A Surprise Party at Lily Pond
So many of you have shared how excited you are to see these photos of the party I hosted at my home in East Hampton - it was a huge success.
The party was for my dear friends, Ben and Bonnie, who were celebrating a milestone birthday. Their grandson, Will, and I, planned a wonderful outdoor gathering at Lily Pond. Our menu included a mouthwatering buffet of summer favorites - grilled steaks, squab, shrimp, and lamb chops, plus tomatoes provencale, dilled-cabbage-and-cucumber slaw, and potato salad. And finally for dessert - delectable lemon meringue cake with homemade buttermilk sorbet. To top it off, we also added a special live band performance.
It was such a fun and memorable evening - most especially for Ben and Bonnie. Enjoy these photos.
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- These string lights add such a nice touch. Here they are above our bar. The right lighting can be a perfect way to make any party come to life. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- Here are more string lights, and white candles in clear votives around the pool. The band equipment is set-up on the far side. The band scheduled is an added special surprise. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- Our guests of honor, Ben and Bonnie, finally arrive at Lily Pond. Here, all the guests are yelling “surprise”.
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- Their grandchildren, Charlotte and Will, are the first to greet Ben and Bonnie – what a lovely moment.
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- Here’s a wonderful photo of all four. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- Alex Silva, who has been taking care of Lily Pond for many years, attended the party with his nephew, Isaac.
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- Here I am checking on the meats. Chef Aron Cutuc from PS Tailored Events, is grilling onions, while his sous chef grills the steaks. (Photo by Meredith Heuer) http://pstailoredevents.com
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- Here, Aron is grilling squab. Squab is young domestic pigeon. The meat is widely described as tasting like dark chicken.
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- Squab is considered an exquisite ingredient in Cantonese, Moroccan and French cuisines.
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- Here I am sampling some of the homemade “chips”.
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- These are gougères. A gougère, in French cuisine, is a baked savory choux pastry made of choux dough mixed with cheese. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- Charlotte, Will, and I stopped for a quick photo. Will worked tirelessly on this birthday surprise party. Perhaps event planning is in his future.
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- Here’s a sweet photo of Kevin Sharkey and my dear friend, Charlotte Beers.
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- Aron is keeping an eye on the tomahawk steaks. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- Tomahawk steak is a cut of beef ribeye that has five or more inches of extra rib bone. It’s called a “tomahawk” cut because the steak with the long bone resembles a single-handed axe.
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- The caipirinha limes and sugar are marinating in glasses while the bartender opens up and bottle of Whispering Angel. The blue bowl is actually a planter. We used several to hold the ice and just sealed the holes so they didn’t leak.
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- Here I am joined by Ben, the “birthday boy”.
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- Before we all ate, I stood up to welcome all the guests and to wish Ben and Bonnie a wonderful birthday. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- It was so nice to have everyone seated at one long table.
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- The evening’s photographer captured this snapshot – we all had such a fun time. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- The appetizer was corn soup with brioche croutons. Each bowl was decorated with a “B” drizzled in cilantro oil. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- After the appetizer, guests eagerly lined-up for the delicious buffet. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- We served the tomahawk steaks with peppercorn sauce. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- We also served jumbo grilled shrimp.
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- And lamb chops with mint jelly. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- Candles and flashlights lit up the buffet – everyone loved the food. Many even got seconds and thirds. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- Here is our dilled-cabbage-and-cucumber slaw from the July/August issue of Living – I hope you have a copy. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- This is red, white, and blue potato salad with vermouth.
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- And of course, a birthday is not complete without cake – lemon meringue cake.
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- This is Matt, from our wait staff, holding the lemon meringue cake for Ben and Bonnie.
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- Ben and Bonnie blew out the candles together. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- Each piece of cake was served with freshly made buttermilk sorbet.
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- The surprise band… The Drifters. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- Everyone loved the entertainment. Here’s Ben poolside listening to the band play. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- And here I am with the giant bottle of Whispering Angel. (Photo by Meredith Heuer) https://esclans.com/product/whispering-angel/
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- I took this photo with The Drifters after their performance. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- Ben, Will, myself, Charlotte and Bonnie – what a great celebration. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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- Here’s a view of the front circular lawn – such a beautiful night. Happy birthday, Ben and Bonnie. (Photo by Meredith Heuer)
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