The Food

Please serve me something innovative like Thomas Keller's coffee and donuts. Because the moment I first stepped into French Laundry, I wept. And know that I am happy as a clam to pull a bubbling, cheese coated Pyrex pan from the oven - especially if it is heavy with comfortable homemade mac and cheese like my mom made and partner surprises me with now. What right-minded group of folks wouldn't consider a dish like that served with charred hot mitts charming and welcoming?

But the best part of a dinner party is that anything can happen with the food. Experimentation with a new recipe or even a pantry substitute for a missing item, can lead to something unexpectedly delicious and special. Standards like roasted chicken and pinot noir have the power to illicit talks of travel and countryside and maybe even force guests to slow down a bit. Yet disaster can - and does - strike. We have all done it: the undercooked roasted chicken, the new recipe that didn't come together (or substitute that didn't work), the tamales that didn't steam properly, the tough beef in the stroganoff, the guests polite comments ("Please pass more wine").

It is a risk, but also part of the thrill.

The Setting

Quite candidly, the setting - environment - if your will (and you will), really doesn't matter. Bring on the formal dining experience and the casual picnic. We welcome it all. Fancy-pants mood lighting from the latest hot Scandinavian designer? Oh yes (but small doses please)! Sticky, half-melted candles rescued from the back of the pantry? Of course. Aunt Bessie's kitchen tomato stained table? Naturally. Indoor and outdoor, potluck and prix-fixe, wine and beer pairings and a good old-fashioned glass of cold milk.

All that is truly important is that folks are somewhere that they can come together and share a bite. Because, as we all know, that one bite represents who we are, where we came from, and maybe even a little bit about where we are headed.

The Guests

A balance of good natured and feisty. Smart, thoughtful, and literate. No one dominates or excludes others - they are all here for a meal that will inspire silence in the midst of rampant conversation. They have lived lives of interest, both glamorous and ordinary. But they are also here for each other. For the laughter, for the stories. For the food.