A-List Comfort Food

Wolfgang Puck (the one & only) had his first Oscar party in 1983 at his restaurant, Spago, in West Hollywood because he never had a grand opening party when the restaurant debuted a year earlier in 1982. He closed the restaurant to the general public, sent out invites, and halfway through dinner there was a crowd (300 people deep!) attempting to name-drop themselves into the party.

At the time, Swifty Lazar was also throwing an annual Oscar party at his Beverly Hills home before moving it to restaurants like Mastro's and Bistro Garden. In 1984, Lazar and Puck joined forces and hosted a combined party at Spago; the tradition continued until Lazar's passing in 1994.

For the last 15 years Puck has catered the dinner on site at three different Oscar locations including the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, the Shrine Auditorium and, since 2002, the Kodak Theatre. Over the years there have been lots of almost-disasters and close calls but things always seem to work out...

One time Puck needed to get back to the restaurant to obtain something he had forgotten, and there was a horrible traffic jam, so Pierce Brosnan and his then girlfriend, Keely, gave him a lift on their helicopter. “This was really like the James Bond thing,” he says with a laugh. (pretty normal?)

This year the menu is themed around comfort foods...lots of Champagne (Puck loves bubbly) and appetizers like mini Kobe beef cheeseburgers, assorted pizzas, and tempura shrimp. Once the 1,500 guests sit down for dinner they will start with sushi, shrimp, oyster, and crab served with cocktail sauce, mustard sauce, and mignonette. Next comes a crispy potato galette with smoked salmon followed by a main course of organic chicken pot pie with black truffles and root vegetables. For dessert, guests will enjoy Puck's traditional 24-carat gold- covered chocolate Oscar that they can take home.

For those of you who are going to be enjoying the Oscars at home this year, it's your lucky day!

USA Today published Wolfgang Puck's Truffled Chicken Pot Pie recipe ...

Click HERE to Check it out!