A Green Green Table, Part Deux

Candlelight really does make all the difference. With the dinner for Olivia about to begin, I lit the taper candles and a smattering of the green glassybaby, and the table just danced.

As I mentioned in the post yesterday, this was a week-day dinner, so we drew upon a local French restaurant to supply the main portion of the meal, a roasted chicken with frites. We went this route for a host of reasons. Olivia attended Seattle University, and her favorite place to dine was Cafe Presse, a delightful & beyond yummy French bistro right next to the campus. www.cafepresseseattle.com We thought it would be fun to incorporate something from there into the meal, as “French bistro” was the theme for the dinner. It also really freed me up from being in the kitchen for an extended period right before guests arrived. My tip number one for week-night entertaining–don’t always feel like you have to make everything. With the main portion of the meal covered, I made a quick warm French lentil dish. I also steamed some haricot vert, put a big dollop of butter on top with a few good pinches of salt, and put them on a big platter. Cafe Presse also does a lovely Bibb lettuce salad with hazelnut vinaigrette that is pretty out of this world. A baguette with some French butter, and dinner was served.

For dessert, I had cut strawberries in half and marinated them in triple sec. We served bowls of the strawberries alongside palmiers from La Panier–also an Olivia favorite. www.lapanier.com We really wanted to honor Olivia with some of her favorite Seattle things, and by incorporating them into the meal, they were meant to be small, loving gestures. After many bottles of Sauvignon Blanc and sparkling water, the evening drew to a close. It was a happy night, with just a few tears, and many, many wonderful stories & memories.