As you may or may not know, New Yorkers do not entertain. Ever. Most people live in tiny apartments so there is no room to host dinner parties. Plus the sheer amount of restaurants is amazing, so why bother cooking! However things changed this week when Hurricane Sandy interfered. Those lucky few with power have therefore been inviting friends over for dinner. So as a salute to Sandy, here are 4 unique ways to impress your guests – all of which I have had the pleasure of seeing first hand at New York dining tables!
1. Himalayan Salt Blocks
I first heard about these when I stumbled across The Meadow in Greenwich Village a few months back. Salt blocks are a dramatic and tasty way to serve food. Simply place salad, fruits, sushi, cheeses or cured meats on the salt block at room temperature – the moisture of the foods will pick up the saltiness from the block. You can also heat the block and cook fish on it, or freeze it and serve ice-cream! They have only just begun to grace Australian shores, Feast Fine Foods is one place you can buy them.
2. Literary Dinner Plates
For those who love a craft project, consider this one! Find your favourite poem, novel or song lyrics and brand your own plates. Buy a porcelaine pen, some masking tape and a set of simple white plates and bowls – Maxwell & Williams do a good standard set. Then simply use the tape as a guide to write your favourite prose across the rim of the dinner plate. For a little something extra, chose a stencil design for the bowl like this Love Birds Stencil from Cakes Around Town.
3. Festive Vase Fillers
New Yorkers LOVE their festive seasons and it seems they love any excuse to decorate their homes! A clever way many New-Yorkers differentiate the seasons is by filling vases with festive decorations associated with that holiday. A clever trick is to place a small vase inside a bigger one and then just fill the gaps with the decorations.
- Easter: Easter Eggs
- Summer: Tropical Fruits
- Halloween/Fall: Pumpkins
- Christmas: Baubles
4. Personalised Place-Mats
The perfect way to make your guests feel cherished and welcomed. Not only do they look gorgeous, they may even spark a game of pictionary! A set of 4 Chalk Board Placemats can be found at D & B Blackboard Products Ebay Store for $20.
Start writing your invite list now!
Penny xo
