Throwing A Virtual Dinner Party

Can’t wait to be back around a table with your best buddies, drinking wine and eating delicious food? We are right there with you.

Hopefully we will all be able to reunite soon, but for now you can still have a memorable dinner party with friends, even if they're on another coast or in another country. Even when things resume to "normal," there is bound to be a situation where a virtual hang will have to suffice. The fatcork team has created a few tips for making your virtual dinner night come together at the click of a button.

1. Set a date

Mark your calendars for a time that works best for all of you, giving yourselves a few days in advance to gather the goods. Go big and make it a three course meal, just be sure to give yourselves extra time.

2. Do your planning

Wouldn’t it be groovy if everyone could share all the same flavors and aromas in addition to the great company? Same goes for the beverages! Order ahead and you can all sip the same bubbles. We're happy to provide recommendations to pair with your meal. Just send us an email or give us a call at 206-257-1730!

Meal prep:

Pick the same recipe! Choose meal that everyone can make in their respective locations. If you're stuck, try looking for one here:

Bon Appetit has many great recipes. We love this collection of “The recipes you need to know how to cook.”
I’d Rather be Meryl - Two gal friends who create awesome recipes, demystify wine lists, and tackle entertaining at home. Plus, they take all their pictures with their iPhones! It's as real as it gets. (You should be following them anyway.)
We love America’s Test Kitchen’s All-Time Best series. Especially the best soups!

Get your supplies:
If you can, we recommend supporting your local grocery store, market, butcher, or restaurant offering pantry items for sale. Of course limit going out if you can. Instacart and Amazon Fresh are great options too.

3. Set the mood

Set the table:
Dress your table with a tablecloth, pull out the nice China you’ve been waiting to use, and don’t forget the vase with flowers. Dimming the lights and firing up some candles couldn’t hurt either.

Get dressed up:

Pajamas are not invited to dinner, unless thats the point. Otherwise, shower, throw on a nice outfit, comb those wild locks and even dab a little cologne or perfume behind your ears. Fine, you can leave your house slippers on.

4. Dial in & enjoy!

There are lots of options for connecting with friends. Some require downloading apps, other’s you might already have:

Zoom
FaceTime
House Party
Instagram video
Facebook video
Google Hangouts

Sign into your video date and wait for friends to show up.

The virtual dinner party is so much fun, it might just have to become a regular occurrence. We wouldn’t hate it, that’s for sure. Follow us on Instagram for more tips for the Great Stay In of 2020, and be sure to share your own stories with us - just tag #athomewithfatcork.

Cheers and bon appétit!

Team fatcork