This dinner party is all about bright flavors, big grill energy, and a little Italian inspo—aka my dream night. You can prep almost everything in advance and spend the evening hanging with your pals listening to the perfect summer playlist.
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Table of Contents
The menu
We’re calling this the Happy as a Clam Dinner Party, for obvious reasons (see: clams). If there’s a better way to spend a summer evening than with a pile of grilled clams, lots of wine, and a giant sundae, I haven’t found it. This is summer eating at its most unapologetic—messy, salty, borderline indulgent. There’s wine, obviously. Maybe too much naan. And a sundae situation that could make a grown adult giddy. Here’s the menu breakdown:
Cantaloupe and prosciutto salad with watermelon basil vinaigrette: Salty prosciutto, sweet cantaloupe, a mess of arugula and basil, all tangled up and piled high. It’s finished with a watermelon vinaigrette that sounds fancy but isn’t, and some fried shallots because crunch is non-negotiable.
Brown butter beans and greens with grilled chard and anchovy panko (recipe coming soon): Beans get roasted till they’re perfectly crispy, then tossed in tomatoey brown butter. Finish w/ smoky grilled chard ribbons + anchovy panko for major umami.
Charred eggplant whipped feta with harissa tomatoes and grilled naan (recipe coming soon): A build-your-own flatbread moment. The eggplant basically collapses on the grill, then gets whipped into something creamy and salty with feta. Harissa tomatoes for heat, grilled naan for swiping it all up.
Grilled clams with citrus pesto, buttery preserved lemon orzo and Calabrian chili oil: The main event! Clams hit the grill while everyone’s snacking, then get piled onto a lemony orzo base, drizzled w/ citrus pesto + chili oil. It’s giving fancy, but easy!
Spumoni sundaes: You know I love an ice cream moment. Vanilla ice cream + hot fudge + amaretto cherry sauce + pistachio butter. Big whipped cream energy.
Set the table
This dinner party = COLOR! Pinks, greens, a little brass action—total summer mood. I’m obsessed with the colored wine glasses. Everyone got their own color, which felt very special (and solved the whose-glass-is-whose situation). Shop everything 1–2 weeks ahead so you’re not running around like a lunatic day of.
The tablescape
These are the exact products I used for this dinner party—every last plate, glass, and candlestick. Just click on any image to shop. The cutie little sundae glasses were hands-down my favorite part of the tablescape. I’m obsessed.
Thrifted finds
I’m all about mixing in vintage stuff—green glass goblets, floral-lined plates, the cutest pink vase, and crystal plates for texture. It’s the mismatch that makes it cool.
Flowers
Flowers bring it all together. Use smaller vases so you don’t have a giant bouquet in everyone’s face. I went with a medium pink vase in the center, plus two crystal ones on the ends. Bright pinks, a little orange, pops of green. Those green pom pom guys? What a vibe!
Party Prep
Staying organized is the difference between you enjoying your dinner party and you silently resenting your guests. Label your containers, do as much as you can the day before, and don’t overthink it.
The day before
- Shop for everything (ingredients, flowers, wine).
- Prep the salad components: fry shallots, make the vinaigrette, cut the cantaloupe.
- Roast the beans and make the anchovy panko.
- Grill the eggplant, whip it with feta, sauté the harissa tomatoes.
- Clean the clams.
- Make the citrus pesto and the orzo.
- Prep your sundae toppings (amaretto cherry sauce, pistachio butter, chopped pistachios).
- Arrange your flowers.
- Chill the wine and a few bottles of sparkling water
The day of
- Set the table and serving dishes (label what goes where).
- About 4 hours before guests arrive, pull all the cold things (except the clams) to come to room temp.
- An hour out: grill the chard, naan, and a few lemons.
- Assemble the salad and finish the beans.
- Transfer dips and toppings into serving bowls so you don’t have to fuss later.
- Get the sundae setup ready to roll.
When guests arrive
- Pour a glass of wine, set out sparkling water, and put out the first round of food.
- Serve the salad and beans.
- Next: the grilled naan, eggplant dip, and tomatoes.
- While everyone snacks, grill the clams (about 10 minutes).
- Top the orzo with clams, pesto, and chili oil.
- Finish strong with the spumoni sundaes—pile all the toppings on a tray to make it easy.
Let’s talk drinks
The menu’s got heat, herbiness, seafood, grilled things, sweet things. What does that mean? You want wines that are crisp, high-acid, and ready to chill (literally and figuratively). A few go-to bottles I always reach for:
- Vermentino – citrusy, minerally, and built for seafood.
- Chilled Gamay or Lambrusco – for when you want something red but still light and refreshing.
- Frizzante Rosé – because bubbles never hurt.
- Sauvignon Blanc – classic, crisp, and gets along with just about everything.
And let’s not forget the unsung hero of summer entertaining: San Pellegrino. Not just any sparkling water—this is the kind that comes in a beautiful green glass bottle with that iconic red star. It’s cold, it’s fancy-adjacent, and it subtly says “I care enough not to give you tap water.” Bonus: the bottle looks amazing on the table and happens to match the whole summer color palette. Coincidence? Probably not.
The perfect playlist
I’ve got a whole stack of other summer recipes that work perfectly for dinners like this. If you make any of them, tag me on Pinterest or Instagram — I want to see your parties in the wild.
Questions? Comments? Reviews? Leave them below. This is the best way to reach me, and yes, I actually read them.
Xoxo, Lee