Dim the Lights
No one ever said it was easy to entertain in a five hundred square foot walk up. Getting the Zabars bags up the stairs alone can leave even the most stiletto-proficient urban runner in tears. In a city where our bars and restaurants are really our living rooms and Central Park is our backyard, even the savviest New Yorker can turn paler than the day they signed their first lease when faced with the 
prospect of entertaining AT HOME! Of course once all those long hours of climbing the corporate ladder pay off and you have your feet up in your sprawling downtown loft or white-glove, classic six this is not a problem- and actually if you have made it this far you can certainly hire help and hide the caterer in the kitchen while you take all the credit. But somewhere between the shared apartment with a mini stove and an eat-in kitchen with the Viking range of your dreams, lies the vast contingent of hip, sophisticated New Yorkers, who with a little creativity, have the ability and ingenuity to roll up their sleeves, invest in a few basics and dive into the great unknown of hosting, even in the most “intimate” of New York spaces. So keep fighting the good fight for square footage and by all means continue to savor and patronize this Mecca of dining and cocktails, but the next time you are laying on your couch after a late night of imbibing take a look around – because sometimes the best table is your own.
Taking Stock
Equipping a New York Kitchen (in two levels)
Stocking the Pantry