What sounds better for dinner?

[BakeAholic]

I'm having a dinner party for five people tomorrow night. They are friends of my husband and I have never cooked for them before. I would like to know which dinner menu out of the two below you think sounds the best.

#1 Pasta Marguerite: Roma tomato sauce with fresh basil, mozzarella and parmesan
Mixed Salad with pine nuts, chevre, yellow and red cherry tomatoes and homemade
dressing.
Bakery Bread
Red Wine
Vanilla ice-cream with sabayon sauce and berries

#2 Homemade Chicken Pot Pies with a pastry crust
(chicken, carrots, celery, peas corn, onions...)
Mixed green salad
Beer
Chocolate Layer Cake

Also, if you would choose the pot pie, what else would you serve with it besides a salad?

[swsidejim]

easy, only one entree contains meat, and I am an unapologetic carnivore who eats meat for every meal, so the pot pie option wins.

Also I prefer a green salad and beer over wine, and a salad with pine nuts. Dessert is not a factor since I do not eat dessert.

[chef chicklet]

The pot pies sound nice.. And the salad would be a beautiful salad, I'd go all out on the salad with arugula, pear, avocado, dried cherries. I'd serve champagne for fun, its light and nice with just about anything. But then I'm not a wine expert either, but not beer I find it heavy.

[Tom P]

Pot pie! With wine!

[Bat Guano]

Well, I like the idea of beer with the pot pie - I'd go with a nice pale ale or IPA. Perhaps some Guinness or another stout with the chocolate cake.

[ziggylu]

Another vote for pot pie....warm and hearty for this time of year and you can do them ahead. Plus who doesn't love a pot pie. I'd just serve with a salad as the pies are pretty rich and filling on their own. Put out a few munchies before dinner if you like.

Definitely wine and beer says another non-beer drinker.

[punkin712]

I'd choose #1 (being a vegetarian, I guess I went into the vote a bit biased against the chicken pot pie). But, I would choose the chocolate layer cake over ice cream - especially if it's homemade. It has a bigger "wow" factor since most people don't bake stuff like that for themselves.

[zataar]

I'd go with the pot pie. Tomatoes just aren't very good in January. If I were to do the pasta and salad, I'd make a roasted tomato sauce or something not using fresh tomatoes.

[mikefoody]

I'm with zataar. Unless you have a source for great tomatoes this time of year, I'd go for the pot pie.

[NE_Elaine]

I vote for the pot pie menu as well.

It is a dish that many people will not make for themselves and incredible comfort food. I don't generally serve it with anything besides a salad, but those garlic mashed sound good.

I would probably have beer and white wine for bevs.

[bw2082]

pot pies minus the beer

[karykat]

I'd choose the pot pies too and I don't think you need anything with it other than the salads. The pot pies will have vegies and the crust will be filling and rich. So salad. And some bread. And your cake. Sounds great.

[soypower]

if i were coming over to dinner, i would choose dinner #1. but i think some would be wondering, 'where's the meat?' chicken pot pies seem more like a crowd-pleaser, and would be great with some garlic mashed potatoes...

[dolores]

soypower, you took the thought right out of my head!

Another vote for the CPP, with garlic mashed potatoes. And some vanilla ice cream on the side of the chocolate cake. And white wine, since I don't drink beer. Yum.