catering
|
Jennifer
Wedding: 06/06/2009
Reviews:
5
|
Lena and Cornell were determined to please - and they pulled off an incredible assortment of unique and tasty heavy hors d'oeuvres for a June wedding, with some terrific vegetarian options for guests who were so-inclined. Lena shared experiences from doing many other weddings that proved quite helpful. And Cornell is a great chef! At the very last minute, we decided on a signature drink and a non-alcoholic punch that he added to his repertoire without complaint. They anticipated the bridal party's need for sustenance and set up trays in a special room, before the introductions and the dancing. Servers were courteous and responsive, and the food got rave reviews from our guests! I'd recommend them without hesitation!
|
Reviewed On:
07/01/2009
Services Used:
Catering
|
HeatherEsq and David
Wedding: 06/06/2009
Reviews:
5
|
I worked with Basikneads for over a year, working primarily with Lena. We originally booked with Hernan Murno as chef, but Cornell Coulon took over last fall. Lena and Cornell are both sweethearts and you can tell they are really committed to giving you delicious wedding food and a fun wedding experience. Everyone at my wedding raved about the food--"best wedding food ever" was what I keep hearing from my guests. And I can confirm that--everything was delicious. We had a southern comfort buffet, including 2 entrees, 3 sides, plus cornbread and biscuits. And it was all delicious. Also, the appetizers during the cocktail hour were a big hit. Lena is very responsive and went above and beyond when I wanted specialty linens that their normal rental company didn't carry. My reception was beautiful and the food rocked! The servers and bartenders were all very sweet and on top of their game as well.
|
Reviewed On:
06/17/2009
Services Used:
Catering
|
matek
Wedding: 05/30/2009
Reviews:
6
|
WOW! Is really the best word for this vendor. My husband and I are "foodies" as well as my side of the family so we knew for sure we needed a caterer that went above and beyond and that is exactly what we got with Basikneads! I can't thank Lena Muhtadi and Chef Cornell, as well as the staff of BK for all of their hard work in preparation and for the actual big day! All of Chef Cornell's suggestions were wonderful and definitely unique. Our guests not only raved about the food, but also said it was so different and such a nice change from the typical wedding food.
Overall, this really was my absolute favorite vendor to work with throughout the entire process. There was not one time I second guessed our selection of BK. I am thrilled that Chef Cornell stepped in as I really think we connected with him more as he is from New Orleans (same as my dad's side of the family!). As an appetizer during the cocktail hour we had oysters wrapped in bacon, and our southern guests were in heaven! Cooked perfectly! Also, my dad is very critical when it comes to prepared food by others and he even spoke with Chef Cornell after the reception trying to get some recipes -- especially his salsa verde for the flank steak! Plus, it was such a great surprise to have the Chef personally come up to us and hand us a gift bag filled with wonderful pastries for the next morning to enjoy! How much better service can you ask for???
Finally, I definitely have to rave about Lena! She is beyond wonderful. I must have changed our contract and menu SOOOOOO many times even a couple weeks and even a few days before with guest counts and all and she was so patient and understanding. She was quick to make the revised changes and was constantly keeping me in the loop. Just like my DOC, she was fabulous about providing suggestions (even ideas/changes in order to help out our budget!). I really enjoyed working with her. She really gets to know her clients and wants to make their day the best it can be! This is why she is absolutely perfect for this job and I can't imagine having anyone else catering our wedding. It truly was perfect because of BK, Chef Cornell and Lena!!! If I could give 10's, I definitely would!
|
Reviewed On:
07/15/2009
Services Used:
Catering
|
Cassandra
Wedding: 04/25/2009
Reviews:
5
|
Dealing with this vendor before the wedding was fantastic! They were so professional, so responsive and they understood us and the special requests for our wedding (we had dessert first!!). We did have some minor mis-communication during the wedding which led to some changes I wasn't expecting, but they were minor and just set-up and layout changes. The actual serving staff they used the day of the wedding were very friendly and quick to get anything needed, but when I asked them questions they didn't understand me very well and I couldn't understand them very well. After the wedding when I discussed the minor changes that were made, they were super professional and responsive. I wish ALL vendors were like that!
|
Reviewed On:
05/19/2009
Services Used:
Catering, Event Rentals
|
blissfulbride
Wedding: 04/25/2009
Reviews:
5
|
Basikneads exceeded our expectations in quality of service and food. We worked closely with the event manager, Lena Muhtadi, over a year and she was exceptional at checking in on us periodically and providing recommendations when needed. Basikneads played a major role in creating a beautiful wedding day. We are “foodies” and the chef Cornell Coulon helped us design a menu that was perfect for us and set the tone exactly how we wanted it. We highly recommend Basikneads for value, quality of service and food.
|
Reviewed On:
05/28/2009
Services Used:
Catering, Event Rentals
|
Tracy
Wedding: 11/15/2008
Reviews:
5
|
 | This review is currently being verified. |
|
Reviewed On:
04/22/2009
Services Used:
Catering
|
Rachel
Wedding: 10/25/2008
Reviews:
5
|
A wholehearted endorsement of BasiKneads! Lena and chef Murno deserve the highest ratings across the board. From the tasting 9 months ago to the cleanup after the reception, this caterer was professional, creative, responsible and a delight to work with. Chef Murno's menus are so vast and intriguing that it is hard to choose. Lena Muhtaki's expertise, flexitbility and reliability were keys to the planning and to the success of the day. For a seated dinner for 65, we had passed hors d'oeuvres (little tarts, chicken skewers and THE BEST demitasse of pumpkin soup with crouton), an very fresh and tasty plated salad and a buffet with chicken, steak, a three-cheese macaroni&cheese (WOW) and root vegetables: everyone raved. We had their resident chocolatier make a pair of chocolates to accompany the champagne toast and they were also a hit. The wine service at table was both subtle and generous and the coffee service at cake time was elegant. I can't say enough about the courtiousness and profesionalism of the service staff. One example: When we suddenly had to relocate dancing due to rain, they quickly and smoothly took down a dinner table and created space. You won't be disappointed with BasiKneads.
|
Reviewed On:
11/11/2008
Services Used:
Catering
|
sdrew42 and Kevin
Wedding: 10/24/2008
Reviews:
5
|
I was excited about having BasiKneads as my caterer and they did not disappoint. From the first contact with Chef Hernan through all the communications with Lena to wedding itself, they were fantastic. Chef Hernan was the only chef at any of the catering companies that took the time to speak to us and design a menu perfectly suited to our backgrounds and preferences. BasiKneads was the only catering company where the chef, himself, was there at our tasting to discuss our preferences and the menu. And Lena was wonderful through countless phone calls and emails as we zigged and zagged our way to the perfect event. BasiKneads' flexibility and creativity was fantastic. My guests all commented on how delicious the foods were -- the best they'd had at a wedding reception. My favorites were the duck hors d'oeuvre, the lamb, and the pumpkin ravioli. I have to say, though I am biased, that my wedding was the best I've ever attended. BasiKneads was fantastic with their help, guidance, and assistance. I would recommend them to any who asked and we will keep them in mind for future events.
|
Reviewed On:
11/03/2008
Services Used:
Catering
|
ElenainDC
Wedding: 10/11/2008
Reviews:
5
|
It started off great with this caterer, but in the end the relationship fizzled with bad food and lack of responsiveness. We asked for a cultural meal of enchiladas with mole sauce, which we tasted twice. They were great the second time, and the chef assured us that they would taste like this at the wedding. But they were dry and inedible. If there is any special dish you care about at your wedding - which comes only once - don't go with this caterer.
|
Reviewed On:
10/22/2008
Services Used:
Catering
|
Brannan
Wedding: 09/20/2008
Reviews:
9
|
This was the vendor that disappointed me the most. As I have read in recent reviews--it was the same with us, we started out with high expectations, other than our venue our caterer was what we booked first almost a year before our wedding. We loved the food and thought lena was great to work with. We were given a contract and a price and it all seemed great. Fast Forward the week before the wedding--when we received the final bill and our cost had gone up about 10%--10% on what we were already paying was a good amount of money...My mom was on the phone with Lena who turned out to be useless , so she went up to the manager--and there was nothing they could do. Even though we had just received the finalized contract and they had added workers (for about $600 each) to the contract without approving it with us--they were saying it was too late to change anything. We were baffled by this since they must have just told there employees they were working that morning, and we didn't want them anymore--but they wouldn't budge. Realizing there was nothing we could do we just let it go..but it took a lot of energy and time that I'm sure you brides know you don't have in that final week. I thought that was the worst, but I was so wrong. We had been planning on having Basikneads do the champagne and Sangria, but with the increase the sangria was the ONLY thing they would let us change, so we got rid of that when we were talking with them. On Friday I was with my MOH's on my way to get our nails done before our rehearsal dinner when we received a call from our amazing DOC Patricia--she told me to stay calm, but that she had just talked to Lena and we didn't have a liquor license. In the 5 meetings we had had with Lena over the year and her knowing about us supplying our own liquor, she never once mentioned the liquor license. We even have an email with her where we ask if there is anything we have to do with the liquor or if we just buy it and bring it and if they have everything else, when she says we just have to get it there and they will take care of everything. Fast Forward to the FRIDAY before our Saturday wedding where we don't have a liquor license = total chaos. We managed to work it out without any help of Lena--but that is one of those things that is a WHOA moment. They are the caterers this is there business we are paying them a lot of money, and if it hadn't been for my amazing DOC --we might not have been able to have liquor that we had paid for that as you all know is very expensive, not to mention the element--that just really soured us on them. The food quality was okay, not amazing but good enough and the service at the actual event was great, I don't believe our guests could ever tell what we had dealt with for the previous week. But with all our vendors and all the wedding planning, the caterers were the ones that caused the most heartache. Although the end result food and service were good because of the service I will have to give them an overall grade of C-.
|
Reviewed On:
10/23/2008
Services Used:
Catering
|
Angelo
Wedding: 07/19/2008
Reviews:
6
|
The food was wonderful and the presentation was amazing. We received many compliments on the quality of the food including from vendors that have tried most of the caterers in the Northern Virginia / DC area. We worked with Lena, who was abolutely great at helping us organize everything and at taking care of stuff on the day of. She was attentive and very helpful.
There was only one issue that marred our experience. Three days before the wedding we were notified of a 10% increase in food and service to accomodate the rise in gas prices. The increase was justified, both because our contract allowed it and because and becuase gas and food prices had skyrocketted. But the timing was much less than proffessional. After spending time finalizing everything to make it work with our budget, we really needed more than a couple days notice about such an adjustment.
However, Lena worked with us to arrange the parts of the menu that were still open for change and helped us get back to the budget we wanted. And despite the increase, the food was still worth every penny. We are very pleased with Basikneads' wonderful quality and service.
|
Reviewed On:
07/28/2008
Services Used:
Catering
|
Hannah
Wedding: 07/05/2008
Reviews:
5
|
Amazing food and amazing people! Lena is a great great person to work with :) She is a one of a kind wedding planner (which isn't in the contract...she just truly enjoys her job)! Basikneads produced a menu that wasn't only great for me it was great for my guests. Our guests ask about the pasta they served STILL. They were also talking about the food for weeks after the wedding :) They are affordable and you get a great bang for your buck.
|
Reviewed On:
08/18/2008
Services Used:
Catering
|
woodlawnbride
Wedding: 05/25/2008
Reviews:
10
|
The food was great! We chose BasiKneads for the quality of the food - the food at the tasting was definitely restaurant quality. While I wasn't able to eat anything at the wedding (too many nerves!), my husband said the food was great and we received a lot of positive remarks from our guests. BasiKneads also took care of all of the rentals - tables, linens, chairs, etc. - and when they weren't able to find a company that could rent us the market umbrellas that we wanted to use and we had to buy our own, they helped us with storage and transport to the wedding venue. They also took care of most of the reception-related set-up, including placecards and favors, which helped free up our DOC to focus on other things. They were also very professional and flexible in working with us to make sure that we came in within our budget, including allowing us to bring our own alcohol and some supplies to the event to help keep costs down. We would highly recommend BasiKneads to any DC area brides and grooms!
|
Reviewed On:
06/05/2008
Services Used:
Catering
|
dave-and-jessi
Wedding: 05/23/2008
Reviews:
1
|
basikneads catering was a treasured partner in the catering and planning of our wedding reception. Their food is not only delicious but it is also creative and allowed us to offer a unique meal to our guests. The customer service that we received was invaluable and exceeded all of our expectations. We couldn't have asked for a better catering partner in the planning of our wedding.
|
Reviewed On:
06/13/2009
Services Used:
Catering
|
4.4/5.0
