Should You Avoid A ‘Polarizing’ Flavor?

One of the challenges you can face developing a menu for a dinner party is if you should avoid an item that you know some people will like and some people will not like such as: Seafood, Lamb, Spicy, Coconut etc.

A classic story involved an impromptu dinner party that my buddy Lucien and I cooked for. One Friday afternoon we decided to have a dinner party the next day and to feature rack of lamb. With short notice we started inviting people to our “rack of lamb” dinner. Pretty quickly the number of guests got to over 20 and at least a third said on the front end: “I don’t like lamb but…”

My favorite memory of the evening was four or five of the “haters” fighting over the lasts lamb chops. There is something about a rack of lamb cooked to perfection. Lamb can be gamey. If it is overcooked it can be tough and flavorless. The lesson I learned that night is that if you sear it on the front end at high heat and cook it to medium rare, your guests are in for a treat.

It is amazing to me how many people don’t like seafood. Fish can be a strong flavor. Seafood that is a little off is really bad. Again, fresh seafood prepared correctly is phenomenal. I would guess that over 20% of consumers simply don’t like fish.

My parents own a house on Long Island New York. When we were in our twenties my wife Susan and I would throw what we called our annual “Hamptoons” party. Our friends from college and work would gather at the house in Westhampton and the highlight was a lobster and clam feast. And yes, there was alcohol involved. Invariably there would be several newcomers that had never had lobster and to whom the thought of eating raw clams was unpalatable. Susan would show the newbies how to eat her favorite crustaceans and we had many a convert. We would also give out the “Poison lobster” award to someone who got over served alcohol. Trust me, the lobster was never the problem.

You are never going to make everyone happy. When it comes to polarizing flavors like lamb, seafood and coconut, I say go for it. While you won’t please everyone, the chances are pretty good that you will have a few converts.

If you enjoy this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and be on the look out for my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs due out from Morgan James Publishing on January 30, 2018.

The Foods You Grew Up With

There is something special about the foods you grew up with. They are special to you, not necessarily “special” to everyone. When writing menus for supper clubs it is only natural for most people to gravitate to their comfort zone. You do need to be careful not to assume everyone will like what you like.

A great example of this hit me when my buddy John from New York visited me in Memphis. John and I grew up going to a great Italian restaurant and pizzeria. Cassarella’s became our “Gold Standard” for the best pizza. John came to visit and my wife and daughter were away for the weekend. John was thinking about opening a pizzeria in Memphis so John, my son Brian (age 10) and I went on a survey of pizzerias in Memphis. We went to at least 10 over 3 days.

The pizza was mostly bad by our standards. Memphians like their pizza half cooked. It is usually doughy and soft. They even put BBQ pork on it. But, that is what the market likes. Being New Yorker’s we just assumed everyone would like what we like. To this day my son talks about our pizza research fondly. He got to eat pizza for 9 straight meals. It was heaven for him, but his mother is still mad at me.

I was once was waiting on line on a Friday night at a chain pizza place in Memphis. Out of the blue the guy in front of me who I didn’t know, turned and asked me: “Can you believe we are waiting on line for this crap?” I agreed and said “East Coast?” he responded “Boston”.

I believe that people like the pizza (and most foods) that they grew with. People from New York like New York pizza. People from Chicago like Chicago pizza. And, people from Memphis like their pizza half cooked. I once was talking to the owner of a pizzeria in Memphis. He was from Italy, had lived in New Jersey and been in business in Memphis for 10 years. He told me Memphians like their pizza “white”. If I made pizza the way I like it, I would be out of business in a month.

The lesson I have learned is try to match your supper club menu to your audience and don’t let your wife know that your son ate nothing but pizza for three days.

Where To Get Menu Ideas

One of the biggest challenges of supper clubs is coming up with fresh menu ideas. Here is a list of the top ten best sources:

Restaurants

They say that imitation is the biggest form of flattery. There is probably no greater praise than saying you are trying to reproduce a restaurants cuisine.

Travels

Many of us have been on a trip that has inspired us. When you think of travels to France and Italy how can you not come back with great menu ideas.

Television

The myriad of food shows on television today there are all kinds of ideas being generated. We all have our favorites and if you miss the episode you catch it on demand.

The Internet

There are so many sites out there that provide a constant feed of ideas. Then there are the resource sites that are awaiting your click through research.

Family

One of the most popular menus I have ever written was based on a friend’s memory of his Midwestern culinary roots. Who would have thought of cream corn as a sauce?

Books

Many of us have our favorite authors and books. Cookbooks are a wonderful resource.

Magazines

While print readership is down there are still some great periodicals.

Newspapers

Our local newspaper has weekly articles. I read the New York Times religiously as a kid and got great ideas. Today even my Wall Street Journal has periodic articles that can inspire.

Friends

One of my favorite questions is what was your favorite meal. That question has led to all kinds of great menus

Other Supper Clubbers

It is always fun to solicit menu ideas at a supper club dinner party.

Hope this list helps.