When you plan events for a living, throwing your own parties takes on new meaning. People expect miracles, or at least something extraordinary. And worst of all, there’s no room for flaws; everything you do will be measured-and probably mimicked-by your guests.
It’s enough to give most party-throwing pros pause, but not Frank Goldstin, who heads G/M Productions, a Chicago meeting and event planning firm. “You can’t think like that. Those thoughts will paralyze you and you’ll never have a party of your own.”
So Goldstin entertains his diverse and ever-evolving crew of friends and acquaintances as often as he can, which usually translates into a to-do of some sort at his Gold Coast apartment about once a month. These gatherings run the gamut in size and scope, but they’re always designed with one goal in mind: to be fun.
“When Frank entertains for pleasure, his priority is to focus on his guests and make sure they all have a great time,” says Jackie Harris, a Chicago marketing consultant. “No one would ever miss a Frank Goldstin party.”
How does Goldstin do it? For starters, as a pro he has an enormous range of reliable contacts. And as a successful entrepreneur, he has a healthy budget. But these resources don’t necessarily guarantee success.
“Things can always go wrong or fall flat,” he points out.
But they haven’t yet at any of his personal parties, and for good reason. Goldstin makes sure that each affair he throws is sharply focused, precisely planned and deliberately balanced. He starts with a specific premise for a party, such as a holiday or a milestone for a friend, then comes up with a simple yet imaginative way to execute his idea.
For instance, he hosted a down-home turkey dinner the night after Thanksgiving four years ago because everyone was obligated to be with their families for the holiday itself. He once hired a psychic for a friend’s birthday party.
But there’s more to ensuring the success of a party than the entertainment and food. Here are some of Goldstin’s keys to success, gleaned from the party he held this fall, with singer Josie as the main event.
THE MENU
APPETIZERS
Assorted sushi
Thai chicken salad seasoned with mint and coriander lime aioli served on a silver spoon with crisp herb tuille
Petite jumbo crab cake with cajun romoulade
Caramelized shallot and chevre tartlet with tomato basil relish
DINNER BUFFET
Oven-roasted baby vegetables glazed with extra-virgin olive oil and dusted with a Moroccan spice mix
Heirloom tomatoes served with buffalo mozzarella, micro greens and a frozen basil vinaigrette
Steamed fingerling potatoes served with creme fraiche and caviar
Warm lobster salad tossed in a black truffle vinaigrette
Oven-roasted tenderloin of beef crusted with fine herbs served with horseradish chantilly and whole-grain mustard
Freshly baked breads, breadsticks and flatbreads
DESSERT
Fudge brownie parfaits layered with vanilla ice cream served with berry stew
Coffee and tea service
Frank Goldstin’s keys to success
– Have a purpose: “I like to have a hook to base a party on because it makes it easier to plan the other aspects of the event,” says Goldstin. “Host a benefit or a milestone for someone else, or tie the party in to a holiday.” This party was in honor of R&B singer Josie, who had just released her first CD, “Unkunvenshunal Girl.”
– Vary the guest list: “It’s interesting to meet new people, so balance your list so that you have a diverse crowd where everyone doesn’t already know each other.” Include people from all walks of life, diverse ages, fields. He had about 50.
– Start off right: “Nobody likes to walk into an empty place and suffer the stigma of being the first one there, so make sure you ask a few friends to come on time,” advises Goldstin. Also be prepared yourself; greet your guests as they arrive.
– Plan something quirky: “Give your guests an exciting, memorable experience, so dream up something different to do each time,” says Goldstin. For a friend’s 35th birthday party, he had every guest write a song about the birthday boy that they had to perform that night.
– Match food to mood: The right kind of food can either be made or bought, but it should jibe with the nature of the party. Not everyone will hire a caterer, but Goldstin does, judiciously. “For a younger crowd, or something casual, I might use Design Cuisine [in Morton Grove] or even Zoom Kitchen, and for something really fancy, I might use Spiaggia.” For this party, he used Food for Thought in Lincolnwood. “They serve everything so creatively, great for a polished crowd.”
– Set the stage simply: Goldstin went for simplicity instead of pricey exotics by using snow-white carnations fashioned into enormous spheres by Darren Andereck of Alice’s Garden.
– Serve with style: Place buffet items closer together on a smaller table to make the spread look bountiful. Do something unorthodox your guests will remember. Goldstin served one of the components of the dinner, a lobster salad, in martini glasses. At other times, he has served appetizers on silver spoons (such as tuna tartare or potatoes topped with caviar).
– Spread out your food stations: People congregate around food and drink, so by serving in different rooms you encourage them to circulate, Goldstin explains. For this party, he had the bar set up in the study and the buffet in the dining room.
– Add one eccentric element: For this party, he served martinis of his own concoction (Absolut Mandarin, a splash of Rose’s Lime Juice, tonic and water, shaken and served straight up in a martini glass) and called them Franktinis.
– If anything fails, here’s Goldstin’s Golden Rule: “People don’t usually remember the little things, like every dish, the flowers or what they drank. They remember the total environment you created, who was there, what they did and what everyone wore.”
So relax, have a drink and dress to kill.
RECIPES
WARM LOBSTER SALAD WITH WHITE TRUFFLE OIL VINAIGRETTE
Serves six
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup canola oil
1 oz white truffle oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
3 whole live lobsters, about 1.5 pounds each
1 head frisee, washed, dried and torn into small sections (about 4 cups)
Fresh chervil for garnish
1. For the vinaigrette, combine shallot, garlic and vinegar in a small non-reactive bowl. Whisk in olive oil, canola oil and white truffle oil. Mix in the salt and pepper. Let vinaigrette sit for at least a half-hour.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add lobsters, bring water back to a boil, reduce heat slightly and simmer for 7 minutes.
3. Drain and cool lobsters. Remove the large claws and set aside. Remove the tail meat along with any meat within the legs. Chop the tail meat and place all the lobster meat in a small bowl. Add enough of the vinaigrette to generously coat the meat and toss to combine.
4. Divide the frisee equally among six large martini glasses. Spoon the lobster meat onto the frisee and add one claw to each serving. Drizzle with more of the vinaigrette, season with additional fresh pepper, and garnish with a sprig of chervil.
FUDGE BROWNIE PARFAITS WITH BERRY STEW
Serves six (adapted recipe)
For the brownie:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup hot water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 quart vanilla ice cream
For the berry stew:
1 pint raspberries
1 pint blueberries
1 pint strawberries, sliced
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 17-by-12-inch sheet pan (or jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with sides) with softened butter. Cut a piece of parchment paper about two inches larger than the pan and place it onto the greased bottom and sides of the pan. Butter the parchment paper and set the pan aside.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and mix briefly. On low speed, alternately add the sifted dry ingredients with the hot water until well blended. Briefly mix in the walnuts.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread evenly to edges of pan with an offset spatula. Bake 13 to 15 minutes. Brownie will be slightly puffy but will deflate upon removal from oven. Cool completely.
5. When ready to assemble the brownie, soften ice cream until it is easily spreadable. Flip the brownie out onto a work surface and cut it in half (there will be two pieces about 8 1/2 by 12 inches). Leave the parchment paper on the brownie; these sides will face out. Spread all of the softened ice cream onto one of the brownie halves. Place the other half, top side down, directly onto the ice cream and gently press together. (Note: Both sections of brownie should have the parchment paper outside of the halves.) Immediately wrap in plastic wrap; freeze until hard, at least several hours or preferably overnight.
6. Reserve a small portion of the berries for garnish. Prepare berry stew by combining the remaining berries and sugar in a bowl. Toss to coat and allow to sit for an hour before serving.
7. When ready to serve, peel the parchment paper away from the brownie. Cut frozen brownie into triangles or circles and arrange several pieces on each plate. Serve with berry stew on the side and scatter the reserved berries on top of the brownie parfaits. Serve immediately.
