Party Planning: 10 Best Menu Tips

Starting to envision your festivity's feast? Even if you're leaving the cooking up to the professionals, there are a few things you need to think about before you meet with your caterer. To make menu planning as painless as possible, read these tips.

1. Name a Time & Place
Before you choose the menu, you need to know which meal you're serving. This depends mostly on the time of your party: breakfast (9:00-11:00 a.m.); brunch (11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.); lunch (12:30-3:30 p.m.); tea (3:00-5:00 p.m.); cocktails (5:00-7:00 p.m.); dinner (6:00-9:30 p.m.); dessert (9:00-10:30 p.m.) -- or even a cruise ship-style midnight snack (11:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m.).

2. Count Your Chickens
Unless your budget is wide open, the number of guests will play a part when deciding what to serve. You may love lobster, but lobster for 100 might be out of the question. You also have to think about how long it will take to plate and serve -- one of the biggest problems with party food is the lag time between preparation and presentation. That creamy seafood in puff pastry looks great in the kitchen, but by the time it gets to table 23, the cream may have soaked through the pastry, creating a goopy mess. So, for large celebrations, choose food with a long shelf life. And on the other side of the coin, take advantage of the size of a small soiree. A very intimate affair could lose some of its specialness if a run-of-the-mill meal is served.

3. Vote For Variety
When choosing the menu, whether it is a homey brunch, sophisticated hors d'oveures, or a lavish six-course meal, you need to make sure you feature variety -- in flavor, texture, appearance, temperature, color -- to keep all of the senses (okay, maybe not hearing, unless you have a sizzling fajita platter) stimulated. If you're having a dessert buffet, for example, you don't want the entire spread to consist of round, gooey, rich chocolate-y things (although that does sound decadent, doesn't it?). Your caterer should steer you in the right direction, but it's helpful to have your eyes and taste buds ready. It's also a good idea to keep in mind your guests' tastes; no, you don't have to send out a food questionnaire with the invitation -- just remember to offer enough variety that everyone can find something to eat. This goes double if you're mixing adults and kids: What’s delicious to a 40-year-old's palate might be gross to a 13-year-old.

4. Culinary Sophistication
Forego traditional "banquet-hall fare" for more adventurous cuisine. Why serve blah beef when there's filet mignon in a succulent Merlot sauce? Think traditional with a twist. There are plenty of interesting yet economical ways to serve boneless breast of chicken.

5. Free Samples
Of course you'll want to taste the food before you decide on a menu (or a caterer, for that matter). But don't just let your taste buds do all the work -- how's the presentation? Is the dish attractive? Imaginative? Colorful? Do all of the foods on the plate complement each other? Is it the feel you want for your fete?

6. Money, Money, Money
We all know food costs money, but you'd be surprised how fast a menu can add up. Just make sure you have a realistic idea of what you can spend before you begin planning an elaborate meal you'll be devastated to have to give up.

7. Stay in Season
Let's be frank -- a sorbet bar is not the best choice for an outdoor party in mid-July. Time of year and the corresponding temperatures should be a large factor in menu planning. Great cooks plan their menus around seasonal food -- whatever is freshest that month or season. Your favorite summer tomato salad, for example, just won't be as juicy in January; pasta with a rich tomato sauce would be a better winter bet for tomato lovers. Ask your caterer and culinary pals what's fresh when; see if you can incorporate those foods into your meal vision.

8. Drink & Be Merry
We can't forget the liquor -- and you shouldn't either when planning your menu (unless of course it's a kids-only bash). Many of the factors that apply to food also apply to the bar -- time of day and type of reception, budget, your tastes -- and the two should work well together. Your six-course sit-down meal should feature wine(s); the festive brunch could include bloody Marys and mimosas. But don't forget to also offer non-alcoholic beverages. You don't need Uncle Fred getting loopy at 11:00 a.m.

9. Make It Match
You'd never wear black tie to a casual backyard bash, right? Well the same goes for food -- the level of formality of the menu should jive with the formality of the party itself. If you've decided to go with a relaxed cocktail celebration, make sure the food you're serving follows suit. And don't forget -- even the simplest of foods can look special when presented with flair.

10. Instructions Not Included
You know when you're standing at a party and you have a drink in one hand and a plate of food in the other, and you can't figure out how you're going to eat without finding a place to set your glass? We're not saying that you should forgo non-finger foods, just think about how easy or convenient the items on your menu will be to eat in the setting in which you're serving them. If you're having a garden party where you'd like the guests to mingle (i.e., few tables and chairs) a full plate of food that needs to be eaten with a fork and knife is not the best plan. Even if a sit-down meal is in the works, crab claws or barbecue drumsticks can make dinner into a complicated, messy event. And again, if there are going to be lots of kids -- well, let's just say be sure there are plenty of napkins to go around.

 

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