When we wondered about who to ask for help in planning a fun New Year's party at home, the chefs/owners of downtown Napa's Pilar restaurant immediately came to mind.

If you're interested in putting together a menu for a holiday party, who better to consult than Pilar Sanchez and Didier Lenders, with their respective perspectives coming from Hispanic and French cultures.

Didier maintains a fun party has as its foundation good food and wine, getting a second from his spouse.

In his home town of Sallanches -- which is in France's Haute-Savoie department, the gateway to the world famous Mont Blanc skiing region -- aprés-ski gatherings are built around traditional fondue and mulled wine.

He reminisced about three-hour guided ski treks through the Alps and visits to the ski capital of Chamonix. "This is an area for hard-core climbers (in the summertime) and skiers," Didier declared.

Pilar and Didiers talked about the savory peasant food of the region, where fondue, tartiflette and a galette called pithiviers are important to the locals.

The couple suggested a fondue party to celebrate the New Year, whether you're inviting friends over for New Year's Eve, New Year's Day or any other time during this holiday period.

"Fondue is great for gathering around the table and sharing," Didiers declared. "In my home area, which is on the border of Switzerland and Italy, we would even go to restaurants to order fondue, for food brings people together."

Traditional cheeses used in the preparation of fondue are Emmenthal, a distinctively nutty-sweet cheese that is Switzerland's oldest; Gruyere, a cow's milk cheese from Switzerland's canton of Fribourg; and Comté, a slightly sweet, nutty country cheese from France.

"It's also a tradition to add kirsch to the cheese in preparing fondue," he added, "or, if you prefer, a little white wine."

Pilar feels that a meal of oysters -- served with several sauces or mignonettes -- and fondue is perfect for an end-of-year holiday party, capped off with a traditional cake from France called pithiviers (taking its name from Pithiviers, a city of France's Loire Valley). It is composed of an almond cream encased between two puff pastry rounds.

But preparing a pithiviers is not child's play, the couple points out. "The tricky part is getting the design right," says Pilar. "It takes a steady hand."

"And a little love," Didiers interjects.

The pithiviers takes on a special name and function for Epiphany, when it is called Galette des Rois, or cake of kings.

In Didier's home town, bakers offer the Galette des Rois in special boxes with a crown taped to the lid.

"They bake a ceramic doll into each galette. You serve your friends a slice and the person who gets the slice with the doll inside gets to wear the crown ... and take a queen," Didiers said. This very special celebration takes place on Jan. 6 every year.

Holiday plans

Pilar and Didiers are spending Christmas with Pilar's family in Santa Barbara today where she anticipates "tamale making will be on the schedule."

They'll be back at their Main Street restaurant on Dec. 26 to finish up the holiday week for diners who enjoy the rustic fare at Pilar.

"This is my favorite time of the year," Pilar says, "when we serve a number of our hearty dishes." These include braised beef short ribs, cassoulet, bouillabaise, braised short ribs, braised rabbit and, a Pilar favorite, Nantucket Bay scallops.

Even though New Year's Eve falls on a Monday this year (a day the restaurant is normally closed), Pilar will be open to satisfy hungry regulars, "except when shut down by acts of God," the distaff member of the restaurant team said with reference to the flood of 2005.

To reserve a table for a holiday dinner this week or next, between the hours of 5:30 and 10 p.m., call 252-4474 or log online at PilarNapa.com.