By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
March 6, 2002
At Brian Eccles’ Final Four party this year, he’ll offer his guests pizza and beer. But don’t look for a platter of crudites anywhere near the buffet table.
“[My roommates and I] had a huge vegetable platter at our housewarming party and no one touched it,” says Eccles, 23. “Everyone was a little bummed that we were serving something healthy. We’re not going to make that mistake twice.”
Eccles–who has been following the Final Four games since he was a kid–is especially psyched about this year’s games. The Old Town resident says he’s rooting for Duke University but–as a Chicago boy–he hopes the University of Illinois will do well in the finals.
“Within my circle of friends, there’s usually a pretty big buildup to the games,” says Eccles, a program manager at the Gold Coast Multiplex. “It’s fun to think up party ideas. We like to shake things up and change venues from year to year. This year we’re doing it at my place.”
The big draw about his pad?
“I invested in a 55-inch TV,” he says. “No one’s complaining about coming to my house.”
While it’s true the roomies will spend a good chunk of time cleaning their place before and after the party (well, maybe not so much before) , Eccles says the pros definitely outweigh the cons: cleaner bathroom with shorter lines, easy access to food and drinks and, most important, guaranteed seating.
For the hosts, anyway.
“When you throw the party, you can pull the it’s-my-house-don’t-sit-there card,” he says, laughing. “That’s worth it right there.”
Save the rack of lamb for Easter and the turkey for Thanksgiving. When it comes to Final Four parties, you need to remember these two words: finger food.
“You don’t want to serve food that will be too complicated for people to eat while they’re watching the game,” says Dan Smith, co-owner of Hearty Boys Caterers, 3404 N. Halsted (773-244-9866). “Your guests will be hungry and want to munch on something, but they’re not going to want to leave the television set to eat a sit-down meal.”
In other words, the TV is the main entree.
But finger food doesn’t have to mean just chips and dip. You may stick with the standards, but throw in some black bean dip, spicy guacamole or garlic hummus to give the chips an exotic flavor. Smith also suggests a cheese terrine accompanied by crackers or cocktail breads. And for those meat lovers, whip up a batch of pate (or sausage), slice up a baguette and accompany the treat with a variety of mustards. Chili and sloppy joes are other timeless favorites when the game’s on.
“The easiest thing to do is set all your food on a big coffee table right in the living room or wherever the TV is,” Smith says. “No one has to leave the room and everyone’s happy.”
And don’t forget the sweets.
Cookies, brownies, pre-cut pieces of cake–anything your guests may pick up with their fingers–should go on your menu.
He agrees, leave the veggie platter at home.
“Someone always brings one to a party ’cause it looks great, but no one ever eats it,” Smith says. “But if you do end up getting one, display it and use it to make soup the next day.”
Speaking of leftovers, to ensure you have enough food for your party but not so much you’ll be eating finger-food dinners for the remainder of the week, Smith recommends 1/2 to 3/4 pound of food and 1-1/2 pounds of ice per person.
Of course, if these fractions are blowing your mind, you may want to consider moving the party to a bar or club.
“The best place to throw a party is at someone else’s house,” says Ed Warm, co-owner of Joe’s, 940 W. Weed (312-337-3486). “We invite everyone to relax and enjoy the party at our house. In terms of excitement, it’s the next best thing to being at the stadium.”
Joe’s 108 television monitors and 14 big-screen projectors make sure the game can be viewed from every crevice of the popular NCAA college hoops hangout. And during Final Four games, cover charges are suspended..
“There’s a lot of excitement brewing because the University of Illinois and Indiana are both having really good years,” says Warm.
“We’re the alumni club home for both these schools, so our patrons are really excited about the games, regardless of whether either team makes it into the final four. It’s just a fun party for everyone.”
