Dinner Parties Demystified: 'Forking Fantastic!'

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THE PHRASE "dinner party" may conjure a "Mad Men" scene, with guests sitting stiffly around a table set with Granny's silver, making small talk while choking down chicken divan. But New York food veterans Zora O'Neill and Tamara Reynolds think having people over for a meal is a nearly lost art in need of revival. In their new book, "Forking Fantastic! Putting the Party Back Into Dinner Party" ($20, Gotham), they share recipes and tips for hosting a bash.

» EXPRESS: Why don't people throw dinner parties anymore?
» REYNOLDS: They're misinformed. People our age don't understand they can be as simple as saying, "I'm going to roast a chicken and make a salad. Will you guys come over and bring a bottle of wine and have dinner?"

» EXPRESS: Why should they?
» O'NEILL: When you start regularly sitting down at the table with people, you realize this is a great social thing. You can recharge and meet new people.

» EXPRESS: Can anyone can teach themselves to cook?
» O'NEILL: Like any self-improvement project, it doesn't come overnight. Cooking for other people is a motivator that makes you cook. Often, people think, "If it's just for me, it's not worth it." But if you have people over, you're excited and make more effort.

» EXPRESS: What mistakes do dinner-party virgins make?
» O'NEILL: Worrying. We advise drinking, of course. That helps take the edge off the anxiety. And prominently pasting the number of a pizza delivery place on the cupboard is fine, too.
» REYNOLDS: If you're stressing out and spending a million dollars on scented candles, centerpieces and place cards, you don't need any of that crap. Just focus on making something that sounds delicious and inviting some people over you really care about.

» EXPRESS: Are there any kinds of food to stay away from?
» O'NEILL: We tell people not to heed the [common] advice to cook a recipe you've already cooked before. That is so unnecessary. When else are you going to grill up lamb chops? Why not do it for other people and do it for the first time for them? If it takes that excitement to cook them, why not do it?

» EXPRESS: Why do you like serving meals family style?
» REYNOLDS: If someone doesn't like something, they're in charge of serving themselves, and they won't serve what they don't like.
» O'NEILL: You always want to serve something big! People can reach into the pan and take what they want. It makes a more convivial setup.

» EXPRESS: What if you're short on space or lacking necessary supplies like, say, a dining-room table?
» O'NEILL: If you don't have a table, take a door off a closet, and stack it up on books. Just make sure there's someone around to help you hang it back up. And I'm a big fan of just moving all the furniture in crazy ways if you have to.
» REYNOLDS: Have people bring their own chair. People think that's fun. They get into it, and it makes them feel part of it. And then you haven't gone out and bought 10 chairs unnecessarily.

» EXPRESS: What if you have a dinner-party disaster, like burned food or drunk guests?
» O'NEILL: All of our best stories are about things going horribly wrong, and we still have friends. Nobody's going to hold it against you as long as you feed them dinner, even if it's takeout.

Written by Express contributor Beth Luberecki