Private dining
Planning a private dinner
2026-09-02 · Adrian Stefan, Table d'Adrian
Planning
a private dinner
A private dinner starts with a note, not a menu. Who is coming, what they would rather not eat, and whether the kitchen is a galley or a room you can turn around in. Those three facts decide the rest.
I shop the morning of the dinner when the coast allows it. Cours Saleya, a fishmonger who still has the morning boats, a greengrocer with the fruit that is actually ripe. The menu is a list of dishes that fit that shopping, written so the last course lands while the conversation is still easy.
The table is set before anyone arrives. Plates warmed, wine opened if it needs air, the kitchen cleared of anything that is not for that night. When the guests sit, the work should already look quiet.