Back when I only owned a basic apartment, I never really thought much about the idea of hosting my own dinner party. Part of that had to do with the fact that I was much younger at the time, but the other part of that had to do with the fact that I didn’t think I could successfully host such a part in a small and cramped apartment. However, now that I have moved into my own home, I have since hosted quite a number of dinner parties myself, and want to share all that I have learned in my pursuit of the “ultimate dinner party”.
To start things off, no dinner party is complete without a great selection of wine. That is one of the first things that you should offer your guests as soon as they enter the door, and thus you should have your best wine prepared and ready to go for them to start the evening off right. Having drinks is a great way to start the evening because it gives everyone a chance to mingle and relax and enjoy everyone’s company while getting a bit inebriated, which helps loosen up the rest of the night as it goes on.
The dinner itself should also be a multi-course meal, with enough to fill your guests up without making them overly full. Ideally you select a menu that is suitable to all guests, and if not, think about possibly having two different sets of entrees available to accommodate the preferences of all of your guests. For example, have both a chicken dish and a beef dish so that everyone who comes to your party is satisfied by the meal. And take particular note of anyone who is a vegetarian and if so, make sure that you provide suitable vegetarian options for them as well, because if there is none, then your party will definitely bomb once they reveal to you and your guests that they literally can’t eat anything at the party except for the salad.
When it comes to desert, I like to stick with someone classy like a cake or cheesecake that can be eaten with a fork, rather than something like a pudding or ice cream dish that requires eating in a bowl. It’s somewhat hard to explain, but eating your desert with forks seems a lot classier to me, and as a result I like selecting deserts that can be eaten in this way. Above all though, make sure that your guests will actually enjoy your desert that you have selected for them.
Once the main dinner and desert has completed, it’s a good idea to bring out another bottle of wine (and ideally a different bottle than from before dinner began) so that you and your guests can continue conversing in a lighthearted atmosphere. Use this setting to let the evening wind down in a natural way and eventually it will be clear when everyone is ready to go home. Once that time comes, say goodbye to each and every guest as they leave the house and that’s about it!
Hosting a dinner party isn’t too difficult if you know what you are doing. What I can say is that being totally prepared and having everything planned out ahead of time is the best way to make your dinner party go smoothly and be an ultimate success!