So I'd like to say right off the bat, that this was probably one of the most fabulous nights I've ever had. It was relaxed, comfortable and over the top.
Description: A cozy Italian anniversary dinner.
People: 6
Rentals: Crystal Chiavari chairs x 6, round table with linen, champagne bucket with stand, flight glasses x 3 dozen.
Menu: Italian terrino (pictured below), Radish salad, truffled risotto, seafood mancotti, tira misu.
Drinks: Prosecco, white wine, red wine, pelligrino, grappa.
Playlist: Louis Prima, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin, Nino Rota, Harry Connick Jr, Tony Bennett, Pavarotti, Ezio Pinza, Pink Martini, Nine (OST), The Lost Fingers (Lost in the 80's album).
I've never been a fan of taking a couple out for dinner on really special occasions. The effort just isn't there, and sometimes they'll put you in a "Special Private Room" but really when you think about it, that takes away from any ambiance, and well I find it sort of boring. This is why planning dinner parties can be so much fun. You have control over everything and most importantly your night will not be ruined by bad service.
The first, and only, problem we had, was having the room for an actual sit down dinner (it's hard to come by in 640 square feet). To solve this problem, we made our bedroom into a dinning room. There were two advantages to this: 1) we had a perfect light fixture above the table as a focal point; and 2) it was on a dimmer switch which added to the mood lighting.
The idea behind this night was a sit down dinner with different courses accompanied with wine flights. I got asked a lot what wine flights are and how they work. Well here it goes: A wine flight is basically a wine tasting. Wine flight glasses are smaller in size. So with each course that came out, we would bring out fresh new flight glasses and a new bottle on a silver tray (pictured below) that was to compliment the course you were eating. You don't need to buy uber expensive wine. It tastes good because you're making it special. And of course we didn't forget to pair something with dessert! Grappa. Ah, good ol' grappa. We made a little video of each person saying something in Italian then shooting the grappa. This may sound strange, but this was the best part of the whole night.
When it got dark enough, we put on our projector and played La Dolce Vita. That movie was our inspiration. Because I'm a graphic designer, I always need to do something extra to make it special. I did up menu's of six different scenes from Italy (Florence pictured below). Another thing that makes it special is dressing the part. I don't understand people who don't like dressing up. I find any reason to do it. It really adds to the feel of the night. My husband put on his black skinny tie and Valentino suit. He looked like it could have been 1962 on the Via Veneto
The most important thing of the night, of course, is the company. The night just wouldn't have been the same without them. Amo la mia famiglia!
Ciao,
All very well - but some of those wines deserve larger glasses!
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