The Finer Things Society.

I'm pleased to announce that I finally accomplished what I set out to do a while ago: form an organized OBT supper club.  The idea for such a thing was born during one of many happy hours with Candace and Brennan, when we agreed that we should combine our mutual love of cooking and eating for the greater good.  Such a club would be a great opportunity, we reasoned, to improve our culinary skills, expand our palates, dabble in wine pairings and clean our respective apartments.  I set the date and last Sunday, September 14, our fledgling supper club had its first official meeting.  It was dubbed the Finer Things Society in honor of an episode of NBC's "The Office."  That, and because I waited until after I had a paycheck to buy nice, fine ingredients for our dinner.

Unfortunately Candace wasn't able to make it that night, but I found myself playing hostess to some of my favorite fellow OBT foodies: Brennan, Steven, and Grace.  The menu was as follows (we decided upon an "upscale home-cooking" theme):

Assorted crudites from his mother's garden (Steven)

Mixed greens with chive vinaigrette (me)

Mac and cheese with mascarpone and pancetta (also me)

Peach and blackberry pie with peach sorbet (Grace)

A chardonnay and a viognier (Brennan)

All dishes made from scratch, I may add.  I found my recipes in a recent issue of Bon Appetit, and both Grace and Steven utilized produce from their families' gardens. This is the Finer Things Society, after all.  That being said, my arm's still sore from grating all that cheese.  Anyway.

Dinner proved to be a huge success.  The food was delicious, the wine a perfect accompaniment, the company animated and jovial.  After we'd licked our plates clean of pie the four of us lounged about my living room nursing the last of our wine and basking in the warm glow of my television.  Granted, "True Blood" might not be the Finest Thing to end an evening with, but it is entertaining.  And it is HBO.

I look forward to our next meeting, which is scheduled two weeks from now at Brennan's place.  We haven't decided upon a menu yet but Brennan, always the finest host, is relishing the chance to decorate his apartment with pumpkins and fall foliage.  I hope to expand our membership to anyone in the company who's interested; while I wouldn't want a single individual to cook a mess of food for thirty people I'm sure we could organize ourselves suitably.  Our goal is to meet every other Sunday on weekends where we have Saturdays free of rehearsals, rotating who plays host, who provides dessert, who plays sommelier, etc.

I'm sure there will be weekends where we are bone-tired and cannot fathom putting together a thoughtful and elegant dinner for company.  The Finer Things Society is absolutely allowed to hold meetings at restaurants and pubs.  A meal may also consist of Chinese takeout, some cold beer and stale fortune cookies.  There is most certainly a place in the Finer Things Society's heart for irony.