Lantern Catering

I’ve used Lantern Catering for two events so far and plan on using for more. Rick is very easy to work with and his food is fantastic! He is always on time. We’ve had mixed menus of cold/​warm breakfast and cold/​warm lunches and the vegan, gluten free, vegetarian options are great too! The biscuits and gravy for breakfast was a big hit as well as the beef medallions for lunch. When I’ve used Lantern for an event it is one of the few where every single attendee is trying to get their contact information and giving high praise. Which, as an event planner with picky eaters is hard to find. Looking forward to working with Rick and Nora soon!

We’ve had Rick and Nora cater two school fund raisers, and they also did an old-​school crab/​seafood boil for my 50^th birthday. Completely fantastic food and service for all three! Rick and Nora spent the time to do really thoughtful consultations before our events, listened to our needs, and delivered fantastic food well within our budget. They catered a «Kentucky Derby» party for us and went all-​out with table décor and a themed menu. Our backyard birthday event was an authentic and memorable boil with fantastic, fresh shellfish. If you’re lucky enough to see them at an event or a street fair, definitely stop by — particularly for the crab cakes. We’re a pretty picky crew, and we will absolutely seek them out for an event again. Highly recommended!

I was wandering around Pirates of Emerson looking for a snack and came across the the café run by Lantern. Everything on the menu sounded delicious. It was a tough choice, but I went with the fish and chips.
This ended up being some of the best fish and chips I’ve had. The fish was awesomely crispy on the outside while staying tender and flakey on the inside. The accompanying tarter sauce was perfect. I also had asked for the chips to be garlic fries which were also spot on. I saw someone else having the Mac and cheese (which I almost ordered before deciding on the fish) and when I asked her about it she smiled and said it was great!
I also felt the prices were very reasonable. Bonus points for accepting credit cards!

Rick & Nora were a pleasure to work with for our wedding that took place in Lodi. They were very accommodating with our requests and really went the extra mile with their customer service & quality of food. They hired wonderful staff which is really important when creating an all around great service experience. Being someone in the wedding & special event industry myself I greatly appreciated their attitude and flexibility. The food was fantastic and folks are still talking about the pork-​chops from our wedding. They are reasonably priced and work hard to make sure the food is fresh and the clients & guests are all happy. Ive tried hiring them again for other events but they have already been booked which means they are getting the support they deserve… dont wait another second… BOOK THEM TODAY!

Our work had an event catered by green lantern. It was hawaiian themed, and it was great! Had delicious Kahlua pork and coleslaw. Also ate up some cupcakes. I was surprised by their versatility because I heard they make a bunch of different kinds of foods. I had a great day at work because of it!

My husband and I discovered Lantern Catering (formerly «Green Lantern» prior to a Warner Bros. nastygram) at their food truck attending the annual Lafayette Food, Art, and Wine Festival. Their grilled and marinated artichoke hearts won us over. We therefore decided to have them cater our wedding reception, and the whole experience was awesome; everything from the food to their hard-​working and charismatic staff. All of our guests raved about the delicious food and friendly and helpful staff workers. Rick Green and his crew did a wonderful job catering our event. They were all professional, quick to set up and break down, friendly, helpful, and very efficient, and most of all, of the food he cooked from his mobile kitchen was amazing.
The venue in which we held our reception did not allow indoor cooking in the facility, so it was great that they have a mobile kitchen where Rick can do his cooking outside, which was pretty cool!
Lantern’s catering rates are quite reasonable and they were willing to work with us to keep the cost within our budget. If you are not certain which foods will be best for your event, you can request a sample dining experience, in which Rick will visit your home and cook the food for you in your kitchen. It helped us to finalize our elections of the food choices for our event.
What impressed me about Rick’s professionalism and cooking methods is that he uses fresh and high quality ingredients in his food, and you can taste the quality; it really shows. We were very happy that we chose Lantern Catering to cater our event. You will not be disappointed with the quality of the food, and we highly recommend Lantern Catering.

Outstanding catering company… can’t recommend them enough… food was delicious and prices were reasonable! They were very responsive and came to the house on time for the event and left our kitchen squeaky clean! My husband and I hired Lantern Catering for a 40 person party at our house and we could not have been more pleased with the entire experience! Nora was very responsive coordinating the event over email and they had a good selection of foods to select from. Rick came in person to our house for a taste testing prior to the event and prepared food for us on the spot. We also had a chance to show him around our house since we were hiring him for full service (i.e. he cooked the food at the house, maintained/​replenished the food during the party, etc.) for the party. The day of the party, Rick came on time and everything was prepared when our guests arrived. They even provided a menu to post on the food table outside, so that all of the guests knew what food was going to be served. The food that I highly recommend — an absolute must is the Smoked St. Louis BBQ Ribs (we received rave reviews about these ribs from our guests, they were outstanding. Rick cooked them at our house on his own grill that he brought and they were fall off the bone and delicious), filo wrapped grilled chicken sache, watermelon salad, green garlic and potato gratin, and smoked gouda gourmet mac n cheese. I wish we had parties all the time, just so that we could hire them! My husband and I think about these ribs all the time and wish we could just go and get some for dinner one night! The only downside was that after the party we didn’t get to keep the leftovers. We were already craving the food again the next day. Don’t stress yourself at your next party trying to prepare all the foods, drinks, etc. Catering is the way to go, we were so stress-​free and relaxed at our party and there was no clean up required afterwards. Thanks Nora and Rick, you’re great! :)

Visited the food truck at the San Ramon Farmers Market. Had the Paleo Burger with Garlic Fries. The burger was awesome, the avocado spread was the star of the show. It would make a great dipping sauce for their fries. The plantain bun was cooked just right to hold the whole thing together. The fries have fresh garlic on them giving just mega flavor. Definitely a breath mint after lunch tasty meal. It was a bit of a grease bomb, but so worth it.

Lantern Catering has catered a number of large family dinner parties for us and we have been thrilled every time. The food is excellent and Rick is such a great guy. He’s always willing to talk about the food and teach us a little something about what we’re eating and he is so good with our kids. He’s also very willing to work with special diets if need be — his gluten free dishes are delicious. Rick’s wife Nora is also wonderful. She is always helpful, quick to respond, and professional. We are big fans of Lantern Catering and would highly recommend them!

best burger hands down. period. Ironic thing is that I had it at the Farmer’s Market in San Ramon and not a high end restaurant. This burger alone would go for $ 20-​$ 25. Easily. Great job! All of your training has made an obvious effect on your food!

The food is great. My wife loved the oysters. Just plan for they to give other away to other customers while you wait for the oysters. When the are done then start to cook your other food. Charlene is no help just tells you to wait.

Green Lantern Catering makes superb food. We had them cater our Thanksgiving dinner this year. About a month before, we perused their very extensive menu, and decided on: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, scalloped potatoes, Brussels sprouts and carrots. (We made the horderves and desserts ourselves.) Nora, the co-​owner, was very accommodating with my sister’s food intolerances.
They cooked the food on Thursday, and Rick, the co-​owner, brought it over fresh and hot. He set up a serving area in the kitchen using chafing dishes/​sterno to keep it hot. Rick was very professional and pleasant and wore a chef’s uniform. EVERYTHING was SO delicious. One of our guests said, «This is the best turkey I’ve ever had.» My husband and I agreed – same with the gravy, stuffing, Brussels sprouts, and cranberry sauce. The stuffing was TO DIE FOR.
Their prices are reasonable, AND they come and pick up all of the dirty serving pans, spoons, etc. the next day!
I plan to use Green Lantern again next year for Thanksgiving and will use them for dinner parties as well. I was tired after socializing all evening, but not nearly as tired as I usually am after cooking. Green Lantern is the way to go for any dinner party or holiday when you do not feel like cooking.

Green Lantern Catering Co recently catered an event that I organized in San Ramon. The staff were prompt, the menu was well thought out and the service was excellent.
The food that was prepared for the event was so delicious. I could not find fault with anything. The Blackened Ahi Tuna was exquisite, the salted caramel crème brûlée was sublime ! If you are looking for a special menu prepared by a great chef then Green Lantern Catering is the way to go. I have no reservations whatsoever in recommending them for your future catering needs. Everyone at the event had positive comments about the food .
5 stars for a job well done !

Green Lantern Catering is AWESOME! I hosted a dinner for my husband’s 50^th birthday this past weekend. Right from the start I knew, I had made the right decision. Nora was so detailed and organized and took care of all my requests. Rick came up with a menu that was both innovative and delicious. We were gone in Napa during the day and when we arrived home, everything was set up and organized the minute we walked in the door. I did not need to get out of my seat once during dinner, to do anything, Rick and the server took care of filling drinks, serving dinner, cutting the cake, washing the dishes and cleaning my kitchen — pretty much everything!!! I cannot recommend Green Lantern Catering enough — in my books they are top notch!!!
Thank you Rick and Nora — you were AMAZING!!!

We had Green Lantern at the Walnut Creek Art and Wine event. They had a booth in the Premium Wine Tent and served the best Lobster rolls and a cheese plate that was so yummy. Super nice people and yummy food.
Cant wait to have a party myself and use them… YUM!!!

Tried the BBQ Chicken Banh Mi at the Union Street Festival 2013 and i thoroughly enjoyed it while I was eating it, but got a little nauseous (maybe from being out in the sun cuz it was very rich and saucy).
Pretty expensive for a Banh mi though at $ 8/​sandwich. I guess its street food and the prices are going to be jacked up.
They do accept credit cards though!
–Hungry Hungry Pongy

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these guys! artichoke lovers delight. Chef Rick can do it all! burgers, lemonade, crab cakes. Can’t wait for the Concord farmersmarket Thursday night live bands to start up so i can boogie with my FANTASTIC artichoke!

Great tasty atichoke! My gf and I are big artichoke eaters and we will vouch that theirs yesterday was pretty darn amazing! Mm mm! Not tough like leather and not full of water. Cooked great. with a tasty aoli sauce on the side to dip it in. good job guys :)
— Artichoke lovers

Green Lantern Catering is an excellent choice for any party/​event you are planning and hope to serve fabulous food. I recently threw a cocktail hour themed bridal shower. Green Lantern Catering handled all the food and our guests were so impressed. The dinner was excellent and desserts were to die for. What is more, leading up to the even, Rick and Nora were wonderful to work with, helping me stay in budget all while accomodating my requests to make the event extra special for the bride. I would definitely recommend this catering company to friends and family or use them again myself.

Green Lantern Catering was in the roundup saloons parking lot. there was a slight crowd in front. turns out most of them were waiting for their orders to arrive.
drill: give order. pay. give name. gal writes name on tag with order. chef on delivering end matches orders with what’s on grill. even saw the chef go back to shuck some oysters when everyone started ordering oysters. some gal was smacking her lips and said the buttered oysters were very good. they were pretty big sized too! (made note to order oysters also).
menu: crab cake sandwich (10) grilled half artichoke (4) crab cake (5) bbq oysters with butter (³⁄₆)
locale: lafayette art & wine festival (sept 18, 19)
sampling:
–bbq oysters in half shell with butter (³⁄₆) regular pacific oysters on the half shell were succulent in butter.
–crab cake (5): mushy, didn’t taste crab though. topped with dressing.
tasted fresh, not commercially made. homemade.
foodnotes:
–line fluctuates between short and long
–wait time for orders was long (10 – 15 minutes)
–bbq oysters most popular.
–almost cooked to order. grill small.
–most food stands sold hot dogs, fries, …
–green lantern does catering,…, farmers market.
–going for 6 oysters next time.