STYLE THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT!
Wine & Dine
When entertaining in a restaurant, it all comes down to personal touches By Steven Stolman Photography by Jerry Rabinowitz I’m a pretty good cook—at least, that’s what people say. The fact that I’ve written two cookbooks and had one of my recipes featured in The New York Times would support this claim. That recipe for roasted chicken Provençal received the still-mind-bogglingto-me designation of being the most popular recipe of the year. Who’da thunk it? For as many instances in which I love nothing more than welcoming folks for a home-cooked meal, there are an equal number of times when there’s nothing I’d rather do less. It could be due to work deadlines, family mishigas, sheer exhaustion, or anything else on the laundry list of things that just plain suck the wind out of my culinary sails. During these walks through the shadow of the valley of inhospitality, what’s a serial entertainer to do? The answer is to let someone else, or someplace else, do the work. My favorite someplace would be a restaurant that I frequent on a regular basis, one that will allow me to add personal touches so that the experience is different from a runof-the-mill “let’s meet somewhere for dinner” dinner. The celebration of our ninth wedding anniversary was one such instance. Having just arrived back in Palm Beach after a summer’s absence, plus a departure to our new place in Chicago looming, the last thing I felt capable of doing was putting together a dinner party. But having survived our way (so far) through the pandemic, I wanted to do something special to acknowledge the milestone, not only for my husband, Rich, and myself, but for our few buddies who were with us on that chilly weekend in Milwaukee. During my many years living in a small studio 34
Inset: The custom tablescape at Swifty’s at The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach left: The anniversary invitation
apartment in New York City, the nearby Swifty’s was my go-to for ex-cathedra celebration dinners. Doing private parties within a bustling restaurant has long been one of proprietor Robert Caravaggi’s specialties; it seemed that there was always something special going on at one of the coveted tables in the back room.
And now that the iconic restaurant has been reborn at the stylish Colony Hotel in Palm Beach (thecolonypalmbeach.com), the choice was a no-brainer. Swifty’s terrific staff couldn’t have been more accommodating, especially general manager Michelle Stokes, who helped me create a highly personalized evening for our guests.
FORT LAUDERDALE ILLUSTRATED
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