A classic, manly, red meat and martini vibe felt like the right backdrop for our friend Richard's 40th birthday party. For the cigar aficionado, Amy customized match books and made all of her arrangements in an array of wooden cigar boxes. Keeping in theme, we did a martini bar, all shaken, not stirred (I'm suddenly a big fan of 'signature names' for 'signature cocktails'). I went traditional steak house with the menu, loving an excuse to serve iceberg wedges with buttermilk blue cheese dressing. And, instead of bananas foster or cherries jubilee, we did our own version of a theatrical dessert: individual tabletop roasted s'mores. We simply lined terra cotta pots with tin foil and filled them with hot charcoals. Seeing as how s'mores are my all-time favorite dessert, I'd call this a home run. And while I considered using fancy chocolate and homemade marshmallows, some things are best left in their original form, as a classic is a classic for good reason.
The Menu
martini bar
"the richard"
vodka, dirty sue premium olive juice, olive
"40/40"
vodka, apple liqueur, house sour
"XL"
vodka, lemon twist
passed
caprese crostini
artichoke, green olive, arugula, lemon crostini
lamb meatballs with minted yogurt dip
plated
iceberg wedge with buttermilk blue cheese dressing & chives
family style
grilled flank steak
horseradish cream & chimichurri sauce
wilted spinach, wild mushrooms & green garlic
roasted truffled fingerling potatoes
grilled asparagus, lemon, parmigiano reggiano
dessert
roasted s'mores
12 comments:
OMG, Martinis this week?
I LOVE this menu!!! CC
So great!!!! Wish I could have been a guest!
This is "man" encapsulated. Classic, but updated. You had me at flank steak and grilled asparagus.
Could you give specific instructions on creating the tabletop s'mores containers? That is such a wonderful idea since we live in an apartment and are unable to have a firepit. TIA! :-)
~ S
love this idea for the tabletop s'mores! i'm going to try it this weekend.. did you use lighter fluid to get the charcoal going? and if so, did it affect the flavor of your marshmallows? thanks!
Whoa. I veritably never post on blogs but this just blew my mind. What a masterpiece!
Tiffany-We did use lighter fluid, and it did affect the taste a tiny bit...I haven't trouble shot that issue yet. It didn't interfere that much. Do you know of a lighter fluid or product that avoids the 'taste' factor?
In April 1996, Consumer Product Safety Commission revised the label on charcoal packaging to more explicitly warn consumers of the deadly CO gas that is released when charcoal is burned in a closed environment. The new label reads, "WARNING...CARBON MONOXIDE HAZARD...Burning charcoal inside can kill you. It gives off carbon monoxide, which has no odor. NEVER burn charcoal inside homes, vehicles or tents."
I like the Match Light Charcoal -- it has virtually no odor, so doesn't effect the taste. I'm sure it's still harmful for you, though...
May I ask where the match boxes were found?
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