All Friends Catering – dosh garn delicious food for your special occasion!

Joe Silvia April 27, 2014 Business, Food, New Bedford Guide Leave a comment

All Friends Catering - dosh garn delicious food for your special occasion! — *Poached Pork Tenderloin pan seared and sliced, Quinoa with black beans and peppers, mango Steamed Green Beans sauteed with peppers, and a Roasted Tomato and Chipotle Salsa sauce!*

A few months ago we discussed Jonathan Abreu’s All Friends Catering and focused on one thing that they do better than anyone in the area: Bar-B-Que – unless of course, it’s your mom’s Bar-B-Que, in which case it’s the best on planet earth. That article, especially the images – pardon the pun – got the juices flowing and let people in greater New Bedford know about their mouth watering offerings.

However, All Friends Catering is so much more than authentic and New England Bar-B-Que. They have ways, tools, and methods to get those salivary glands popping and kick your special event up a notch! More importantly, they have ways to bring it to you, allowing you to divert time and energy away from cook preparation and put it into making that special function a memorable experience. For foodies and partiers like us, that’s great news!

We at New Bedford Guide are promoters and practitioners of the maxim “Buy local!” for reasons explained in an article we published early in April. Abreu re-iterated multiple times how important this was to him personally and it’s locked and loaded into his business model.

It is not only crucial, but in his mind mandatory, that a chef buys local produce, and the freshest ingredients to offer a superior dining experience. Anything less, and the menu suffers.

The meats, dairy, and produce come from only local farms, like Silverbrook Farm in Acushnet, and suppliers like local icon Giammalvos and the many Fisherman’s markets throughout the waterfront and beyond. He proudly serves Jim’s Organic Coffee as part of my full service menu. This is a man who is passionate about his food and what he lets past his guard to the diners.

All Friends Catering has a large and diverse menu, which allows them to cater to you, your friends and family regardless of restrictions, allergy sensitivity, or preference. They will effortlessly devise a full menu that accommodates those with food allergies, vegetarian or vegan diets. Bar-B-Que? Check. New England Fare? Covered. Are you fanatical like I am about Portuguese food? Well, their Portuguese food rivals any full restaurant in greater New Bedford, Fall River or beyond.

All Friends “traditional” menu offers classics like:

Bifanas– Seasoned pork loin, sliced and pan seared and baked with sliced onions. Topped with sliced red peppers.
Portuguese Little Necks – Fresh littleneck clams cooked in a garlic white wine sauce with onions, peppers, and ground chourico.
Kale Soup – A Portuguese favorite containing Yukon gold potatoes, Cannelloni beans, kale, yellow onions, seasoned beef and slice chourico simmered in a chicken stock with garlic and bay leaves.
Chicken or Shrimp Mozambique-Fresh shrimp or sliced chicken breast simmered in a garlic and beer sauce with crushed red peppers, onions, bay leaves, and Goya seasoning.
Cacoila– Cubes of pork loin marinated in white wine with garlic, cumin, and bay leaves and slow cooked with crushed red pepper, orange juice, and white wine until fork tender .
Pork Alentejana – Cubes of pork loin marinated in white wine, garlic, and bay leaves, pan seared in oil then simmered in a garlic and tomato white wine sauce with sliced onions and fresh littleneck clams. Served with roasted potatoes.”
Bacalhau Gomes Sa– Salted codfish seasoned and layered with sliced potatoes and onions. Oven baked and topped with hard boiled eggs, and black olives.

Salivating yet?

Abreu could easily rely on his ethnic credentials and authenticate his Portuguese dishes by saying “Hey…I’m Portuguese. I’m the genuine article.” But he is a “practicing,” proud Portagee! He belongs to to Clube Madeirenese S.S. Sacramento, and All Friends Catering is part of the annual Portuguese Feast, which he has been volunteering for these past 10 years. It’s likely that you’ve eaten his dishes and not even known it! The Portuguese Feast is celebrating their 100th Anniversary, this year and you will find Jonathan on the grill cooking the Carne D’Espeto in the booth right next to the malassadas. Be sure to stop in and say hi!

Before the feast arrives you can also get a sample of what All Friends does in the “Taste of South Coast” event in May.

They bring their delicacies to you and treat your special occasion with equal importance, whether it’s something as casual as a backyard cookout, a big game, birthday party, even bachelorette party or something very formal like a wedding or graduation. In essence, it’s like having a fine restaurant come to you in the comfort of your own home, surrounded by only your chosen friends and family.

Family, friends, food, and fine dining – it doesn’t get any better than that, and you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who brings it to you better than All Friends Catering.