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How Much To Spend On Wine For A Supper Club?

One question that continually comes up around supper clubs is how much should be spent on wine? There is no correct answer. It is one of those topics around the club’s guidelines that needs to be discussed.

The cost of wine/alcohol is usually the driver around a dinner party’s cost. I believe that it is true that most of read wine lists right to left. That is, the more expensive a wine is, the better it is. Of course this isn’t true, but is a good indicator.

In my mind wine falls into five categories

  • Jug/Box wine. My daughter’s friend swears by her box wine. She claims that after aeration it isn’t bad
  • $10 Bottles. You can get some pretty good white wines and an occasional decent red wine especially a blend
  • $20 Bottles. There are some really good white wines and better red wines.
  • $50 Bottles. Here is where you get outstanding whites and really good red wines
  • Over $50 Bottles. We are talking special occasion wines. Just make sure you keep them away from family members that like to put ice in their wine.

My price categories are based on competitive retail prices. When looking at restaurants you can mark wine up 2 to 4 times in the categories above.

A good price target for supper clubs is $20 a bottle. You can get a decent bottle of wine and not break the bank. The funny thing is that it isn’t the price of a bottle but rather the number of bottles that drive cost. We have had a few memorable evenings where consumption overtook discretion. One time there so many bottles in our recycling bin after a supper club party that our 12 years old daughter and her friends made comments.

Our neighborhood supper club uses the price limit of $20 a bottle. Hosts have been known to serve a more expensive wine and charge $20 when allocating costs. Some hosts are simply more popular than others.

As we get older and more affluent, we have enjoyed better wines. We had some really good times when we were younger and couldn’t afford a decent wine. The reality is that the quality and cost of wine is not that important. Making friends and socializing over a meal is what supper clubs is all about.

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.

How To Grill The Perfect Steak

A question I get asked all the time is: Can you teach my husband to grill a steak? He over-cook’s everything.
There are several things that I do when I grill a steak:

• Let the steak slack out to room temperature for 45 minutes
• Pre-heat the grill on high for 15 minutes
• Brush on a light coating of olive all and season liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Place the steak on the grill and cook side one until about 60% done. I don’t believe in repeatedly flipping the steak. It is good to get a little char on side one. Side two should be less charred.

In my method there are 3 ways to check for done-ness

1. Touch it. Every steak you have ever had at a restaurant has been touched. At KFI we trained salespeople to check for doneness. We had them touch a raw steak. It was very soft. We had them touch an overcooked steak. It was very hard. We had them touch a medium steak and it was in between hard and soft. Touch takes practice.
2. Use an instant read thermometer. They work really well. I cook it to 115 degrees. Pull it off the grill and let it sit. It will continue to cook up to 125 degrees which is the perfect medium rare
3. Cut a little slice. This is a taboo in most cookbooks as “they” say you are letting out the juices. I once saw one of the best chefs I have ever worked with cut a little slice. There is nothing like seeing the doneness to be sure.

The goal is medium rare. I have surveyed chefs that work in high-end restaurants and they say 85% of customers want their steak medium rare.

I have one friend that asks the waiter for his steaks “Medium rare plus”. I pity the poor server that goes back to tell the chef that some pain in the ass customer wants his steak medium rare plus. If the server is lucky the chef will laugh. A few chefs I know would explode.

The first question I get asked is how long should I cook the steak. My answer is that it depends on several factors:

• How hot is the grill. All grills vary
• How often you open the grill
• How often you flip the steak (Only once recommended)
• How thick is your steak

Time and temperature can be misleading! Stick to the 3 doneness measures above and with a little practice you will get really good.
With the goal of medium rare, I cook to rare (warm red center) pull it off the grill, brush it with a compound butter (butter, garlic, shallot, herbs, salt and pepper) and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then slice and serve.

So what about steak for people that like their steak well-done? This is bad, but I avoid friends that like well-done steaks. I love the line in Anthony Bourdain’s book where he claims that most chefs save the worst steak for dinners that ask for well done. If they want well done they don’t have a clue. Truth is that there will always be end pieces of meat for the well-done guys.

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.

Pizza Dough