If you have ever been on the receiving end of Sammy Brainard’s hospitality–as I have had the distinct pleasure of being–then you know her natural convivial spirit, her creativity, and her admiration for Molly Baz, make her one of the best hostesses in the game. She recently moved from Manhattan to Park Slope with her boyfriend Matt, who is welcoming in his own right and who brings his love for music and bartending abilities to the parties they throw.
My afternoon talking with
about the dinner party was a lovely one, if not wet and cold. We met for yoga on a rainy Sunday, a weekly ritual she keeps with her friends–a mix of people from her childhood, high school and college days who I have come to know and adore. It is for these people that Sammy loves to cook most. After which, we meandered to a coffee shop, or more specifically a pie shop that Sammy had been wanting to try in her new neighborhood. Over coffee, tea, and a delicious cheddar and egg biscuit, Sammy told me about where her love of cooking and knack for hosting come from and how she has created her own dinner party rituals. These include, but are not limited to, pre-batched cocktails, lots of candles, and, as frequently as possible, costumes, themes, and handwritten menus. Sammy expounds on all of this in her own newsletter, Green Eggs & Sam, which I highly recommend you subscribe to.In our conversation, Sammy repeatedly cited her deep roots in New Orleans and her family as some of her greatest hosting influences. And we quickly find out why…
Sammy: My mom’s grandfather was known as Diamond Jim Moran. He was sort of an icon in New Orleans, and he got his name because he had diamonds in his glasses, in his collar. He had grills with diamonds in them. And he was a chef. His parents had emigrated from Italy, he’s 100% Sicilian, and he had started a few Italian restaurants in New Orleans. One of them was called La Louisiane, another was called Moran’s Riverside, Acme Oyster and the old absinthe house. They specialized in table side fettuccine Alfredo. How he got his name actually was that they made these big-ass meatballs, like the size of softballs, like one per entré, served over a simple, crunchy, olive oil, vinegar lettuce instead of past, with a side of bread. His wife was making the meatballs one day, very family business, and her diamond ring got stuck in the meatball, and got served to a customer who was also a friend of the family, and thank god it was her, because she just returned it. But he kind of saw an opportunity because when big name people would come into the restaurant–boxers, members of the Italian Mafia, politicians, Frank Sinatra–and he sort of became known as the diamond person.
His son, my grandfather, took over the restaurants. My mom grew up making pasta all by hand. My uncle still makes fettuccine like it was made. The younger generations that stayed started making more things like jambalaya, gumbo, more of an Italian and Cajun mix of things.
My dad is a great cook as well, he’s more the meat and breakfast guy. His dream would be to open a diner or food truck. He makes a mean eggs benny, the most delicious smash burgers and steaks with pomme frites. So it’s in the DNA.
Even in New York, these influences can be felt. I asked Sammy to set the scene of a dinner party she and Matt might host: I’m arriving at yours for dinner, where am I going?
We just moved to Brooklyn, which has its own dedicated dining room, (which you have seen), which feels so luxurious to have as its own distinct space from the kitchen and from the living room.
When you were looking for apartments, was that something in the back of your head that you knew you wanted?
Oh for sure. It’s funny, Matt was looking for an office and I was looking for a kitchen that wasn’t a galley kitchen. A hallway kitchen sounded like hell to me–it needed to be a space that people can hang out in and be with you while you’re cooking. But the dining room was the cherry on top. And the way our current dining room faces west, you can see the sun sets through the two windows and out the back is this sort of cozy, green space, that our landlords–who live below us–use. It’s like an overrun garden that’s, in it’s own right, very beautiful, cat’s roaming around. The windows are a big part of the vibe. There are approximately 1000 candles.
So if we’re setting the scene…tons of candles. Candles of all shapes in sizes, around the table and on the table. Scented, unscented, tall and colorful, short and stubby, tea candles all over the place. We want the natural lighting. The overhead life will be off.
We have a record player, and that’s kind of a work in progress that’s Matt’s pride and joy with a big record collection. The work in progress being Matt has this idea of having a directory of records, and having a dinner party where everyone gets to pick a record and we just sort of cycle through those over the course of the night. So while I do have a dinner party playlist, i think the addition of the records would be a really cool thing.
Also the radio! MVY radio, the Martha’s Vineyard radio WWOZ, the New Orleans radio is really good, and some great LA radios. My parents always used to have the radio on, they listened to those two stations I mentioned, so now it’s just habit to always have the radio on.
First thing…Matt’s going to make you a cocktail. This is another idea we had was having a house list of 2-4 cocktails we are always going to have on hand, either batched in the freezer, or ready to rumble at the bar.
Gosh that’s so beautiful, I love the ways in which a person prepare their house so that it’s always ready for guests. It’s to me the mark of a truly open home, it’s not a universal tendency.
Oh for sure. At the very least, natural wine is always chilling in the fridge.
Do you have a go to natural wine?
Yes. It’s Molly Baz’s chilled red wine. It’s kind of my special occasion wine but it’s my favorite wine of all time.
And of course always have martini, Negroni and Aperol Spritz ingredients on hand.
Really important detail…
The dining room table that’s the centerpiece in the room, belonged to my grandparents. It’s from Virginia (where we went to college, and which holds a particularly special place in Sammy and Matt’s hearts) and it has these two ends, which serve, most of the time, as the candle or mail table, but if we’re having a bigger party, we can add them to the center table to seat up 12. There are a lot of pieces in the home that are sort of heirlooms. But it’s important for us to have a mix of antiques and more colorful, modern pieces at the center of our home.
Does your dinner party have a theme?
I love a theme. I think it’s because of my tendency to dress up, not just for Halloween but for Mardi Gras. Having a parent who grew up in New Orleans, means that you develop a sense of costume. Mardis Gras is all about costume, so I was raised with a huge costume bin, and I have definitely carried that with me over the years. We have like 6-8 bins in our closet at our apartment that are dedicated to dressing up: one is just for wigs, one is Santa-related things, two for Mardis Gras outfits, one is just accessory.
So not every dinner party has a theme, but the ones that do have a costume associated with it. Even if it’s as simple as “everyone wear your most fun hat” or if it’s Italian night, everyone would dress up in a related way. One of my most favorite dinner parties we threw, “fancy”--underscore fancy–was the theme and people got dressed up and we ate finger foods and drank martinis. Also! Murder mysteries parties. We’ve done about five of those over the years. And we’ll cook food and make cocktails specific to the theme.
What percentage of the time is the occasion going to be sit down, and if it’s sit down, how are you setting the table?
If we’re having more than 12-15 people over, we are probably just going to be more eating and mingling. But if it’s sit down, and I love a sit down dinner–I mean, there is nothing like posting up, with the people you love, and chatting over delicious food for hours, I could cry. That’s the secret to life. That’s all there is.
So if I’m setting the table, I waver between assigning seats and not. I don’t want it to feel overly formal, but I have done things like “you can’t sit next to the person you came with” to send the message, “we’re mixing and mingling here.”
Depending on the occasion, I have loved making little note cards of the menu, so people know what’s on deck. Sometimes the conversation is so lively people start eating and they have no idea what it is. I want them to know, “these are crispy shallots” etc. etc.
I think one of the most romantic things I’ve ever done was, during Covid, Matt and I were quarantining at my parent’s house, and I wrote him a menu, cooked dinner, and had my brother serve us as if we were in a fancy restaurant. I think I paid him like $50 bucks.
The vibe is always the same, whether it’s 15 people or 2, there are always going to be snacks, like little munchies. I’m a big, water pitcher girl. I need to have water in front of me at all times, if just for balancing out all the natural wine. Oh and flowers for sure are on the table.
I am addicted to the farmers market flowers at the Park Slope or Prospect Heights Farmers Market. Eucalyptus in the winter. It smells amazing. Making little snippets of eucalyptus around the table, you don’t need anything else. Sunflowers in the summer. I love love love sunflowers.
Silverware is also from my grandparents as well, I’m sensing a trend.
Paper napkins or cloth?
Cloth napkins for sure. My grandmother got me these gorgeous cloth napkins, a mix of gray and navy circles, and Matt and I will use them on a regular Tuesday night. You just throw them in your wash. I just think a cloth napkin is such a simple luxury that doesn’t take any extra effort.
Family style or plated?
Family style definitely. I am not a food stylist, I’m working on it. So for the time being any additions will be on the side. Like maybe you want your crunchy bits on top or not at all. Meals tend to be sort of DIY.
Savory or Sweets?
If I’m leaning into my strength, I’m a savory gal. With baking, which I love, I always bite off way more than I can chew. I find the difference between baking and cooking is how loose I can be. If a recipe calls for a tablespoon, I’m eyeballing it. Which doesn’t work in baking unfortunately. I have a great nose, really strong taste buds, so I’m always tasting and always adjusting. But there’s not as much room for wiggling in baking.
One other thing that’s on the table at all times: sauces, salt and pepper. A little pinch bowl of Maldon. My favorite pepper grinder. And hot sauce, Matt is a huge hot sauce person.
How are you planning your menu? What’s one dish you can’t skip on?
My favorite thing to do is walking around the grocery store with open eyes, rather than just going in for let’s say butter and then b-lining it to the check out. Meandering through the cheese aisle–that is something I will never skip on is cheese, crackers, breads, dips and fruit for snacking, and probably nuts.
In one of my earliest newsletters, I wrote about planning a dinner party menu in advance, how to plan out grocery shopping, setting the table the day before. This never happens, but it’s what I aspire to do. Realistically, I like to at least pick what I’m making a few days before. I will go to the grocery store, which is always the Park Slope Food Coop. I like going to the store and smelling and feeling for what’s in season. My favorite thing to do is walking around the grocery store with open eyes, rather than just going in for let’s say butter and then b-lining it to the check out. Meandering through the cheese aisle–that is something I will never skip on is cheese, crackers, breads, dips and fruit for snacking, and probably nuts.
Do you have go-to cheeses? Where do you go to get these things?
I am making the dips. It’s probably going to be Alison Roman’s “the dip”--the labne with sizzled scallions and chile–that always just hits. If it’s summer, and everything’s in season, I’ll make a green goddess dressing, like Melissa Clark has a great recipe. And having some crudité to dip it in. I’ve been really into making my own crackers recently with za’atar. You basically get lavash bread, or a pita type bread, and you buy or make your own za’atar, paint the bread with olive oil and sprinkle it with seasoning, bake for about 8 minutes. They are delicious and they make the house smell amazing as people are arriving.
That is my peak goal: to have my house be smelling delicious when people are coming over. I know it will be, because I probably procrastinated on something.
Planning my menu a few days in advance also means taking into account any allergies or dietary restrictions that people might have, because my friends have plenty of those. But I’ve found that those are actually easier to work with than I thought.
If there’s a dessert, I am hopefully doing that the day before, because that can sit overnight. Any stews, soups, gumbos, which we do a lot of this time of year, I will try to make those the day before as well, because they’re actually better that way, letting the flavors sort of soak and meld together.
Day of: we’re deep cleaning the apartment–that’s Matt’s job-and I’m going to yoga or for a run early in the morning, knowing that I probably won’t get to that later in the day. And then a bunch of last minute things, making sure we have everything we need for cocktails, or cocktails are mixed and batched. Buying flowers, herbs**, bread, those last minute items that need to be fresh. And then probably whipping up the apps: prepping the salad, making the dips, putting out the cheese. All the cheese is coming from the Park Slope Coop*
Are there any recipes that other people have cooked for you that you have incorporated into your own repertoire?
If it’s a big group, I’m probably making something in my dutch oven. I’m probably making one of Alison Roman’s 2 stews: the famous coconut, turmeric, ginger stew. I could live on that for the rest of my life and be happy. Or the spicy, harissa, lemony, tomato, stew–we always riff on it but it’s always delicious. Those two recipes are good for people with allergies, vegans, and people with dietary restrictions. They are very versatile, very flavorful, and easy to make ahead of time. And then you serve with pita, tons of herbs, and sour cream unless you're vegan. I have to make a plug as well for a pasta–because of my heritage. The one my mom used to make for me all the time–which we now call Sammy’s pasta–is rigatoni with browned sausage, tons of lemon juice and lemon zest, fresh tomatoes, parsley, and a ton of parm. It’s kind of brothy too.
One recipe that my mom’s friend made for me that I will be making was these baked tomatoes: golf ball sized tomatoes–slice the bottoms off–put them in a pyrex in the oven with olive oil, thin slices of garlic, and basil in the bottom and roast them. It’s effectively tomatoes confit. But if you eat that with a fresh baguette, eggs, on a sandwich as the spread, over chicken or fish, mixed into pasta with goat cheese. It’s so versatile. My goal this winter is to have that in my fridge at all times. That sort of saucy side dish that I can put on anything, is something I always want to have in my fridge. It just makes everything so much better.
Unsurprisingly, Sammy and my conversation carried on for well over an hour. In the latter half of it, we discuss biggest hospitality influences, dream dinner party guests, and the finger spout question. Click the link below to read part 2!
*Sammy’s plug for the Coop: If you live in Brooklyn, or even if you don’t, you HAVE to become a member of the Park Slope Coop. You have to be a member to shop there, and to be a member, you agree to work one shift every six weeks. The shifts are only 2-½ hours. It is my favorite thing in the world. It’s like if you took the specialty foods aisle at Whole Foods, a farmers market worth of produce, Trader Joes’ prices, and then, camaraderie and mixed them into one. It’s a DREAM. They source from local farms so everything is coming from the farm that day, they have relationships with farmers, everything is so fresh, so cheap. They have the most amazing produce aisle, they have bulk items, and then a cheese wall, She Wolf bread. I’m shopping there as much as I can.
**Sammy’s top 3 herbs:
Parsley
Cilantro (close second)
Dill