Everyone can call a caterer and throw an amazing soirée. But why not choose a bolder option for your fall entertaining? Assemble a fabulous feast for your guests comprised of your favorite dishes from beloved Beverly Hills restaurants.
Sure, you may raise eyebrows with a lack of culinary or regional theme. Korean Banchan followed by Greek Souvlaki? It is your party; you can be as whimsical as you wish.
Here is our lineup for a fabulous gathering in which each course takes center stage. The possibilities are endless, and we hope you’re inspired to create your own “Uncatered Affair.”
Welcome Apéritif
Dark & Stormy
Three ingredients make this party cocktail a classic.
2 oz. Planteray Original Dark Rum from Barbados
3 1/2 oz. Fever Tree Ginger Beer
1/4 oz. fresh lime juice
Combine in a glass over crushed ice and garnish with a lime wheel atop the rim. Do not shake, as ginger beer is effervescent. If you’re feeling festive, add a tiki umbrella.
planterayrum.com
Passed Hors d’oeuvres
‘Surf and Turf’
Cheesesteaks from Matu
So naughty and so good. Slice the submarine-sized sandwiches into two-bite portions and place them on a silver tray. This elevated Philly fave is composed of 100% grass-fed Wagyu ribeye and sirloin, sharp cheddar, onions and an optional hot pepper piled on an insanely toothsome sesame seed roll.
The sandwich is served only at Matu’s bar at lunchtime, so you’ll have to order ahead and arrange for pick up or delivery hours ahead of your party. Excellent reheating instructions are included.
matusteak.com
Sushi Selections from Sugarfish
Premium quality fish atop lightly vinegared rice makes for one intoxicating bite. Your guests will gobble up the most tender and flavorful yellowtail—spritzed with tangy lemon juice—sitting on lightly packed rice, for a texture treat. Tuna in house-made lemony ponzu makes for a fun amuse-bouche served in a Chinese soup spoon.
If you’re a sushi lover, no introduction is needed. Sugarfish, the scion of the revered Sushi Nozawa restaurant in Studio City, is consistent in its high quality and serves a simple but scrumptious omakase menu. À la carte is also available. Order a couple of bento boxes to go and serve them with your welcome cocktails.
sugarfishsushi.com
Salad Course
Chopped Salad from La Scala
Beloved for 60 years, this iconic salad is perfect for taking home to serve your guests. La Scala expertly combines romaine and iceberg lettuces, garbanzo beans, Italian salami and mozzarella, all expertly chopped into tiny pieces. Simple enough. But La Scala’s red wine vinaigrette is the enigmatic star, and I’ve never been able to replicate the flavor.
If you grew up in Beverly Hills and were able to experience La Scala when Hollywood still dined out, you’d have sat alongside Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner (who got engaged there), or Suzanne Pleshette (who regularly lunched on the salad with her equally gorgeous friends).
Indeed, these folks created the vernacular of the chopped salad itself. Explaining to then-owner Jean Leon that the salad’s dressing splashed on their designer threads, patrons urged the chef to chop the salad to make it more manageable to eat. And thus, an entire dining category was born. Nowadays, celebs like Kate Hudson wander in for a chopped fix.
lascalabaverlyhills.com
First Course
Soup Dumplings from Mr. Chow
A half-century ago, Mr. Chow brought its chic, vaunted version of Beijing-style Chinese cuisine to Beverly Hills and it’s been the raucous place to be seen ever since.
Though it’s difficult to choose just one item to highlight from the menu (We’re looking at you, Glazed Prawns, Gambler’s Duck, Chicken Satay and Pea Sprouts!), we’re going with the soup dumplings. Here, they’re called Shanghai Little Dragons. Minced pork swimming in a rich flavorful broth is bundled tightly into a noodle dumpling and steamed. It’s served alongside a bowl of seasoned vinegar, which adds a complex acidic hit. (Dip your soup spoon into the vinegar once you’ve loaded the dumpling onto it.) You will never go back to any other soup dumpling once you’ve served the gold standard that is the Shanghai Little Dragon.
mrchow.com
Pasta Course
Involtini di Spaghetti from Il Pastaio
This flavorful baked casserole of homemade spaghetti wrapped inside eggplant slices, tomato, provolone and ricotta cheeses, fresh basil and olive oil is Sicily on a plate.
Giacomino Drago, Il Pastaio’s Sicilian-born chef/proprietor, has delighted locals at his fashionable, friendly corner trattoria for 30 years. It’s one of Beverly Hills’ most profound longtime establishments that keeps our little village—yes, many still feel that way about Beverly Hills—feeling like a residential community and not simply a shopping destination for tourists.
Drop off your own ceramic casserole dish at Il Pastaio a day before your dinner party and Drago will fill it with Involtini di Spaghetti or any other selection of his delicious baked pastas.
ilpastaiobeverlyhills.com
Main Course
Branzino from Piccolo Paradiso
Also from Chef Giacomino Drago, this South Beverly Drive vibrant neighborhood haunt is extremely popular with locals. Fresh fish, consistently exquisitely prepared, is always on the menu. The branzino with olives, potatoes, cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley in a garlic and lemon broth is the perfect crowd pleaser at a dinner party. This delicate whitefish offers a lighter juxtaposition to some of this menu’s more substantial offerings. Additionally, it is pretty on the plate.
piccoloparadisobeverlyhills.com
Chocolates and Digestifs
andSons Chocolatiers
This jewel box of a boutique is the second chapter in a chocolate shop dynasty story. For 36 years, a family-run Teuscher chocolates store, draped in pastel-colored faux flowers that spilled onto the corner of Brighton Way and Camden Drive, sold rich truffles and Swiss chocolates. When the proprietor retired five years ago, her two sons reimagined what a chocolate store should be for modern tastes.
andSons Chocolatiers offers a modern interpretation of the classic bonbon. Bright colors splash across smooth-domed chocolates in a Jackson Pollock-inspired riot. Inside, one may hold molten creamy caramel or a nutty praline mousse. PB&J makes its debut enrobed in dark chocolate, as does the campfire treat s’mores. These luxe bonbons are truly delicious. Display them on a modern serving tray and thrill your guests.
and-sons.com
Ravella Tequila
From the creators of 11 Ravens, an ultra-high-end, design-forward maker of game tables, this super-premium tequila fits right in with the company’s ethos of stylish living.
Double distilled from 100% Blue Weber Agave in Jalisco, this Extra Añejo sipping tequila is aged for a minimum of 36 months in American white oak barrels that previously held whiskey. You can taste wisps of whiskey in Ravella’s complex, full-bodied flavors. It’s a sophisticated ending to dinner when served with a piece of delectable chocolate.
There are no additives in Ravella, allowing its slightly smoky flavors of almonds, honey and vanilla to shine. The exquisite packaging is reminiscent of a raven as a nod to the tequila’s owner, 11 Ravens. The box unfolds like the wings of the bird, revealing the bottle with a cap evocative of a raven’s beak. Ravella is a sipping tequila so be sure to serve it in a rocks glass, a designated añejo glass, or better yet, a Baccarat shot glass.
ravellatequila.com
