3 Ways to Host a Gourmet Holiday Dinner Without Lifting a Finger
The no-muss, no-fuss holiday dinner that won't break the bank.
— -- With Christmas just 10 days away and Hanukkah almost underway, would-be hostesses who've not yet planned their dinner menus may be feeling the pressure.
But there's a few ways to host a holiday dinner without lifting a finer, breaking the bank or resorting to calling a local restaurant to see if they can handle one more catering order.
Goldbely, the site that lets you order gourmet, regional cuisine from anywhere in the country released an app last month, meaning this holiday season you need only your phone to order a complete dinner from some of the nation's best restaurants.
The Holiday Feasts section features Virginia country ham, Carolina buttermilk biscuits, Maryland blue lump crab cakes and more unusual fare like lobster pot pies and bacon pepper biscuits. A Pride of the Pit BBQ Pack that serves 4-6 costs under $100 and a Cajun "turken" that served 10 costs $109.
Goldbely's great, but you'll still do the set-up and clean up. If you'd rather not, try Kitchensurfing. Available in eight locations, the site lets users hire personal, local chefs to not only make the meal, but clean up the mess. Multi-course holiday dinner parties are going for $100 per person: one offer in Boston for a "sweet and spicy holiday meal" includes Red & Lacinato Kale Salad, Cider-Glazed Pork Loin, Roasted Root Vegetable Medley and Mexican Chocolate Pots de Crème. If $100 is a little steep. chefs are available for $50 per person family-style dinners and $40 per person holiday cocktail parties.
Finally, if you would like to avoid having people in your home all together but love the idea of throwing an event this holiday season, check out EatWith. Available in more than 150 cities, EatWith's chefs host dinner parties in their homes -- some complete with wine -- for a set number of guests agreed on by the host and organizer.
Search by city, date, number of guests and cuisine type to narrow down the possibilities; a quick search for availability Christmas Eve yielded plenty of willing hosts.
Bon apetite!
