Dinner dilemmas

David Shaw’s column on hosting dinner parties at home (“Bend, Don’t Break,” Sept.29) elicited 75 letters, including 20 invitations to dinner.

I really enjoyed David Shaw’s column. However, I’m afraid you left me hanging. Faced with the daunting task of preparing dinner for Piero Selvaggio, Wolfgang Puck and Michael McCarty, what on Earth did you finally decide to serve?

Michael Scheff

Reseda

David Shaw replies: Well, as an anal compulsive who keeps records of virtually everything, I’m embarrassed to admit that I have no record of what we served, and all my wife can remember is that her first course was mussel soup and her dessert may have been a fruit tart. The only thing I can say in our defense is that my/our failure to record or remember more is a measure of our relaxed approach to the evening.

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I saw my husband, Martin, and myself in every aspect of your article down to the fact that we rarely receive reciprocal invitations.

I have an idea: Invite us over for dinner, and we will invite you and your wife. We are wonderful, charming and well traveled, and make good guests. Also, I am a sensational cook!

Kathy Godin

Los Angeles