Oh, What a Night!

With the celebration of America’s birth looming on the horizon, a Ladue couple decided to forgo the fireworks and pay homage to our nation’s independence with an intimate dinner party in the East Coast tradition.

Their charming Cape Cod home as the ideal backdrop, the couple called on Jon Lowe, Executive Chef of Clayton’s Oceano Bistro, to create an upscale seafood buffet reminiscent of summers spent at the seaside. “Lobster is a favorite of my husband’s,” says the homeowner, “and although I enjoy cooking, I’m completely intimidated by cooking a fresh lobster. Oceano also has some of the best scallops in town, which are my favorite, so it just made sense to have them cater our New England dinner.”

“When the homeowners contacted me, I was very excited,” says Jon. “I love doing things like this! With Nantucket as the theme, my first thought was to serve a New England style seafood chowder, then roasted Maine lobster with marinated vegetables and tarragon butter. I look at this cuisine as hearty, but with a healthy twist.”

A cool breeze sailing through the delightful summer evening made a first course on the patio a must. Mouth-watering pan-seared Georges Banks scallops with baby sprouts, accompanied by a crisp Pinot Grigio, were just enough to whet everyone’s appetites for the special meal to come.

And so, as the sun began to set, the couple and their guests moved inside for dinner. Avid fans of Cape Cod design, the homeowners wanted their party’s décor to reflect not only their home, but also the Nantucket theme they had chosen.

“I was first introduced to the cedar shake shingle style of home when I began going to Michigan with my husband to his family’s cottage. But I was completely sold on the New England style when we went to Nantucket with friends. The whole island is very low-key but classy.”

As part of her preparations, the homeowner consulted with Trina Bellavance, visual manager, and Aaron Fischer, senior display coordinator, at the Anthropologie store at the St. Louis Galleria. “When I walked into the store,” says the homeowner, “I was struck by a fantastic sea-inspired tabletop display. I knew I wanted to create something similar for my party.” With Trina and Aaron’s help, the homeowner got great ideas and chose just the right items that would ensure a similar ambience in her home.

“At Anthropologie we strive to create unique environments that spark creativity within our customers,” says Trina. “To create a Cape Cod- inspired gathering, we looked for inspiration in the ocean. Blues and whites mixed with glass and wood work beautifully together to create a classic yet rustic feel.”

“For the table setting,” adds Aaron, “we blended two styles of dinnerware to create a table with relaxed elegance. It’s important to generate movement and contrast in scale when designing a tablescape. We achieved this by using glass vessels of varying heights.”

The buffet dinner included littleneck clams and Prince Edward Island mussels sautéed in a citrus-basil broth and linguine, a quick-cured whole roasted side of salmon with dill and peppercorns, and an arugula and shaved prosciutto salad with golden beets, goat cheese and strawberries. An apple cinnamon bake with a lemon strudel topping was the perfect endnote to this special evening that celebrated the natural beauty and culinary magic that is found only in Cape Cod.

RESOURCES:
Oceano Bistro, John Lowe, Executive Chef, www.oceanobistro.com;
Anthropologie, 1155 St. Louis Galleria, 314-727-7419, www.anthropologie.com