bring it home!
You don’t have to hit the clubs to ring in 2015. Stay in, follow our exper ts’ tips and have a New Year’s bash to remember
SHELLING out thousands on bottles of Cristal in a club so loud you can’t even hear a pal wish you happy New Year is a good way to start 2015 — if you’re looking for a splitting headache and an empty wallet.
But there is another option: You can throw a party at home.
Dana Cowin knows her guests expect a lot when she has a bash at her Upper West Side apartment — she’s the editor-in-chief of Food & Wine magazine and author of “Mastering My Mistakes in the Kitchen.”
“I wish I could say, ‘Oh, I don’t care at all,’ but when I’m planning a menu I want to be sure that my guests are well-fed and they’re not like, ‘My grandmother could have made that.’ ”
And for Vicky Wang of Dinner Bandits, a service that helps your party by supplying décor, sourcing a chef and finessing details (prices begin at $75), “the key to a great party is personalized touches.”
For a New Year’s Eve fête that feels both lavish and personal, that means splurging where it’si needed, taking a few shortcuts, and tying it t all together with a dash of good humor.
Here are simple tips from the pros to make your party a success.
Serve buffet style
Cowin says, “I never do plated food, because by the time the last person is served, the first person’s plate is cold. It seems more elegant to serve plated food, b ut in the end, it’s just not.”
Buy prepared foods (but splurge a little)
“The answer to a seamless, enjoyable party is to buy twothirds of it,” says Cowin. “Especially appetizers and dessert, premade, and to know when otherot people can do something better than n you can.” When you do make something, she says, “Pay all of your attention to the quality of the ingredients instead of going for an overly complicated recipe. YouY might want to get some AmericanA caviar from Russ & Daughters — to go with their blinis — or oysters. Get the best of whatever it is.”
Don’t buy new décor
“I actually scout through my entire apartment before setting up my dining room,” says Food & Wine mag editor-in-chief Dana Cowin. “I have a lot of candlesticks that are all clear, whether it’s glass or crystal. Some are modern, some are from the ’50s. I add white candles so it feels very glowy and
sparkly.”
go crazy on the sides
When Cowin throws a party, she makes five side dishes that can be served at room temperature, like a beet or a grain salad. “I think it’s a much more modern way to eat than to have one big meat and one big starch. There’s something for a vegan, for a vegetarian, for a very hungry person, for a very picky
person.”
Don’t but serious
Kitschy is in for Cowin. “With a serious prime rib and ccaviar and Champagne, it’s nice to have something that undercutso thhat seriousness and that makes it a little less sweet,” she says. “When you have 2015 glasses on, everyone’s having a
good night.”