Review: The Rose Table Presents “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Dinner Party
Shawn Stalter, Chief Dallas/Ft. Worth Critic
Rose Table creator, Katie-Rose Watson, fuses an unrestrained love of theatre with a passion for inspiring others to savor life’s pleasures through a wide array of culinary delights presented at her imaginative dinner parties. Capitalizing on the success of her popular Disney-themed series, her latest offering incorporates a theatrical theme, and celebrates the time-honored Shakespearean play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” This cherished story tells the tale of “Theseus, Duke of Athens” and the events surrounding his marriage to “Hippolyta, former Queen of the Amazons.” It is full to the brim with whimsy, a myriad of unique forest creatures and lush imagery including the much-quoted line:
“I know a bank where the wild thyme blows
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine.”
-W. Shakespeare, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
In her “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” dinner party video, Katie-Rose extracts key elements of the story which define this celebrated work and expertly weaves them together into a richly flavorful tapestry. These elements include vivid costuming, decorative items and, of course, the signature dishes which define her inspirational dinner party series. Together, these features merge to bring Katie-Rose’s inner world to life with a remarkably vibrant and energetic flair.
Hosted under a sky filled with bright stars and a full moon, she constructed the dinner around the unique concept that, in Katie-Rose's own words, she and her traveling companions “stumbled into a forest in ancient Greece and sat down for a glamorous fairy dinner.” To transport her guests, and The Rose Table viewers, to this world, she styled her table with a color pallet reminiscent of a magical forest floor. The plays numerous references to violet manifest in the dinner via vibrant floral bouquets.
Throughout a lively evening, she spellbound companions with an intoxicating array of flavors spread across multiple courses. Each dish featured a theme, as Watson explains, inspired by the line of the play which most spoke to her; “Thy lips, those kissing cherries, tempting grow!” Therefore, cherries were an integral part of the evening’s courses which included a stunning cheese board with English cheddar, whipped honey and fresh honeycomb; a signature Kissing Cherries Chicken dish; chocolate lavender dream cake and a cherry-infused “Love-In-Idleness” cocktail of which “Puck” would be proud.
Although brimming with a seemingly-never-ending parade of whimsy-inspired dishes served on wooden chargers and consumed with wooden utensils, the evening also celebrated a wide array of theatrical elements including costuming, lighting, sound and staging. In fact, Katie-Rose’s guests for this fanciful evening included a cross-section of DFW’s hottest up-and-coming actors and actresses, such as Morgan Maxey as “Titania,” and Gabriel Ethridge as “Oberon,” who were both recently featured in “The Boyfriend,” Emily Emmett as “Helena” who recently appeared in “Brightstar, ”Alle Mims as “Peaseblossom,” who was recently seen in Shakespeare in the Parks’ current season and Christopher Lew as “Puck,” who recently appeared in “Raptured.”
Lovers of theatre, food, friendship and the joy one can find by fusing the three, should head over to The Rose Table and see first-hand how they can craft a space to bring more magic into their daily lives.
You can watch The Rose Table’s ”A Midsummer Night’s Dream” dinner party and learn more about savoring life’s pleasures with help from the Rose Table by visiting www.therosetable.com
The Rose Table is a food, travel, and entertaining website created by foodie Katie-Rose Watson in 2014. It focuses on original recipes, party menus, in-depth travel guides, farm to table cuisine, and more. The Rose Table has been featured by MSN, The Daily Meal, That Hashtag Show, Voyage Dallas, Good Day Fox 4, Good Morning Texas and has a monthly RoseTableRecipes column in Society Life Magazine.
Photo credit: Katie-Rose Watson