Tag: dinner party | Apartment Therapy

Stress-less Dinner Tip: Set the Table the Night Before

Here's a tip from our own experience in throwing many dinner parties and holiday meals. If you are able to, set the table the night before! Here's why we like to do it. ...

Entertaining Tip: End with Tea and Coffee

We think there's no better way to end a big meal or even a simple gathering of friends than with a nice warm cup of coffee! Not only is it exactly what we want after eating a lot of rich food, but it'...

Fall Entertaining: 10 Dinner Party Invitations

Do you ever send dinner party invitations — in the mail? We don't do this very often, but we want to do it more. Even casual invitations have more weight and warmth when issued through the mai...

Dinner Parties: Is it Rude to Ask Who Else is Coming?

For etiquette advice, the last person we'd turn to is Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David, or at least his on-screen persona. But an issue he raised in Sunday's season premiere got us thinking: Is it b...

Steal This Idea: Paper Menus-Turned-Take-Away Bags

We're so inspired by Sunday Suppers, the Brooklyn-based cooking class that created these menus. Their table decorations are always stunning, and yet this particular idea is so simple, we're filing it ...

Creative Entertaining: Scrabble Letter Place Cards

Throwing any dinner parties this weekend? We think that even simple place cards can add a touch of fun formality to a sit-down supper. And how about this whimsical name card idea from reader Jess?...

Casual Entertaining: BLTs for Dinner

Why not? It's arguable, but we're not sure there's a better sandwich to eat when tomatoes are at their peak (maybe this one). BLTs take very little effort, and you can customize them with different ad...

Dinner Party Strategy: Dealing with Late Guests

The more guests you invite, the higher probability that someone will get stuck in traffic, forget the time, or have an emergency. Whatever the reason, dealing with late guests can be just as frustrati...

Entertaining: Do You Move Venues for Dessert?

When we have dinner parties, we usually follow this plan: Drinks and appetizers around the coffee table, dinner at the dinner table, and then dessert back in the living room. My husband usually calls ...

Entertaining Etiquette: Do You Set an Ending Time?

We never gave much thought to this issue until recently when the subject came up at, of course, a dinner party. And really, it's an interesting question to think about. After all, we always set a time...

Stress-Less Entertaining: Have an Open House

If you're a dinner party newbie, the idea of preparing an elaborate dinner and inviting a bunch of guests over to eat it might feel a little (or a lot!) intimidating. Here's a low-key idea to help eas...

Dinner Parties: 5 Great Tips for Newbies (Plus Lots More)

Some of you may be pros at throwing dinner parties. Others may be intimidated. But whether you are an old dog looking for new tricks or a Cure taker approaching her first big fiesta, we've got loads o...

Dinner Party Strategy: Dealing with Early-Arriving Guests

Right when you're simultaneously scrambling to finish up the last few dishes, set the table, and make yourself look presentable, it's inevitable that at least one of your guests will arrive early. Wha...

Entertaining Tip: Set the Scene with a Theme

The Kitchn Cure is nearing an end and our Cure takers are gearing up for their celebratory dinner party! We find that a good way to establish the tone and energy of the evening is by giving the party ...

Inspiration: Secret Suppers

Not quite a potluck, definitely more high brow than a picnic, and more exciting than a meal in a restaurant, the renegade supper club is part of a growing trend of food lovers gathering in fields, war...

Easy Entertaining: Five Simple Tips for Plating Food

Earlier this week, we talked about plating and presentation, and whether these are important to us as home cooks. Most of you responded with an emphatic "Yes!" and pointed out that making the effort t...

Plating and Presentation: How Important Is It to You?

In restaurants, how food is plated and presented is just as important as how it tastes. Home cooks aren't under quite as much pressure to perform for their guests as top chefs, but plating can still p...

Easy Entertaining: Throwing a Spontaneous Dinner Party

We really love planning dinner parties - figuring out a menu, deciding who to invite, picking out wine, decorating the apartment, the whole shebang. But sometimes, it's just as much fun to wake up in ...

Etiquette: Writing a Thank-You Note for Dinner

With the risk of sounding like your grandmother, we'll say we do think people should take more time out from their electronic lives to write letters (and yes, we see the irony as we write this on a bl...

How to Serve Soup at a Dinner Party

Yes, you can. Soup is a great thing to serve at a dinner party, and we're not just talking soup shots as cute appetizers. We're going main course here. It can be an impressive meal that's fully satisf...

Weekend Meditation: Waiting for the Perfect Time...

...is a big mistake. And not the kind of mistake I've been encouraging you to make. No, I'm referring to waiting until your life (and your household) is in perfect shape before you invite people ove...

Blogging Domino: Light Dinner Party, Tiny Kitchen

Just because we're eating light doesn't mean we can't entertain. Domino put together a Thai-inspired meal that can be prepared easily in a tiny apartment kitchen. (It'll work fine in a big kitchen too...

One Weekend, Two Dinner Parties

You're looking at the aftermath. We got a little ambitious in our holiday entertaining this weekend, throwing not one but two dinner parties for six over the course of 48 hours. The Sunday night party...

Can You Hold a Conversation While Cooking?

Because we can't! We've tried and practiced and strategized, but if those guests arrive before we're done cooking, we're goners. What about you?!...

Etiquette: How To Tell Someone There's Food in Their Teeth

Having food stuck in our teeth and not knowing is one of our worst nightmares. And when the offending bit of dinner is discovered hours later, there's the inevitable cry of anguish: "Why didn't anyone...

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Posts tagged “dinner party”