Best "Family Platters" for Big Dinners at Home?

I love getting big tins of food from restaurants and then heating up in oven and serving up to big family dinners at home.

But I HATE buying "8 servings of Biryani" or whatever. I LOVE getting a good deal on big "Family platters" or Full trays/Half trays of something yummy.

Lately I've been getting the family platter in a big tray from Sheeba Mandi -- Lamb and Chicken, Mandi, Zurbian etc with lots of yummy rice.

Any other ideas out there?

Have you tried Gaetano’s in Forest Park? The lasagna and eggplant parm trays are excellent. He has rotating weekly specials too. While not inexpensive, I consider them a good value because the quality is so high and the leftovers never go to waste.

Depending on what you consider a "deal," and how far you're willing to travel for this, check through the catering menus of your favorite places.

Whenever I'm on the hunt for something similar, I just talk to someone at a restaurant that I like, and explain the situation with a general idea of what foods they make the I like, and would lend itself to reheating, or heating at home. Most restaurants would LOVE to work with you if they have someone knowledgeable about the operations, and not a worker bee that just thinks food for ten means ten sep entrees in ten styrofoam clamshells.

Grocery stores that can be trusted can excel at something like this. When Marianos had Todd's BBQ in them, I could always count on them for better than avg bbq feasts with sides and errthing. Mexican grocers like La Casa Del Pueblo and Jimenez have hooked me up with some REALLY good big meals for ten + with far less hassle than you'd think, and prices that made me question what some other places are smokin.

I'd also suggest Middle Eastern and Indian grocers that have prepared hot foods that you know are good. Off the beaten path, I know for a fact that I could hit Harlem Grocery down there near 100th and Harlem and ask for a bunch of falafel, stuffed falafels, greezy cheese stuffed "pies" and fresh from the oven, hot pita, lavash, fantastic hummus and baba g, all kinds of olives, hot pepper relish, labneh, then at home I could grill or bake some chicken parts, grill some steak parts and veggies, crisp the falafel and warm the pita in the oven, and have an absolutely STELLAR feast for dirt cheap. And I mean it would be FANTASTIC. You might have to call a few days ahead depending on how many falafel you'd want, but they usually have several dozen on hand early, especial on a Saturday. That's just an idea. One gentleman at the counter assured me if I called ahead of time, they'd be happy to work with me on hot foods, and special spicy sauces to go with them.

Pick a restaurant you like, and ask them. I usually go in with the mindset of, "I'm trying to pay you for your service. I am here, TRYING to pay you." I guarantee you that there will be restaurants chomping at the bit for your business. I also let them know that I understand some of the things that will make their lives easier - like if I'm planning on replating or serving the stuff in their foil pans? Just tell them - "listen - no need for it to be fancy, just slop it right in the pan, less work for you - it's all good. No napkins or silverware to worry about, just give me the food in pans, and I will come get it, and pay you money so you can make a profit. EASY PEASY."

On the cheap, Costco's a sneaky play, too. Before you brush me off, some of their food is more edible than I'd like to admit, it's just in HUGE portions, ie.
Shepherd's Pie, that Kirkland Pulled Pork in the refrig section is worth it for the ease to price ratio. A little pricier is that refrigerated "Sliced Roasted Sirloin" Plus, they've got rolls, desserts, and chips and mashed taters and shit in massive quantities.

Just ideas - tryna help.

Sheeba Mandi House on W Foster in North Park for copious platters of wonderful, fresh Yemeni food and reasonably priced. Order online. Highly recommended.

Big Guys sausage has family meal deals as well as "family pack" or trays of food to order. Their food is a notch above typical fastfood.

seebee wrote:Depending on what you consider a "deal," and how far you're willing to travel for this, check through the catering menus of your favorite places.

Whenever I'm on the hunt for something similar, I just talk to someone at a restaurant that I like, and explain the situation with a general idea of what foods they make the I like, and would lend itself to reheating, or heating at home. Most restaurants would LOVE to work with you if they have someone knowledgeable about the operations, and not a worker bee that just thinks food for ten means ten sep entrees in ten styrofoam clamshells.

Grocery stores that can be trusted can excel at something like this. When Marianos had Todd's BBQ in them, I could always count on them for better than avg bbq feasts with sides and errthing. Mexican grocers like La Casa Del Pueblo and Jimenez have hooked me up with some REALLY good big meals for ten + with far less hassle than you'd think, and prices that made me question what some other places are smokin.

I'd also suggest Middle Eastern and Indian grocers that have prepared hot foods that you know are good. Off the beaten path, I know for a fact that I could hit Harlem Grocery down there near 100th and Harlem and ask for a bunch of falafel, stuffed falafels, greezy cheese stuffed "pies" and fresh from the oven, hot pita, lavash, fantastic hummus and baba g, all kinds of olives, hot pepper relish, labneh, then at home I could grill or bake some chicken parts, grill some steak parts and veggies, crisp the falafel and warm the pita in the oven, and have an absolutely STELLAR feast for dirt cheap. And I mean it would be FANTASTIC. You might have to call a few days ahead depending on how many falafel you'd want, but they usually have several dozen on hand early, especial on a Saturday. That's just an idea. One gentleman at the counter assured me if I called ahead of time, they'd be happy to work with me on hot foods, and special spicy sauces to go with them.

Pick a restaurant you like, and ask them. I usually go in with the mindset of, "I'm trying to pay you for your service. I am here, TRYING to pay you." I guarantee you that there will be restaurants chomping at the bit for your business. I also let them know that I understand some of the things that will make their lives easier - like if I'm planning on replating or serving the stuff in their foil pans? Just tell them - "listen - no need for it to be fancy, just slop it right in the pan, less work for you - it's all good. No napkins or silverware to worry about, just give me the food in pans, and I will come get it, and pay you money so you can make a profit. EASY PEASY."

On the cheap, Costco's a sneaky play, too. Before you brush me off, some of their food is more edible than I'd like to admit, it's just in HUGE portions, ie.
Shepherd's Pie, that Kirkland Pulled Pork in the refrig section is worth it for the ease to price ratio. A little pricier is that refrigerated "Sliced Roasted Sirloin" Plus, they've got rolls, desserts, and chips and mashed taters and shit in massive quantities.

Just ideas - tryna help.

Awesome tips, thanks!!

Can't speak highly enough of Psistaria on this front. My experience is that they'll scale up any dish on the menu to meet your specific needs. They tend to be really busy at peak times, so if you need something then, I'd suggest calling in advance.

=R=

4711 W Touhy Ave
Lincolnwood, IL 60712
(847) 676-9400
psistaria.com

ronnie_suburban wrote:Can't speak highly enough of Psistaria on this front. My experience is that they'll scale up any dish on the menu to meet your specific needs. They tend to be really busy at peak times, so if you need something then, I'd suggest calling in advance.

=R=

4711 W Touhy Ave
Lincolnwood, IL 60712
(847) 676-9400
psistaria.com

I second this. Food is excellent and they worked with us for a party a few years ago that had people asking where the great food came from.

Couple other spots that came to mind:

-Kabobi or noon o kabab with a side of great seas lollipop wings
-Baccold chicken house has a family meal type package. (I'm blanking on the names of it)
-As another poster mentioned, international grocery stores are a great place for catering dishes. I know smaller Korean grocery stores always did lots of these orders in the past. I believe joong boo still does and I would imagine the stalls at hmart and assi would oblige as well

Hey Folks,

Just wanted to throw Pearls Southern Comfort in the ring. We do a considerable amount of catering for groups (Actually it's mostly large party trays to go). We find our New Orleans style comfort food travels well and feeds a crowd. Most of our items are available in half and full pans. Jambalaya's, Mac and Cheese, Red bean's and rice, Gumbo by the Gallons, etc. Our BBQ is also a big hit, sold by the lb. and racks of ribs. Going into Mardi Gras thought this might come in handy for folks throwing parties. We also have King Cakes for sale we get shipped in from Gambino's bakery in Nola for $35. Call ahead to reserve for pick up. Pricing is on our website under Catering.

Thanks, Danny


https://www.pearlschicago.com

jhawk1 wrote:Hey Folks,

Just wanted to throw Pearls Southern Comfort in the ring. We do a considerable amount of catering for groups (Actually it's mostly large party trays to go). We find our New Orleans style comfort food travels well and feeds a crowd. Most of our items are available in half and full pans. Jambalaya's, Mac and Cheese, Red bean's and rice, Gumbo by the Gallons, etc. Our BBQ is also a big hit, sold by the lb. and racks of ribs. Going into Mardi Gras thought this might come in handy for folks throwing parties. We also have King Cakes for sale we get shipped in from Gambino's bakery in Nola for $35. Call ahead to reserve for pick up. Pricing is on our website under Catering.

Thanks, Danny


https://www.pearlschicago.com

Do you do Muffalettas? There’s another thread discussing who does them and thought you might.

We only do by request for parties on 3 foot French bread. Gets about 18 slices out of each. We make our own Olive salad. We have been serving for years at our crawfish boils at Toons.

Mrs. Murphy's on Lincoln (just South of Irving Park) has a Family Meal. We ordered the Beef and Guinness Stew (a tad salty) and it came with mashed potatoes and bread. It came out in a covered half sheet aluminum pan and the potatoes in a large take out container. There's also ribs and a corned beef dinner. It's not the bargain of the Century, but $50 seems like a reasonable price to serve at least 4-6.

Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro
3905 N Lincoln
Chicago Illinois 60613
Tel: 773-248-3905
https://irishbistro.com/