Gilding the Gridiron

ith your college years behind you—and college football season upon us—it's high time your tailgating party graduated from supermarket hot dogs and plastic cups of beer. Our upscale upgrade features a surf-and-turf grilling menu worthy of an Iron Chef (Wolfgang Puck, to be exact), top-shelf champagne cocktails (from the world's greatest bar, no less) and the coolest vintage-inspired fashion and gear. Take a cue from the following pages and you may need to put up a velvet rope.

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FOUR WAYS TO UPGRADE YOUR GRILLING GAME

FASHION (firwerfttMf pages)

Men's fashion, from far left: 1. Coat by J. Crew, shirt from Gant by Michael Bastian, pants by Vineyard Vines, belt by Nautica, shoes by Billy Reid. 2. Blazer by Tom my Hilfiger, shirt by Nautica, pants from Gant by Michael Bastian, bow tie by Brooks Brothers, shoes by Cole Haan. 3. Sweater by Club Monaco, Ludiow shirt by J. Crew, pants from Gant by Michael Bastian, repp tie and watch by Nautica, socks by Ralph Lauren, shoes by Cole Haan. 4. Vintage-style Wisconsin varsity sweater by Etiquette Vintage Design, shirt and khakis by Tommy Hilfiger, tie from Gant by Michael Bastian, penny loafers by G.H. Bass & Co. Women's fashion courtesy of revivalboutique.com and Cole Haan. Cars courtesy of Rodworks Inc., Los Angeles, California, rodworksinc.com; Windsor picnic basket, picnictime.com; Charleston high-back beach chair, lawnchairusa.com.

Get Wood

Pit masters will tell you the best way to grill is over real hardwood coals. B&B oak lump charcoal burns hot and clean and adds the fra­grance of real wood smoke to your party. Be sure to bring along a charcoal chimney starter to fire it up. ($23 for 20 pounds, bbcharcoal.com)

Use Real Tongs

Another vital pit-master tip: Don't buy a "BBQ set" with clumsy tongs and an oversize, serrated-edge spatula. A set of long-handled, restaurant-style tongs will work better, and you can use them in your kitchen the rest of the year. (Edlund 16-inch tongs with lock, f 16, edlundco.com)

Cook Like an iron Chef

Football season comes but once a year, so cook something to stand out from the burgers-and-brats crowd. We enlisted Wolfgang Puck—yes, the godfather of all that is luxurious and deli­cious in food—to give us a recipe for grilled lobster with spicy herbed butter and tips on how to grill the perfect steak. (See page 82.)

Prep School

Split those lobsters and slice those succulent steaks on a burly hardwood cutting board, (f 90, jkadams.com)

1. RAISE

THE BAR CART

Leave the keg stands to the kids. A well-appointed mobile bar should have all the comforts of the latest nouveau speakeasy: gleaming barware, top-shelf liquor and an ice bucket—no stooping into the cooler required. (Mayfair ice bucket, $99, williamssonoma.com)

2. CARRY A MANLY BAG

The Filson rugged twill utility bag is what all toolboxes aspire to be. It can carry booze, food and anything else you need to lug to the game. ($245, filson.com)

3. SIT RIGHT

This guy isn't sitting on some nylon folding chair like he's camped out waiting for the latest iPhone release; he's looking smooth on an American-made wood-and-canvas director's chair from Telescope, the preferred on-set seat of Hollywood A-listers. ($110, filmtools.com)

SERVE A DRINK THAT'S SOPHISTICATED, SPARKLING AND STRONG—LIKE YOU

Earlier this year, the Var­nish, a mixologically inclined speakeasy in downtown Los Angeles, was voted best bar in the country at Tales of the Cocktail, the Oscars of the bartending world. We enlisted their tal­ented barmen to create a high-octane twist on the champagne cocktail.

1. GO VINTAGE

The stadium parking lot will be awash in oversize jerseys, hoodies and other school colors. That said, a vintage-style letterman sweater from the good people at Etiquette Vintage Design in Austin will have you showing both your school spirit and your exquisite sense of style. They can custom tailor sharp-looking sweaters and blazers with your school's logo. (evintaged.com)

2. BLANKET STATEMENT

Pack a wool blanket. It can dou­ble as a picnic blanket or a wrap for the ladies. (Civil War artillery blanket, S109, woolrich.com)

3. GLASS ACT

Polycarbonate champagne flutes look like glass but won't break when things get too boisterous. (Connoisseur champagne flutes, $42 for six nauticalluxuries.com)

4. TRAY CHIC

Presentation counts. You've gone to the trouble of mak­ing a restaurant-worthy lobste surf and turf, so don't ruin it by serving on paper plates. (Chancellor rectangular tray, $49, potterybarn.com)

5. GET A COOLER COOLER

You'll need ice. A lot of ice. Coleman's reissues of its classic steel-belted 54-quart coolers do the job and look, well, cool. They can also double as seating or a prep surface for your grill mastery. ($150, coleman.com)

Nightingale Cocktail

1oz.

Bulleit rye

% oz.

St. Germain elderflower liqueur

2 dashes

Regans' orange bitters

Prosecco, chilled

Orange peel

INSTRUCTIONS

Shake first three ingredients with ice and strain into a champagne flute. Top with prosecco. Squeeze orange peel, skin side down, into drink to release aromatic oils. Garnish with peel.

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WOLFGANG PUCK'S DREAM GRILL

As if two incredibly masculine pro­teins weren't enough, you'll be grilling them over hardwood. As if that weren't enough, you'll be doing it the way /^^ Wolfgang Puck does. And when Puck says, "Grill this," you're advised to listen. Here's how he grills his lobster. As for steak, cook well-salted one-and-a-half-inch-thick New York strips to a juicy medium rare.

Grilled Lobster

With Spicy Herbed Butter

Serves four.

INGREDIENTS

1 Ib. unsalted butter, softened 3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 red jalapeno, seeds and white membranes removed, chopped

'A cup chopped Italian parsley

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tbsp. chopped chives

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 lobsters, about 1'A lbs. each 6 lemon wedges

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

The day before: In food processor, combine butter, garlic, jalapeno, parsley, lemon juice and chives. Season with salt and pepper and process until well combined. Refrigerate.

Game day: Preheat grill to high. To kill each lobster instantly, place tip of large chef's knife one inch behind the eyes, then slice blade downward between the eyes in one swift motion. Split lobsters in half lengthwise. Brush meat of lobsters with melted herbed butter, about one tablespoon per lobster half. Place lobsters on grill, flesh side down, and cook until meat has grill marks and starts to turn opaque and firm up, about five minutes.

Turn lobsters over and grill an additional five to six minutes, brushing with more butter, if desired. Remove lobsters and place on a large platter. Squeeze lemon wedges over tail meat, drizzle with olive oil and serve.

THE MAINE EVENT

Restaurants don't want you to know it, but there's a lobster glut this year and prices have ^dropped. You have no excuse not to splurge.