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Lisa Vanderpump’s Show About Entertaining Is So Awkward, but the Food Looks Fantastic

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First, she got drunk with her friends and frenemies on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills . Then, she managed a bunch of oft-drunk servers on Vanderpump Rules . Now, Lisa Vanderpump is getting her guests sipping and spilling the boozy tea on a new talk show. Overserved with Lisa Vanderpump features the lady of the house inviting celebrity guests to Villa Rosa — yep, her home has a name — and wining and dining them while popping in a couple of gossipy questions.

But while the interviews do leave something to be desired — and the ratings after two episodes already reflect this — the food and drinks look surprisingly good.

Each episode is built around a theme. The first, for instance, was called “An Evening in Provence,” inspired by the fact that the Vanderpump family “lived in the south of France for years when the children were young.” Guests include *NSYNC’s Lance Bass, his husband Michael Turchin, and actor Vivica A. Fox.

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While there’s plenty of chit-chatting and fun stories between Vanderpump and her celeb friends — for example, Bass talking about his constant pranks on Turchin — the food gets just as much screen time. The group starts with a lavender-infused butterfly pea tea French 75 before enjoying figs with goat cheese and prosciutto as an appetizer. As they sit down for dinner, they find tiny baskets filled with vegetables on the table. “Everywhere you go in France, you always start with a little basket of crudités,” explains Vanderpump’s daughter, Pandora Vanderpump Sabo. The main course is tuna, haricot verts, and mini potato galettes with Gruyere;  for dessert, apple rosettes are paired with absinthe cocktails.

In the second episode, “A Tuscan Feast,” comedians Cheryl Hines and Joel McHale start their lunch with caprese two ways, which features a dirty caprese martini and a more traditional caprese skewer. This is followed by spaghetti served out of a whole wheel of melty Parmesan, a limoncello cocktail, and limoncello sorbet.

The decor is fabulous for both themes, with an inordinate amount of flowers. For “Provence,” fresh lavender is layered underneath a clear serving plate, which makes a big impression on Fox, who says, “I feel like I’m in a fairytale.” In his episode, McHale remarks that it felt like he was getting married again.

Vanderpump and Sabo are shown cooking the food and preparing the drinks; if anyone else is helping, we’re not privy to that, but it seems like they know their stuff since Vanderpump has, after all, opened several restaurants. Sabo, meanwhile, runs the family’s Vanderpump Wine and Spirits brand. The pair have a website where they share some of their recipes, including that French 75 .

But while Vanderpump is an expert entertainer and the food — plus the location where she’s serving it — offer some escapism, there’s not much else going on with Overserved . The focus is split between the guests, the food, and random quirky games, sometimes to the point that it feels like there’s no center at all.

So if you want to try out one of the cocktails or appetizers yourself, it may be easier to check out Vanderpump’s website or the entertaining book that she, of course, already released. It’ll save you all the chit-chat about doing Dancing with the Stars and awkward Hollywood encounters — though that may also be the kind of thing you need right now.

Lia Beck

Contributor

Lia Beck is a writer living in Brooklyn, NY, who covers entertainment and lifestyle. In addition to The Kitchn, she has written for Refinery29, Bustle, Hello Giggles, Cosmopolitan, and more.

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Source : food