'Midnight In Paris' Partying
Let's head back to one of Paris' most amazing eras, the 1920s, when the city was filled with all things divine, decadent, and dripping with upper crust charm. Take inspiration from this stellar soirée as you plan your own period party. Believe us — you won't be sorry.
On April 28, Seth Greenberg, Henry Stimler, and girlfriend Yana Tara hosted a classic French cabaret dinner at New York's vintage bank turned venue, Capitale.
What was a romantic and original idea in theory turned out to be even better than we imagined. The red carpet entrance was packed with the feathers, fringe, and fascinators of ladies in coiled dos and sparkly shoes. The gents, decked out in formal attire, accessorized with a top hat, a silk scarf, or even a faux mustache à la Hemingway, Dalí, and Matisse.
The setting was reminiscent of old-Hollywood glamour, with crushed red velvet, gold lining, and the voice of a raspy blues singer coming through a vintage microphone. The champagne was flowing and the night was young.
After the cocktail banter, the grand ballroom awaited, where hosts F. Scott Fitzgerald (Stimler) and wife Zelda (Tara) introduced themselves and kicked off the night. Corks popped and the fun began.
A Josephine Baker look-alike took the stage and pranced around the floor seductively, revealing a little more than a lot. While guests wined and dined on traditional quiche Lorraine, beet and goat cheese salad, filet mignon, wild salmon, truffle risotto, and rich profiteroles, the evening unfolded into performances. A trapeze artist wowed guests with her fancy work, a waltzing couple made their way around the floor, and a very vivid mime said... nothing, but everything at the same time.
Of course, after the party there was the after-party. Guests partied on into the dimly lit night, just like they did in Paris in the '20s, where the real fun started after midnight.
To throw your own affair to remember, tell guests to come dressed in the spirit of the roaring '20s, sip on champagne (the cheap stuff works, too!) and serve classic French fare like boeuf bourguignon, steamed mussels, a tomato tart, and petits fours.
Here's the full menu from Midnight in Paris:
First Course: Trois Amuse-Gueule
• Traditionnel Quiche Lorraine
• La Salade des Champs: Field Greens Salad
• Betteraves Rôties au Fromage de Chèvre: Roasted Red and Yellow Beets topped with Goat Cheese
Main Course: Entrée en Duo
• Le Médaillon de Filet de Boeuf au Bordelaise: Beef Filet Medallions with Bordelaise Sauce
• Saumon Sauvage en Croûte de Beurre et Fines Herbes: Wild Salmon with a Butter and Herb Crust
• Mélange de Légumes Frais et Pommes de Terre Rôties: Mix of Fresh Vegetables and Roasted Baby Potatoes
• Le Risotto aux Champignons Sauvages: Wild Mushroom Risotto
Dessert
• Profiteroles: Cream Puff filled with Pastry Cream Dipped in Chocolate
• Mini Crème Brûlée: Classic Custard Topped with a Layer of Hard Caramel
• Mixed Cookies, Brownies, and Dried Fruit