Ideas for picnic/concert-date
 

Hey everyone. I was finally able to secure a date with a girl who I've been interested in for a good while. We're going to go see a prestigious orchestra perform at a park in the evening, and it's supposed to be a picnic-type deal. So I need some ideas for appropriate foods to bring, because my mind is totally blank on the subject.

I'd rather nothing heavy, seeing as we'll just be picking at it during the concert and probably going out to eat after, but a little something that tastes good and isn't very filling would be perfect; and definitely something sweet for the end - she has a sweet tooth and goes crazy for caramel candies, so I was thinking of doing something with that... but aside from just bringing a bag of 'em, I have no other ideas.

So what do you guys suggest?

Cheese, crackers, fruit and wine (if it's allowed)... in plastic cups, of course.

Out of curiosity, what orchestra is it and what are they performing?

If you can't have wine, go for a sparkling lemonade.

If you a soft-sided cooler/picnic basket thing that you can put a blue ice block in, crudites hold up really well with minimal cooling (the dressing is what really needs to stay cool). Slice up some baguette and toast it a bit before you go and serve it with tapenade, bruschetta topping, or spinach dip when you get there (the latter will need to be kept cool).

http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamo...nd-boo-boo.jpg

"Heeeey, Boo Boo, how about we get one of those nice pic-a-nic baskets!"

If you are meat eaters, some cold cuts like proscuitto, parma ham, jamon serrano, speck.

Cheeses are nice, a garlic bourdin is flavorful and spreads easily on crackers.

sweetness... try fig jam or other jam to add variantion.

Thanks for the replies. Apparently meats, cheeses and crackers are the way to go - you'd think I could come up with that on my own, lol - and I'll definitely look into all the suggestions. If there are any more floating out there, I'd like to hear those too.

And spinelust, I may have jumped the gun with calling the orchestra prestigious - it's just the Florida Orchestra performing various selections from the popular repertoire - but it's far better than the other classical music groups that we have access to around here.

If you are really adventurous, you could also bake some fresh cookies or make some chocolate dipped strawberries... (don't cheap out on the chocolate -- use good qulatity dark or bitter sweet).

Wine, Cheese, Crackers, Fruit... these are all essentials.

Don't forget to pack: Knife, Cutting Board, *Corkscrew*, napkins, plates and cups. And a good blanket to sit on.

Sounds like a blast—enjoy it and of course let us know how the date goes!