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Outdoor Entertaining – Dinner Party on the Beach

Outdoor entertaining doesn’t get more all-American than a casual dinner with friends on the beach.  And I hereby submit evidence that a beach dinner can be oh-so elegant!

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Harbor Springs on the bank of Lake Michigan is the home to one of the chicest stores in America: Huzza. The boutique is owned by Rad and Kate Macready, who as well as having superb taste also know how to throw a damn good party.

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Last summer they showed their outdoor entertaining prowess by throwing a breathtaking dinner party on the beach just outside town. It was the perfect setting for a simple and low maintenance dinner to celebrate summer and everything that is perfect about northern lakeside living.

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The goal for Stockyard Detroit who prepared all the food was to create a beach dinner that was elegant but most importantly that it gathered the flavors of August in Northern Michigan.

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The table decoration provided plenty of contemporary tablesetting inspiration. The color theme was a new take on the black and gold combination that looks so fresh and modern.

 

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Huddleson’s Seagram pure linen napkins in a deep indigo and dark textured cream perfectly tied together the black and gold of the table with the backdrop of the lake. The artistic print on fine Italian linen is inspired by the paintings of Mark Rothko – a perfect execution of functional art! (Buy the napkins online here).

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The floral displays were loose and organic and made up of white cosmos with wild local greenery.

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The appetizers were shishito peppers with an aioli of garlic and farm fresh eggs along with whitefish paté crostinis topped with capers and pickled red onions. Combining the grilled peppers and the whitefish paté (a Northern Michigan classic) made for the accompaniment to the cocktail hour.

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The dinner menu comprised a selection of tantalizingly presented large dishes to pass and share: summer salad and lamb kebobs with couscous covered in pickled items and homemade sauces of rosewater yogurt and charred tomatillo relish.

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To cap off a magical evening the party continued around a fire on the beach with fireworks over the lake.

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All photos by The Fresh Exchangecheck out their blog for more stunning photography, inspiration and advice covering fashion, design, travel and entrepreneurship.