It's summer time so the first thing that comes to mind for me are cold soups. Gazpacho, Vichysoisse, Lettuce soup, cold Borscht (had to throw that one in, part of my heritage), etc... Then theres salads - the salad Niçoise, insalata Caprese (basil, tomato and buffalo mozzarella dressed in olive oil), a well done Cesar salad is always nice, as is a simple herb and mesclun salad. You can do plenty with patés and terrines as well - serve with a condiment or two (mustard, aioli....), some crusty bread and maybe a small salad on the side. You can also do small, simple pizzas served with some cured ham, olives, salad, etc...
Personally, I'd rather have a well done take on a classic than a new recipe that doesn't succeed (far too many of them these days - seems some chefs use creativity for it's own sake and forget about flavour). Whenever I'm stuck for ideas I turn back to history, the classics. Not necessarily for the recipe itself, but rather for the idea of the dish, and then think of my own interpretation of it.
