In our hearts, if not in the Gregorian calendar, Memorial Day is the official start of summer. This menu celebrates that, and (with some collaboration between some of our favorite chefs and our own in-house culinary dream team) was designed to celebrate the beauty and bounty of outdoor, live-fire cooking.
- Cocktail: Texas Sun by Erin Ashford
- Appetizer: Grilled Oysters, Two Ways by Rhoda Boone
- Main: Wagyu Burger by Chef Tom Colicchio
- Main: Ginisang Hipon (Sautéed Shrimp) by Chef Melissa Miranda
- Side: Grilled Potato Salad by Rhoda Boone
- Side: Grilled Corn with Guajillo Crema by Jessica Vargas
- Dessert: Olive Oil Cake with Brûléed Stone Fruit by Chef Susana Querejazu
- Tools You’ll Need
- Ready to Cook?
Cocktail: Texas Sun by Erin Ashford
Being outside is practically a prerequisite to imbibing this citrus-y cocktail from Holiday co-owner and Beverage Director Erin Ashford. In it, a basil-bay simple syrup adds a subtle herbaceous lift to sotol, a distilled spirit that’s related to tequila and mezcal but features a grassier, more vegetal flavor.
The cocktail is further complemented by a bit of lemon and a few bubbles, and garnished, of course, with grapefruit charred to perfection in our Enameled Cast Iron Skillet.
Appetizer: Grilled Oysters, Two Ways by Rhoda Boone
Raw oysters can be divisive, but our Creative Culinary Director Rhoda Boone is determined to make them something everyone can enjoy. Enter: Grilled Oysters Two Ways. The first is inspired by the charbroiled oysters found in classic oyster bars that dot the Gulf Coast, and features a rich garlic butter sauce and Parmesan.
The second turns the bloody Mary on its head—instead of a cocktail garnished with various appetizers, it’s various appetizers garnished with a cocktail (in this case, a spicy tomato-vodka sauce). Choose your favorite or make them both—the world is, dare we say, your oyster.
Main: Wagyu Burger by Chef Tom Colicchio
From (Top) Chef Tom Colicchio, this indulgent take on the cookout classic pairs Wagyu beef with truffle Pecorino, balsamic onions, and bread and butter pickles.
Fancy ingredients aside, it’s still relatively simple to make, especially if you prep pickles and onions ahead of time. Just like our smash hit smash burgers, these are seared to juicy perfection on our Carbon Steel Griddle for a smoky, flame-kissed finish.
Main: Ginisang Hipon (Sautéed Shrimp) by Chef Melissa Miranda
In her recipe for ginisang hipon (a Filipino sautéed shrimp dish), Musang’s Chef Melissa Miranda shares a simple Filipino dish that uses a surprising but familiar ingredient: Sprite.
Once you’ve lightly seared the shrimp in a Carbon Steel Frying Pan, lemon-lime soda deglazes it to release all the flavorful fond—sort of like white wine in a pan sauce. There’s a chimichurri for serving, and because it calls for aptly named “colossal” shrimp, this recipe serves as a hearty main course salad.
Side: Grilled Potato Salad by Rhoda Boone
This warm potato salad is all crispy edges thanks to our Griddle and Grill Press, which smash and sear so deeply the final dish tastes almost as if a hash brown decided to be a salad.
A simple cider vinaigrette seasons the potatoes and makes the most of their creamy, mild-flavored interiors, and is a welcome reprieve from the typical mayonnaise-drenched affair. Plus, bacon bits, cornichons, scallions, and parsley—each bite is equally tangy, smoky, vibrant, and herbaceous. A far cry from your standard barbecue potato salad.
Side: Grilled Corn with Guajillo Crema by Jessica Vargas
No summer grilling menu is complete without corn, and this version—served alongside a smoky-sweet guajillo crema—goes the extra mile. It’s topped with all the usual suspects (lime, cilantro, cotija) and seared on the Griddle for 360-degree char. The best part about all street corn-adjacent dishes is how simple they are to scale—serve a few for small backyard get-togethers, or grill up a bushel for neighborhood-wide cookouts.
Dessert: Olive Oil Cake with Brûléed Stone Fruit by Chef Susana Querejazu
This recipe from Chef Susana Querejazu, Executive Pastry Chef at Austin’s Commodore Perry Estate, requires little more equipment than a mixing bowl, a whisk, and our Pie Dish.
The result is a fluffy and moist cake that substitutes olive oil for butter, topped with the brûléed stone fruit of your choice. We recommend whatever's in season or readily available for this light, quick, and delicious dessert that's perfect for a Memorial Day gathering—or any other time.
Tools You’ll Need
This menu was designed to be cooked (and enjoyed) outside—preferably with an iced beverage in hand while surrounded by your loved ones—but can be done anywhere thanks to the portability and adaptability of our cookware and serving pieces. Below, you'll find a list of tools our team used to craft this menu, perfect for these dishes and so many more.
Carbon Steel Griddle and Press
- Carbon Steel Griddle
- Griddle + Press
- $199$238Save $39(16% off)
These grilling essentials can be enjoyed year-round, but truly shine in the summertime. Together, the Carbon Steel Griddle and Stainless Steel Grill Press maximize direct heat contact between ingredients and the surface of the Griddle, resulting in crispier, richer, and more flavorful finished products.
And at half the weight of cast iron, the Griddle can go from the stovetop to the grill with ease, ensuring you can grill up a perfect Wagyu Burger or order of Grilled Corn regardless of where you're cooking.
Carbon Steel Frying Pan
- Blue Carbon Steel Frying Pan
- 12" · Seasoned
- $129
Carbon steel frying pans can be found in restaurant kitchens across the world, and it’s no secret why. With the maneuverability and control of stainless steel and the heat retention, durability, and naturally non stick finish of seasoned cast iron, it’s completely adaptable and basically indestructible.
As if to demonstrate its impressive range, our menu features two recipes that highlight distinct but equally ingenious uses for this restaurant staple: sautéed colossal shrimp seared on the stove, and a quick olive oil cake paired with grilled stone fruit.
French Bakeware
- Pie Dish
- 1.5 QT · Red Rim
- $59
A piece of Bakeware that doubles as a serving vessel is any host’s best-kept secret. Whether serving a fresh olive oil cake from the Pie Dish, presenting your oysters in the first-of-its-kind Baking Slab, or dishing up another treat in a Square or Oval Baking Dish, you can keep the dishes to a minimum and the wow factor to a maximum.
Tableware and Serving Pieces
- Tabletop Set
- Complete · White
- $599$753Save $154(20% off)
Disposable plates and single-use serving dishes may mean less cleanup at the end of the night, but we encourage any super host (or super host in training) to invest in some actual service pieces.
Not only does our English Serviceware and Tableware make serving large meals (either buffet- or family-style) a breeze, but they’re designed to withstand the rigors of restaurant kitchens—meaning they'll look just as good on their hundredth dinner party as they did for the first.
Glassware
- Glassware Sets
- 12-Piece
- $199$257Save $58(23% off)
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In the same vein as tableware comes glassware—sure, you can serve your guests with disposable or cheap glasses, but if the alternative is European-fired glassware, you can guess what our pick is. From a pre-dinner cocktail to after-dinner wine, our array of Glassware makes any beverage look, taste, and feel more premium.
Ready to Cook?
Celebrate your most memorable Memorial Day yet with a menu that showcases the absolute best of outdoor cooking—and the best of outdoor-compatible cookware, to boot. Whether you make every dish on the menu or pick and choose, you’re sure to impress.
