At the Venice Film Festival, One Critic Hosts a Fabulous Dinner Party

Attending the Venice Film Festival is a rarefied privilege; only a lucky few get to gather at the annual celebration of movies and their makers, held in such a picturesque setting. That said, if you’re working during the festival—reviewing movies, conducting interviews, wrangling talent to make sure they make it to those movies and those interviews—it can be stressful. There is not much time to slow down and socialize, eat a proper meal, or even take in the majestic beauty of your surroundings. Even if you’re just a tourist during Venice’s high season, the crowds can be overwhelming, with traffic jams of people in narrow streets and the constant worry that maybe you didn’t pick the right restaurant with the right view—a strange kind of FOMO can permeate one’s time there, whether you’re on the clock or not.Lindsey Bahr, film critic for the Associated Press and a guest of Richard Lawson, at his garden party. Max MontingelliA view of Venice proper from the JW Marriott property. Max MontingelliWhich is why, this year when in town for the Festival for my work as a film critic, I ventured to the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa, on the Isola delle Rose—a private island that's about a 20-minute boat ride from the hubbub of San Marco—to host a dinner party in the thick of the festival. This is a white-glove service offered at various JW Marriott properties around the world.Once I locked in on the experience, the events team started by providing several options for the menu, as well as those for a tastefully themed table setting that would help me engineer my desired vibe for the evening. Did I want a tablescape—flowers, candle holders, dishes, flatware, stemware—that was more upscale and refined, or something a bit more lived-in and rustic, but still elegant? I chose the latter option, with sage green as the binding color, thinking it was a bit more suited to my crowd of fellow critics and acting as a nice complement to the verdant environment.The tablescape at the garden party Max MontingelliTwo different menus were suggested. Both revolved around local produce, and some seafood, from the area—choosing was difficult, but I ultimately opted for the one that more heavily focused on local produce, given that my guests and I were to be sitting a stone’s throw from the island’s lush gardens (more on the meal in a moment). Once I made my selections, everything else was taken care of by the capable, accommodating event planners.I arrived at the Isola delle Rose a day before the event and found myself immediately soothed by the hush of the island, its olive tree grove dotted with modernist sculptures, its dreamy vistas looking back toward Venice. The friendly, but not obsequious, service of the staff put me right at ease; I felt in very good hands, but not overly fussed over. My room, in a secluded outbuilding a couple of minutes' walk (or a shorter golf cart ride) away from the main hotel, was a stylish, spacious sanctuary done up in soft earth tones and warm lighting. I had a private terrace with various types of comfortable seating, all looking out at those quintessentially Mediterranean olive trees.Welcome drinks were served at the evening's start Max MontingelliTwo guitarists played during the welcome drinks Max MontingelliJust before sunset, I greeted my dinner companions—journalists and critics from Variety, IndieWire, the Associated Press, and New York Magazine, as well as several publicists and awards strategists with whom we closely work—who arrived by water taxis all arranged by the hotel—on a sprawling lawn overlooking the lagoon. Two guitarists added some musical ambience while guests were served signature cocktails (with a non-alcoholic option) and an impressive array of hors d'oeuvres. We chatted and caught up, comparing notes about films we’d seen, but mostly commenting on the understated but finely detailed elegance of the occasion.We marveled at the dinner table, decorated with copious bouquets of flowers, name cards whimsically resting atop various produce from the nearby garden—my name was nestled against a spindly royal purple eggplant; another guest found hers tucked into a Ronde de Nice squash. Candles at each place setting turned out to be made of herb-infused butter (the herbs also coming from the gardens just a few yards away), theatrically lit by the wait staff when it was time for us to dig into our fresh-baked bread.Once the dinner service got started, we shared starters of a farm egg with chanterelle mushrooms and aged Montasio cheese, grilled baby cuttlefish in a light tomato sauce, charred zucchini rolled into rosettes with smoked ricotta and almonds—all a far cry from the hastily-gobbled sandwiches and pizza slices that typically comprise a festivalgoer’s diet.Food for the evening was all a far-cry from the hastily-gobbled sandwiches that typically comprise a critic's diet during the fest. Max MontingelliOver our entree of risotto with garden herbs, lemon, and rose shrimp, we recounted stories of film festivals past, of good and bad encounters with movie stars, of potential Oscar contenders and also-rans—think Jay Kelly. There was some practical shop talk, but for the most part everyone took the opportunity to let all that lie for the evening, and instead spend time as friends who live all over the globe and only on rare occasions get to sit down and really connect. We were making an indelible Venice memory together, one that had precious little to do with deadlines and press conferences.The evening concluded with a dessert of figs and honey. Max MontingelliOnce dinner concluded—but not before we were served a light and refreshing dessert of fig, honey, and vanilla—guests were given parting gifts of wildflower honey from nearby Vignole Island and local olive oil. Some said their goodbyes and made their way to their waiting water taxis (a luxury in its own right), while others walked across the island to an event space where a film happened to be having its premiere party. So, a little of the festival had made its way to us, but we were happy to greet it where we were, on our island. To have a spritz and mingle with other colleagues and spend a bit of extra time together. It was a lively conclusion to a perfect Venice night, a few rare hours of calm and conviviality and nourishment before it was back to the business of festival life.