GROUPON GUIDE TO CHICAGO

When You Throw This Chicago-Themed Dinner Party, Rahm Emanuel Smiles

BY: Amelia Buzzell |Mar 26, 2014
When You Throw This Chicago-Themed Dinner Party, Rahm Emanuel SmilesHot-dog tea towels, model CTA buses, and a table set to look like the city flag—this is how you show Chicago pride. Now pass the celery salt, please. Da Bears. Da Bean. The patchwork of neighborhoods. The deep-dish pizza. Chicago means different things to different people, but its biggest icons are beloved by both locals and tourists. So why not incorporate them into a table setting that serves as both a celebration of—and an introduction to—all things Chicago? Honor the city’s flag by layering a white runner over a blue tablecloth, then let red plates stand in for those iconic red stars. Used in place of napkins, tea towels detail every last component in a Chicago hot dog, from the steamed bun to the sport peppers to the ketchup (just kidding!), which any true Chicagoan can rattle off on command. As a nod to the city’s rich Prohibition-era history, hooch should be served as discreetly as possible—a flask hidden inside a book will help your guests imbibe inconspicuously. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Windy City–themed party without a little hot air. If the political conversation gets too heated, a retro jet fan will help everybody cool down. If anybody complains, just blame it on the “lake effect.” when-you-throw-this-chicago-themed-dinner-party-rahm-emanuel-smiles_600c490 1. Como gauze linen tablecloth, Crate and Barrel; ($89.95+ on sale) 2. Duo natural linen placemat for two (used as table runner), CB2; ($12.99 on sale) 3. Red crafted dinner plates, West Elm; ($48 for four) 4. Chicago hot-dog diagram tea towel, Girls Can Tell on Etsy; ($16) 5. Hollow book safe and flask, Secret Safe Books on Etsy; ($45) 6. CTA hybrid wooden bus, CTAGifts.com; ($12.95) 7. Wide baby-blue Urbanjet table fan, Lamps Plus; ($149.91)