Embrace the Buffet
Tom Bergin’s will set up a buffet to serve food during holiday events. Nothing fried is put out, Delp says, since fried fare does not hold up well over time. Rather, the pub offers corned beef and cabbage, stews, wings and other items that work well with a buffet and are popular among guests.
Planter’s House, a trendy spot on the St. Louis cocktail scene, also typically serves food buffet-style during private parties, says co-owner Ted Kilgore. The fare is usually “something that can be served easily while people mill about, like pulled pork or whole roasted pork.”
The main bar and eatery seats about 85 people, but a smaller bar on the second floor, which has 35 seats, can incorporate some holiday parties, he says. Planter’s House will also work with customers to design special menus for events.
Offer Seasonal Sips
Tom Bergin’s, which is billed as “The House of Irish Coffee,” has a winter drink menu that it extends to parties. Seasonal favorites range from Candy Cane Irish Coffee to Mulled Wine to the Holiday Old Fashioned, made with pine syrup.
Come winter, the Café and Bar Lurcat party menu will have “super boozy teas and coffees,” Jensen says, along with mulled ciders and local seasonal craft beers.
Sparkling wines increase in popularity during the holidays, says assistant bar manager Carrie Valentine, and are common orders during their parties. The Lurcat wine menu for 2015 includes a gewürztraminer demi-sec from Yakima, WA (priced at $45 a bottle), along with a classic brut Champagne by Perrier-Jouët of Epernay, France ($102 a bottle).
“A lot of reds go on our winter wine menu,” says Valentine, including the Garde Manger syrah from Washington State’s Fausse Piste ($64 a bottle). “Make sure you have some whites too,” she adds. “In general, always plan for more than you think you’ll need.”
At Luce Ristorante E Enoteca, drinks are left to customers’ discretion. Attendees can pay for their own their orders, or the event will prepurchase a number of bottles. The operator also allows parties to run up a tab and then pay at the end.
Planter’s House will offer punch bowls crafted around seasonal flavors. One recent punch recipe was comprised of whiskey, vodka, rum, maple syrup, lemon, honey, apple brandy, and a pimento dram ($60 for 25 servings).
Planter’s House will work with the client to identify custom cocktails to serve for guests. This plays into Kilgore’s general strategy for hosting holiday parties.
“Just be as prepared as possible,” he says, “and get as much work done beforehand that you can. Because once the big stuff is taken care of, it becomes a lot easier.”
Planter’s House will charge $20 to $40 per person, with parties typically around 35 to 40 people. For bigger events, it will request a minimum spending of $500 per hour. Corporate parties usually hit that number, Kilgore says, as they tend to drink high-end beverages like whiskeys.
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