It's not uncommon to be at a dinner party or cookout where there's one particular dish that everyone raves about. But have you ever been to one where every dish - and everything about the evening, really - draws universal praise?
That happened to us this past weekend when friends hosted a delightful gathering to christen their new deck.
Tony and Liz Benedetto welcomed a group of us into their lovely home for great wine, food and conversation. Every part of the night was nice, but it was the food we couldn't stop talking about - and eating.
There were colorful spears of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and whole-leaf basil, olive bread with a rich herb spread, and chips with a great guacamole featuring fresh avocado blended with a prepared salsa. Delicious.
Once the grill was fired up, we also had big juicy burgers draped in cheese, plump sausages with spicy mustard and really phenomenal chicken breasts. It's so easy to overcook chicken into something dry and tasteless, but these thick babies - marinated in Caribbean jerk, spicy chipotle or barbecue sauce overnight - were mouthwateringly good. Homemade potato salad, corn pudding casserole, macaroni salad and a nice green salad rounded out the table.
Then came desserts, a decadent peanut butter cream-chocolate cookie trifle creation and a luscious frozen lemonade pie. Although I favored the trifle, Amy says the cool pie rocked her world.
Liz said the recipe (which I've included this week) is from Pat and Gina Neely, the Tennessee restaurateurs who host the popular Food Network show "Down Home with the Neelys." I had the good fortune to eat at one of their barbecue joints in Memphis a few years ago and everything I tried was delicious.
Well done, Liz and Tony, but did you have to raise the bar that high?
It's not uncommon to be at a dinner party or cookout where there's one particular dish that everyone raves about. But have you ever been to one where every dish - and everything about the evening, really - draws universal praise?
That happened to us this past weekend when friends hosted a delightful gathering to christen their new deck.
Tony and Liz Benedetto welcomed a group of us into their lovely home for great wine, food and conversation. Every part of the night was nice, but it was the food we couldn't stop talking about - and eating.
There were colorful spears of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and whole-leaf basil, olive bread with a rich herb spread, and chips with a great guacamole featuring fresh avocado blended with a prepared salsa. Delicious.
Once the grill was fired up, we also had big juicy burgers draped in cheese, plump sausages with spicy mustard and really phenomenal chicken breasts. It's so easy to overcook chicken into something dry and tasteless, but these thick babies - marinated in Caribbean jerk, spicy chipotle or barbecue sauce overnight - were mouthwateringly good. Homemade potato salad, corn pudding casserole, macaroni salad and a nice green salad rounded out the table.
Then came desserts, a decadent peanut butter cream-chocolate cookie trifle creation and a luscious frozen lemonade pie. Although I favored the trifle, Amy says the cool pie rocked her world.
Liz said the recipe (which I've included this week) is from Pat and Gina Neely, the Tennessee restaurateurs who host the popular Food Network show "Down Home with the Neelys." I had the good fortune to eat at one of their barbecue joints in Memphis a few years ago and everything I tried was delicious.
Well done, Liz and Tony, but did you have to raise the bar that high?
***
Last week's column on the great food I enjoyed on my recent trip to Hawaii brought back great memories for one reader.
"My wife and I spent five days in Princeville (Kauai) after the American Dental Association Annual Session in Honolulu last fall and had a couple of meals at the Dolphin," Richard Smith wrote, referring to the Hanalei Dolphin restaurant I raved about - he even sent a photo of him and his wife dining there.
"I am pleased to say I never have spent more money for fish and chips before; however, I have never eaten better! We had dinner at the former Princeville Hotel (now the St. Regis) and watched the sunset over Bali Hai, which was phenomenal."
"The different restaurants all over the island were wonderful, but the highlight of the trip was a BBQ on the beach near Poipu given by a dentist friend who practices in Kauai. For appetizers he had sashimi of Japanese hamachi and local Ahi, and the food just got better. Your nice article makes me want to go back soon."
Me, too.
Contact writer Steven Keith at dailymailfood...@aol.com or 304-348-1721. You can also follow him at "DailyMail FoodGuy" on Facebook or "DMFoodGuy" on Twitter.
