plan a “night out” dinner at home
plan a “night out” dinner at home
plan a “night out” dinner at home
plan a “night out” dinner at home
plan a “night out” dinner at home
plan a “night out” dinner at home

I think one of the things I miss most during coronavirus quarantine is dining out. I miss the escape from home and work obligations. I miss having a reason get all dolled up. I miss the ambiance. And (most importantly) I miss not having to cook! Like many of you, my family and I have been looking for ways to break up the monotony of the week. So the other day I was thinking, how about planning a “night out” at home? When you think about it, a lot of the aforementioned elements are easy to replicate. With a little help from our favorite DC area catering company, Susan Gage Caterers, I think we came pretty close! Here’s how we did it…

plan a “night out” dinner at home

Set the mood.

A change of scenery would do us all good right now. So whether it’s creating a romantic table for two by an open window, a picnic on the floor by the fireplace, or just dressing up your dining area in the backyard like we did, you can evoke the feeling of a special evening. Once you’ve chosen a spot, it doesn’t take much to set the mood. Flowers, dimmed lighting, candles, and the Smokey Robinson channel on Spotify (my personal fave) all go a long way towards setting the tone for the night. I kept it simple with a trio of glass bud vases in varying shapes sounding a large hurricane candle holder. Remember, you want to create a festive ambiance with as little effort as possible. This evening should be an escape, not a chore. Many of the most chic restaurants have very simple table settings.

plan a “night out” dinner at home
plan a “night out” dinner at home with Susan Gage Caterers
plan a “night out” dinner at home with Susan Gage Caterers
plan a “night out” dinner at home with Susan Gage Caterers

Don’t cook.

Ok, so can we all agree the best part about dining out is having professionals cook for you? There are so many great restaurants and catering companies offering take out right now, why not take advantage of it? One of the best catering companies in DC and one of our personal favorites, Susan Gage Caterers treated us to this beautiful spread. We’ve used them for years – my baby shower, Gold Cup horse race tailgates, and many other special occasions – so it’s a real treat to be able to enjoy their delicious food at home. Between their delicious trio of bruscetta with lavosh crisps and ficelle toasts, Mediterranean grilled salmon with melted cherry tomatoes, spring vegetable melange, and freshly-baked focaccia, we had a restaurant quality meal with plenty of leftovers for days to come. Everything arrived neatly assembled with easy reheating instructions, so all we had to do was toss it in the oven.

No matter what you decide to order, take an extra minute to plate it. Channel your inner chef and arrange everything artfully, then kiss your fingers like you made it yourself. If you have any fancy china or interesting serving dishes at home, this it the perfect time to bust them out!

plan a “night out” dinner at home

wearing & Other Stories earrings, She’s Unique and Ana Luisa necklaces, Roller Rabbit dress (also love this one), Mejuri and Sezane rings, Hermes bangles, and clog sandals

Dress up.

Put on a pretty spring dress, throw on some jewelry, do your hair and makeup. Take some time and enjoy the process of getting gussied up. Look in the mirror, smile, and remember what life is like outside of sweatpants. Part of the magic of a night out is getting ready and the anticipation of the evening to come.

plan a “night out” dinner at home
plan a “night out” dinner at home

Turn off your phones. 

I cannot emphasize this enough. Take a break from the news and all the unnecessary chatter and just focus on yourself and your loved ones. We all need an escape right now, even if it’s within the comfort of our own homes.

Thank you Susan Gage Caterers for providing our lovely dinner for this story.

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9 comments

Reply

Such a great idea! The table looks beautiful and the food delicious!
I wish we could order some takeout but my husband is being super serious about not having “contaminated” food. I say as long as we can reheat it that kills the germs, but oh well. (We haven’t even been to the grocery store in 3 weeks. Stocked up at the end of February before everything got crazy) He did allow us to get Blue Apron though so we have some “fancier” meals this week! One more to go then it’s back to our boring usual meals, haha!
https://www.closet-fashionista.com/

Reply

Oh my gosh, I love the idea of dining out at home! I love how you decorated the table, and your dress is absolutely gorgeous! Amazing photos!

http://roadesque.com

Reply

This is such a great idea!!

Jennifer
Effortlessly Sophisticated

Reply

Great idea – it’s a small treat in the midst of this all.
Beautiful dress .

Reply

I love your dress, you look lovely:)

Reply

This is such a lovely idea! I have been wanting to make the evenings a little more different as everything feels so monotonous so nights out at home would be a lovely idea xo

Makeup Muddle

Reply

This is such a wonderful idea. I’ve still been ordering take out every Saturday night but I love the idea of creating a fancy space for it. Also dressing up too. Though it is just me and my dog, it’s still nice to do something different. I actually hadn’t thought about catering companies. There’s so much emphasis right now in supporting restaurants and very little on caterers. Thank you for bring this to light

Sxx
daringcoco.com

Reply

This looks amazing – just perfct timing as our anniversary is coming up this friday 🙂

Loving your dress and oh my -that food is delicious!!
xxx
Tina

https://styleappetite.com

Reply

Nice post dear, I ‘m total in love with your pictures and your dress is so cool!
Have a wonderful day! xx

La ilusión de Nina – http://lailusiondenina.blogspot.com/

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