david lebovitz's shallot chicken is a go-to company meal for me. it's cheap, easy, and tastes like a lot more effort that it was!
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2010/03/roast_chicken_recipe_caramelized_s.html#more

Oooh. I did this exact same thing about a year and a half ago! Our parents hadn't met, and we were engaged so I wanted them to meet before the wedding..

Anyway, I made herb-crusted pork tenderloin (v easy and impressive), garlic mashed potatoes, and a simple steamed vegetable. It was pretty easy to have things prepped in advance and just serve when they arrive.

Not that I doubt your cooking skill or the greatness of your kitchen, but I would suggest ordering out for the main meal at least, and re-plating it in the kitchen. Perhaps from your favorite Thai spot?

When my now in-laws met my folks for the first time, I really wanted to be in the room at all times with them, just in case, you know. And this way everyone can get what they want (his mom is a reeeeaally picky eater).

Make a fabulous desert ahead of time, and just enjoy the fun!

Ina Garten's turkey lasagna is excellent and you can make it ahead of time and then just pop it into the oven for 30 mins of cooking. Dessert can be some fruit and a box of good chocolates. With a nice wine or champagne this is easy enough but looks fancier.

I am with the school that says -- keep it simple. Make something you have made successfully in the past and remember that EVERYTHING tastes better if you a. have to wait and b. after several glasses of alcoholic bevvies.

Alton Brown (I think) has a pork wellington recipe that my folks adore and say is SUPER easy. I can't vouch for the easy but oh, man, is it ever delicious. And very impressive. It'd be good with roasted potatos and some quick-cooked green beans or something.

I often roast chickens for company and I've found the trick is to start the chicken at least four hours ahead of company showing up. I find that serving it closer to room temperature works well and prevents the "oh crap, the chicken isn't done!" problem. For my sister's wedding shower, I served cold roast chicken with a french style potato salad (mostly greek yogurt and dill for the sauce) and the tomato tart that was linked from here a week or so ago (raw pie crust, spread with mustard, layered with seeded tomatos, bake at 425 for 30 minutes, serve) and it was very well recieved.

I also served St. Germain cocktails which are a shot of St. Germain, 1/4 shot of lemon juice, top with champagne and a twist. I suspect those helped with the dinner party.

You said you have a grill? And no dietary restrictions? I would do salmon fillets on cedar planks on the grill with a mango & pineapple salsa. The fish takes no time, you can make the salsa the night before, and steam some green beans and quinoa simultaneously. This would be a classy meal that takes almost zero effort.

I think the lasagna idea is a great one. I try to think of things that I can just throw in the oven, and lasagna is one of those. Make the night before, then throw in the oven, make some nice garlic bread and throw that in the oven too. Serve with a nice salad. Done.

You could also do chicken saltimboca, if you wanted to stick with chicken. The prep for these take a little time, but again, you could make them the night before, and then cook them off the night off. Serve with a rice pilaf and a green. Very impressive, too. Giada has a good recipe. The pan sauce is wonderful.

Also easy and impressive: mussels. Serve up a big pot of mussels, with crusty bread. And perhaps a side of roasted taters. Family style meals can be nice because it offers a comfortable atmosphere. Alternatively, you could do a shrimp boil, with shrimp, potatoes, and corn. Everyone would get their hands dirty, but again...impressive, and a fun meal.

Good luck!

another fun meal~ Lobster... and grilled corn... How formal is this going to be? Do you really want to get to know them, and them you? Lobster would be fun.

I would grill a big roast of something... go to Costco or Sams and drop 40 dollars on a nice rib roast or a big beef tenderloin. there are a million recipes for delicious grill roasted meats.

I will second the call for farmers market veggies - they are delicious right now and worth the extra effort/trip to the market for a special occasion like this.

To use up your farmers market bounty, I will suggest making tomato bruschetta (any recipe, the simpler the better, using farmers market tomatoes will do). The topping can be made a few hours in advance and then you just get to grill the toast pieces when you need them.

Thank you all for the wonderful ideas!!

@megangogo and Faith, I was also toying with the idea of a herb-crusted pork loin/roast... Faith, your recipe looks great! Thanks!

I love the mussels idea and the salmon-- and although there are no real dietary restrictions, I'm just wondering if I should stay away from seafood to respect the possibility of dietary preferences? Haha. I'll just make them for my boyfriend and me instead!

@Tiamat, I also love the tart as side idea. Thanks.

For more details, I'd like it to be pretty informal. And being able to relax and chat with everyone is important to me, too. Our apartment has a really open floorplan so it would be easy to do some minor last minute prep/cooking and still be social.

I think the interactive ideas are really fun, too, and may work well with that vibe. I was thinking of doing a big taco bar, family-style, with one set of his parents?

I know his parents well, he knows mine very well, it's just an issue of getting everyone in one room to meet each other.

You guys are the best, thanks again.

You are a wonderful young woman to put so much thought into these dinners.
Sounds like you have several objectives: 1) Show them that you care by putting some effort in ("slightly impressive" indicates that) 2) Make it easy for them to meet each other and enjoy your husband's and your company 3) Have some reassurance that the meal is foolproof.
As to 1, the best advice is to cook something YOU feel is slightly impressive. Most guests are impressed by complexity of preparation, expense of ingredients, or novelty. In my opinion, this is no time for novelty. Lobster and really good steak are good suggestions, as they are typically associated with expensive meals. As for complexity of preparation, make sure all the complexity happens the day before, not the day of. Lobster bisque can be made a day ahead, and is better for it. Chilled sliced steak salad (there's a great Thai one) and/or steak sandwiches (on great bread with homemade carmelized onion jam, baked garlic, etc.) might work. I'm sure you can find an elegant presentation for this.
To give yourself the reassurance you seek (3), plan the meal and make it at least once in the weeks before the event. Maybe even twice. You'll figure out all the little tricks only experience teaches you, and you'll feel confident when you serve it.
To make it easy for everyone to meet and enjoy each other (2), for the sake of everyone's nerves, don't sit everyone down in one room for cocktails and then sit them down at a table in the other room.
Instead, have beverages in the kitchen, such as sodas, coffee, etc., and a couple of hot hors d'oeuvre, fresh out of the oven, while you get the last bits of the meal together -- DO NOT have anything planned for you to do that actually requires your attention. Have things to do that people can help with, if they like. Try clever folds on the napkins, for example, which invites conversation and offers to help and suggestions and suddenly you're all enjoying yourself discussing neutral topics.
Have a bar with cold hors d'oeuvre set up in another space (balcony?) where your husband is mixing martinis, or margaritas, or whatever.
People will get to wander about and make small talk and group/re-group at will.
By the time you sit down at the table, individual conversations will continue and coalesce into a relaxed meal.
It's not the meal you're planning, it's the experience for the guests. I know you understand that giving everyone a comfortable introduction to one another can get their relationships off to a good start, but please also know that they, too, have an investment in liking each other -- so much easier for everyone if they do! They will, most likely, exclaim with pleasure over the food and work hard to make conversation.
Best to you in your endeavor. You clearly understand that it's worth the effort to plan and put on a special evening for people you love. I'm sure that will shine through whatever small mishap is destined to occur (as they do at every event!)

Chicken Marbella is always a good crowd pleaser. Or salmon with mustard/yogurt/caper sauce on top. Or a chinese steamed fish with rice and some veg sides. Don't do anything that makes you rush around at the last minute.

I *heart* the book Sunday Suppers at Lucques (Suzanne Goin). You can mix and match courses or follow what she suggests. Also, all the recipes yield 6 servings. The grilled rosemary quail over ricotta pudding is outstanding.

If you like red meat, try this menu:
braised short ribs, horseradish mashed potatoes, roasted parsnips and carrots. Amazing tastes, smells, and everything can be prepped in advance so you have time with your guests.

http://www.sowonderfulsomarvelous.com/2009/10/braised-short-ribs-horseradish-mashed.html

@mma128-- short ribs are brilliant! You may have sold me...

Thanks again for the ideas, everyone. I'm going to have to start throwing dinner parties just to have the chance to do all these!

This roasted red pepper soup is one of my favorite "dinner party" soups. You can make it the night before and just heat it up on the stove when you're ready to serve it. The recipe calls for serving it with seared scallops, which would be easy and DELICIOUS, but I've actually never made it with the scallops. The soup is wonderful all on its own! Good luck!

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/roasted-red-pepper-soup-with-seared-scallops

Since it's over Labor Day, a cook-out is very appropriate. I'd either roast a few chickens, beer-can style, on the grill (Paula Deen has a great recipe) but season them with a nice rub first; or do a simple flank steak, marinated. Then do a potato salad (martha stewart recipe, with a simple green onion and dijon mustard vinegar dressing). Add a fresh green salad and roasted asparagus with garlic (again, martha stewart,) These can be done ahead and served at room temperature. Make a simple berry parfait dessert or deconstructed shortcake. And cocktails. Hit those early and hard......

Elegance is not only about what you serve, but what you put on the table. Use cloth napkins! You don't have to fold them in a fancy shape, but some of the designs are pretty simple if you want to try. It will add an untold amount of class and can be done in advance.

The pioneer woman has an awesome Ribeye Steak with an Onion and Blue cheese cream sauce that is absolutely divine. It was so good that I actually licked the pan while cleaning up. The sauce was really easy to prepare. Throw some potatoes in the oven to bake and steam some green beans. Put a pat of butter and some toasted slivered almonds on the beans and you have got a very nice fancy dinner. If you wanted to you could make some extra toppings for the potatoes. Or have a lovely tossed salad.

If you have got an ice cream maker, a little homemade ice cream would be the perfect finish to this meal.

Make something you have made before successfully - just that confidence will make the entire meal go better! Good luck.

I cook steaks all the time for close friends/family (apparently i am a pan searing/dry rub pro). I wouldn't make steaks - people are territorial and wierd about steaks and about doneness - getting 6 steaks cooked to varying degrees of doneness is stressful to me, plus people have different ideas of what "medium" or "medium rare" is and you don't want to argue about it.

I kind of agree that simpler is better, like a spaghetti bolognese that you can leave in the oven for a few hours. It'll make the house smell incredible and it won't matter if people arrive late or cocktails run long. For interactivity, I once did a party where the bolognese sauce was in the oven and I kneaded up pasta dough in advance - then we took turns rolling and cutting the pasta. (We hung it over a broom suspended between two chairs - ahem.) A pasta roller is helpful but not necessary. It was a little messy but there was a lot of laughter.

When I want to give the impression that I'm fancy pants, I do a fussy appetizer. It sets the tone, then the main course can be almost anything.

I swear by an appetizer of personal-sized smoked salmon souffles. (Assuming you have the dishes for it.) But cream soups, like the seafood or red pepper bisques that people mentioned, give the same effect.)

Or grill some asparagus (or something more seasonal - sliced zucchini?) and cherry tomatoes and toss with lemon, garlic salt and butter.

And the mussels in butter, wine and shallots with bread - as others have mentioned. Eating with the hands is a good call. You can do advance recon re allergies, right? (You can also buy them frozen in sauce where you just have to pop them in a pan for 10 minutes. They'll never know!)

Or an enormous Fred steak. It has its detractors, but there are never leftovers when we serve it, no matter how big of one we get.

I second @fab's testimonial for that onion-blue cheese sauce. So delicious and impressive, and so easy!

This is a more fall-ish dish, although I could eat it at any time of year - Sweet Potato Gnocchi w/ Brown Butter & Sage: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sweet-Potato-Gnocchi-with-Brown-Butter-and-Sage-233379. People are always impressed that you made your own gnocchi, and while the process is time-consuming, you could make it ahead of time, freeze and boil them straight from the freezer.

Good luck! When our parents met for the first time, we took them to Korean BBQ - figured if there were any gaps in the conversation, we could all pretend that we were concentrating very hard on our grills. Thankfully, that wasn't a concern, but good to be prepared! :)