Planning the Perfect Party

Giving really memorable dinner parties takes imagination, organization, and above all, planning.  That doesn't mean you can't have an absolutely wonderful party on the spur of the moment.  It just means you need to be prepared.

Let's talk about the dinner party you know about in advance.  Architect Mies van der Rohe said it best:  "God is in the details."  This is my mantra, and it should be yours if you want to give truly distinctive dinners. 

So what are some of the many details that can make your dinners unique?

• A written invitation is a nice, personal touch.  Call first to invite your guests so you know whether or not they are available.  Then follow it up with an invitation sent by mail.  This is the first experience your guests will have of your party, and you want to put them on notice that this is no ordinary evening.
   

• Put a printed or hand-written menu, coordinated with your invitations, on the table at each place so guests can pace themselves, especially if there will be multiple courses.  No reason why you can't do the same for a simpler meal, also.   
   

• Include party favors of some kind, something your guests can take home.  They don't have to be elaborate or expensive, just use your imagination.  Paint or decoupage papier maché boxes from the craft store and fill with color-coordinated Jelly Belly's; make an accordion book from art paper filled with quotes, poems and jokes that you print out on your computer; put copies of a cartoon into small picture frames; the list is endless.  These are the things that take time and advance planning; they are also the things that tell your guests they are worth the extra effort.   
   

• Make your table gorgeous, and this starts with your tablecloth.  It doesn't have to be expensive.  For that matter, it can be three yards of fabric you have found on sale at the fabric store that exactly matches your color scheme for the evening.  Keep a length of thick white flannel to lay underneath your tablecloth.  This trick makes even the flimsiest fabric look rich, immediately upgrading the look of your table. 
   

• If you have read very many of my menus, you are already aware of my views on the subject of napkins.  You can get away with inexpensive tablecloths, but your guests will be handling their napkins all evening.  They are the tactile representation of your dinner party, and they should say luxury in no uncertain terms.  I buy big, thick, white hotel napkins from Williams-Sonoma by the dozen.  I wash, starch and iron them while I'm watching TV, so they are always ready to go.  White goes with almost everything, and you can bleach them to keep them stain-free.
   

• Mix and match your dishes.  You don't have to have everything match - in fact, that's probably the quickest way to a nice but somewhat boring table.  Mix patterns, mix colors, mix fine bone china with inexpensive Asian lacquer ware from the import store, or Mexican pottery with baroque silver flatware.  Trust your eye to tell you what looks beautiful together, and don't worry about what is "supposed" to go together.  At the same time, you don't want to just throw a hodge-podge of things together, either.  Put together something that YOU think is gorgeous.  British designer William Morris famously said, "Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."  This applies to your dinner table, as well as everything else.  Again, trust yourself.  Make sure yours is a table you believe to be beautiful, and chances are, everyone else will, too.
   

• Have fresh flowers of some kind on your table.  There is no substitute, but no also need for them to be expensive or elaborate.  I am reminded of a quote from the Koran:  "If  I had but two loaves of bread, I would sell one and buy hyacinths, for they would feed my soul."  'Nuff said.
   

• You eat first with your eyes, so put some thought into the presentation of the food on the plate.  Prepare garnishes in advance for each dish.  A mint leaf, a couple of crisscrossed chives, sprig of cilantro, or some artistically placed drops of sauce, are the jewelry on a well-dressed plate.  They make it look finished, like someone cared enough to make it look attractive.  Nasturtiums are one of my favorite garnishes.  They come in all kinds of colors and look very lush and tropical.  And best of all, they are a cinch to grow in your garden.  Plant them once and they grow by themselves.  They even self-sow after the first year. 
   

• I've saved the best for last:  here is the number one tip that will take you from being a good cook to being a great cook overnight:  buy the very best ingredients you can afford.  If you use high quality ingredients, most of the time your guests will wonder why your food tastes so much better than everybody else's.  They might not always be able to put a finger on it, but they will know there is something about yours that is different.  This doesn't have to break the bank, either.  Better to serve omelets made with fresh, flavorful eggs from the farmer's market that sub-par filet mignon from the supermarket.  (That is not to say that all eggs from the farmer's market are fresh, or that all filet mignon from the supermarket is sub-par, because that is definitely not the case.  Get to know your sources and trust your taste buds.) 

Copyright © 2007 by Charlotte Rose.  All rights reserved.