Slide Show: Seven Steps to a Highly Successful Dinner Party
 

(Photo: J. Savage Gibson)
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Hospitality Revisited  
These days, the pull-out-all-the-stops dinner party at home is reaching the point of extinction, and oh, what a shame that would be. Sure, barbecues are fun and casual. Cocktail parties seem easier (though that's by no means a given if you do them right), and potluck takes almost no effort on your part (where's the hospitality in that?). Nothing, however, is going to make guests feel more special, more festive, more happy to know you than an occasion to sit down to an elegant table, enjoy civilized conversation, and have a decent meal when it isn't even Thanksgiving or Christmas.

We've heard all the excuses. Dinner parties are time-consuming. They're expensive. The house is a mess. Get over it. No, they'll never be completely effortless, but they certainly don't have to cause anxiety or pain. A few suggestions can make the difference between an evening that is simply swell or your own version of hell ...