Trying to host five people next Saturday in my 450-ish sq ft one-bed up in East Harlem. The kitchen is a galley with one usable counter and a stove from the Bloomberg administration. The living room has a couch, a side table, and a coffee table that’s basically a knee-high altar. No dining table, no breakfast bar.

I want to make braised short ribs because they’re make-ahead and feel like a real dinner, but I keep going back and forth: do I buy one of those 4-ft folding tables and four folding chairs, or do I save the floor space and do a coffee table/couch/pillow situation? My concern is the short ribs deserve better than someone leaning off a couch arm.

Also, where do you put a folding table when it’s not in use? My closets are already full of bike stuff and winter coats. Would love to hear what people do.

I just did a similar thing last month in my Dyker studio! I only had a coffee table and some floor cushions and honestly it was fun but my back was done by the time we got to dessert. We did lasagna because it could sit in the oven. Folding table seems smarter if you have anywhere to stash it, but I’m curious what people use for chairs. I almost bought a set but talked myself out of it because I don’t know where I’d put them. Anyway, how many people can actually fit around a 4-ft table? I thought it was only four.

A 4-ft folding table will seat four comfortably, five in a pinch if you put one at each end and two on a side, but they'll be close. For five, I'd rather get a 5-ft or 6-ft heavy-duty plastic folding table. In a 450 sq ft living room, a 6-ft only works if you can push the couch against the wall or slide the coffee table into the bedroom for the night. We have a 5-ft in a one-bed and it's the single most used piece of kitchen-adjacent furniture I own.

What I do: set the table up along the longest stretch of open wall, use a fitted tablecloth or just a flat sheet, and arrange seating as bench/wall side plus folding chairs on the other side. Use the kitchen counter as a buffet, not the dining table. That way the table itself only holds place settings, glasses, and maybe one serving bowl of short ribs—not every side dish.

Chairs: folding metal chairs are fine but noisy. If you can find wood folding chairs, better. I keep three folding wood chairs behind the couch and two under my bed. Not pretty, but nobody sees them behind the couch. You can also ask one guest to bring a chair if transit isn't a nightmare.

For storage, behind the couch, under the bed, or on the wall if you get one of those folding table hooks. Don't leave it leaning against the wall; it will scratch the floor and eventually brain someone.

Thanks @landmark_lina! I’m new to hosting in a truly small space and I keep forgetting about the under-the-bed storage. Do folding chairs actually hold up on a rug? My aunt uses one and it wobbles, but maybe hers is just old. Also, when you say flat sheet as a tablecloth, do you mean just any fitted sheet or a top sheet? I tried a plastic tablecloth from the dollar store and it was too short and looked like a trash bag. Would love a cheap way to make it look less like a community board meeting. Also, is it weird to ask a guest to bring a chair? I feel like it’s very 'bring your own seating.'

BRAISED SHORT RIBS! That’s the right move! The table stuff matters, sure, but let’s talk about your oven for a second because a tiny galley oven can ruin short ribs if it runs hot and you don’t know it. Get an oven thermometer and put it on the middle rack. Don’t trust the dial.

I do mine in a Dutch oven at 325°F, but if you have an oven that runs 25-50°F hot, go 300°F and go a little longer. Sear the short ribs the night before, cool, refrigerate in the Dutch oven, then next day lift off the fat cap and reheat low. The braise is better on day two anyway.

For the table, have you tried serving them over polenta or mashed potatoes? They're forgiving if someone is balancing a plate on their lap, but a 4-ft table will feel tight with five. If you can fit a 5-ft table, do it. And ask a guest to bring a folding chair—it's normal in NYC apartments.

@BagelCrumb okay this is the energy I needed. I do have a Dutch oven but my oven is the classic tiny gas one with only one usable rack after the skillet I store in there comes out. Oven thermometer is a good call; last time I made cookies they came out half raw half burnt.

@landmark_lina the under-bed chair storage is kind of genius. My bed is a platform with drawers, but behind the couch might work. I think the coffee table goes into the bedroom no matter what.

I’m leaning 5-ft folding table now. My living room doesn’t have a long wall, but maybe I can angle it. Five people around 5-ft still seems tight but maybe less miserable than 4-ft.

@DykerNewbie 4-ft is definitely only four unless someone perches. How did you handle drinks? My night ended with wine rings on the floor last time.

Wait, I’m new to this. Are we talking about one of those plastic tables from the hardware store in your actual living room, with a sheet on it? I always assumed people in small apartments just do standing/cocktail style or make it casual. Is a floor cushion dinner a real thing? My new place in Inwood is basically a hallway with a fridge, and I want to host a tiny Friendsgiving but I don’t even know where to put coats. Where do coats and bags go if you only have one side chair? Sorry if this is off-topic but I feel like there’s a whole seating-plus-coat logistics thing nobody tells you about.

@big_city_beth Use a top sheet, not a fitted sheet. A fitted sheet will have elastic corners that bunch up. A queen flat sheet covers a 5-ft table with a nice floor-length drop on both sides and enough overhang at the ends. No need to buy special tablecloth linens.

Folding chairs on a rug: okay if the legs have rubber tips, bad if bare metal. Wobbly is often a loose rivet, not the rug. If you’re near a hardware store, a cheap pack of self-adhesive felt or rubber chair tip pads helps. Don’t buy expensive chair glides for a folding chair.

@UptownUnfamiliar Coats are the real NYC tiny apartment problem. I use my bed for coats, and I just say the bedroom is the coat room. If your bed is behind a curtain or near the bathroom, that's less awkward than piling coats on the one side chair. Or use an over-the-door hook rack for daily life and triple up on hooks for guests. For bags, I clear one shelf of a bookcase. For Friendsgiving, definitely do the table if you can; floor cushions sound cute but nobody over 30 wants to eat braised meat on a pillow.

Okay, top sheet, not fitted—thank you! I was about to make a mess with the elastic. And the rubber tips idea makes sense. My aunt's chair definitely had loose rivets. I also love the 'bedroom is the coat room' move; I’m going to steal that. One more newbie question: if the table is against the wall, do you have people sit on both sides, or do you only sit on one side and pass everything? I feel like setting two place settings against the wall means someone has to crawl over the table to get up.

@EastHarlem_E If one rack is all you've got, the Dutch oven goes on the bottom rack with the oven thermometer next to it, and you leave it alone. No peeking! Every time you open the door, the braise stalls. Also, don't fill the pot too high; keep the liquid level about halfway up the meat, not covering it.

For the table, @big_city_beth if it's against the wall, you don't have to seat the wall side. You can do three chairs on the open side and one at each end, or if five, use one short end against the wall and pull it out only for dinner. But then traffic flow gets weird.

Have you tried making a gremolata or a quick pickled shallot to put on top? It cuts through all that richness and makes it taste like a restaurant, even if you're eating off your lap. I'm also a firm believer that short ribs should be served in wide shallow bowls, not flat plates, because the polenta will run.

Just reporting back! I did a small dinner this past weekend with a borrowed folding table and got four around it. I put it under the window with one short side against the wall; it wasn't perfect but okay. One of the legs pinched my finger when I opened it, so be careful. I also forgot to wipe down the table before putting a top sheet on it; there was a little dust from the garage on the sheet, which was gross.

Question for @BagelCrumb: if my oven runs hot, do I check the braise at hour two or just trust the thermometer and wait until three? My baked ziti went from frozen center to burnt top in a small oven, so I'm nervous. And what's your polenta ratio for a crowd? Mine came out like cement.

Thanks all. Decision made: I’m getting a 5-ft folding table, storing it behind the couch, and using a flat top sheet. I’ll do the short ribs Saturday morning but braise them Friday night, then reheat low on Saturday. Oven thermometer is on the list. I’m telling my closest friend to bring a folding chair and a bottle of red; the rest of them can deal with my mismatched chairs.

@UptownUnfamiliar coats go on the bed. @DykerNewbie good warning about the pinched leg—I've done that with a folding table at a stoop sale and almost lost a nail.

Will report back if five people actually fit or if someone ends up eating at the coffee table.