, but you don’t know what to cook. Our menus go beyond the classics (though there’s nothing wrong with a roast chicken, and we’ve got a menu for that). Our goal is to make a gathering memorable by making the intangible element of delicious food completely tangible. We choose food by season, region, or culture to create a cohesive menu. We know how to balance flavors as well as the pacing of the night through the dishes we select and the dining format that we suggest. Get adventurous yourself, or 

 one of these lineups. Either way, these spreads are destined to impress and leave you and your guests dreaming of one more bite.

10 Totally Unique Dinner Party Menus

Stop refreshing your reservation app and kickstart your day from the comfort of home with these cozy menus. We’re playing the hits with fluffy ricotta pancakes, veggie-laden frittatas, granola butter for your toast, and a Calabrian egg salad. Round up your sleepy-eyed friends or make it a family affair: we think these spreads will please any crowd. What’s better? Only waking up to a 

. Two hour wait time—we don’t do that anymore.

Set your Alarm for these 8 Brunch Menus 

Pick your next trip or reminisce about your most recent one with these menus. An expanded palate is a way to expand the mind so we collaborated with chefs whose regional expertise guided each dish. Unique ingredients, flavor combinations, and methods make themselves at home when cooked from your own kitchen, either by you or 

This is placeholder DEK copy for a menu listicle hero card.

10 Menus for Traveling the Globe Without Leaving Your Kitchen

No place at the table for gluten? These menus are up for the challenge.

We are tired of gluten-free meals that fall flat. These menus reset the bar, relying on aromatics, spice combos, and creative substitutions so they don’t need gluten to stand on their own. Creamy dips and colorful crudités steal the show; herb-laden dressings take grain bowls to new heights, and desserts use alt flours to enhance textures. Try your hand or 

, but either way, you’re in the clear to invite your pickiest eaters and pasta-loving friends.

10 Gluten Free Menus That Everyone at the Table Will Love

Menu Ideas

Our booking policy is flexible, so don't worry if these details change. Our chef services are available in 

, though many Culinista® chefs are happy to travel. For services outside of these areas, 

Please enjoy $100 off gatherings of 12 people or more. Discount automatically applied. 

Gatherings

Meal Prep

A Season or Long Term

Cooking Classes

Chef Services Overview

The Culinistas is a resource that gives everyone the freedom and confidence to connect around a meal.

Our optional drinks service includes up to 2 drinks plus waitstaff who will arrive 1 hour before guests and provide 4 hours of service. Additional time will be billed at $60/hour. The Culinistas will provide ice and non-alcoholic ingredients. The host is responsible for providing alcohol.

Dairy

Eggs

Fish

Shellfish

Nuts

Gluten

Pork

Sesame

Beef

Alliums

Dark wood, cushy chairs, and the sound of sizzling steaks arriving tableside. Dim the lights and turn up the jazz—we’ll handle the rest. This steakhouse classics menu, 

, boasts a delectable array of dishes for this extraordinary feast. And should you wish, our optional drinks service stands ready to craft the perfect martini as well.

Shrimp Cocktail

Shrimp Cocktail, which puts the “surf” in “Surf & Turf,” takes pride as the optimal steakhouse menu starter. The key to flawlessly poached shrimp? A Sustainable Simmer, or poaching in a flavorful broth, rendering them plump, pink, and brimming with flavor. And while cocktail sauce is a must, we indulge in a duel of dips by adding a punchy aioli, too.

Buttermilk Romaine Salad

The secret to dressing perfection rests not in a hidden valley but in a humble buttermilk base. Our Buttermilk Romaine Salad enrobes crisp romaine hearts, delicately shaved fennel, and vibrant chives in a dressing of buttermilk, grated parmesan, olive oil and a generous shower of pepper. This harmonious blend of savory and acidic elements adheres to our Salad Equation, a simple formula of Greens + Vegetable + Herb + Acid making salad greens pop and priming palates for the feast to follow.

Sirloin with Roasted Garlic Sauce

This steakhouse luminary shines in its simplicity and resplendent flavor. It features just five ingredients to spotlight a perfectly seasoned and crusted steak as much as its Roasted Garlic Sauce, a triumph of a Flavor Trifecta. Slowly roasted garlic imparts sweetness, charred scallions provide umami, and a bright note comes from lime.

Creamed Kale

This is not an ordinary rendition of a steakhouse creamed green; it’s a masterpiece. This Classics Redone uses robust Tuscan kale, also known as dinosaur kale, to level up conventional spinach. It is a Single Ingredient Multiple Ways: as the base of the dish wilted until tender and puréed into a luscious cheese sauce with lemon juice, mascarpone, and pecorino. Garnished with lemon zest and extra pecorino, this side is a harmonic culinary crescendo. If only the steakhouse could do it so well.

Garlic Confit Red Potatoes

Few ingredients possess the transformative power that braised sweet garlic does when applied to potatoes. Our Garlic Confit Red Potatoes is a feat of tradition in a steak and potato partnership; marrying red potato creaminess with the richness of velvety garlic confit, crème fraîche, and chives. A final flourish of freshly cracked black pepper and a sprinkle of chives catapults these tots into divinity.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

An extravagant meal with a lavish dessert is the beacon of an evening at the steakhouse. Our exceptionally fudgy and rich brownies are imbued with chocolate in myriad forms: dark chocolate melted into the base plus dark and semisweet chocolate chopped and interwoven before baking. We relish presenting these in a brownie sundae bar, with assorted toppings for guests to craft their own decadent denouement.

You bring the jazzy playlist. We’ll handle the rest.

This Steakhouse Menu Brings the Sizzle Home 

Consider these five factors, and you’ll never stress about the last course. 

How to Pick the Perfect Dinner Party Dessert

7 Postpartum-Friendly Dishes For Your Fourth Trimester

Yes, you should be having fun at your own party.

The Culinistas’ Ultimate Guide to Hosting

Don’t be intimidated: this Spanish classic can be conquered at home, even without a paella pan.

How to Make Paella at Home

You’ll be slinging pies like a pizzaiolo in no time.

How to Make Pizza in the Oven

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There are plenty of ways to cook a steak, but there’s only one way we swear by for most cuts, and that’s pan-searing. Grill-heads, we hear you, but think of all the drippings lost through fiery grates. Cooking steak in a pan ensures all that jus stays where it needs to be: with the steak. Drippings secured, pan-searing allows the steak’s entire surface to touch direct heat, leading to a fully caramelized (read: delicious) crust on all sides.

To learn the keys directly from a Culinista chef, 

The Equation for Success

Below, you’ll learn all the keys to searing success: which cuts of meat work best, other ingredients needed, internal cooking temperatures, equipment, and step-by-step cooking instructions.

Cuts of Meat

Just about any cut of beef branded “steak” can be pan-seared (stay away from other cuts like chuck roast, beef shanks, or brisket, whose tougher meat requires a long, low braise). That said, if you’re using a steak thicker than two inches, it’ll need a short time in the oven after searing. Cuts thinner than two inches will cook through just fine on the stovetop. Here are some of our favorite steaks:

Ribeye

New York Strip

Filet Mignon

Sirloin

Chef Tip

Internal Temperatures

Steak will continue to cook after it is off the heat, so it's best to remove it from the pan when it’s a few degrees under the desired temperature. We highly recommend using a 

 when cooking steak because it’s the only way to accurately gauge the level of doneness.

Ingredients

Steak

Salt

Essential Ingredients:

Butter

Garlic

Hard Stem Herbs

Type of Pan

Flavor Boosting Ingredients:

Step By Step

Season the steak

Temper the steak

Preheat the oven

Heat the oil

Sear the steak

Add the butter & herbs

Transfer to the oven

Rest the steak

Chef's Tip

Caramelized, juicy, and perfectly tender every time

How to Sear Steak Like a Chef

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, mangiamo!

Having an Italian Dinner Party? Here's What to Serve.

How Tos & Inspiration

Gail Simmons

Top Chef

Dana Cowin

Food & Wine

Gwyneth Parltrow

Goop

Hannah Goldfield

The New Yorker

On Your Arrival

Concepts We’ll Learn

What We'll Cook & What You'll Learn

Accompaniments

Paella Party

Fungi Pizza

Arugula Pesto Pasta

Pizza Party

Raspberry Tiramisu

Burnt Basque Cheesecake 

Apricot Tarte Tatin with Pistachio Ice Cream

Flourless Chocolate Cake 

Spiced Lamb & Couscous

Chicken Paillard with Arugula Salad 

Accompaniments 

New Dessert Classics

Steak Night

Low Carb

Low Sugar

High Protein

Vegetarian

Vegan

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

Low Fat

High Fat

Lemon Chicken & Green Beans

Pork Milanese

Meatballs Marinara

Leisure Time

Think & Drink

Paloma

Spicy Cucumber Margarita

Seafood Bouillabaisse

Casa Dragones Joven

Negroni Bar

Strawberries & Peaches

Pears with Currants

Calamari, Corn & Couscous

Cucumber Avocado Soup

Rainbow Trout with Apricots & Zucchini

The Big Green Salad

Sea Bass with Chili Corn ($)

Tomato Gazpacho

Sea Bass with Charred Cucumber ($)

Flourless Chocolate Cake ($)

Summer Sangria Bar

Ricotta Pancakes

Charred Yellow Squash Gemelli

Chimichurri Chicken

Cucumber Melon Salad

Spring Sangria Bar

Vegetable Aioli

The Sides ($)

Sweet Corn Succotash

Roasted Eggplant with Pine Nut & Raisins

Summer Garden Risotto

Blackberry Plum Goat Cheese Fool

Panna Cotta

Skirt Steak with Arugula Gremolata

Mustard Pork with Mushrooms

Smoked Salmon Carpaccio

Smoked Salmon Board

Couscous & Apples

Potato Salad

Martini Bar (Special Occasion)

Bubbles Bar (Special Occasion)

Spritz Bar (Special Occasion)

G & T Bar (Special Occasion)

Leafy Greens with Radishes

Lobster Rolls ($)

Tequila Bar

Negroni Bar (Special Occasion)

Tequila Bar (Special Occasion)

Cauliflower Steaks with Pomegranate

Horseradish Baked Salmon (Special Occasion) ($)

Pomegranate Salmon

Caviar Plate ($)

Caesar Salad

Mac & Cheddar

Brussels & Pancetta

Mashed Potatoes ($)

Greek Salad

Oysters on the Half Shell with Classic Mignonette

Brisket & Mushrooms  in Red Wine ($)

BBQ Ribs ($)

Brown Butter Pecan Blondies

Savory Carrot Kugel

Cinnamon Apple Kugel ($)

Arranged Crudités

Bread for the Table

Chocolate Covered Fruits & Nuts

Dried Fruits & Toasted Nuts

Marinated Mediterranean Classics

Pickled Vegetables & Mustard