Turning the tables on outdoor entertaining
By L.J. BUTTERFIELD :: August 28, 2006

Whether you’re sick of the heat or still absorbing the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer in the ‘country’ north of New York City, the season’s grand finale is upon us. One last chance for aspiring grill masters and event planners to pul lout all the stops and throw friends and family a P-A-R-T-Y.

Summer is synonymous with casual entertainment but after months of eating off paper plates and plastic tablecloths, why not bridge the gap to fall by entertaining in style.

It’s all in the presentation.

Burgers, kabobs and potato salad taste even better when served on beautiful dinnerware. And, believe it or not, this can be accomplished without shards of glass and ceramic spread throughout the lawn.

Mario Grosso, owner of Mano a Mano on Kraft Avenue in Bronxville, has the perfect solution for a tablescape that dazzles but doesn’t ding.

If someone wants really elegant-looking dinnerware made by a high-end designer that is –– wait for it –– unbreakable, Mano a Mano has the perfect solution.

Mackenzie-Childs’ fanciful enamelware collections come in different designs, including Bathing Hut that’s painted with a pink and white stripe, Buttercup that has a yellow and white polka-dotted pattern with pink flowers, the Children’s Collection with hand-painted chickens, ducks and frogs and the black and white Courtly Check pattern.

“The Courtly Check is the number-one design for outdoor entertaining,” said Grosso. “People love to set a table outdoors in the garden with the metal wear, especially the Check.”

Made out of a 12-point-gauge steel underbody with hand-painted designs and glaze rimmed in bronzed stainless steel, the Mackenzie-Childs enamelware collection is perfect for entertaining or to give as a gift.

A platter from the ceramic collection of Mackenzie-Childs with the same design can cost $300 to $500. The platter from the enamelware collection is around $35. All the pieces are hand-painted, dishwasher safe and stamped with the brand logo.

“These collections are used heavily outdoors,” said Grosso. “You can bang it around and it won’t break.”

The Brillante collection from Mariposa, also found at Mano a Mano, is perfect for upscale, outdoor entertaining. Made of aluminum and, again, virtually unbreakable, the Brillante collection is crafted to look like fine silverware. Each piece is sculpted by designer Michael Updike, then brought to a workshop in Mexico where ‘artesanos’ work by hand to make an exact copy of the mold. Each piece is made one at a time and takes more than an hour.

“We’re actually low on these products now,” said Grosso. “We usually have shelves of it.”

But, this summer, these collections have flown off the shelves and, in the case of Brillante, at the price of $112 a serving bowl.

Kitchen Works on Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich has stocked unusual wicker pieces for use outdoors.

“We have these cute wicker charger plates that are great for outdoor entertaining,” said owner Nancy Tedesco. “There are great looking wicker ice buckets, wine holders and wicker trays as well,” she said.

The possibilities for creating a designer look outdoors are plentiful in Westchester and Fairfield counties.

So don’t let the end of summer get you down. Instead, celebrate it right, dress up your outdoor spaces and say farewell to summer in style.