If you’re not sure how to set up a sit-down small-plates meal, start with a few of the sample menus below. When you get a little more confident about working with small plates, try substituting dishes on the suggested menus, and pretty soon you’ll be creating whole menus on your own. The sample menus are organized by season, and are designed to serve six to eight people. Small-plates meals are very flexible, though: you can add a dish or adjust recipe quantities up or down.
If you want some ideas for larger parties, skip to the end of this section, and check out the menus for the Fish Tostada Fest, Summer Barbecue Fest, and Burger Fest.
Seared or Grilled Asparagus with White Truffle Oil Aioli, Morel Mushroom– and Goat Cheese–Stuffed Crêpes with Corn Cream, Rhubarb, Lemongrass, and Ginger Sauce over Vanilla Ice Cream
Pablo’s Boquerones, Garlic Soup, Seared or Grilled Asparagus with Brown Butter Vinaigrette, Crispy Fried Rabbit with Dijon-Madeira Sauce, Spanish cheeses and fresh fruit
Pan-Roasted Hazelnuts, Grilled Baby Leeks and Spring Onions with Garlicky Romesco Sauce, Roasted Artichokes with Tarragon-Basil Dipping Sauce, Gaucho Empanadas, Mini Tres Leches Cakes with Mexican Chocolate Sauce
Hard-Boiled Eggs with Green Garlic Cream, Hearts of Romaine, Watercress, and Avocado Salad with Erasto’s Red Jalapeño–Lime Vinaigrette, Spiced Ahi Tuna Sticks, New Year’s Eve, Halibut “Stew” with Saffron Broth, Oranges and Smashed Cherries
Corn Soup with Double-Basil Tomatoes, Halibut Tostadas with Jicama Slaw, Avocado-Papaya Salad with Papaya Seed Dressing, Baked Peach Crisps
Onion-Tomato-Bread “Soup,” Grilled “Street” Corn, Black Pepper and Garlic Chicken Wings, Ken Hom’s Pork Riblets, Ripe stone fruit on ice
Bix Steak Tartare, Roasted End o’ Summer Tomatoes with Red Wine–Honey Vinaigrette, Crisp-Fried Squash Blossoms with Tomatillo–Ancho Chile Salsa, Salmon, Halibut, and Scallop Ceviche with Coconut, Wild Mushroom Tamales with Yucatecan Tomato Salsa, Mini Tres Leches Cakes with Mexican Chocolate Sauce
Grilled Oysters—Easy as Pie, Grilled Beef on Potato Rafts with Salpicón, Raspberries Romanoff with Anne’s Chocolate Biscuits
Stuffed Piquillo Peppers with Charred Tomato Sauce, Grilled Scallops Amandine, Avocado-Papaya Salad with Papaya Seed Dressing, Date Candy
Oysters Pablo, Stuffed Pasilla Chiles with “Mole de la Suegra” and Cherry Tomato Salsa, Teeny-Weeny Bikini Banana Splits
Papas Bravas, Roasted Peppers with Anchovies and Capers, Morel Mushroom “Casseroles” with Pedro Ximénez Sherry and Thyme, Rabbit Tostadas with Cumin-Scented Black Beans and Lime Crème Fraîche, Yummy Sherried Figs
Duck and Mustard Green Wontons with Vietnamese-Style Sauce, Dungeness Crab–Sweet Potato–Corn Fritters, Mongolian Barbecued Lamb Chops, Lemon-Buttermilk Pudding Cake with Chantilly Cream and Berries
Wilted Winter Greens on Bruschetta, Baked Goat Cheese and Tomato Fondue, Serrano Ham–Wrapped Prawns with Piquillo Vinaigrette and Living Watercress, Anne’s Chocolate Biscuits and fresh ripe pears
Gougères, Braised Portobello and Porcini Mushrooms with Spiced Flatbread, Cindy’s Supper Club Escargots, Grilled Swordfish with Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet-Sour Onions, My Very First Beef Satay, Fancy chocolates
Chile-Garlic Peanuts, Squash Blossom Quesadillas with Homemade Tortillas and Queso Oaxaca, Tuna Tostadas with Watermelon and Tomatillo Salsas, Halibut Tostadas with Jicama Slaw, Salt-Roasted Salmon Tostadas with Cindy’s Backstreet Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa, Double Trouble Chocolate Mousse Torte
Avocado-Papaya Salad with Papaya Seed Dressing, Chicken “Satay” in a Lettuce Cup with Lemon Olive Oil Vinaigrette, Mustards’ Vietnamese Style Pork Lettuce Wraps, Black Pepper and Garlic Chicken Wings, Summer King Salmon Kebabs, Mongolian Barbecued Lamb Chops, Lemon-Buttermilk Pudding Cake with Chantilly Cream and Berries
Mustards’ Famous Onion Rings with House-Made Ketchup, Sunday Supper Burgers with Thousand Island Dressing, Mini Beef Burgers with Roasted Chile Relish and Pablo’s Pickled Onions, Mini Duck Burgers with Shiitake Mushroom Ketchup and Chinese-Style Mustard Sauce, Spicy Lamb Burgers with Vietnamese Herb Salad and Tamarind Vinaigrette, Double Trouble Chocolate Mousse Torte
