Kathy Hilton’s Guide to Throwing the Perfect Dinner Party

We’ve witnessed some pretty lavish dinner parties in our RHOBH-watching days. But no matter how many secret curtains Dorit throws up, or how many diamonds and rosé tea parties Lisa Vanderpump has overseen, no one’s hosting skills come close to the one and only Kathy Hilton’s.

In fact, we’re completely in awe of them. Unfortunately, Kath’s fellow housewives made sure that her big season 11 soiree was also one of the most disastrous, earning the official moniker “Dinner Party From Hell: Part Two.” (If you’ve seen Camille’s dinner from Season 1, you know.)

Brawling guests and fleeing invitees aside, we picked up plenty of notes for the next time we’re in the mood to host a shindig. Read on for all of Kathy Hilton’s very best tips for when it comes to hosting the perfect dinner party.

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Craft the perfect seating arrangements

Seating charts aren’t just for weddings, y’all. When you’re hosting a dinner party in which several of the guests already have a lot of tension between them, a seating chart can make or break your night. Not only did Kathy strategically place herself between her sister and her new prank-loving bestie Dorit, but she put Rinna near the bell and Sutton and Erika beside each other… naturally chaos ensued, which is exactly why the night was so epic.

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Bust out the good china… and the candlesticks

Sure, sure, dinner parties are all about the food. But a beautiful table can definitely set the mood leading up to all of that nosh. Kathy’s table, with pops of red, was one of the prettiest we’ve ever seen thanks to those crystal goblets, arrays of roses, and red gift boxes. Of course the real showstopper was those Baccarat candlesticks, which apparently retail for $950US… each.

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Don’t forget to fluff, feel and touch

As Kathy noted, never come 10 or even five minutes early to one of her parties. That’s when she’s walking around and putting all of the final touches on the evening. Fresh perfume? Check. Perfect lighting? Check. Folded toilet paper, fluffed roses and fresh soap in the powder room? Check, check, check. The more you can touch and feel everything ahead of time, the better.

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Get a Patrick in case guests do come early

If you do happen to have a guest who arrives early (here’s looking at you, Rinna), make sure you have a Patrick to help smooth things over. Kath was way too busy doing all the things to come and great Rinna when she popped in early, but the butler was sure to compliment Rinna on her elegant pant suit and French-inspired class. Naturally all the ladies ate it up.

Sutton Stracke, Garcelle Beavais and Dorit Kemsley

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Bring the bar to your guests

When Rinna asked where the bar was while she waited for Kathy to emerge, we all thought Patrick was joking when he said everything’s closed. Turns out he was only half joking, because moments later when Rinna was seated, a server brought over a tray with a glass of red and white wine, along with a flute of champagne. Hey, bringing the bar to your guests is actually a genius idea, because then you can more easily manage what they consume.

Erika Jayne and Sutton Stracke at dinner

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Warn the staff about the events to come… if you can

Poor Patrick (can you tell we’re obsessed?). All he wanted to do was dole out the caviar pie to the guests, but the emotional outbursts happening at the table left him more than out of sorts. We’re sure all kinds of things have gone down at the Hilton residence over the years, but Erika and Sutton going at it was definitely a first for the staff. We’re sure that afterwards Kath filled her team in on how to swerve and serve more effectively next time.

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Keep an emotional support dog nearby

When tensions grow, what better way to self-soothe than by holding a fluffy little pup? Let’s be honest, Kathy’s dog, Muffy, was the real star of that dinner party, with various ladies picking her up and petting her throughout the night. Because after all, it’s kind of hard to yell or scream at someone when you’re holding a sweet and innocent dog, right?

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Maybe skip the soufflé

Serving up a fresh soufflé is the epitome of luxe, but when you just aren’t sure how long it’s going to be until your guests stop beefing and eat the lamb in front of them instead, you may want to avoid doling out a dish that needs to be perfectly timed. Kath learned that the hard way during this particular dinner party, but she’s also always one to look on the bright side: more leftovers for her.