Monthly Newsletter

Luxury for less. An oxymoron? Perhaps! With financial market gyrations and general uncertainty, there may be some of us who look at our budget with a cleaver in mind. Entertaining may not be a priority, or the dollars spent on it. But, it is an all-important component of life that bonds friends and family. Rather than cut out summer entertaining, we encourage you to plan and enjoy the party, perhaps in a more modest manner. After the Lehman debacle and market freefall, every food magazine featured low cost menus and tips on how to entertain frugally. We still have those on hand. The real bottom line is: we need to nurture our friends and family. They are our greatest treasures.

If yesterday's news has not been great, be assured that not all entertaining strains the bank. It just may require more creativity. Your friends are the stars of the evening, and the scene will be attractive with a table set with your lovely china and silver. Add a menu that can be tailored to your budget, especially utilizing the best produce of the summer. A wonderful cold soup, a superb roast chicken, a colorful salad of fresh tomatoes and Paula Lambert's mozzarella, finishing with a Texas peach dessert or a blackberry cobbler, will have your guests impressed. With luck, there are a few bottles of nice wine remaining in the cellar. Otherwise, check out our Source section on Wines for a purveyor who can suggest excellent, modest wines. You will have entertained with just a small expenditure of money but a sizeable investment in friendship.

Head to EatZi's Market & Bakery on Friday evening for their easy pick-up of gourmet pizza, salad ready-to-go and a nice wine as you walk in the door at both the Lovers Lane and Oak Lawn locations. What a convenience, and inexpensive at that. Now is the time to invite a neighboring family, or close friends with their children, to join you for an impromptu Friday night supper. Add dessert of EatZi's gelato, fruit and freshly made cookies. This is the occasion to enjoy the simplicity of the acrylic plates that are popping up everywhere. Nicholson Hardie has a great selection, as does the Horchow Collection. Add some colorful napkins and flowers from the garden, and supper can be casual but stylish. Easy! -- and a nice remembrance for all.

We have some other thoughts about entertaining friends without breaking the bank.

• Invite your friends who share the month's birthday for a lunch celebration. Entertaining a trio of friends for their birthdays, whether at the newest or very special restaurant, will reinforce the friendships. To control the costs, consider pre-selecting the lunch, which only adds to your thoughtfulness.
• Share hosting a party to celebrate a friend's special occasion with "cake and champagne." Homemade tea sandwiches and a fabulous cake from one of Dallas' superb bakeries, such as La Duni, Tart, Rush's Patisserie or Pure Chocolate Desserts from Zach will be the conversation pièce de résistance. Set a pretty table. It can be the highlight of a quiet summer.
• If cooking isn't your thing, discuss with your caterer a less expensive menu and ask for suggestions to cut corners. They are professionals, who know the best sources and know how to price out meals and rentals. You may be surprised with the creative results. Check out our Source section for Caterers if you do not already have a caterer in mind.

While we are thinking of being prudent, this is also the time to be looking out for bargains (perhaps some flawed logic here) to fill in entertaining "necessities." All our better-known shops have marked-down, fabulous finds, like the ten matching Anna Weatherley dinner plates we saw at Neiman Marcus and the William Yeoward glasses at Madison. Our local linen specialists -- Casa di Lino and Yves Delorme -- all have summer sales underway or upcoming. Check their websites for sale notices.

We also have to tout some of our favorite websites for summer-sale or good value tableware and cooking equipment:

• If you do not know OneKingsLane.com, we suggest you keep an eye on it. A top of the line "sample sale," the site caters to household items, which includes many tabletop lines and embellishments. Recently, we have seen antique pottery plates, Reed and Barton silverware and upcoming sales from Christofle and Juliska. Weekly "tag sales" from designer gurus, such as Bunny Williams, have great one-of-a-kind selections.
• The Horchow Collection (horchow.com) has taken on a new look with an enlarged and redesigned site that includes a handsome tabletop section. Likewise, Williams-Sonoma website seems to be having non-stop sales on cooking equipment. Now may be the time to buy those casual glasses or that immersion blender.
• We regularly check in on RubyLane.com and Replacements.com. It seems that Replacements is steadily lowering its prices on fine china and silver.

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