Après Fête: mad men theme dinner

Showing posts with label mad men theme dinner. Show all posts

January 30, 2013

Classic

While in college, my friend Tara Gordon and I were the chattiest of the chatty and spent hours sitting around speculating about our futures, as girls do. I vividly recall Tara asking me, “What would your go-to entertaining meal be when you’re married?” I wasn’t sure what she meant. She clarified: “Well, mine would be steak, a baked potato and sautéed spinach.” “Even though you don’t eat meat?” I asked the vegetarian. “That wouldn’t bother me. Everyone likes steak.” And while I do know a few non-meat eaters, Tara was on to something. People love the classics. In a world filled with mason jars and artisanal, it’s easy to dismiss silver trays and steak house favorites as old-fashioned. But I like to think that they are timeless. Case in point, this throw back dinner party menu received rave reviews. Similarly, as much as I love bitters, I really relinquished the cool factor and served lemon drops, a classic ‘mom drink’. But guess what? A lemon drop is delicious. And there’s nothing uncool about an ice cream sundae bar (scooping ice cream into glass bowls makes for a pretty presentation). The only thing that could have made this a better party would’ve been having Tara on the guest list.

The Menu

sips

lemon drops

snacks

crab cakes with tarragon sauce

truffle cheee & fig jam on rosemary flatbread

smoked salmon, creme fraiche & dill on pumpernickel

prosciutto wrapped asparagus

to start

iceberg wedge with buttermilk blue cheese dressing & oven roasted cherry tomatoes

savory

filet mignon with cognac peppercorn sauce

twice baked potato with sour cream, cheddar & chives

sauteed spinach & mushrooms

popovers

sweet

ice cream sundae bar

strawberry, chocolate, vanilla & mint chip

hot fudge, salted caramel & mixed berries

milk duds, m&m's, peanut butter cups, gummy bears, peanuts

sprinkles & jimmies

whipped cream

cherries for on top

October 24, 2011

Day of the Dead on DailyCandy

We are very excited to be featured on DailyCandy today with our Day of the Dead dinner party!! Dia de los Muertos, a beautiful Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1st and 2nd, is a great reason to throw a party. Check out the flip book we created on DailyCandy to read all of our party tips and how-to's for food, decor and theme. And click on the links below for all of the recipes. A big thanks to Evelyn @ DailyCandy!!

The Menu

sip

blood orange margaritas

snacks

rosemary spiced pumpkin seeds

nachos

tortilla chips, monterey jack & cheddar cheeses, salsa, sour cream, pickled jalapenos, green chilis, guacamole, cilantro & scallions

family style

pumpkin mole with chicken, poblanos & kabocha squash

served with corn tortillas, queso fresco, cilantro & lime

cumin scented black & pinto beans

brown rice with cilantro & scallions

sweet

churros with salted dulce de leche & mexican hot chocolate sauces

favor

kah tequila with blood orange margarita recipe cards

April 25, 2011

Mad Men 40th Birthday Party

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.