GQ USA – May 2017

1

INVITE GUESTS
LIKE YOU’RE
CASTING FOR
‘THE BREAKFAST
CLUB,’ NOT
‘FRIENDS’

I asked Tamsin
Lonsdale, founder
of The Supper
Club—where an
annual membership
costs up to $10K—
how she gets her
guests out of their
social rut. “When
you sit down next
to someone you
wouldn’t normally
sit next to,” she
says, “you have the
conversations that
you don’t usually
have.” Our advice:
No one should
know everyone at
the table. But
make sure everyone
knows at least
one other person.
A dinner party
should create a
social dynamic
that’s never
existed before.

2
CONTROL THE
FOOD

Tell your guests not
to bring anything. If
you’re thinking this
makes more work
for you, remember:
Figuring out where
to stash everyone’s
platters and bowls
and how to serve
what’s inside them?
That’s work.

2 of 2

Hosting

3

SHOP THE DAY

BEFORE

Leave the day of

for emergency runs

only. (And there will

be emergency runs.)

4

STAGE YOUR

PARTY AREA

On a co≠ee table:

high-end store-

bought snacks—

cheeses, olives,

crackers. On a

table in the corner:

bottles of wine—one

already open, along

with a corkscrew

and wineglasses.

On another table:

a pitcher of a

pre-made cocktail.

(See Menu 1.)

5

WHEN GUESTS

ARRIVE, BE

ENTERTAINING,

NOT COOKING

Keep your menu

simple. A salad

that you can dress

immediately before

serving. And an

entrée that cooks

low and slow,

like a spiced pork

shoulder. (See

Menu 2.) Your place

will smell amazing

when folks trickle

in—make sure you’re

with them, not in the

kitchen. The only

thing you should

do with food after

guests arrive is plate.

6

YOUR TOAST

SETS THE TONE

After two courses at

New York’s Spring

Street Social Society

dinner club, a man

next to me stood

on his chair and

aggressively tapped

his glass. Then he

started dancing.

Don’t do that. But

do something

almost as theatrical:

Make a toast. Keep

it short, simple, and

mildly sentimental.

“To old friends and

new” will totally

su∞ce. A dinner

party should be

a memorable event.

And everyone

remembers a toast.

7

TRANSITION

FROM DINNER

TO PARTY

Dinner really lasts

only 20 minutes—

which is mind-

blowing, considering

how much work

goes into it. But the

table introduces a

new dynamic, and

it needs an hour

to marinate. Then

leave the plates

where they are and

suggest a move

to the living room.

8

NO DESSERT

A rich dessert

is cruel, depending

on how well you

feed your guests.

The least coma-

inducing thing to

serve is expensive

chocolate. Maybe

a little fruit.

After dinner,

lower the lights

imperceptibly.

Break the

“No smoking” rule

just this once.

9

JUST GO TO BED

Part of the fun is

stumbling out

of the bedroom in

the morning and

surveying the

tableau of festivity.

The more daunting

the mess looks, the

better your dinner

party was. Then,

when everything’s

tidy, get out of the

house and treat

yourself to brunch.

menu 1:LARGE-FORMAT DRINKS menu 2:DINNER FOR TEN? EASY menu 3:MUSIC YOU CAN EAT TO

Start off with
medium-octane
batch drinks like an
Aperol spritz so no
one gets too sloshed.
Mix two parts Aperol
with three parts
prosecco in a pitcher
right before the
guests arrive. Put
out large tumblers,
ice, seltzer to top

it off, and orange

slices to garnish.

Now pour a big one

for yourself.

Light reds like

Gamay will impress

wine lovers and

neophytes alike.

Always keep a

case of beer handy.

Every Dinner Party Should Go According to Plan(s)

Rub a four-pound

pork shoulder with

salt, pepper, smoked

paprika, and some

crushed fennel seed.

Set it fat side up on

a rack in a pan with

some crushed garlic

and a cup of water,

cover with foil, then

roast for three to

four hours at 325.

Make sure to

have hunks of good

bread from a bougie

bakery. Warm it in

the oven and serve

with salted butter.

Dress a big bowl

of greens with your

“house” vinaigrette

(lemon and olive oil)

just before you eat.

At the start of the

evening, you’ll want

something upbeat

but decidedly not

rowdy. Think Charles

Bradley, Angel Olsen,

early Janet Jackson.

Either you’re a

whole-album person

or you’re not. If

you are, this is your

chance to convince

your captive

audience why Scary

Monsters is the only

Bowie album worth

playing to the end.

Read the crowd.

When things take a

turn for the raucous,

adjust the playlist.

—ALISON ROMAN

46 GQ.COM MAY 2017