Kitchensurfing is a company that brings restaurant dining experiences into clients’ homes. I was thrilled when Kitchensurfing approached me and asked if I would like to try their service and host a dinner party. I love hosting parties, and the opportunity to throw a party without doing the work was too good to pass up.
I was immediately impressed by Kitchensurfing‘s website. First you select the type of cuisine you would like – the possibilities include everything from Caribbean to Chinese, Indian to Italian, and Southern to Spanish. Once you pick a style of food, you are presented with a list of chefs and their menus. Selecting the cuisine was a challenge but the sample menus posted on the website inspired me to choose a Southern Barbecue theme. Kitchensurfing paired me with Chef Kristin Koury and she came up with a menu that almost got me drooling as I read it. You can work with the chef to create the menu of your choosing, but Chef Kristin knocked it out of the park, and accommodated several food allergies, on her first try.
The day of the party all I needed to do was lay out plates, silverware, and napkins, and make sure I had enough drinks for everyone. Chef Kristin did the majority of the prep work offsite, and arrived at my home 2 hours before the party.
Our evening began with a casual cocktail hour and a trio of appetizers:
Bacon wrapped cream cheese stuffed mini sweet peppers
We couldn’t stop eating this simple and savory appetizer. This is something that you can easily create at home, just buy sweet peppers, slice them in half, fill them with cream cheese, wrap them with bacon, and bake them until the bacon is crisp.
Tangy cucumber soup shooter
This soup was made with yogurt which gave it a nice creaminess. It was served chilled in shooter glasses and it was very refreshing.
Cherry tomato bruschetta on crunchy crostini
Juicy tomatoes seasoned with olive oil and basil and topped with parmesan were stacked on top of bread. This dish fit perfectly with the end of summer barbecue theme.
Then we moved on to a seated dinner, that started with the prettiest salad.
Stacked Tomato and Avocado Salad
Layers of heirloom tomatoes and sliced avocado with a creamy avocado dressing. We loved this variation of a caprese salad, and the stacked presentation was beautiful. Slices of avocado and an avocado dressing turned this Italian dish into a Southwestern salad.
Our main dish was brisket wrapped in bacon, and it was just as fabulous as it looked. The bacon made the brisket extra tender and juicy.
Texas style beef brisket
Low and slowly smoked tender beef brisket, wrapped in bacon and served with Texas style hot sauce and Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce. The brisket was served with rolls paired with signature butters (I loved the honey butter), succotash with corn and peppers, and crispy potatoes.
Dessert was a pair of pies, and almost everyone opted to try both.
Pie A la Mode
Peach-Blueberry and Apple Pie with Creamy Vanilla Ice cream
My guests and I had the most wonderful time. Even though I hosted, I hardly lifted a finger. One of the best things about Kitchensurfing was that Chef Kristin left my kitchen spotless.
I would highly recommend Kitchensurfing, they can accommodate groups large and small. It is a fun way to have a stress free party – either a multi-course dinner or just appetizers, or you can have a date night for two, and they even do cooking lessons.
Kitchensurfing provided me with complementary services, but the opinions expressed are my own.