Last weekend I hosted a lovely dinner party for eight very close friends; all couples, two of which are recently married, one of which I actually married. The purpose of the dinner was to celebrate hallmarks, simple and significant, that each couple had achieved over this past year. I absolutely adore hosting people in my home and often expend considerable effort to create a lush, lulling, and dare I say seductive, sensory experience for my guests.
Recognizing the importance of feeding the eyes as well as the palate, I centered the dinner table in my Midtown flat to take full advantage of the picture-perfect view of the Space Needle and Queen Anne, (oh, and the monorail,) my windows afford.
For my tablescape I began with rich fabrics printed with Oriental-themed designs in rusts, golds and greens and then littered the center of the table with various candle-holders of punctured metal, smooth wood and glittering glass of coordinating colors and objets d'art that further enhanced the Thai-inspired evening: seashells, over-sized leaves, even a carved elephant. Also on the table, I had matching place cards for all of my guests, seating each person next to someone other than their spouse.
My guests arrived pair by pair and were greeted by the aroma of Siamese spices wafting from the kitchen, each couple bringing with them bottle after bottle of bubbly libations. For dinner, I made a light, simple shrimp stir-fry with mushrooms, tofu and colorful bell peppers; salmon swimming with snap peas in a spicy red curry sauce; a Thai omelet to temper the heat; a pot of hearty yellow beef curry, thick with turmeric, cumin and coconut milk; and finally, two-and-a-half pounds of fresh halibut marinated in ginger, garlic, chillies, lime juice and garnished with a bit of cilantro. As dinner was presented, the phrase that continually peppered our evening repeatedly was, "Tino, you've outdone yourself!"
When designing the seating chart I intentionally sat guests next to others who share aligned interests, some of which include: art; architecture; academia; botany; literature; mountain climbing; and traveling abroad. The conversation was constant amongst all of us and a good deal of laughter was present throughout the night as we were serenaded by the crooning of Tracey Thorn of Everything But The Girl, the catchy beats of Pink Martini and a handful of Craig Armstrong's hauntingly familiar, dramatic pieces.
Before we sat down for dessert, fruit and cheese I had all my guests reexamine their place card, upon which I had stamped a particular leaf shape, each person's leaf, aside from myself, had another pair at the table. I then had each guest with matching stamps exchange seats, affording me the opportunity to chat more intimately with the other half of my guests as well as being able to reunite some of the couples who had spent dinner apart. The result was marvelous as a new round of discussions began and even more laughter was exchanged.
We raised our glasses and toasted, several times, throughout the evening as there was so much to celebrate: civil unions, birth anniversaries, residential mergers, acquisitions of property, and ascension of corporate ladders. All in all, a successful evening, as I partook in the pleasure of being able to delight those around me and provide my grateful guests with such a memorable and enjoyable time, I didn't see it so much as having outdone myself, but rather, just doing a job well done--Thai style, of course.
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