Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations: Entertaining at Home with New York's Savviest Hostesses

Anytime I get an opportunity to glimpse the lives of the uber-rich, I have to go for it. I find it so intriguing. This book was written for the ladies of pedigree in New York, but we are lucky enough to be voyeurs into their society and see what foods they serve and how. I'm not saying we want to be them, I think we just like a glimpse of that life, and this cookbook offers that.If you want a cookbook for family dinner night, this is not the one for you. But if you're looking for a cookbook with pretty pages and extravagant menus, give this a try. You can spend a Saturday afternoon lost in this treasure of a book.

Was disappointed to find more lifestyle photos and members dining room table decor etc. A hat resting in a chair.. what does that have to do with margaritas? Would love to have seen more of the prepared products… and how they style those or provide table decor that shows off the dishes. Disappointing.

I purchased the original Park Avenue Potluck book. It was just okay--I didn't pay a lot (truthfully, the cover sold me--it was so beautiful). The recipes were surprisingly simple, but I kept it. So when I saw this one, I have NO idea why I bought it (well, maybe I do--again the price was right and I'm always holding out hope that it will surprise me somehow). Another reviewer said she liked the photos, so I went with that. However, this book IMMEDIATELY shows its age, as the photographs are SO dark, you can hardly see them. And even though I am certain the photographs were taken by a professional photographer and someone staged the room, it looks like they were all carelessly snapped with an iPhone and none of the settings were adjusted to enhance the photographs. Not a deal breaker, but such a distraction. You can immediately tell an older cookbook by the poor quality and color choices of its photographs.Now for the recipes. Again, Meh. Nothing fancy, nothing special. In fact, most of them are so mundane, I am certain they were taken directly off the back of a package and then handed down that way. For example, the Silken Mushroom Soup's only flavoring are 2 bay leaves and salt and pepper. However, all of the recipes (and the whole book, actually, complete with the snapshot pictures) were reminiscent of a simpler time when everything wasn't Instagram perfect and with ingredients that had to be special ordered. I would not recommend.

This book was almost exactly what I expected it to be. Well worth the money and all for a good cause (applause, applause!). The photography was absolutely stunning, and the recipes were unpretentious. Even those of us who don't have a Park Avenue address can adopt both the recipes and decorative arrangements for our own gatherings at home. I will very likely purchase future printings as well as recommend this book to friends.

I have their other book. . Potluck something or other. .it's at home and I'm at work. . . great recipes in both. . if you love to cook you would really enjoy this book.

Love this book! If you're a gourmet cook who likes to fuss with with many ingredients, may not be for you; however, for the rest of us who like to put an elegant meal on the table for guests, it's definitely a winner.

This cookbook is amazing. What a wealth of different recipes that are easily used in any entertaining situation. I've already made quite a few of the recipes and they are all winners.

My wife enjoyed the book.