In 2024, We Are Voting for the Dinner Party…
Among the many and varied skills I have acquired and refined over the years of my maturity, I am particularly adept at the hosting of a dinner party. As you might be aware, the dinner party is having a moment. A recent article in Boston.com announced that, after years of distancing and detachment, groups of all ages are once again sharing a home-cooked meal in the home.
Some are do-it-yourself affairs, with the crafty and rustic charm of what an older generation called the “pot-luck.” A loose theme, mismatched flatware and silverware, the unpretentious joy of eclecticism on display as everyone dines and discusses. Some have the Swiss-watch accuracy of what Carême called the brigade. Professional chefs descend on your kitchen, and with military precision execute a fine-dining plan that lingers as long on the memory as on the palate.
Among the most misunderstood aspects of the dinner party is that there must be a “show-stopping” element to it - the grand presentation of the turkey fresh from the oven, as if you were Normal Rockwell; the masculine Seussian carving the roast beef; a breathtakingly composed dessert worthy of a Paul Hollywood handshake. A dinner party needs only three things: a good group, a menu, and an accompanying set of refreshments.
First, the group. The first reaction might be to pack the dining room table with a veritable coterie of the best and brightest from your social circles. But with every additional guess, the demands on time, space, and groceries multiply. An intimate setting with a few close acquaintances will help focus everything down to as few moving parts as possible. You should consider the type of discourse you want to enable. Should the background and experience of your group be similar or different? Are you comfortable with spirited disagreement or sharing ideas on a common theme? Does anyone in your group do a really spectacular Curly impression from The Three Stooges? (Do not knock this one. It could make or break your Thanksgiving)
Second, the menu. Trust me when I say you need a menu, if not a theme. The easiest is the traditional “meat and three sides” - a main dish (vegetarian or animal), and three complimentary side dishes. This might be a roasted bird or rib of beef, a potato dish, a warm vegetable, and a cold vegetable. It could be a baked pasta dish, garlic bread, a dip or spread, and a salad. With enough variation, a mezze platter of warm and spicy vegetable dips, crudites, and a lavaš can fill hearts, minds, and stomachs. Of course, you must take into account the acceptable level of spice and heat, allergies, preferences, and taste. Simplicity is crucial, especially when starting out. With time, effort, and perseverance, you can work your way up to a menu I created such as the one here from a recent Thanksgiving.
Finally, the accompanying refreshment. It used to be with a few good bottles of wine, the correct mix of red and white, and a fine assortment of after dinner liqueurs and spirits and things were set. Nowadays, tastes and consumption patterns have changed. You are just as likely to invite a group into your house to find that the majority are non-imbibers as imbibers. Mocktails, CBD or THC drinks, non-alcoholic refreshments, and the like should be just as important as the wine, spirits, or beer selection. It is crucial to think outside your own experience. I once hosted a group, one of which was befuddled to find that I had no soda in the house. When he considered that I had no children, he then found it perfectly reasonable for me to not keep it.
Once you decide on these three parameters, then the devil is, as it were, in the details. There are endless possibilities, perils, and pleasantries associated with a dinner party, and it would be impossible to describe them all in a single blog post. Therefore, as the spring blossoms into summer, I will be using this place to talk about all the permutations of planning and hosting a dinner party, whether at your house or out in the community. It will come complete with anecdotes, home recipes from my personal collection, refreshment recommendations at The Wine Press, and the usual level of adroit humor you have no doubt come to expect from this space. It will be both my pleasure and the pleasure of The Wine Press to be your guide in welcoming, or re-welcoming, friends, family, and fun into your life this 2024.
