Dinner party menu

I would love some help planning a menu for a small dinner party - I tend to have issues determining food that will go together well through a whole meal so I'm at a loss of what kind of entree/sides I should serve based on a soup I'm interested in trying. The soup is from the New England Soup Factory book, it's the Pumpkin, Ginger, and Lobster soup (side note, has anyone ever made this soup?). I want to do a braised meat of some sort but I need help figuring out what would go best after that soup. I had been thinking short ribs but then a number of people at this party were with me at another party last week where short ribs were served so I feel like I should go in another direction. I have All About Braising and was flipping through last night trying to get ideas....maybe osso bucco? Or lamb?

Most of the time I cook it's just for myself and my husband and I get lazy and focus my energy on a star dish and then ignore the sides...so I don't have a lot of practice doing full-on menu planning and would appreciate any suggestions!